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The Best Golf Balls for Beginners in 2022

Bentley Williams
best golf balls for beginners

Golf can be a great way to have fun, enjoy some good company, get a mental workout, and improve your health. 

Starting as a beginner can be confusing and intimidating, especially when you’re sharing the green field with experienced players. Thankfully you can relieve some of the pressure by choosing the right equipment.

Is choosing the right golf ball a thing? Can one ball be that different from another? Yes, and how it performs is directly related to how and what it was made from. If you want to get good at the game, choosing the right ball is as important as choosing your clubs. 

Here’s our list of the best golf balls for beginners in 2022.

Best Golf Balls for Practicing Your Swing

1. Nitro Golf Crossfire 45 Ball Pack Golf Balls

This is the ball you want to bring to the driving range or a casual game among friends of a similar handicap because they are quite inexpensive. The Nitro ball has been compared to a hard golf ball, so it’s not great for improving your handicap as a beginner, yet it suits new players. 

If you have a slower swing speed and want to improve, you may not be immediately concerned with the ball flight, compression ratings, or maximum distance. You’ll be more focused on things like your physical fitness, your pose and technique, and getting your clubs fitted. 

Despite its affordable price, it’s still a distance ball with good compression ratings and game spin for when you’ve achieved faster swing speeds and improved your handicap.

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Best Golf Balls for High Handicappers

2. Callaway 2021 Supersoft Golf Balls 12B PK

One of the biggest concerns for a lot of golfers is how their ball feels off the club. It’s a personal choice, but if you appreciate a soft feel you’re going to enjoy the Callaway Supersoft. Despite being a two-piece, it’s comparable to the softest golf balls at higher price points.  

This ball is a great option for those who have mid to high handicaps and are looking to improve. Its unique design allows for greater distance and smoother launch, while also reducing sidespin in the air. If you’ve been struggling with slices and hooks, it’s worth giving it a shot.

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Best Value Golf Balls

3. TaylorMade RocketBallz Speed Golf Balls

This is a good ball for those who want to improve their control over the golf ball and get fast ball speed off the tee. It’s not the softest, but it still ranks. The soft ionomer cover and high-energy react core will give you a good distance and help you focus on improving your swing speed. It’s a good ball for beginners for a very reasonable price.

By offering greater control and distance, this ball will help new players avoid slices, improving game speed in those days when you’re not wholly focused on skill improvement and just want to enjoy your time on the course. 

Selling at a great price point, you won’t worry about losing these balls, or damaging them like you would a $50 ball.

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Best Golf Balls for Weekend Warriors

4. Titleist Velocity Golf Balls 2020

When you’re starting, it can be fun to use products from the top brands because you feel as though you’re getting involved in the game. Plus, you can expect the products from these brands to be the best on the market, and in this case, you’d be right. 

The Titleist Velocity balls are some of the best balls for beginners because they’re a good ball overall. They get longer distances, have an extremely low long game spin and high flight on all shots than similar balls. 

If you’re a weekend warrior, you might enjoy the game as much as the next guy, but spending a lot of time focusing on one area of improvement might not be realistic. Ultimately, you’re the sort of player who isn’t too fussed about improving your skills, but you also have fun playing a decent game. 

This ball is a great choice if you are looking to enjoy the game rather than worry about what you’re not doing right.  

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Best All-Around Golf Balls

5. Srixon Soft Feel Golf Balls

Despite being one of the cheapest balls and with a rather simple design, the Srixon Soft Feel ball can hold its own, even amongst some of the high-end balls with more advanced technology. This has to do with its construction: two pieces with a softer core that gradually become harder as it reaches the cover. 

It’s a well-rounded ball that offers distance and control, and a great feel both in the long and short game. Its disadvantage is that it isn’t as durable as other balls, and will have a shorter life span. Yet, it easily offers enjoyable play and room for development. 

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FAQ

Do Golf Balls Make a Difference for Beginners?

Plain and simple, yes! The right golf ball can be one of the most important tools for new beginner golfers to learn and improve their skills, but also to enjoy the game (especially for the more competitive folks).

Experienced and professional golfers already have a well-developed grasp on strategy and stroke and have low handicaps, so they can grab just about any ball and play a good game.

For beginners who are trying to improve their game, choosing the right ball will give precision, distance, and control. Finding the right ball is about testing out different types and brands, figuring out what feels right for you. 

You can tell the difference in how the ball feels when it connects with the club, as well as how it travels through the air, the distance and control it offers, and how easy it is to follow through the air and find if it lands off course. 

Keep in mind that the right ball will depend on what you’re working on. More expensive balls are better, but that doesn’t mean you should drop a bunch of money on them. If your stroke is still losing your balls, don’t waste money on premium ones (you won’t have them for long!).

If you’re working on your handicap and have done reasonable work on your stroke, you can spend what you can on higher-end balls to help you improve your precision. 

Should Beginners Use Soft or Hard Golf Balls?

First, we need to understand the difference. The soft golf ball was born of the Balata ball, which was the opposing choice to the hard-cover golf ball. The hardball was used for distance; it didn’t travel quite as far but would continue rolling once it hit the ground. 

On the other hand, the Balata enhanced the spin, allowing the ball to travel further in the air until hitting the ground, where it would stop.

As technology and time progressed, golf ball makers experimented with different materials by adding and removing layers, which allowed them to achieve the benefits of each ball. This resulted in the hard golf ball becoming nearly extinct, and the softball becoming the model for modern golf. 

As a beginner, you should opt for a softball. If you do come across the hardball, you could consider it as a challenge to work up to. 

If hardballs were still available, they would be the main choice because of the precision and distance they allow, even when strokes aren’t great. New beginners haven’t perfected their swing yet and sidespin is a common result of a poor shot – your ball curves while in the air and ends up on your other side. 

Softballs are designed to minimize sidespin, which makes them the best choice for new golfers! 

How Many Golf Balls Does a Beginner Need?

You can buy single golf balls and jumbo packs like the Nitro 45 pack. You can even buy recycled, used balls in bulk. As a new golfer, you probably get the gist that it’s important to have more than one golf ball with you when you hit the course, probably even more than a couple. 

It’s not uncommon for a golfer to have a couple of dozen balls in their bag, whereas more experienced may carry as few as 5 or 6. It’s hard to quantify the right amount because it’s as personal as your stroke or handicap. 

As a beginner, you can think about it this way – if you run out of balls, you’re out of the game. That doesn’t mean you need to lug 20 balls around with you, but you should gauge how much you bring based on your previous games. If it’s your first time, play it safe.

You can also find abandoned balls along the course in places such as the forest. The goal of the game isn’t hunting and gathering golf balls, and you should never pick up a golf ball unless you’re certain that it’s not part of someone’s ongoing game!

What’s the Difference Between Two-piece Golf Balls and Three-piece Golf Balls?

The piece refers to the layers of the golf ball, all of which are different materials and have different roles in how the ball responds to your swing. You can buy two, three, four, and five-layer balls, but the lesser layered ones tend to be the best option for beginners because they’re the cheapest, yet you can still get some of the benefits of the top-shelf options. 

Two-piece balls are made of two layers: the core and the outer layer. They have a larger core, which allows maximal distance, but also minimizes speed and movement while it travels. They have a greater compression, so the ball is compacted when the club makes contact, which allows them to travel further.  

Three-piece golf balls are more like hard golf balls in that they won’t travel quite as far, but can help you get better control over your shot. They are better suited to more advanced players. 

Final Thoughts

Choosing your golf ball is as personal as choosing your clubs. Whether it’s your first time on a course or you’ve recently picked up the sport, your ball can change the experience. It is also a choice that’s likely to change as your game improves.

Think of your golf ball as a tool to grow your skill. There are options to enhance slow swing speeds, improve your distance, and bring high-handicap golfers down to mid-range. Before making your choice, think about what you’re looking to get out of your game.

Ultimately, you want to have fun, and whilst the right ball can help make the process more efficient, don’t sacrifice your enjoyment for the stress of getting it right. 

Wishing you good shots on the course!

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