The types of golf balls being offered to all golfers is ridiculous. The marketing campaign is definitely enticing to the uninformed and I have to admit that I fell into the trap myself. With dozens of manufacturers, it is a challenge to separate the wheat from the chaff with respect to the ball that works best for your game. Recently, I conducted an impromptu experiment where I used a distance, soft, 90 compression and 50 compression golf ball in the same round. I will not talk about the makes as I do not want to get into brand loyalty or who makes the better ball. The point of my article is to highlight the differences in performance (in my game) with each ball.

First lets start with the basic understanding of golf ball construction with an infographic created at The Grateful Golfer.

The first ball I used was a distance ball. This ball is generally considered a beginner’s ball and are relatively inexpensive to purchase. I found that I could hit the ball a bit farther but lost a fair bit of feel around the green. When I first started playing, distance was important to my game as I was learning to develop feel. I normally do not use this type of ball, but they do have their value to a different player.

The second ball was a ‘soft’ ball. It is designed to provide the distance we need with the added plus of fell around the green when chipping and putting. Personally, I could not find the proper way to hit this ball. I rely on sound and contact to determine the quality of golf ball for my game. Unfortunately, I could not find that perfect spot to make this ball work for my game. It hit about a normal distance for me (150 yards with a 7 iron) with nothing standing out on the feel side. I do not like a hard sounding or feeling ball. The ‘soft’ aspect of this ball did not really show up for my game.

The third ball is a high compression (90) golf ball. This was a premium ball and I have used them quite a bit over the years. I like hitting this ball but have found that the temperatures need to quite warm for me to gain the maximum performance out of this golf ball. It was comfortable to hit and produced great results for my game. They are pricey and I do not use them very often. Additionally, I do not buy them anymore and wait until I get them as a gift. Regardless, in my opinion, this ball is for a lower handicap player who has a 95+ swing speed.

The last ball was a lower compression (50) golf ball. Overall, this ball produced the best overall results for my game. It is one I have gravitated too in the spring and fall when the weather is cooler, however I am not starting to use this ball in the summer as well. It feels mushy on really hot days, but for the most part it is the most versatile ball I can use. As a guideline, lower compression golf balls are designed for slower swing speeds and I would consider mine on the bubble. The lower compression golf ball works best for my golf game.

The type and make up of a golf ball does make a difference in performance on the golf course. If you are looking strictly at distance, there is a ball for you. If you want high performance, then there are golf balls for you. If you are in between these two extremes then you are lucky because there are golf balls for you. How a golf ball reacts to our game is nothing new, but I thought it was important to discuss that differences of playing different golf balls on the same round. Changing your golf ball might improve your performance and lower your golf score. You just have to try the different balls and focus on how it feels during contact. You might be surprised at the results.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!