Does It Matter What Golf Ball You Use (Complete Overview)

Yes, a golfer should take into consideration their swing speed, launch angle, spin rate and the feel that they desire around the green. The golf ball is extremely important and impacts the quality of the round.

Whether you are new to the game or have been playing for years, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with all of the new advances in golf balls and golf clubs.

It seems like every month there is a new driver or an improvement in a golf ball that promises to help you hit the ball further, more accurate or spin the ball more to hold more greens.

It can be overwhelming!

When it comes to golf balls there are plenty of options and one of the questions we frequently hear is does it matter what golf ball you use.

Hopefully you aren’t using golf balls that look like this! Treat yourself to some new golf balls and test out what is best for your game!

Does it matter what golf ball you use?

Once the golfer has determined what golf ball or kind of golf ball fits their game, they can determine the best option within their budget. Golf balls are going to range in price from somewhere around $15 a dozen, all the way up to $50 a dozen. Top 4 golf ball recommendations below!

5 factors in golf ball selection:

Swing speed
Launch angle
Spin rate

Feel
Budget

Does It Matter What Golf You Use: Swing Speed (Factor 1)

Swing speed might be the most important factor in golf ball selection. If you are have a slower swing speed (somewhere below 90 miles per hour), you will want to consider a lower compression golf ball. The lower compression golf ball will help you launch the ball higher, compress the ball better, while still giving your quality feel around the green.

If you have a high swing speed (100 miles per hour and above) you should consider one of the top of the line golf balls if you want the combination of the most distance, flight control, spin rate and feel around the green.

Even at the higher swing speed, if you simply just want a quality ball that is above average, there are plenty of quality options for you. Start by measuring your swing speed and having an idea of how fast you swing.

Many seniors might struggle to get their swing speed with the driver to even 80 miles per hour. While many younger golfers swing in the 95-105 mile per hour range. The elite golfers starts to push overall 105 miles per hour while the average swing speed on tour with a driver is 113 miles per hour.

Looking to increase your swing speed? You have to check out the info below on SuperSpeed Golf! It can increase your swing speed and help you gain 20-30 yards with your driver. Train for speed and get the right golf ball and you are on your way to better golf!

Does It Matter What Golf You Use: Launch Angle (Factor 2)

Do you hit the ball higher or lower? This will matter in your ball selection. Some golf balls are marketed as high launch golf balls. These are great for the slower swing speed golfer to maximize distance to help hold greens when you have a shot from 150 yards or more.

However, if you have a higher swing speed and already launch the ball high naturally, a high launching golf ball would take away distance from you and cause some major issues when hitting into the wind. The highest end golf balls, like the Titleist Pro V1 are designed to bore through the wind and not over launch.

The spin is easier to control and the golf ball can be flighted by the best golfers.

Launch angle plays a role in total distance. Hit the ball too high or too low and you will lose distance. Depending on your swing speed, there is an ideal launch angle to maximize your carry distance and overall distance.

Does It Matter What Golf You Use: Spin Rate (Factor 3)

If you have been playing the game long enough you might remember playing the balata golf balls of the past. These extremely soft, high spinning golf balls were easy to spin off a green. The covers tour easy and you had to replace them frequently (sometimes as often as every 3 holes).

For about the past 20 years, golf balls like the Pro V1 have combined the spin you need, with the distance you crave with the ability to flight the ball to make an excellent golf ball. Tiger was one of the first to use a three piece ball of solid contrucution, this was a move away from the liquid feel wound ball that was popular at the time when most golfers played the Titleist Professional.

The Nike Tour Accuracy and then the Pro V1 changed the world of golf balls forever. One thing they were better able to control was the spin rate on golf balls.

Too high of a spin rate with a driver makes the golf ball balloon and robs you of distance. You only want a spin rate between 1600 and 3000 with the driver depending on your swing speed. However, with your mid to short irons you want sound rates between 7000 and 10,000 to make sure you can control the distance and stop the ball on the green.

Those shots that seem to fly forever and sail the green are often a result of a lower spin rate. You didn’t somehow swing 10 miles per hour faster, the ball just came off the face with less spin. Spin rates play a much greater role in overall distance than most people realize.

I soon learned this with my SkyTrak in my golf simulator setup. If I hit a driver at 2000 spin rate vs 4000 spin rate the overall distance difference can range between 20-35 yards in carry distance. This is with the same swing speed! This is significant and something many golfers overlook.

Does It Matter What Golf You Use: Feel (Factor 4)

Sometimes when I play in scramble golf outings, we are giving those low end, hard cover golf balls that have low spin and can travel pretty far with a driver. These are great if you can switch a golf ball after your driver, but can leave you wanting more control on your approach shots and your chip shots around the greens.

The golfer must find the quality combination between distance and feel. While some golf ball fly pretty far (especially the hardest covered golf balls), the control around greens and shots inside of 130 yards can be rather difficult.

Low compression golf balls often feel great for chipping if you want a really soft feel. Others don’t like the low compression golf balls because they can feel soft with the driver as well. At the end of the day, the total combination for what you need in your game can only be discovered through testing it out.

Does It Matter What Golf You Use: Budget (Factor 5)

At the end of hte day, most golfers have a specific amount of mone they can spend on golf every year. The good news is that they are some quality golf balls at every level. Here are our top recommendations at the different price points.

Find the right golf ball and you can reduce several strokes off your game possibly!

4 Quality Options

Low Budget – Distance Golf Ball

Mid Lower Level Budget – Low Compression Golf Ball

Mid Upper Level Budget – Tour Soft

Pro Level Golf Ball – All Around Quality

Next Steps: Measure Your Game

It is important to know your driver swing speed, spin rate, and launch angle. I would highly recommend checking out the SkyTrak or other comparable models (see below for links for check pricing) that can help change your game by ensuring you have the right golf ball and golf clubs for your swing!

Stop playing someone else’s golf ball and take control of your game!

I would highly recommend that if you are even somewhat serious about the game of golf, you should check out the portable launch monitors on the market today. These amazing, technological devices are a complete game changer. Having feedback on the following areas is impressive and can improve your game:

Ball speed
Carry distance
Spin rate

Spin axis
Club path
Launch angle

Not only can it help you improve your swing, but you can test out different golf balls, golf clubs and other golf related items to truly measure what is best for your game. You can test to see what golf you hit furthers, or most precise or even which one has the least amount of curve or the most amount of spin with your wedges.

Here are my top 3 recommend affordable golf launch monitors:

Mevo Launch Monitor

If you visit any PGA Tour stop you will see the majority of professionals use a launch monitor at some point throughout the week . Many are monitoring their clubface, swing path relationship as well as swing speed. These are important numbers to monitor to make sure you are keeping your swing within a certain range.

More Info on SuperSpeed Golf

I mentioned above that I was able to increase my swing speed by 7-10 miles per hour on average with through training with the SuperSpeed Golf System. This overspeed training protocol is based on the science surrounding overspeed training. The concept is that you will swing and train with lighter clubs and one heavier club to train the body and mind to be able to swing faster.

In order to swing faster, you have to train to swing faster. This every other day program that only takes a 15 minute training session every other day can add to 5-8% in swing speed, which could mean 20-30 yards in total distance with your driver. Are you ready to commit to this routine every other day and take your swing speed to the next level? Check out the current pricing here at SuperSpeed Golf!

Here is a chart to show some basic improvements that a golfer can experience.

Original Swing Speed	After 4-6 Weeks	New Carry Distance	Total Distance
95	102	245	265
100	108	259	279
105	113	271	291
110	118	283	303

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions: