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why use soft and hard golf balls

by Prof. Alfonso Konopelski Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The terms “soft” and “hard” indicate how the golf ball feels when it hits the ground. Soft golf balls are good for golfers with slower swing rates, as they provide more range and a better path. If you perform with a fast swing speed or you are an experienced golfer, a hardball can support you with superior control.

In almost all cases, an average golfer will prefer a softer golf ball over a firmer ball. Softer balls normally have a lower compression rating which means it will take less club speed to properly compress the ball. This will result in straighter shots and a better feeling golf ball.

Full Answer

What is the best soft golf ball?

The Best Golf Ball

  1. Wilson Ultra 500 Distance Golf Balls. Both inexpensive and super effective, the Wilson Ultra 500 Distance balls are some of the best you can get your hands on and ...
  2. Callaway Chrome Truvis Soft Golf Balls. These Chrome Truvis soft golf balls by Callaway provide a spin that is unrivaled in commercial golf balls.
  3. Titleist Velocity Golf Balls. ...

More items...

What are the best golf balls for beginners?

Top 10 Beginner Golf Balls Chart

  1. Pinnacle Gold Golf Ball 15pk Yellow Soft, 2-piece $$ 4.8
  2. Nike Golf PD Women's Power Distance Golf Balls, White Medium, 2-piece $$ 4.8
  3. Callaway Supersoft 2015 Golf Balls, White

What is the softest ball in golf?

What are the softest golf balls? The Callaway Supersoft golf ball is the the softest golf ball around. The compression rating of 38 provides a soft feel that many golfers enjoy, especially with the irons and chipping around the green. You can play some great golf and shoot low rounds with a soft ball.

Why are some golf balls better than others?

What Is the Difference Between Golf Balls?

  • Overview. If you have a high golf handicap, the ball you choose to hit makes little difference. ...
  • Construction. We have come a long way since the days of the so-called “Featherie” or Gutta Percha golf ball. ...
  • Compression. Golf balls generally have an 80, 90 or 100 compression, or degree of hardness. ...
  • Dimples. ...

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Should beginner golfers use soft or hard balls?

In our opinion, when a beginner is learning how to make solid contact with the ball, they should be using a softer ball with well-rounded performance. This means good distance and launch off the tee, good control with approach shots, and good spin and feel around the greens.

Do soft golf balls go further?

Although softer golf balls go further from the tee for lower swing speed players, the gap across the whole range of ball types is only around 5 yards, so it is more important to fit the ball to your irons and then fit your driver to your preferred ball to maximise distance.

What is the benefit of a softer golf ball?

A low compression ball helps to reduce the amount of ball speed lost on mis-hits and provides performance through the bag to help golfers get the most out of every shot they encounter on the course. Softer golf balls also allow the golfers to hit the ball higher which is beneficial to most golfers.

Do soft golf balls make a difference?

Lower compression balls tend to be softer and compress more to create more distance. Higher compression balls offer more control and are used by better players who can produce faster swing speeds to compress the ball. For more on softness and compression, please read our Guide To Soft Golf Balls.

Is Pro V1 hard or soft?

The Titleist Pro V1 is a three-piece solid-core golf ball provides total performance from tee to green with penetrating flight and very soft feel. The Pro V1x is a four-piece solid core golf ball provides total performance from tee to green with high trajectory and soft feel.

What is the most forgiving golf ball?

Most Forgiving Golf Balls ReviewedBest Overall: Titleist Velocity.Best for Low Handicappers: TaylorMade TP5x.Most Forgiving Soft Feel Ball for High Handicappers: Callaway SuperSoft.Best Extra Spin: Titleist Pro V1.Best Soft Feel Ball for Mid Handicappers: Titleist TruFeel.More items...

Do harder golf balls go further?

The harder the ball, the further it tends to go with less spin. Harder golf balls tend to be much cheaper than softer golf balls. If you lose balls regularly then harder golf balls could be ideal for you. Soft balls stick to the grooves of your irons and wedges and spin much more.

What is the best golf ball for the average golfer?

9 Best Golf Balls for Average GolfersCallaway 2021 Supersoft Golf Balls. Top pick. ... Bridgestone Golf e12 Contact Golf Balls. ... Titleist Tour Soft Golf Balls 2020. ... Srixon Soft Feel Golf Balls. ... Wilson Golf Staff Fifty Elite Golf Balls. ... Titleist Velocity Golf Balls. ... TaylorMade Distance Plus Golf Balls. ... Vice Tour Golf Balls.More items...

Which golf ball is best for my swing speed?

Our Top Picks For Golf Balls For High Swing SpeedsTitleist Pro V1 Golf Ball.TaylorMade TP5x Golf Ball.Titleist Pro V1x Golf Ball.Callaway Chrome Soft X Golf Ball.Srixon Z-Star XV Golf Ball.Bridgestone TOUR B XS Golf Ball.Vice Pro Golf Ball.

What happens if you play too soft of a golf ball?

Having control of shots around the green is very important but for some golfers, having a ball which feels too soft is going to become a hindrance and this can lead to loss of control on both chip shots and putts.

Which golf ball flies the farthest?

We discovered that the Titleist Velocity Golf Balls are the undisputed champs as far as distance golf balls go. Golf balls should prioritize essential factors such as spin, control, and feel.

What are the best golf balls for high handicappers?

Our Top Picks For Golf Balls For High HandicappersCallaway Supersoft Golf Ball.TaylorMade Distance+ Golf Ball.Wilson Duo Soft+ Golf Ball.Vice Pro Soft Golf Ball.Srixon Z-Star Golf Ball.Callaway Supersoft MAX Golf Ball.OnCore ELIXR Golf Ball.Bridgestone e12 CONTACT Golf Ball.

What happens if you play too soft of a golf ball?

Having control of shots around the green is very important but for some golfers, having a ball which feels too soft is going to become a hindrance and this can lead to loss of control on both chip shots and putts.

Do pro golfers use soft balls?

World number one Jon Rahm uses the Callaway Chrome Soft X golf ball having signed with the brand in 2021. The X model's design differs from the Chrome Soft in several ways. Rather than having a dual core, it features two mantle layers between the core and cover.

Which type of golf ball goes the farthest?

Titleist Velocity Golf BallsWe discovered that the Titleist Velocity Golf Balls are the undisputed champs as far as distance golf balls go. Golf balls should prioritize essential factors such as spin, control, and feel.

Do hard golf balls go further?

The harder the ball, the further it tends to go with less spin. Harder golf balls tend to be much cheaper than softer golf balls. If you lose balls regularly then harder golf balls could be ideal for you. Soft balls stick to the grooves of your irons and wedges and spin much more.

What type of golfers use a softer golf ball?

Softer golf balls are golf balls with low to mid compression ratings. The compression rating of a golf ball refers to the energy required to compress the core of the golf ball at impact.

What golfers use a harder golf ball and why?

Harder golf balls have high compression ratings. What this means is that you need to be able to swing the club at above-average speeds to ensure optimal compression at impact. If the core of the ball isn’t compressed the player will lose both distance and accuracy.

What golf ball type is a beginner is likely to want and why?

Most beginners have below-average swing speeds which is why they will likely want to play with a soft, low compression golf ball. For slow swinging beginners playing with a low compression golf ball will ensure optimal performance.

What is the difference between hard and soft golf balls?

The main difference between a soft and hardball is that the softer ball feels much better when you hit it. Back in the 20s, there were two types of golf balls, Balata and hard cover golf balls.

What is the difference between softball and hardball?

While the hardball, on the other hand, traveled a shorter distance in the air but rolled further.

What golf balls were used in the 2000s?

Hard-cover balls were designed almost solely for distance and provided very little spin on shots around the green. The overwhelming favorites were balata golf balls , which remained popular with tour professionals and low-handicappers until around 2000 because of their spin and control properties around the green.

How to find the right golf ball for my game?

Finding the right golf ball for your game should depend on your goals and how much money you are willing to spend. Rob Akins, a PGA professional and “Golf Digest” contributor, suggests finding out how the ball reacts around the green to find the ball that will work best for you. He also states that the ball that stops quickest on the green is the one you should get, even if that means sacrificing some distance.

What does adding layers to a golf ball do?

Researchers found that adding layers to the ball combined the properties of hard-cover and soft-cover balls, de pending on the velocity of the golfer's swing.

Is a golf ball hard or soft?

Golf balls, for example, are much more durable while maintaining the spin and distance properties that golfers covet. Today there is very little difference between hard and soft golf balls. Unlike the past, a ball's flight characteristics depend much more on the properties in each layer, rather than the relative hardness of the cover.

What is soft feel?

Feel and Compression. Just to bring everyone up to speed here; soft feel is primarily the result of low compression. Compression is a measure of how much a ball deforms under load. The harder the ball, the less it deforms. Most of you won’t care about that but somebody was going to ask.

Is premium ionomer an oxymoron?

At the risk of digression, for my two cents, Premium Ionomer is an oxymoron. In the ball world, premium and ionomer/Surlyn are diametrically opposed. As soon as you choose one, you can’t have the other. And yet, somehow, here we are…again.

Is the XS softer than the V1?

The XS is fewer than five com pression points softer than the Pro V1 and not much softer than a Srixon Z Star. It still qualifies as the softest tour ball but the average golfer isn’t likely to discern any appreciable feel difference between the three and you’re sure as hell not going to mistake any of them for a DUO.

Can you credit a soft ball?

Depending on your affinity for soft golf balls, you can credit or blame preference-driven golfers whose penchant for whacking marshmallows inadvertently created the fresh hell that is the nebulous world of soft balls. (Middle-finger emoji.)

Is Callaway soft?

That’s a true story. Credit to Callaway for keeping it simple. It really is super-soft.

Is feel a relative concept?

It should be simple but with different brands using different metrics (ball compression versus core compression, for example) and throwing the word soft around like dollar bills at Rachel’s Steakhouse (Google it…or better yet, don’t), feel has become an entirely relative concept made more difficult to quantify by the fact that there’s no agreed-upon starting point.

Is Velocity hard or soft?

Even that Velocity you’ve convinced yourself is rock hard; it’s about the same compression as AVX. It’s not Tour Soft-soft but it’s softer than PGA TOUR -soft.

Soft Balls: General Guide

Until the 1990s, golf balls were just hard balls with a compression level of 90% or 100%. With the starting of the 21 st century, soft balls flooded the market.

Do Soft Balls Go Further?

Usually, the control of a ball is governed by the number of dimples on it. Though there’s no difference in the number of dimples in hard and soft balls, soft golf balls will still achieve higher hang time (air time) but will lose the velocity once it hits the ground. The expected length covered when rolling on the ground is very low.

Considering Handicap in Soft Balls

Based on your handicap, the ball selection will differ. A person with a handicap of 12 should avoid playing with a hard ball. Opt for a soft ball instead. That’s because soft balls are more forgiving, much needed by a handicapped player. If the handicap is two or near to two, playing with a hard ball is suggested.

Best Soft Golf Balls In The Market

This section talks about some top-notch soft golf balls along with their features in brief.

Most Forgiving Golf Balls (Best Balls For Handicappers)

As stated previously, handicappers may find it uncomfortable when playing with hard balls. Therefore, it’s better to choose the most forgiving balls that are best-suited for handicappers. But before proceeding, let’s find out what exactly is meant by most forgiving golf balls. Here’s the answer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Despite so many disadvantages, there’s still a green light for soft balls.

Conclusion

By the end of this article, we covered a general and advanced guide to soft golf balls. We also discussed some best soft golf balls their brands, features, advantages, and disadvantages. Please remember that choosing the right golf ball is highly recommended if you want to enjoy the game.

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