Golf Balls
Golf Balls Category
Choosing a Golf Ball
The type of golf ball you play can have an effect on your scores so don’t just pick a ball based on what your buddies play or your favorite tour player. For many the choice of golf ball is mainly determined by the price they are willing to pay. Tour-quality balls go for around $4-$5 per ball and for some, that is too expensive! Fortunately, there are many balls available at lower price points that can still give you excellent performance such as Snell, Seed or Vice.
Some people will prefer a soft-feeling golf ball and there are many great options to choose in the category of soft, low-compression golf balls.
People with fast swings will likely prefer firmer golf balls like the Pro V1x, TP5x or Z-Star XV.
Depending on your swing a low spin ball could be a great option to help lower your trajectory or reduce your slice.
Female golfers might be tempted to fall into the trap of looking only at golf balls for women but they should be considering their swing and impact conditions to determine the best ball for their game. A golf ball doesn’t know the sex of the player only the type of impact conditions they are producing.
Types Of Golf Ball
Golf balls can be categorized in several ways:
- Price
- Construction
- Compression
- Cover material
If you are shopping on price then top-end balls will cost you $45+ from the likes of Titleist, Callaway, Srixon, TaylorMade and Bridgestone.
Mid-range balls will set you back between $30-$45. For this sort of money you will get a mid-range ball from the big manufacturers or you could get a 3-piece, urethane ball from a direct-to-consumer company like Vice, Snell, Seed or Piper. Ideal for typical club golfers or better players with an eye for value for money.
In the $15-$25 range you will find iononer/surlyn covered balls which will mostly be 2-piece. These are ideal for beginners.
If you are basing your decision on construction then better golfers will opt for 3, 4 or 5-piece balls with urethane covers. These offer the sort of performance that good golfers require. High levels of spin to shape the ball and help stop the ball on the green.
Golfers looking for slightly less spin or a softer feel might go for a mid-range ball like the Srixon Q-Star Tour which is a 3-piece urethane ball but with a lower compression than a tour ball.
Last but least are the 2-piece balls with ionomer or surlyn covers. These can vary in terms of feel from quite soft to fairly firm but produce less spin. Ideal for beginners who lose lots of balls as they might cost as little as $1 per ball.
If you absolutely must have a soft feel golf ball, then manufacturers are happy to oblige with any number of soft, low-compression models. Bear in mind that softer balls generally don’t go as far as firmer balls no matter what your swing speed. Tour-quality balls tend to have fairly high compression with the Pro V1x being among the firmest.
You really only have two choices if you make your decision based on the cover material. Urethane balls will spin more and suit better players who like to work the ball and see the ball check up on the green. Ionomer/surlyn covers are generally found on two-piece balls and are better for higher handicaps who maybe don’t have such good control of the golf ball.
One thing to remember is once you have found a ball that suits your game and wallet try to play with that ball all the time so you can get used to how it reacts in all situations.
How are you going to pick your golf ball?
