Golf Ball Physics: Finding the Right Ball for You

Too few golfers have put thought into matching their game to the right type of golf ball. Depending on your skill level and golf swing, playing the wrong golf ball could be losing you distance, making it harder if not impossible to shape shots or impart backspin, a waste of money on technology you don’t need, making your slice worse, or sacrificing the best feel out of your ball. With hundreds of choices out there things can get confusing, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Most of what you need to know can be boiled down to a few key concepts such as construction, compression, and spin rate. Hopefully by the end of this article about golf balls you will be able to grasp everything you need in order to find the right type of golf ball to best fit your game.

1) CONSTRUCTION (the number of layers)

1 piece

The only place you’ll find this type of ball is probably at a driving range. They are a solid sphere with molded dimples. They are inexpensive, durable, and they do not travel as far as other balls, an important thing to be aware of if gauging your clubs’ distances on the range and translating it to the course. Many driving ranges now use the better multi-piece golf balls, but those classic white balls with the red “RANGE” written on them are likely 1 piece construction.

2 piece

These balls are made from two different materials: an inner core plus a thin outer cover. 2 piece golf balls tend to be a good choice for high handicap or beginner golfers. One of the reasons is that these balls are geared toward distance and durability, and it is assumed (but not always true) that higher handicap golfers have slower swing speed and need to make up some distance. In addition these are on the more durable and affordable side of things, which also making them a reasonable choice for many golfers. They spin less than 3-plus piece balls, therefore they may fly straighter. Any type of design will have strengths, weaknesses, and trade-offs. For 2 piece golf balls the main downside is that these balls are relatively firm and therefore compromise feel and control in the short game. Additionally, these wouldn’t be the best choice for more skilled golfers who want to shape their iron shots.

3 piece

3 piece golf balls have a solid rubber or liquid inner core, a surrounding a layer of enhanced rubber, and on the outside a relatively soft plastic cover. Many professionals use 3 piece balls. These golf balls allow for more spin, a softer feel and more control (in comparison to 2 piece construction). For the more skilled golfers who want to shape their shots with fades and draws, or impart biting backspin with irons and wedges, 3 piece balls are a good choice. Materials and technology have advanced to reduce the trade-off in distance, but the main sacrifice for a 3 piece ball compared to a 2 piece ball is historically a loss of distance. Compared to 2 piece balls, 3 piece balls are also more expensive, are less durable/more easily scuffed, and if you are a high handicap golfer who slices or hooks then the extra spin from these balls could make it worse. Examples are the Titleist Pro V1, Bridgestone TOUR B X, and many more.

4 piece

Take the 3 piece and add a fourth layer beneath the outer cover. Perhaps most leisurely golfers have no reason to go beyond 3 piece golf balls. For the most skilled golfers, the science behind the 4 piece golf ball is that layers are only activated at certain swing speeds. The theory is that iron shots will be able to spin the ball for more for control while driver shots will spin less and travel straighter. This concept is called “spin separation,” that extra layers only take effect through compression at a fast enough swing speed. These balls are quite pricey and possibly no better for many leisurely golfers compared to a 2 or 3 piece. Examples are the Titleist Pro V1x, the Srixon Z-Star XV, and the Callaway Chrome Soft X.

5 piece

Currently, the last stop on the slippery slope to a 9,000 piece golf ball is the 5 piece golf ball. The theory is the same as the 4 piece counterpart, with a differential of spin through the different clubs. An example is the TaylorMade TP5 .

2) COMPRESSION

Compression refers to how smushy the golf ball is. That’s the simple way to understand it. The more literal definition is rooted in how tightly the core’s threads are wound. Low compression golf balls have more loosely wound cores, are more compressible, and feel softer. High compression golf balls have more tightly wound cores, are less compressible, and feel harder. Medium compression golf balls are in the middle. All golf balls are compressed by the clubface when struck to some degree. There is a sweet spot for how much a ball should compress to perform the best: not too much or too little. It’s more about matching the right ball compression to your swing speed to get the best response, not that one type of ball will always get more distance/accuracy/etc.

Low compression balls are softer and compress more. Low compression balls can be a reasonable choice for players with high handicap or slow swing speeds who want to obtain more distance. The science here is that a smushier ball will compress more and remain in contact with the clubface longer which allows for transfer of more force to the ball. There comes a point of diminishing returns however when swing speed becomes too high for a low compression ball. Suffice it to say that due to the properties of the elastic inner material of the golf ball material and the laws of physics at play, a golfer with a high enough swing speed will compress a low compression golf ball too much, and the ball’s performance suffers. And the last thing you want is for the performance of your balls to suffer.

Medium compression balls are in the middle and provide a compromise of distance and control.

High compression golf balls feel harder and compress less. For more skilled players with faster (and controlled) swing speeds who have no problem generating power, high compression golf balls tend to provide better control and accuracy.

Few of you out there need me to tell you that balls are affected by temperature. Nonetheless, another important thing to note is that weather will affect the ball’s compressibility. Cold weather will act to increase the compression rating of the ball and make it feel harder. A high compression ball may feel too hard in the cold, and in this case a golfer might choose a relatively lower compression ball to compensate and maintain their normal feel. Conversely, when it’s hot outside the golf ball’s compression rating will go lower, making the golf ball feel softer.

3) SPIN

In some contexts, spinning balls are a medical emergency. In golf, spin is necessary and has a huge effect on your game. Golf balls can be categorized as low, medium, or high spin. The main types of spin are backspin and sidespin. In general, more backspin leads to greater carry distance, higher trajectory, and less roll after landing. Less backspin (or rarely, topspin) leads to a lower trajectory and less carry in the air but more roll after landing. Sidespin affects the curve of the shot. More sidespin leads to more curve. We’re focusing on the golf ball here but keep in mind the club and swing are key determinants of spin regardless of ball type.

Various factors in the golf ball affect the spin level. Two main things are the construction/number of layers (as discussed above) and the material of the outer cover. A soft cover ball will get cozy with the clubface and allow for more spin to be imparted. A hard cover golf ball actually slide up the clubface slightly on impact and won’t let the clubface’s grooves bite in as much, leading to less spin to be imparted. Cool physics and reasons aside, the bottom line is that all balls are labeled a spin rating. All the work is done for you.

All other things being equal, low spin balls will spin less, travel straighter, have less carry, and roll farther. Low spin balls are more suited for higher handicap golfers who need to optimize accuracy and couldn’t shape their shots anyway if they tried.

Medium spin balls are a compromise, in between low and high spin balls for distance and control. All other things being equal they’ll have more carry and less roll than low spin balls, and have less carry and more roll compared to high spin balls. They will have more sidespin than low spin balls, meaning either more slice/hook or more controlled fade/draws depending on the skill of the golfer. Medium spin balls are a reasonable choice for a wide range of golfers.

High spin balls spin the most. All other things being equal, due to their backspin they have the longest carry, highest trajectory, and least amount of roll after landing. Regarding their sidespin, they might be preferred by skilled players who can shape their shots while on the other hand cursed by lesser skilled players who see their slice get slicier. Lastly, they have the greatest feel and control around the green. High spin balls are most suitable for low handicap or scratch golfers.  

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