The right golf ball can not only go the distance on the green, but it can also improve your overall game. Your swing speed and personal preferences will make a difference in the right ball for you. Our reviews cover some of the best balls on the market so that you can find the best one for your swing and style.
How to Choose the Best Golf Balls
Whether you’re looking for personalized golf balls that can improve your shot, or the perfect gift for your golf-loving friend, the right golf ball matters. Here’s how to choose between the wide variety you’ll find in stores and online:
Is Price Important?
Much like any sporting equipment, golf balls don’t tend to perform as well when you opt for cheap brands. Cheap golf balls may not travel as far as more expensive, professional balls, and they could even affect their movement from the tee. More affordable balls tend to have inexpensive covering and lighter weight, which can disrupt the spin that causes them to travel farther and with more accuracy.
You shouldn’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on your golf balls, but spending a little more money to get a reliable brand name might improve your game.
What Cover Should I Look For?
Most golf balls come with urethane or ionomer covers. Ionomer is a material made of plastic, so it’s usually found on balls of a lower price point. Urethane covers come from rubber-like elements that give them some bounce, a soft feel, and more spin.
Ionomer balls can be a good choice for beginning golfers, as they tend to move straighter through the air, leaving you with less guesswork as to where your ball will go. If you’re an expert golfer with an excellent understanding of your swing, you might opt for a urethane ball, which has a spin that could be tricky to get used to, but also provides more control over your shot.
Are Dimples Important?
Some golf balls have dimples, while others are smooth. Dimpled balls create less turbulence as the ball moves through the air, giving it a more direct path toward the hole. Smooth golf balls tend to travel shorter distances since they don’t move through the air as smoothly. The type you choose boils down to personal preference, but many golfers from beginner to expert choose balls with dimples.
Best Golf Balls Reviews
Here, we chose five of the top golf balls on the market and pitted them against each other, comparing their pros, cons, and performance. Your personal preference and gameplay will be the deciding factor, so we hope our reviews help inform your decision.
Bridgestone e6 Golf Balls
Bridgestone e6 balls are dimpled, ionomer-covered balls that can meet the needs of most amateur and intermediate golfers. This ball has three layers, giving it a good balance of spin and distance. The WEB Dimple technology creates a spider web-like pattern that increases the number of dimples on each ball, giving it an even more aerodynamic flight than other balls.
Pros
- Seamless cover design with aerodynamic WEB Dimple technology
- Soft feel that’s perfect for swings under 100 MPH
- Low spin for beginners
- Mid-range price
- Different color options available, which can be helpful when playing with others who have similar-looking balls
Cons
- Might not provide the spin needed for ultimate control
- Made with aerodynamics in mind more than distance
- Some customers say that the balls aren’t as soft as they thought, which affects their swing
Titleist NXT Tour Golf Balls
Titleist NXT Tour balls can be helpful for expert golfers who want a good mix of controlled distance shots and quick stopping on the green for short distances. The inner core of these balls is larger than some comparable balls, which can decrease the spin on long shots and give just the right amount of spin to help the ball stop quickly when needed. These balls also have a unique dimpled design to improve aerodynamics while making your long shots more predictable.
Pros
- Fusablend cover, which is unique to the Titleist brand, gives the ball softness and durability
- 392-dimple design for aerodynamics
- High flight ability
- Excellent control for short distances
Cons
- Noticeably more spin on quick, short shots than long
- Not as many colors available as other models from the same brand
Srixon Q-Star Golf Balls
Srixon Q-Star balls can help beginners, and intermediate players get the best shots, thanks to the outer layer that improves friction, aerodynamics, speed, and more. These balls can stop quickly on the green with a helpful spin, but launch through the air with a low spin for an accurate shot.
Pros
- Cuts smoothly through wind
- 324-dimple pattern can reduce drag
- Large inner core helps maximize the distance of the ball for long shots
- High launch
- Spin Skin Technology helps create the perfect spin by increasing impact friction
Cons
- Likely won’t meet the needs of professionals
- Not the best to use for swing speeds over 100 MPH
Callaway 2017 Supersoft Golf Balls
Callaway 2017 Supersoft balls have a design that’s focused on its core. The innovative core provides the perfect balance within the ball to make it launch farther and straighter while giving it a low spin to improve your control of the ball. The cover is a tri-ionomer material that improves softness to complement your strokes using different clubs, and can even create just the right amount of spin to help your ball stop on the green.
Pros
- Designed to move far and straight through the air, giving beginners and amateurs a more accurate shot
- Dimpled pattern reduces drag through the air
- Different colors available
- Excellent for low swing speeds
Cons
- Makes loud noises when hit
- Hard compared to other “super soft” balls
- Might not be the best choice for close shots
TaylorMade Tour Preferred5 Golf Ball
The TaylorMade Tour Preferred5 is a ball that’s best for experts. This ball has five layers of construction, which gives it a better spin than others, leading to more control for a variety of shots. These balls are designed to work with almost any club in your bag, so you don’t have to switch balls when you switch clubs. The dimpled, soft urethane cover also improves spin, control, and aerodynamics.
Pros
- Tri-Fast Core provides the perfect, strong center for the ball to absorb energy transfer and go long distances
- 5-layer construction helps each club work as effectively as possible
- Stop quickly on the green
- Design helps ball compress when it, allowing it to stick to the club briefly for more height, power, and distance
Cons
- Might be difficult to control for long hits
- Since they’re tour balls, they come at a higher price point
Conclusion: Choosing the Best Golf Balls for Your Game
Since beginners and professionals will usually choose different balls, we are choosing the ball that can meet the needs of the widest range of players. The Srixon Q-Star golf ball does that, giving a good balance of aerodynamics and spin to create excellent short and long distance shots for beginning and intermediate players. With the addition of Spin Skin Technology, most golfers will notice improved accuracy with their shots, regardless of the club they use, because of the way the outer layer interacts with each club.
