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why use soft golf balls

by Prof. Foster Stokes Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The Pros of Low Compression Golf Balls

  • Soft Feel. Great golfers know that your play around the green is what makes you score well. ...
  • Ability to Spin. For some circumstances, spinning the ball is exactly what you want. ...
  • Added Distance. Probably the biggest reason why golfers seek out low compression golf balls is because of the advertised added distance that you get.

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.May 7, 2019

Full Answer

What is the best soft golf ball?

 · While ‘distance’ balls might go a few yards further, the ability to stop the ball quickly on chip shots is also integral to their ability to score, which is why they choose a ball with a softer urethane cover. A lot of the top players are long enough that they do not need the extra distance that a distance ball would give them.

Why are some golf balls better than others?

 · 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.

What are the softest golf balls?

 · In general it is considered that at faster swing speeds of around 95mph and upwards there can be a fall off in ball speed of a softer compression ball relative to a firmer ball. This is because softer ball deforms to a greater extent from the greater force at impact resulting in energy being lost and this reduces the ball speed.

What golf ball has the lowest compression?

 · 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. Most golfers will find that both soft and hard golf balls …

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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.

Do softer golf balls go farther?

Do Softer Golf Balls Go Further? As a general rule, soft low compression golf balls will travel further when you hit your driver and irons. With your wedges, soft and firm golf balls should travel the same distance.

Do pro golfers use soft balls?

The top 100 PGA Tour players use 9 different golf balls produced by 5 manufacturers. 69% play a Titleist Pro V1 or Pro V1x with Callaway's Chrome Soft X the next most popular.

Who are soft golf balls best for?

A soft compression golf ball is one with a compression rating below 70. ... As a general rule, softer compression golf balls will go further for people with a slower swing speed. ... Soft compression golf balls require less speed to properly compress the ball, which means they're ideal for golfers with slower swing speeds.

Is Pro V1 a soft ball?

A Soft Cover One key area in the success of the Titleist Pro V1 was its soft feel. Titleist says that the current generation of Pro V1's has the softest cover they have ever used.

Is Titleist Tour soft a 3 piece ball?

The Titleist Tour Soft has been designed for golfers looking for distance, soft feel, and spin. The Titleist Tour Soft is a two piece golf ball with an extremely soft and large core.

Is a softer golf ball more forgiving?

The softer ball offers more game control on poorly centered hits and offers increased distance on low impact shots. I've ranked them a bit lower because of cost. These Titleist Tour golf balls are ideal for beginner golfers who require plenty of forgiveness on their hits. What do golfers have to say?

Do warm golf balls go further?

Generally, a warmer golf ball travels farther. The rubber materials used to make golf balls respond better if they are more resilient. Warmth enhances resiliency. A warmer ball will come off the clubface with more velocity and spin than a colder ball, encouraging loft.

Do expensive golf balls make a difference?

The average golfer won't get enough benefit to justify paying the higher price and would be better off using that money to work on their swing. The only benefit to an expensive golf ball would be the increased spin around the green and the nice soft feel at impact.

What is the best golf ball for a mid handicapper?

Here are the 6 best golf balls for mid-handicap golfers:Titleist Velocity (best firm golf ball)Srixon Soft Feel (best soft golf ball)Bridgestone e6.Wilson Duo Professional.Taylormade Tour Response.Callaway Supersoft.

What golf balls are comparable to Callaway supersoft?

The Srixon Soft Feel and Callaway Supersoft are prime examples of low compression, high distance golf balls. They are soft and long while maintaining low spin rates for extra control and accuracy. The Srixon is a slightly firmer golf ball and is made for golfers with slightly higher swing speeds.

What is considered a slow swing speed in golf?

With every passing decade, both male and female golfers are estimated to lose about 5 mph. Naturally, the average swing speed may depend on factors other than the individual golfer's age. The 75 to 90 mph range is typically considered a slow swing speed for men.

What golf ball goes the farthest?

Analyzing the individual ball statistics we can see that the Titleist Pro V1x averaged the farthest distance as well at 266.7 yards. Meanwhile, the Callaway Chrome Soft X averaged the shortest distance at only 259.3 yards.

Do warm golf balls go further?

Generally, a warmer golf ball travels farther. The rubber materials used to make golf balls respond better if they are more resilient. Warmth enhances resiliency. A warmer ball will come off the clubface with more velocity and spin than a colder ball, encouraging loft.

What is the best golf ball for distance?

6 days agoBest Distance Golf BallsSrixon Distance Golf Ball. Our pick. ... Callaway Warbird Golf Ball. Best for speed off the face. ... Titleist Velocity 2022 Golf Ball. High launch. ... Bridgestone e12 Contact Golf Ball. ... TaylorMade Distance + Golf Ball. ... Honma D1 Golf Ball. ... Wilson Tour Velocity Tour Distance Golf Ball. ... Pinnacle Rush Golf Ball.More items...•

Do high compression golf balls go further?

A ball with a higher compression is wound tighter and is referred to as being harder. Low compression balls (80 or below rating) travel farther than more tightly wound balls due to their softness and the reaction they have to a swung club (more rebound off the club).

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.

Simplifying Soft

That’s not entirely cool so I’m going to take a shot at putting all of this soft stuff in context for you.

PGA TOUR Soft Golf Balls

Let’s start with the top of the food chain – the urethane-covered tour ball. And by “tour ball,” I mean golf balls that are legitimately played on the PGA TOUR – or at least meet the criteria.

Non-Tour Urethane Soft Golf Balls

I was tempted to call this category Value Urethane but with AVX, Chrome Soft and RX/RXS in the mix, a good bit of the category matches the tour stuff dollar for dollar. If price isn’t the differentiator, what is? Very often it’s, you guessed it, feel.

Premium Ionomer Soft Golf Balls

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.

Cheap Ionomer Soft Golf Balls

Cheap isn’t necessarily reflective of quality here but it also isn’t not reflective of quality.

Really Soft Feel Costs Less

We’re not having a performance discussion today so there are only two correlations I want you to think about right now.

Are balls getting softer?

Yes. A look around our golf ball reviews will show that there are more soft golf balls in the market today, or at least the marketing focus is on the softer feel attribute of many golf balls, as this is something in blind testing that have identified appeals to many players.

What has enabled balls to get softer?

New materials and manufacturing processes. New materials have enabled manufacturers to create cores that are soft, but do not lose as much energy and therefore speed as previous generations of soft balls.

What is meant by golf ball compression?

In general golf balls are categorised by their compression, meaning how much they deform under a load and the lower the number the softer the golf ball is, although there is no fixed number which defines a ball as soft. However when talking about compression it is important to bear in a mind some important factors.

How do you decide if a ball is soft?

Even though we can use compression to say if a ball is considered 'soft' or not the question of what feels soft to any individual golfer is not so straightforward.

What are the characteristics of soft balls?

It is generally agreed that soft golf balls spin less than firmer golf balls so from the tee they should be longer as well as straighter, having less back and sideward spin. However, spinning less will mean that there is less control into and around the greens so the balls are harder to control and will feel softer off a putter face.

Is there also a trade off in performance at faster swing speeds?

In general it is considered that at faster swing speeds of around 95mph and upwards there can be a fall off in ball speed of a softer compression ball relative to a firmer ball. This is because softer ball deforms to a greater extent from the greater force at impact resulting in energy being lost and this reduces the ball speed.

How do you decide whether a soft golf ball is best for you?

It is best to decide which ball you prefer and is most effective with your irons and also for how you like the ball to behave and feel into and around the greens.

What is Compression?

Compression is a measurement of the deformation of the golf ball under a static load. As the deformation of the ball increases, the compression value decreases.

Summary

Testing of a significant number of golfers indicates that low compression/soft feel golf balls are preferred by a majority of players regardless of handicap. With the correct design, low compression golf balls can be produced that have distance performance that is as long or longer than higher compression golf balls.

Soft vs Hard Golf Balls Comparison

The terms “soft” and “hard” indicate how the golf ball feels when it hits the ground.

How To Find the Right Golf Ball?

Beginners may ask why they should invest in greater softballs when all they want to do is learn how to play. Nevertheless, even for novices, the case for utilizing high-quality equipment appears to be true.

When to Use Each Type of Golf Ball?

Different situations require a certain type of golf ball. Here are some recommendations:

Conclusion

Soft and hard balls share some factors in common. However, thanks to flexibility, a soft choice is more common among golfers.

What is the best golf ball for a slow swing?

Urethane Low Compression Golf Ball. If you want more control over your shots but have a slow swing speed, a low compression golf ball with a urethane cover is a good choice. However, keep in mind these are more expensive than the basic two-piece low compression golf ball and have a shorter shelf life.

Is a urethane golf ball good for a slow swing?

If you want more control over your shots but have a slow swing speed, a low compression golf ball with a urethane cover is a good choice. However, keep in mind these are more expensive than the basic two-piece low compression golf ball and have a shorter shelf life.

What is compression in golf?

Golf ball compression is basically the density in the golf ball and this density has an impact on the flight and loft of the ball. The density is measured by the tightness of the threads inside the golf ball and the more loosely the threads are wound, the lower the compression of the golf ball. A golf ball is compressed when hit by the club.

What is a three piece golf ball?

A three-piece golf ball does not offer the same amount of distance off the tee as a two-piece ball but does offer more control around the green. These are aimed at the improving golfer, who wants more spin on iron shots but is happy with their distance with the driver.

4 Tips For Choosing The Right Golf Ball

We don’t have hundreds of best friend, do we? It’s best to stick with a golf ball that you have tried and tested.

Expensive vs Less Expensive Golf Balls

We have heard many say that the price doesn’t matter when choosing a golf ball. But do you really think premium balls would perform the same as less expensive ones?

Golf Balls Categorized By Construction

One-piece golf balls are primarily for recreational golfers. Beginners can also start with these.

Balls From The Perspective Of Spin

Basically, there are 3 types of golf balls. You can either choose low spin, mid spin or high spin golf balls.

Choosing Balls According to Outer Cover Preference

For this, you need to decide what is your style of play and what skills you have.

Ball Preference According To Compression

Compression is the unique feature of a golf ball that tells you if a ball has a hard or soft feeling.

Frequently Asked Golf Ball Questions

Sure you can. There is law in golf that says you can’t have different balls for different shots.

What golf ball should I use?

As a beginner, this is a relatively common and popular question. Although most of the quality golf balls that you would find in the market fall in the category of softball, a hardball, in some instances, can also be a worthy choice. Here are some of the facts to consider before deciding.

Golf ball compression chart

In case you are thinking about choosing a golf ball depending on the ball's compression, here is a comparison chart that will cover some of the most renowned golf balls compression.

What is my strategy?

It is true that golf balls are getting softer day by day, but that should not mean hard golf balls are getting extinct. All the golfing manufacturers are trying to put both the features of a softball and a hardball in a single item, making the ball more durable, accurate.

What is the best compression level for golf balls?

As a rule of thumb, lower compression levels get greater distance than higher. For an average player, a compression level of 70-90 is ideal.

Why are core balls important?

The core is important to know about because the density, size, and hardness of the core impact the ball’s behavior greatly. One layer balls are those found on mini-golf courses and are unfit for regular play.

What is a two piece golf ball?

Two-piece golf balls feature a single core and a thin outer layer. Photo credit: golfpsych.com. The outer layer on a two-piece ball is harder to compensate for the lack of an internal layer. For this reason, they travel further than three-piece balls. Also, they tend to have a good compression level.

How big is a golf ball?

According to the official rules of golf, the ball is 42.67 mm or 1.68 inches in diameter. The golf ball’s circumference is usually 43 mm. Generally, golf balls do not stray from these measurements. The size is one of the most policed aspects of the ball.

What is the most important thing to have in golf?

The most important thing is to have a good quality ball. After that, the differences depend upon your playing style and your strengths and weaknesses. Different balls can enable different levels of spin, control, and height. Photo credit: mygolfspy.com.

Can you spin a golf ball?

Ability to Spin. For some circumstances, spinning the ball is exactly what you want. The high spin rate that low compression golf balls give players is awesome if you are skilled and can make a ball stop on a dime or spin your iron shots back on the green just like you see on television. Certain golfers might dislike the amount ...

Is spin bad for golf?

While spin is great in some cases, it is also bad in others. If you have a habit of slicing or hooking, a high spin rate is exactly what you do not want. You would actually want a golf ball that spins less so your hook or slice is not as dramatic. Too much spin can also really hurt you in your short game.

Who is Nick Lomas?

Nick Lomas is the founder of GolfSpan, an avid golfer, not quite a pro but has over 15-years of experience playing and coaching golfers from all over the world. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience then it comes to choosing the right golf gear, and finding the right set up for your game.

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