Balls for Beginners

[CarlH]

If I were beginning in golf, I would just play balls that I find, used balls that can be bought at the golf shop or online, or whatever cheaper alternatives I could find.   While I'm a firm believer in playing one ball that you like, you have to get past that stage of learning where you're losing golf balls as a matter of routine.

[Kor.A.Door]

Srixon soft feel is also a good ball and carries a lower price point as well. Wilson duo, Callaway Supersoft are all relatively inexpensive and may work well for you. You can try any ball you like there is no one size fits all. 

[MrShowbiz999]

Thanks, as always, for everyone's input. I guess I don't understand the differences/advantages of softer, lower compression golf balls vs. higher compression vs. tour, etc. I go by what I read as I don't know, so I really value everyone's opinions.

Keep those comments coming . . . Marty!

[JDHolmes]

62 here, non-beginner with an average swing speed. Balls that I often use that I like and recommend

MG

Kirkland performance ($15 per dozen) - some reports of cover issues but I've had no issues.

Callaway Supersoft from costco, ($15 per dozen) actually the longest ball for me but not tournament legal but as a new golfer, not a worry for you.

Pro V1 and V1X - both work well for me though i wont buy them and the MG is on par with these.

For me, these work best all around, good driver length, reliable off the irons, will stop in the green and feel good putting.

I've played the bricks...duo soft, treo, velocity, tri???, armour in its various iterations, tru-vis, and you name it, but they all have downfalls that exclude them for play for me. As with all golf, YMMV

Sent from my SM-G950U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[chisag]

... I sometimes forget about the Kirkland Signature at $24.99 for 2 dozen because they spin more than any ball I have played. Works very well for slower swing speed players that can benefit from more spin. But if you are a beginner and tend to hit hooks or slices (not draws and fades) the excessive spin can make a slice/hook even worse. But if you tend to hit the ball relatively straight with the normal beginner mistakes of fat, thin, mishits all over the face ... then the Kirkland Signature is a bargain and then some. 

[ZenGolfer]

5 hours ago, chisag said:

... I sometimes forget about the Kirkland Signature at $24.99 for 2 dozen because they spin more than any ball I have played. Works very well for slower swing speed players that can benefit from more spin. But if you are a beginner and tend to hit hooks or slices (not draws and fades) the excessive spin can make a slice/hook even worse. But if you tend to hit the ball relatively straight with the normal beginner mistakes of fat, thin, mishits all over the face ... then the Kirkland Signature is a bargain and then some. 

The only problem with the Kirklands is being able to find them and the fact that the covers of them shred pretty easily.

[chisag]

13 minutes ago, Retrogolfer36 said:

The only problem with the Kirklands is being able to find them and the fact that the covers of them shred pretty easily.

... You are thinking of the short lived Performance One 4 piece ball. The Performance+ 3 piece ball is available online and I have never seen them out of stock in stores. They also have a very durable cover. Neither to be confused with the original legendary Tour Performance. 

[MrShowbiz999]

The Kirklands are in stock in my local Costco's, have been for a while! 

[ChitownM2]

If you're just beginning and losing a ton of balls, I would buy any quality golf ball that you can get a good price on. If you're buying quality balls, then the differences between them isn't going to shave 5 strokes off your score or make the ball that is heading OB land in the fairway. 

[Micah T]

My first question is, how many balls a round do you lose? If the answer is 3 or more, I would suggest the Wilson 50/50 or the Duo: both are about $1 a ball. I stuck to that price point until my swing got good/fast enough that I began to cut into these “soft” balls. My advice is to play the best ball you can afford to lose.

[UncleDanger]

Thanks for all of the advice. My daughter is just picking up the game and loses a lot of balls in water and woods.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Not sure if you're Canadian based but the older tp5 pix are stupid cheap at the moment and a great ball if you can deal with the look

[AmishJason]

1 hour ago, UncleDanger said:

Thanks for all of the advice. My daughter is just picking up the game and loses a lot of balls in water and woods.

Glad we could all help.

[Shodags]

As a followup to the original question, my partner is fairly new to golf but LOVES to play.

She's worked her way down to a 27 handicap in 18 months - and is looking to standardize on a golf ball.  She likes the Callaway Chrome Soft - but realizes that they're expensive for a new(ish) golfer that doesn't necessarily need the features of a premium ball.

Any recommendations on a similar ball in the mid to low price range?

 

Thanks!

[Nolan220]

Maxfli softfli - $20 a dozen. Can't be beat for beginners. I wouldn't buy recycled either seems like you can get a decent cheap ball now a days. 

[chisag]

4 hours ago, Shodags said:

As a followup to the original question, my partner is fairly new to golf but LOVES to play.

She's worked her way down to a 27 handicap in 18 months - and is looking to standardize on a golf ball.  She likes the Callaway Chrome Soft - but realizes that they're expensive for a new(ish) golfer that doesn't necessarily need the features of a premium ball.

Any recommendations on a similar ball in the mid to low price range?

 

... I will highly recommend the Kirkland Signature (again). Unless she hits big slices or hooks, the added spin usually help with carry and trajectory and at $24.99 for TWO dozen, the price can't be beat. If she really loves the Chrome Soft, MG Golf sells a "special" version for $23.99 a dozen:

These balls are also what Callaway calls "Tour Select" versions, which are very special balls. They were provided only to Callaway PGA Tour Pros—including their top-ranked players (whose names you would immediately recognize)—and not sold to the public. Since these were tweaked for pro players, they may have slight variations to the standard Chrome Soft sidestamp (like a "+" or "★" appended). As you can imagine, since these were destined for Tour pros, they have received the highest level of QC at Callaway.

https://www.mggolf.com/golf-balls-other/ 

[Guest Delete]

On 3/12/2020 at 2:38 PM, MrShowbiz999 said:

Thanks to the hivemind on the irons forum, I got incredible feedback and advice that helped lead to m,y buying my first set of clubs (I'm a 58-yr-old beginner!) So now that that is done, could used some help choosing the right golf balls . . . 

I've tried a few different ones based on price and readings, and have been mainly playing the Callaway SuperSoft's (compression of 35). In getting ready to break in my new Tommy Armours, I thought to look at other comparable low compression golf balls, as I understand those are the "best" ones for beginners like myself with slow swing speed. I just found the Titleist DT TruSoft's and the Wilson Duo Soft Spin (with a compression of 40) which are both on sale at Dick's and got very favorable reviews. Since you folks have much more experience, thought to solicit your valuable opinions on what I should be playing this season?

Thanks . . . Marty! 

Best beginner ball is the Taylormade Project A. Performance of a premium ball at a lower price. It will spin on the greens nicely, goes far, and has a soft feel.

Cheap balls that have hard covers will make the game frustrating when you can't get a ball to check, or back spin. They are cheap for a reason. 

[Firebird]

I would like to suggest that you read the MySpy 2019 Golf Ball Testing Article as it is very informative.

The one thing I always suggest is find a ball you like and stick. Even as a beginner having 1 thing that is consistent helps. 

Lastly if there is a Costco near by - for $1 US Kirkland signature is hard to beat.

 

[Firebird]

Be careful buying used golf balls that have Urethane Covers as the covers will absorb water if left in a wet environment for more than a few days.

[zrumble]

2020 Top Flite Gamer. You can pick them up at big box stores for $22, and often go on sale. They perform similar to a tour ball, though I wouldn’t confuse them for a Z Star or Pro V1.