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The Best Golf Balls for the Money

For the novice to the average golfer, losing a few balls on the course is a guarantee. Unlike a lot of pros out there, we can’t afford to pay over $5 a ball for Dixon Fire Golf Balls. Instead, based on weighing the quality versus the price, here are our recommendations for the best golf balls for the money.

Prices and images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Best Budget Golf Balls: Wilson Ultra 500 Distance Golf Balls

For people that value their money the most and do not want to spend the Titleist premium, the Wilson Ultra 500 Distance golf balls should be everything you could ask for.

The price point on these balls is anywhere from $10 to $20 for a dozen, so they are half the price of what some people pay for golf balls.  

Pros of the Wilson Ultra 500 Distance Golf Balls

  • Available in a 15 ball sleeve
  • Two-piece construction for distance.
  • 1-year warranty
  • Cut proof cover for extra durability.

Cons of the Wilson Ultra 500 Distance Golf Balls

  • Poor backspin

For the average golfer worried about ball cost, the negative point to this ball will probably not apply.  Most people that are looking for cheap golf balls are not worried about spinning the ball back 5 feet.  Give these balls a look if you want a crazy value.

Best Overall Golf Ball for the Money: Callaway Warbird 2.0 Golf Balls

For the overall pick of golf balls for the money, I had to point out the Callaway Warbird 2.0 golf balls.  They are a premium distance ball that has the Callaway HEX aerodynamic technology for launch, distance, and ball speed.

The Warbird golf balls are also unique because they do have a softer cover for a better feel off of the clubface.

Pros of the Callaway Warbird 2.0 Golf Balls

  • HEX aerodynamics for launch, speed, and distance.
  • High energy core for even more added distance.
  • Thin cover for better feel around the greens.
  • Below market price for the value.

Cons of the Callaway Warbird 2.0 Golf Balls

  • There are absolutely none for this product.

The Warbird 2.0 golf balls were a pretty easy pick for golf balls that are cheaper than most but also play just as good.  If you did not know what the ball was, you could easily suspect that these were $30 a dozen, but it is more like half of that.

They cross off everything on the list, and you need to get around in with these golf balls.  With over 1,000 reviews and almost 5 stars everywhere, the results speak for themselves

Editor’s Choice #1: TaylorMade Noodle Long & Soft Golf Balls

The first honorable mention that I would like to point out is TaylorMade’s Noodle brand.  They are a pretty popular golf ball for high handicap to average golfers. 

 Let’s look at some of the features that made this ball onto the list.

Pros of the TaylorMade Noodle Long & Soft Golf Balls

  • Sell in packs of 12, 15, and 24.
  • Soft iothane cover that makes it feel soft around the greens.
  • Impact core that promotes huge speeds off the tee.
  • Dimple design that also helps with carrying on your shots.

Cons of the TaylorMade Noodle Long & Soft Golf Balls

  • Not for people that like a hard golf ball.
  • Not the best ball for shorter holes

All joking aside from the negative aspects, it is hard to find negative points for a ball that is half the price of others out there.  They might not spin like the balls I am comparing it to, but these are still a great value.

Editor’s Choice #2: Pinnacle Rush Golf Balls

Last on the list is yet another brand of golf balls that markets to the large demographic of golfers very well.  And by large demographic, I mean high handicappers and average weekend players.

The Pinnacle Rush golf balls are an incredible deal for the money.  Their 5-star rating on Amazon pretty much speaks for itself because that is a hard feat to accomplish.

The balls come in yellow or white, but both colors help with distance to lower strokes.  This is the type of balls that is great for people who do not care about a soft cover and want a golf ball that they can hit a long way.

The main things that make this a huge distance ball is the dimple design and the core that explodes off of the clubface.

Pros of the Pinnacle Rush Golf Balls

  • The proprietary high-energy core that explodes off the clubface for speed and launch.
  • Dimple design that promotes ball flight, launch, and huge distance.

Cons of the Pinnacle Rush Golf Balls

  • Not great for spinning shots or working the ball very much.
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Golf Balls

Best Golf Balls for Beginners

So you’re just beginning to get into the beautiful game of golf. You’ve purchased or received a set of golf clubs. You’ve got a golf bag to put them in. You’ve got a new pair of golf shoes, some apparel, some tees, hats, and gloves. Now all you need to round out your game are golf balls to play with and you don’t know which ones to buy. 

When golf beginners are looking for the best golf ball for them, they usually are overwhelmed by the many options and variety. Do I need a soft ball? A hard ball? How much spin do I need to create? What do all of these buzzwords mean?  Or if you’ve had a few rounds under your belt with some friends and realized that you’ve lost about a dozen balls in each round you’ve played so far, you may be looking for a cheaper alternative. The good news is that your journey as a golfer is underway and we want to share the best golf balls for beginners.

Jump to Golf Ball Recommendations → 

What Factors Beginners Should Consider When Choosing a Golf Ball

When picking out a golf ball as a beginner, you need to consider a few different factors depending on your personal situation. The factors you need to consider when choosing your new default ball are 

  1. Spin Reduction
  2. Distance
  3. Feel 
  4. Price

Spin Reduction:

As your game develops, spin will actually become a good thing. If done correctly and used properly, spin can help your drives go further by creating top spin. It can also make your wedges and irons “check up”. If you’ve ever seen a professional zip the ball backwards after it hits the green on an approach shot, it is because they are putting tremendous backspin on the ball. However, when you’re just starting out or are an average weekend golfer, spin is usually a bad thing, particularly off the tee box.

Most beginners struggle keeping the ball straight, with the most common error being a slice off the tee. Your drive starts straight and then seems to accelerate away from you (off to the right if you’re a righty and to the left if you’re a lefty). This is a result of the club face cutting across the ball or being left open at contact creating extra sideways or backwards spin which is resulting in missed fairways and costing you a lot of yardage off the tee. 

For more information on picking a ball that helps with a slice, check out our article on the Best Golf Balls for a Slice

Distance:

We get it. You’re new to the game. Your friends have been playing for years. It isn’t always the greatest feeling when your friends are hitting the ball 40 yards further than you off of the tee. Don’t sweat. It likely isn’t a result of your lack of strength or power but most likely is your swing mechanics. As your swing becomes more consistent, you’ll be amazed by how quickly you gain yardage from where you started. Picking the right golf ball can help with distance too. Because golf balls are made from all types of materials, the differences can be fairly significant. Some golf balls are more compressed than others which will impact how much the ball launches off the club face.  

For more information on picking a ball that focuses on distance, check out our article on the Best Golf Balls for Distance. 

Feel:

If you’re a beginner, the difference between a “great” golf ball and a “good” golf ball will likely be very hard to tell. Those small nuances at the top of the food chain are usually only felt by the best of the best. But even an average golfer can tell if a ball feels soft or hard. Sometimes you notice it by the feel of it in your hands. Other times you can hear if a ball is hard (if you’ve ever hit an old Top Flite you’ll know what we’re referring to!) Picking a ball that feels right while also checking off the other variables on our list is crucial. 

More often than not, when we’re discussing “feel”, it is correlated with low compression. A golf ball’s compression rating essentially means how much the golf ball deforms or compresses at impact. The lower the compression rating, the more it compresses at impact. This allows for a “softer” feel. Golfers with average to below-average swing speeds should use low compression balls to help with distance and feel. The higher the ball’s compression rating is, the faster you need to swing to get the ball to compress. This is why elite golfers can play with high compression rating golf balls and average golfers are advised to use golf balls with lower compression.

For more on this topic, visit our full List of Golf Balls by Compression Rating

Price: 

The last one might be the most important of the bunch depending on your situation. Even if money isn’t a problem, I wouldn’t encourage anyone to spend a bunch of money on fancy golf balls if they’re just going to end up in the woods or water after a few swings. On the flipside, there’s trying to save too much money on golf balls and you end up hitting something that seems resemblant of a small rock. It won’t help your game and you’ll likely only get more frustrated. Striking that balance between quality and affordability is key. 

Our Recommendations for the Best Golf Balls for Beginners:

Wilson Staff Fifty Elite 

  • Compression Rating: 50 (Low)
  • Hard / Soft: Soft
  • Colors Available: White, Yellow, Green, and Orange

What we love: The Wilson Staff Fifty Elite is the perfect balance of all the attributes we think are important when looking for a golf ball as a beginner. The Wilson Staff Fifty Elite has a compression rating of 50 making it a softer ball which is great for a beginner when your swing speed may not be as fast and you could use some added distance. Coming in below $15 a dozen, the price is almost impossible to beat and you won’t feel guilty if you lose one. You probably won’t lose one though because these balls come in a variety of colors including white, yellow, green, orange, and red. This golf ball features unique flat bottomed, shallow dimples that are supposed to create a more stable ball flight. What stands out to us with this ball is the feel you get. Typically for a golf ball at this price range, you’re sacrificing some feel and this ball feels incredible off the face of your club. 

Srixon Soft Feel

  • Compression Rating: 71 (Low to Mid)
  • Hard / Soft: Soft
  • Colors Available: White, Yellow, Green

Srixon’s soft feel golf ball is one of the best golf balls for beginners looking for a little help off the tee. This ball was designed by Srixon to have slightly compression than normal off of the tee at a price that isn’t too hard to swallow. Srixon claims that the dimple design of this ball helps mitigate side spin which is great for golfers who are struggling with a slice off the tee. Srixon’s Soft Feel is designed with a slightly thinner outer layer of the ball which helps improve the feel as well. For those that like a colored golf ball, they are also available in yellow.  

Titleist DT TruSoft

  • Compression Rating: 60 (Low)
  • Hard / Soft: Soft
  • Colors Available: White, Yellow

The Titleist DT Trusoft was designed with the average golfer in mind. It’s the softest feeling Titleist that was designed to provide superior distance for players. Its TruFlex cover was designed to minimize spin on longer shots which should help you keep it straight off the tee. Still below $20 a dozen, these are a solid entry choice for new golfers. 

Pinnacle Soft Feel 

  • Compression Rating: Mid 40s (Low)
  • Hard / Soft: Soft
  • Colors Available: White

While most golf brands sell golf balls by the dozen, Pinnacle is known for their 15 packs of golf balls. That extra sleeve can come in handy if you’re having a long day on a course with a lot of water or hazards! While Pinnacle isn’t as highly regarded of a brand name, they specialize in making affordable golf balls for the average player. The Pinnacle Soft Feel was awarded a Silver Rating on Golf Digest’s 2018 Hot List for hits performance and value. 

Wilson Staff Zip

  • Compression Rating: Unknown (But Very Low)
  • Hard / Soft: Soft
  • Colors Available: White

Another great ball from Wilson. The Wilson Staff Zip’s are known for their low compression, extremely soft ionomer blend which is supposed to reduce spin off the tee. If you’re slicing or losing yardage from backspin, these should help mitigate those negative repercussions. Offering tremendous value at only $20 for 2 dozen golf balls, these are a great value play for beginners. 

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Golf Balls

Best Golf Balls for Colder Weather

We all wish we could play golf in peak summer conditions. But for golfers that live in colder climates that want to extend their season as long as possible, sometimes you have to play when it’s cold outside. 

If you’ve ever played golf in cold weather, you’ve probably noticed at some point that the ball felt harder than normal. Sometimes your hands sting a little bit after hitting an iron and other times the ball just feels a bit hard of the tee. You also may notice that your ball doesn’t seem to travel as far as it does in the middle of the summer.  Neither of these are favorable conditions for any golfer, but the golf ball you choose can help mitigate these factors when you’re playing in the cold. 

Overall we recommend the Callaway Golf Supersoft golf ball for colder weather, but keep reading for why.

What Happens to Golf Balls in Colder Weather

To pick the best golf balls for colder weather, you first need to understand what happens to the ball as a result of the cold. When the temperature drops, the air often becomes more dense, resulting in increased air friction for your shots.  Some experts claim that the difference is about two yards of distance for every 10 degrees change in temperature. This means if you’re normally hitting a shot 150 yards in when it’s 90 degrees in the summertime, that same shot might only go 140 yards if it’s 40 degrees out in the fall. That’s a whole club length difference!

The cold temperature also causes less compression from your golf ball at impact, resulting in less yardage. Because of this, you’re going to want to pick a golf ball that isn’t as impacted by the cold temperature and has a lower compression rating. The lower a golf balls compression rating, the more the ball will compress at impact, helping with length and often resulting in softness. Generally speaking, the higher the compression rating is, the faster your swing speed needs to be to compress the ball properly. If you see a compression rating of 90, it is advised that you have a swing speed of at least 90MPH in ideal conditions, but even faster in the cold. The cold weather only makes it harder to compress a ball. 

When picking a golf ball for the colder weather, there are a few other things you probably want to consider to have the most success. More often then not, if you’re playing when it’s cold out, there likely are a lot of leaves on the ground and finding a ball in the rough can be a bit trickier than normal. Most grounds crews aren’t cutting the grass as consistently as they normally would in the summer too. Because of this, you might want to pick a ball that is bright and easy to find. If you’re not into colored golf balls, then you’ll likely want to pick a ball that is affordable to play with because no one wants to be spending their time in cold weather searching for a lost ball in a pile of leaves. Just grab another ball out of your bag, and keep moving to stay warm!

Best Overall Golf Ball for Colder Weather 

Callaway Golf Supersoft

The Callaway Supersoft is our pick for the best cold weather golf ball. This ball checks off all the boxes that we want to see when playing in Winter conditions. The compression is incredibly low, with an official compression rating of 38 (very low). What stands out for the Supersoft ball is exactly what it says in the name; it is super soft. When you’re playing in cold weather and want to avoid that stinging feeling in the hands while also not losing yardage off of the tee, this is your ball. We also think the Callaway Supersoft is the best ball because it’s a tremendous value. Unlike the balls that cost $50 or $60 per dozen, you won’t feel guilty If you can’t find one of these in a pile of leaves. Coming in anywhere from $20-$25 a dozen, your wallet will thank you for choosing these. Additionally, they are available in Yellow if you like playing with a brighter ball to avoid losing them. You will be hard-pressed to find a ball that checks off all of the boxes of a great colder weather golf ball. 

Runner Up Golf Balls for the Winter

Callaway Golf ERC Soft Triple Track

Released in 2019, these balls were designed to have a soft feel. They aren’t as soft as the Supersofts, sporting a compression rating of 60, but golfers have shared that the feel of these is still very soft. The ERC Soft allows for length off the tee due to its low compression rating, and golfers say that it has an incredibly great feel around the greens (where a lot of softer balls lose some points). The ball is finished with 3 lines for putt alignment on the greens. 

Wilson Staff Duo Soft Optix Golf Balls

Arguably the best value play of the bunch, Wilson Staff Duo Soft Optix Golf Balls are the best budget golf balls for colder weather. They are incredibly soft, with a compression rating of 29, which is one of the lowest you’ll find on the market. For only $15-$20 a dozen, you can’t get much better for the price and your hands won’t hurt when extending play into the colder months.

The Srixon Q-Star Tour 2

One of our favorite all-season golf balls. While they aren’t as soft in cold weather as some of the others on this list, the Srixon Q-Star Tour 2 manages to maintain a soft feel when the temperature dips. Srixon proudly touts its 338 Speed Dimple Pattern which helps increase distance by reducing drag. The Q Star Tour 2’s are available in white or yellow to help with visibility. This is one of our favorite balls to play with year-round and because it retains its performance in colder weather, it deserves a spot on this list. 

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