Golfers are diverse in their level of skill so they require golf balls that suit their game. A golfer that has a fast swing requires a different golf ball to the player with a slow swing. Fortunately golf ball makers have invested heavily in designing the best golf balls for the different skill levels. So what makes a golf ball the best for your game?
The Best Golf Balls For Your Game
Every golf player is unique. There are so many steps in the technique of swinging a golf club that it’s easy to see why every player is different. Such as the speed of their swing or the way they stand or if they are left or right handed. The variations to hitting 1 golf ball are endless. So it’s no wonder that golf ball manufacturers have invested hundreds of millions of $ to create the best golf balls for the differing players.
So, what do you look for in a golf ball to make it the best for your game?
Distance
When teeing off, the aim is to hit the golf ball a long way but the type of golf ball chosen can give the golfer more or less distance. The problem manufacturers have is designing a ball that provides more distance for everyone as well as more control, softer feel, and just the right amount of spin.
A good place to start when searching for a ball that improves distance is to read what the manufacturers claim on the golf ball box, such as “improved distance”. Srixon, TaylorMade, Wilson, Nitro and Zero Friction all sell golf balls called “Distance”. These are definitely an option.
Another way to know if the ball will be good for distance is the number of layers or pieces the ball is made up of. The less layers there are, like 2-piece golf balls, the less spin it will have which means greater distance. Of course the opposite is true. The more layers there are, like TaylorMade’s 5-piece TP5, the more spin there will be which means less distance.
Spin
One of the categories on the R&A and USGA’s List of Conforming Golf Balls is Spin Rate. The document lets you know if the spin rate is low, medium or high when hit with a driver and when hit with short irons. This is great info because that’s what you want to know about the ball. What happens when hit with a driver and what happens when hit with a wedge or short iron. This is what makes it difficult for golf ball manufacturers because they need the ball to react in two different ways. To travel as far as possible when hit with a driver and to pop up into the air and then spin backwards on the green when hit with a short iron.
Low Spin
A low amount of spin means that the golf ball will not carry through the air very much and when the ball lands it keeps rolling on a green or fairway as there will not be a lot of spin to slow it down. If you have heard players talk numbers when discussing the spin rate, then you will know a low spin could rotate around 2000 revs per minute (RPM) or less.
The benefits of a low spin ball are distance and control. High handicappers would benefit from a low spin ball because of the control they’d have. They aren’t thinking about backspin, they just want to hit it long and straight so low spin balls are their friend. A ball that will fly off spinning into the air can curve off course and will be shoved around by the wind. A low handicapper golfer will use the spin to their advantage but mainly around chip shots.
A low spin ball when hit with a driver would suit every player so it’s interesting to note that 75% of the balls on the List of Conforming Golf Balls were categorized as low spin when hit by the driver. The other category regarding spin rate on a short iron shot was close to being evenly split 3 ways of low, medium, high. Medium spinning golf balls on short iron shots accounted for 40% of the number of golf balls listed, with low and high at 30% each. If this is what the manufacturers are making then it shows that the majority of golfers want a low spinning tee shot but they vary when using the short irons.
High Spin
A high amount of spin means that when the golf ball is hit it will travel higher into the air and when it lands the ball will not travel as far due to the amount of back spin it has. This is perfect for a short iron hit because you want the ball to stop rolling forwards when it lands, especially on the green. A high spin rate depends on which club you use but for a short iron it can spin as much as 10,000 RPMs.
Compression
A few years ago everyone was talking about the importance of compression in a golf ball and the compression rating. It’s still important but because it’s so confusing and lower compression balls were seen as inferior, manufacturers shifted the focus away from it.
If a golf ball has high flexibility, it’s therefore low compression and if a ball has low flexibility, it’s a high compression ball. See the confusion. Another way to say it is that less force is needed for a low compression golf ball because it’s so flexible that it springs off the club a lot more than a high compression ball.
Low Compression
A low compression golf ball is the best ball for a beginner or high handicapper for a number of reasons but the main one is more distance. A beginner might not have the swing speed when hitting the ball so to compensate for this a highly flexible ball is recommended as it will spring off the club at the point of impact. This springing action will send the ball further down the freeway compared to hitting a less flexible ball.
Another benefit to the flexible ball springing off the club is that it tends to spin more. This is a positive if the high handicapper is looking to loft the ball higher into the air and stop quickly on the green. As these players don’t generally create enough spin to control their golf balls landing in the position they want, the low compression ball can help with that part of their game. Unfortunately spin can go backwards or sideways so there is a chance that the ball could get out of control if spinning sideways. On a windy day it may be impossible to use and the beginner could think “why did I ever choose this ball” but the benefits of distance and backspin should still be considered.
Beginners in golf want to know what all the fuss is about so it would be great if the ball feels good when getting hit down the fairway. A low compression ball does feel softer to hit because of the flexibility but it’s not always guaranteed.
High Compression
Most of premium golf balls today are generally high compression and are used by the top players on tour. The premium, high compression balls also have a premium price tag.
A good player that can hit the ball hard will gain good distance from any type of compression ball but what they get from a high compression ball is control. When hitting the ball with a fast swing the low compression flexible ball will spring off the club at the point of impact but the extra speed is going to send the ball higher into the air due to the excess spin generated. Of course the opposite is true for the high compression ball. At the point of impact the ball will not change its shape as much as the flexible ball so it won’t spring off the club. Therefore it’s not going to spin like crazy and this gives the hard hitting player more accuracy as to where the ball will go.
Dimples
In the late 1800s golf balls were made of a rubber-like material called gutta-percha. They could be molded into shape and when they were first invented the balls were smooth. By accidentally scratching them the players realized that the markings made the ball travel differently. They sat in the air longer and held more consistent flight making the ball travel further.
Over the next hundred years the markings eventually lead to the dimples we see today with manufacturers creating all sorts of patterns that can suit a certain type of players game.
Every manufacturer will tell you how many dimples there are on every one of their golf balls but do we need to know how many there are? Well the answer is ‘yes’. You see it’s all about airflow and drag and the dimples brings the air closer to the surface. The ball spins faster lifting the ball into the air. The more dimples there are the better the airflow and the higher the ball will go. But if there are too many dimples then the ball will travel higher at the expense of distance. This is why it’s good to know how many dimples there are. You don’t need to know the exact number but a range is good because that will tell you if it’s too many or too few.
Most golf balls will have between 250 and 550 dimples but the best golf balls seem to have a range of 300-349. Callaway loves making golf balls with 332 dimples and Bridgestone loves having 330. Using the R&N and USGA’s List of Conforming Golf Balls you can see from the chart below that 77% of the balls listed have a range of 300-349 dimples. This heavily occupied range suggests that the engineers and scientists have worked out that the best balance of height and length would be a golf ball that fits within 300-349 dimples.
Construction
The final component to consider when determining the best golf balls for your game is the construction of the ball. This means how many layers the ball has, if the core is solid and does it have a single or double cover. Like all the other components there is difference in the beginner’s golf ball and the expert’s golf ball. The number of layer’s that would suit an advanced player is greater than the number of golf ball layer’s that suits a beginner at golf.
A two-piece golf ball is a ball with two layers consisting of a solid core covered with a thin outer layer. This ball is ideal for beginners because it’s a ball that produces less spin due to the design which means straighter hits and better control.
A three-piece ball has an extra layer which increases the spin rate and ideal for golfers with faster swings.
The 4 and 5-piece balls simply have additional layers inside which adds to the softness and spin rate. A golfer with this type of ball will be confident in their game using the extra spin to hit both draw and fade shots.
In the List of Conforming Golf Balls, the R&A and USGA advise whether each ball is constructed with 2, 3, 4 or 5 pieces. From the list the majority is either a 2 or 3-piece ball making up 80% of the list. The number is also evenly spread with 40% of both.
Summing Up
If someone tells you that a golf ball is just something that you wack with a club, don’t be alarmed. They obviously don’t know the beauty and complexity of the golf ball. As you have now read, a golf ball is simply a work of art. It’s so cleverly designed that only a scientist or engineer could fully articulate the value of every component. Also, only they could describe the effect the golf ball’s motion has on the outside world. Or maybe I’m going too far and it is just a ball that you wack with a club.
