Many beginners in the game of golf might not understand the difference that a golf ball makes.
They have a common belief that they aren’t good enough to use a better golf ball.
Or there are golfers that head to the driving range and gain a general idea of how far they hit each of their irons based on what takes place with the driving range or practice golf balls.
Many golfers spend hours hitting buckets of golf balls at the driving range, trying to fine tune their swing to take to the golf course.
This is a great way to get better, but understanding the difference between a practice ball and a regular golf ball will help you better manage your game when you head to the course.
Practice Golf Balls vs Regular: Major Differences
The practice golf ball will have a lower ball speed, fly a shorter distance, be more durable and cost less money. The regular golf ball will provide better ball speed, more precision, and a more accurate spin rate and consistent ball flight.
Practice Golf Balls vs Regular: Distance
The practice golf ball will fly a shorter distance. Practice golf balls are built to last a long time to save the driving range money over time. They can often be used for years and stand the wear and tear of being hit on a driving range maybe multiple times per day over several years.
As a result, the practice golf ball is not built for maximum performance in the distance category. Some driving range balls are also flight restricted to help keep the balls on the driving range when space is limited.
Resource: Carry Distance in Golf
Practice Golf Balls vs Regular: Lower Ball Speed
I tested practice golf balls vs my regular golf ball that I use, a Titlesit Pro V1. I used my SkyTrak Launch Monitor within my golf simulator space.
I found that the longer the club, the bigger the gap in ball speed. WIth my driver I experience a ball speed of between 5-7 miles per hour less with the practice golf ball. With my shorter irons the gap was only 2-3 miles per hour on average. Overall, the ball speed was less and I had less overall distance with the range ball.
Resource: How To Increase Ball Speed in Golf!
Practice Golf Balls vs Regular: Spin Rate
When tested on my SkyTrak, I found the spin rate to be inconsistent with the practice golf balls compared to my regular golf ball. On average with my irons, the practice golf ball had less spin, which helped cut down on the distance disparity at this level of golf club. With the driver, my regular golf ball did spin a little less, but nothing significant.
Resource: Why is spin rate important in golf?
Practice Golf Balls vs Regular: Ball Flight
Overall, I found the flight of my shots with my regular golf ball to be much more consistent. There was a certain “window” that the regular golf ball seemed to fly in, but overall the ball flights were similar. With using a Pro V1 the flight is naturally a lower, penetrating flight even compared to the mid range, average regular golf ball.
Resource: Golf Draw vs Fade (Overview)
Practice Golf Balls vs Regular: Durability
While one can play several rounds even with the premium golf balls on today’s market, the durability of the practice ball is higher. They are built with a more rubber based core and a solid cover that is built to last. While premium golf balls have come a long way, they do not last as long as the practice golf ball or driving range golf ball.
Resource: How long does a golf ball last?
Practice Golf Balls vs Regular: How This Impacts Your Game
There are several things to take away from this information and the testing I completed with my SkyTrak to compare to the two different levels of golf balls. These include:
- Measure your carry distances with your regular golf ball
- Practice golf balls are fine to use, just understand the limitations
Measure Your Carry Distance With Your Regular Golf Ball
My number one recommendation when it comes to course management is to understand how far you hit each of your golf clubs in your bag. There is some amazing technology in the golf world.
I would highly recommend a launch monitor. These portable devices can be used at the driving range, golf course or set up in your home net or golf simulator. These devices are game changers not only on being able to map your bag and know your distances, but they also provide quality feedback after on every shot and provide the following information:
- Carry Distance
- Spin Rate
- Launch Angle
- Spin Axis
- Total Distance
- Ball Speed
This information will help you map your bag and know the exact distances of your wedges at different length swings. In addition, the launch monitors can be used to decide on which clubs are best for your game, develop a stock shot and much more. I love using my SkyTrak 365 days a year in my golf simulator setup.
The process for mapping your golf clubs can looking something like this:
- Hit 10 shots with each golf club in your bag.
- Log the carry distance and total distance for each shot.
- Eliminate any outlier numbers (poor hits or low spin rates).
- Take the average of 10 shots, eliminating any outliers.
- With your wedges, hit shots at 90%, 80% and 70%.
Here is my shot chart that I created with my SkyTrak:
| Club | Carry Distance (100%) | 90% | 80% |
| 2 Utility Iron | 210 | ||
| 4 iron | 190 | ||
| 5 iron | 181 | ||
| 6 iron | 171 | ||
| 7 iron | 163 | ||
| 8 iron | 153 | ||
| 9 iron | 143 | ||
| P Club | 130 | 123 | 115 |
| Pitching Wedge | 118 | 110 | 102 |
| SW Club | 105 | 97 | 91 |
| LW Club | 90 | 82 | 74 |
If you visit any PGA Tour event you will see plenty of golfers utilizing their launch monitors. While most can’t afford a Trackman, there are some very affordable options in the 500-2000 dollar range. I own the SkyTrak and think the world of it.
Here are the top 3 options to check out:
Practice Golf Balls Are Fine, Just Understand the Limitations
As Ben Hogan is famously known for saying, “the secret is in the dirt.” Many great golfers have developed their game hitting thousands of range balls. Balls that were in bad shape, dirty, and didn’t perform well. But the real secret to getting good at golf is repetitions and finding what works in your game.
Driving ranges are great places for this as you can get many repetitions in and built your ability to strike the ball solidly, work the ball both ways, and have enough distance to play the course.
Resource: Golf Driving Range Practice Routines
Golf takes repetitions and having a place to hit golf balls is key to overall development. I ended up building a golf simulator in my garage to help me get the number of reps needed to get to the scratch level of golf. My ball striking has improved dramatically and I can hit 12-14 greens on averages when playing an 18 hole round of golf.
If you are looking to take your game to scratch level, here are some indicators to help you measure your progress:
| Greens in Regulation | 67% |
| Fairways Hit | 53% |
| Putts Per Hole | 1.67 |
| Scrambling | 54% |
| Sand Saves | 59% |
| Average Driving Distance | 251 |
Final Thoughts
Go out and hit plenty of golf balls at a driving range or buy a launch monitor and find a way to practice 365 days a year. Golf is an incredible game and for those of us that love it, we are always looking for ways to practice.
Hit those range balls, find your secret and keep getting better! Or take it to the next level and buy a launch monitor that you can use at the driving range, in your garage or in a golf simulator setup!
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:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.