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In the early days of golf when golf science and research wasn’t too big of a thing. Gear manufacturers were more focused on creating basic, rudimentary essentials that just got the job done. Thus, solid beech wood golf balls were the trend. These hard, unforgiving golf balls didn’t fly too far. They weren’t aerodynamic in the least, and they made it incredibly difficult to hit straight flying shots. In a nutshell, they pretty much sucked.
Fortunately, a lot has changed since then. The golf balls of today are made from carefully selected materials. They are brought together through precise engineering for optimal performance depending on how you play. For instance, the best golf balls for slow swing speed help to augment the distance and velocity of a golf ball off the tee. This is to help a golfer perform just like any other advanced player on the course.
Once you step into the world of golf, you’ll find that there’s a lot of focus on numbers. In fact, measuring the different elements of performance is one of the joys of playing the game. It's because of this keen interest in the different variables that make up the sport. Manufacturers have established trends that make it easy to place golfers in specific categories.
Alright, you may be wondering - what’s the point of categorizing players? The answer is pretty simple. By figuring out how certain types of players perform through the numbers they fall into, manufacturers have a better opportunity to fashion golf gear that can highlight strengths and minimize weaknesses.
For instance, establishing the range for swing speeds gives us a high and a low point. The fastest speeds recorded average around 157 mph. These are usually attributed to professional players or advanced golfers who have had extensive experience and practice on the course. And then there are players who clock in around 70 mph, which is often tagged a slow swing speed.
Considering the range for speeds, any golfer who averages between 70 to 90 mph off the tee is considered to have a slow swing speed. And this shouldn’t be a point of embarrassment or discouragement. Instead, knowing your swing speed should help you figure out what type of gear to buy. Therefore you can support your performance and level out the playing field.
There are certain types of players who are more likely to swing at slower speeds compared to others. This can be due to a range of factors, but will often have something to do with body build and experience.
With minimal practical experience on the course, beginners are more likely to swing at slower speeds for the lack of an in-depth understanding of the skill and technique it requires. No doubt with time, beginners will learn the ropes and develop their own play style to improve their speed off of the tee. But more often than not, those who are only just starting out will feel a little clumsy with a driver.
A high handicap means that a player expends a greater number of swings than what should ideally be enough for a specific hole. For instance, when playing a par 4, a high handicapper may need as many as 10 strokes. Some experts assert that slow swing speeds result to a high handicap, not the other way around. But in many cases, these two performance qualities will coexist.
One of the factors that makes up a high swing speed is upper body strength. Bulkier, larger, more muscular players are often more capable of swinging much faster, which is why lady golfers have a tendency to swing at a slower speed. On average, studies have found that the amateur woman golfer will have a swing speed of about 78 mph, versus 93 mph for amateur males.
Similar to women, senior players have a tendency to swing a little slower due to their reduced upper body strength. But other factors also play a role, such as a looser grip and decreased range of motion. On average, a senior golfer will swing at around 75 to 80 mph, allegedly slowing down by 5 mph with each passing decade.
So, what exactly makes a golf ball for slow swing speed distinct from others on the market? By understanding the physics of golf, manufacturers have pinpointed the specific qualities that can make a ball fly higher, faster, and farther even when it’s powered by a slower launch.
You’ll find the word ‘soft’ slapped all over a wide selection of golf balls on the market, and this basically pertains to their compression. A low compression golf ball is loosely wound on the inside, making it feel softer against your club upon impact. The purpose for this is to make the ball more reactive so it responds more to your swing. When the core is softer, it can compress more readily like a spring. Squeezing tight and then releasing this preserved energy makes it possible for a low compression ball to fly farther despite being backed by a slower swing speed.
There are no specific numbers that dictate what a low compression golf ball is. But on average, you should be on the lookout for balls that have a compression rating of at least 70. Between 70 and 90 would be a mid compression ball, and then any ball ranking 90 upwards would be a high compression or hard golf ball.
Another benefit of low compression balls is feel. Striking one of these softer designs at full power produces a satisfying clap that resonates with gentle vibrating energy through your driver’s shaft. This is one of the reasons why even some advanced players choose low compression balls. In fact, some surveys have found that if a player knows that they’re hitting a high compression golf ball, there’s a tendency to water down the swing power to reduce the resonance of its unpleasant clang.
Finally, this is also why when asking which golf ball is best for seniors, low compression balls come out on top as the most common choice. Because some older players might have conditions that stiffen the wrists and cause pain in the hands. Therefore a pillowy soft low compression golf ball produces a far more pleasant feedback feel during impact.
The PGA doesn’t limit the kind of materials that manufacturers can use to create a golf ball. As long as it’s 1.68 inches in diameter and 45.93 grams max in weight, then it fits the Association’s description of a standard golf ball. With this kind of creative freedom, manufacturers have explored hundreds of different kinds of materials and combinations to produce golf balls that cater to every kind of player. So today, it’s really not that hard to find 2, 3, 4, 5, and even 6-piece golf balls littered throughout the market.
But not every golf ball will work to the advantage of a slow swinger. The best golf ball for 70 mph swing speed would be those that use two or three layers of material. Why? Well, these balls perform just like the old reliable balata balls of the past. Their uncomplicated construction and simplified physics make them resist spin (more on this later), and fly relatively straight and far. That said, the best golf ball for 90-95 mph swing speed might incorporate up to four layers of material, considering the slightly faster stroke.
Certainly, there are some upsides to using four to six layer balls as well. The clincher is that golf balls that incorporate more layers also tend to require more skilled, more powerful launch. Typically reserved for professional or advanced players, balls with more layers are usually harder to control and tighter on the inside.
The dimpled cover of a golf ball is kind of its signature quality. But there’s more to it than just aesthetics. Back when golf balls were made of stitched leather stuffed with feathers, players would use them until they were beaten, creating small potholes all their surfaces. It was when this happened that they found their golf balls to fly much farther, leading to the concept of aerodynamics in golf.
The small dimples that appear on the surface of modern day golf balls serve the purpose of drag reduction. By optimizing the way that wind interacts with the surface of the ball, these dimples work to limit the backward pull of drag. Letting your ball fall farther and faster with less resistance to its forward movement.
When it comes to dimple patterns, there are no restrictions as to the size, shape, and number that a golf ball should have. But what experts have discovered is that golf balls that tout larger, shallower dimples tend to do better in terms of reducing drag.
Although spin rate doesn’t have a lot to do with speed, it does have something to do with direction. The higher a golf ball’s spin rate, the more likely it will slice or hook off of the tee. If you were interested in achieving straight trajectory, it’s easy to see how a high spin rate might affect that. Then on the other hand, spin rate can also give a golf ball more versatility on the greenside. Approach shots out of bunkers and hazards may call for high spin to lift the ball up into the air and over to the green.
Another thing about spin is that it will get your ball airborne with less effort. The higher your ball launches into the air, the farther it can travel since it won’t crash back to the ground too soon after leaving the tee. Individuals who have a tendency to launch their ball at an angle less than 10 degrees might find a high spin golf ball to be ideal for achieving more height. Then again, that would also require some confidence in preventing hooks and slices.
Fortunately, there are some golf balls out there that marry high launch with spin control. Some low compression golf balls are specifically designed to limit the production of spin while still flying high from the tee box even if you’ve got a notoriously low launch angle. So players who don’t want to risk a mishit but don’t really know how to launch their ball higher might benefit from these hybrid low compression golf balls.
There’s a great debate contesting the viability of used golf balls, with some golfers saying these balls perform at a ‘downgraded’ status. But there’s very little research to actually back those claims. In fact, many of the studies that have been conducted on recycled golf balls have found that the differences in performance are so marginal that they’re actually negligible.
The real struggle with used golf balls is finding the same ones in a single set. Certainly, they’re going to be cheaper. But brands who collect used balls and sell them to the public aren’t likely to find all of the same kind of golf ball to be able to put together a 12-pack set. Instead, you get a bunch of similar balls that are lumped together according to the quality of their cover.
If you’re using your golf balls for practice or casual play, then used might not be such a bad idea especially if they’re not heavily waterlogged. On the same note, you might also want to avoid refurbished balls that have been completely stripped of their original covers and repainted. While they might look brand new, there’s no way to tell how damaged the balls were before they were refurbished.
As the best golf ball for 80 mph swing speed and under, the Callaway Golf Supersoft Golf Balls tout an ultra low compression rating at just 38. With that, these ultra soft two-piece golf balls produce a satisfying, pillow-soft feel against a full swing, making them a pleasant piece of gear to play with. But more than just the feedback, these balls bring accuracy and distance that can help even the slowest swingers play at par with more advanced golfers on the green.
The two-piece construction incorporates a thin covering and a loosely wound interior that’s optimized to reduce spin rate and heighten your launch angle. And because these golf balls brandish Callaway’s signature HEX Aerodynamic pattern, you can be sure that each shot will fly high and far regardless of your swing speed.
Another choice from Callaway, the Hex Soft Golf Ball is the brand’s low-compression representative in the Hex Golf Ball line-up. The ultra-soft core covered in a thin outer surface was designed to maximize carry without causing too much unpredictable spin off of the tee. With that, these golf balls intend to bring your shot far and straight for optimal accuracy during the drive.
But aside from being a great long-distance golf ball, the Hex Soft Golf Ball is also one of those designs that takes approach shots into account. Using its impressive thin outer layer, these golf balls heighten the level of control you can have on your shots around the putting greens, so you’re not limited by its low spin rate.
A hot pick from Bridgestone, the E12 Golf Balls feature an Active Acceleration Mantle that works to preserve the energy of your shot to help bring your ball farther even with limited power behind your stroke. This specialized mantle also produces added thrust off of the tee, getting your ball airborne with less effort from you.
Using the brand’s Delta Dimple technology, the E12 Soft Golf Balls work to reduce drag to help your ball carry farther and faster. And with their bright red matte covers, these golf balls aren’t only easier to track, they’re also far less prone to scuffing and cosmetic damage.
Often called the best golf ball for 85 mph swing speed or less, the Srixon Soft Feel Golf Balls showcase a compression rating of 72, which makes them a little tougher than the ultra soft balls previously mentioned on our list. Nonetheless, these golf balls guarantee straight, fast, and far flight through its intuitive two-piece construction that feels satisfying against the club.
The golf ball achieves its impressive performance by way of its Energetic Gradient Growth Core that works to maximize energy transfer from your club and preserve momentum for explosive launch on the upswing. This, in combination with its 344 aero power dimple design, the Srixon Soft Feel Golf Balls produce massive lift power that lets your ball rise through the air for maximum vertical trajectory.
Offering pillow-soft feel, the TaylorMade Soft Response Golf Balls clock in at just 35 on the compression rating scale, making them one of the softest balls on the market. Using a three-piece design, these golf balls produce explosive launch off of the tee without sacrificing your greenside control. Through its dynamic mantle layer, the Soft Reponse golf balls can help you achieve various basic spin techniques on the approach for more versatile short-game.
On top of all of that, the TaylorMade Soft Response Golf Balls showcase large and shallow dimples numbering just 322. Delivering complete surface area coverage, these oversized, shallow divots work to reduce drag and launch your ball farther and faster for greater carry from the tee box.
It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you use the right gear. The best golf balls for slow swing speed help to level out the playing field by giving your swing more power to generate distance and velocity that’s at par with more advanced golfers. And because the market for slow swing speed golf balls has gotten pretty wide, there’s really no reason to keep struggling with a ball that’s just not for you.
The Callaway Golf Supersoft Golf Balls bring together everything a slow swinger would need out of a golf ball. Providing fast flight, long-distance carry, and impressive spin control. These golf balls can help you extend your flight from tee box to the putting greens so you can bring down your handicap.
