15 Best Golf Balls for Beginners (2023 Update)

Golf balls have more to them than just their color! Each brand crafts golf balls with specialized designs to improve aspects like feel, launch, and distance.

Golf balls matter for all level golf players, as they have unique features which make certain balls more user-friendly than others, and as a beginner, you’ll want to optimize your game as much as possible.

1. Titleist TruFeel Golf Ball – Best Value For Money

Titleist has designed the TruFeel golf ball to perfection, with many all-rounder characteristics that make it one of the best golf balls for distance and a top rated choice for beginner golfers.

The Titleist TruFeel offers superb quality thanks to the premium brand that Titleist is, along with the tech that goes a long way – literally! The TruFeel ball reaches a great distance thanks to its TruFlex cover, TruTouch core, and 376 Tetrahedral Dimple Design.

The TruFeel is the softest golf ball in Titleist’s range and has outstanding control and a lovely feel and feedback. It has low spin rates so that beginners can enjoy consistent straight shots. It also lifts easily and suits low to mid-swing speeds. The price point is also wallet-friendly, which is ultra-necessary for those balls that tend to go missing in the beginner golfing stage.

Key features:

• Softest golf ball in Titleist range
• TruFlex cover for control and feel
• TruTouch core and 376 Tetrahedral Dimple Design for excellent distance

Colors available:

• White
• Optic Yellow
• Matte Red

2. Callaway Supersoft Golf Ball – Best For Slow Swingers

The Callaway Supersoft golf ball is a popular beginner’s choice due to its low 38 compression rating and the distance it reaches, even on the edge of a slow swing.

Slices aren’t much of an issue with this golf ball in play as its PARALOID Impact Modifier cover is specially designed to help reduce spin on foul shots. This tech also helps increase launch and ball speed, a dream for slow swingers. 

This golf ball features HEX Aerodynamics to help with further distance and soft landing. This Callaway option is a little pricier than others on this list, but the offerings of this golf ball are unmatched. The durability is also impeccable. If you need a bigger golf ball, the Callaway Supersoft Max has the same features with a larger diameter.

Key features:

• 38 Compression rating for consistency and accuracy
• PARALOID Impact Modifier cover for reduced spin, ball speed, and launch
• features HEX Aerodynamics to help distance

Colors available:

• White 
• Matte Yellow, Red, Orange, Green, and Pink

3. Srixon Soft Feel Golf Ball – Best Critic Reviews

Critics and players alike are big fans of Srixon's Soft Feel golf ball, as it offers quality and performance. It has remarkable softness with a two-layer construction. The FastLayer Core is optimized to increase ball speed with forgiveness. Distance is also mastered with this tech, along with Srixon’s 338 Speed Dimple Pattern. The pattern also reduces drag, increases launch, and offers commendable flight and distance.

The ball also has a soft ionomer cover to help wedge spin, although better golf balls are available for this feature. There is a thick marking on the outside to help beginners with ball alignment, which is a great plus. If you’re starting golf and need an affordable ball, this Srixon Soft Fell golf ball fits the bill.

Key features:

• FastLayer Core to increase ball speed
• Srixon’s 338 Speed Dimple Pattern for improved launch, flight, and distance
• Soft ionomer cover to help with wedge spin

Colors available:

• White
• Matte Red, Orange, and Green

4. TaylorMade Noodle Long and Soft Golf Balls – Best Durability

TaylorMade is one of the best brands, and their Noodle Long and Soft golf balls meet the quality and durability standard while being super beginner friendly. These affordable golf balls offer excellent control with their soft iothane cover and will stand the test of time with minimal damage. 

The Noodle Long And Soft golf balls are ultra-forgiving thanks to their low compression and peak softness, so you can still enjoy a great shot when you hit slightly off. They have a 342 aerodynamic dimple design for longer carry. 

They don’t offer any special features particularly, and you may struggle to spin them close to the green or reach the furthest distances, but for around less than $1 a ball, you’re set for a long time with this forgiving and durable option.

Key features:

• Excellent durability
• Iothane cover for control
• Low 34 compression and softness offer beginners forgiveness
• They have a 342 aerodynamic dimple design for longer carry

Colors available:

• White

5. Srixon AD333 Golf Ball – Best For Longevity

This golf ball is great for keeping as you progress your golf skills, as the Srixon AD333 suits all swing speeds and packs features that make it forgiving to beginners but still offers workability as you advance. The AD333 has a FastLayer core that increases ball speed while keeping the low spin thanks to its softness, but if you’re close to the green, its Spin Skin and Slide Ring Material allows you to create spin.

Ball speed and flight are nothing to worry about with this one, and you’ll meet incredible distances thanks to its FastLayer core. It also offers a great feel and an alignment stamp to help with consistency. On the downside, the paint does come off after a few uses, but the price makes it worthwhile.

Key features:

• FastLayer core that increases ball speed, flight, and distance
• Spin Skin and Slide Ring Material allow you to create spin when close to the green

Colors available:

• White
• Yellow

6. Volvik Power Soft Golf Ball – Best For Customization

The Volvik Power Soft golf ball is packed with goodies and offers customization too! If you’re looking for a golf ball with ultimate control, this Volvik option offers plenty with its soft ionomer cover. If you have a mid to fast swing speed, the Power Soft golf ball produces a towering launch with jetting ball speed, owing to its Power Core. Distance is also a specialty.

Its dimple design also offers stability and consistency for beginners. The Power Soft golf ball is available in five colors, but if you’d like, you can order a custom one with 30 colors and two finishes to choose from, and you can put your own logo on it.

Key features:

• Power Core for high launch, fast ball speed, and distance
• Soft ionomer cover for control
• Dimple design helps with stability and consistency
• Fully customized options are available

Colors available:

• White
• Green, Yellow, Red, and Orange
• Custom

7. Vice Drive Golf Ball – Best For Putting

The Vice Drive golf ball offers amazing distance and is extremely playable for first-timers. This golf ball’s Energy Speed Core minimizes driver spin to get a straight shot while increasing ball speed. You’re bound to be pleased by the carry and distance that the Vice Drive provides, thanks to its 50-compression rating.

Its 312 dimple design aids a stable air-resistant ball flight. This golf ball features a KIL alignment aid which makes it amazing for consistency and helpful for putting. The Drive golf ball also offers softness to play around the greens. It provides maximum durability thanks to its Surlyn cover, and the price is also a big plus.

Key features:

• Energy Speed Core for a minimized spin, fast ball speed, and amazing distance
• 312 dimple design aids for air-resistant ball flight
• Surlyn cover is cut-resistant for durability
• KIL alignment aid for consistency and putting

Colors available:

• White
• Custom logo/photo printing is available on their website

8. TaylorMade Tour Response Golf Ball – Best Technology

Another TaylorMade golf ball worth the beginner’s title is the Tour Response. It has a three-piece construction. The Hi-Spring Core increases ball speed which carries well thanks to the paired Tour Flight Dimple Pattern. The second layer is made of Speedmantle with High Flex Modulus, which increases the impact of your swing to a promising launch.

The outer layer of the Tour Response is made of soft, cast urethane which helps beginners with spin and keeps it durable and scratch resistant. The spin is low on irons and high on wedges. This range’s Tour Response Stripe option has a bright alignment stripe to help you get consistent strikes and accurate putting.

Key features:

• Hi-Spring Core increases ball speed and carry
• Tour Flight Dimple Pattern promotes distance
• Speedmantle with High Flex Modulus helps with launch and impact
• Cast urethane outer layer, which helps beginners with spin and durability

Colors available:

• White
• Yellow
• Stripe (Tour Response Stripe)

9. Pinnacle Soft Golf Ball- Best For Low Spin

The Pinnacle Soft golf ball is one of the best for starting golfers. The core is low compression and described as high-energy for stable straight shots that reach a reasonable distance. The 332 Icosahedral Dimple Design adds to the soft feel while allowing consistent ball flight. This tech also gives the golf ball an incredibly low spin, which means it is forgiving – a beginner golfer must! 

It also has an Ionomer cover to increase the soft feel and adds durability. The low spin and softness help the Pinnacle Soft to reach a satisfying yardage, especially for the low cost. This golf ball performs nicely and offers players decent control over their shots.

Key features:

• Low compression high-energy core for stability
• 332 Icosahedral Dimple Design for a soft feel while allowing consistent ball flight and low spin
• Ionomer cover for durability and softness

Colors available:

• White
• Optic Pink and Yellow

10. Srixon Q-Star Tour Divide – The Best Feedback

The Srixon Q-Star Tour Divide is a beginner-worthy Tour option that packs qualities to help them better their performance. At first glance, the Q-Star Tour Divide is flashy with its 50/50 color split to help with a 360-degree alignment. The color is embedded with pigment within the outer layer, so you won’t have to worry about chipping or fading.

When spinning, the cover has a strobing effect to allow for a visual of your ball’s direction, speed, and spin. This visual is useful to newbies, so they know what they need to do to tweak their shots. The Q-Star Tour Divide offers a great feel and incredible distance, thanks to its firm layers, but it also has a soft FastLayer core for forgiving playability.

Key features:

• 50/50 color split for optimum visual feedback and 360-degree alignment
• Tour-like feel and distance thanks to firm outer layers
• FastLayer core for softness
• The thermoplastic urethane cover is infused with pigments so that the color doesn’t wear

Color availability:

• Yellow and Blue
• Yellow and Red
• Yellow and Orange

11. TaylorMade Distance+ – Best All-Rounder

Suppose you’re looking for a distance golf ball that is both budget-friendly and suitable for newbies; the TaylorMade Distance+ is all that and more. These golf balls have extreme launch and meet high speeds thanks to TaylorMade’s REACT Speed Core and 342 aerodynamic dimple pattern. This tech also reduces drag to create distance. 

The Distance+ has a further 2-layer design to maximize distance, and many players have reported this as true. This golf ball is still soft, making it playable for beginners, and the bold plus sign helps with alignment during putting. The Distance+ definitely helps improve your game, but the high compression might be too much for some.

Key features:

• REACT Speed Core to promote ball speed and distance
• 342 aerodynamic dimple pattern to reduce drag and boost speed
• Two-layer construction for speed and distance
• Plus, alignment to help straighten shots during putting

Colors available:

• White
• Yellow

12. Nitro Golf CrossFire – Best Price

This budget option impresses many for more than just its price. The Nitro Golf CrossFire comes in a pack of 45, so you won’t need to worry much if you lose a few on your day hitting the links. This golf ball has a solid 2-piece Titanium core to make the most of energy transfer from your club head to produce fast ball flight. The sound given off is enough to prove the transfer of energy!

These golf balls have a Dupont Lithium Surlyn cover to ensure no cuts and scratches, so you can keep playing with them for a long time. Nitro Golf designed the CrossFire with a symmetrical dimple design to increase aerodynamics that increases lift and distance.

Key features:

• Come in a pack of 45 to help with ball losses
• 2-piece Titanium core for maximum energy transfer
• Dupont Lithium Surlyn cover for durability
• Symmetrical dimple design reduces drag for further distance

Colors available:

• White
• Orange, Red, and Yellow

13. Callaway Chrome Soft Golf Ball – Best Overall Performance

Wanting to wow your golfing buddies with your performance? The Callaway Chrome Soft golf ball is packed with performance enhancements to give any beginner a leg up. With these golf balls, you’ll start with a high launch that shows ball speed, and with HEX Tour Aero, you’re sure to be smiling at the distance produced.

Chrome Soft was designed with forgiveness to help with tight dispersion and performance enhancement thanks to the SoftFast Core and Precision Technology. The feeling you get while playing is also remarkable with this one. The only downside is that these balls are pricier than the rest, but it is worth it for the tech.

Key features:

• HEX Tour Aero to help with the launch, ball speed, and distance
• SoftFast Core for extra forgiving play
• Precision Technology helps with ball speed and tight dispersion

Colors available:

• White
• Personalized text available

14. Bridgestone E6 2021- Best For Distance

These soft-feel golf balls pack a promising distance for their price point. The Bridgestone E6 2021 golf balls are designed with a large soft, large core for maximum forgiveness on the green. The soft compression allows for high-speed shots that reach a substantial distance.

Bridgestone E6 golf balls incorporate More Feel technology for a seamless experience while playing. This tech also allows for a good spin when it is needed. You will experience the most benefit from this option if you have a moderate swing speed.

Key features:

• Soft, large compression core for forgiveness and distance
• More Feel technology for ball speed and a pleasant playing experience

Colors available:

• White
• Optic Yellow

15. Volvik Vimax Soft – Best For Visibility

Spotting your ball when it goes missing is a great help to newbies, and the Volvik Vimax Soft offers the best visibility plus more. The Vimax Soft has High Energy Soft Core with Soft Feel to help with forgiveness and promote high initial ball speed. You’ll also notice a sizable carried distance.

Volvik’s Icosahedron Dimple Design, paired with its core, helps increase launch and ball flight. These golf balls keep consistently low spin and stable speed. These bright-colored golf balls are helpful to any beginner and are great to look at.

Key features:

• Bright color to help easily identify when the ball goes missing
• High Energy Soft Core for ball speed and distance
• Icosahedron Dimple Design helps with ball flight

Colors available:

• Yellow
• Green
• Red
• Orange

What Beginners Should Look For In A Golf Ball

Since golf balls can help improve your game, choosing the right beginner golf ball will give you an extra nudge toward a perfect shot. The different consistencies, shells, and cores could be confusing with all the variations available. Still, keeping the softness, compression, and durability in mind will help make your search for the best easier. Your golf ball color and price are also worth considering.

Softness

Beginners may think any golf ball would do, but it is essential to avoid making that mistake, as it could hinder your score drastically. Softness is a forgiving aspect that beginners should seek because it helps with the typical slow swing that beginners have. 

Softness prevents slices and sidespin when you hit the ball amiss and keeps it going in a straight direction. Distance isn’t a strong suit with soft golf balls, but it’s better to remain on the fairway with a straight shot than one lost due to a bad swing.

Compression Rating

Golf ball compression is measured between 30 and 120, indicating the ball’s hardness. The higher the rating, the harder the ball is, so beginners should typically seek scores below 60 and closest to 30. Compression rating and softness differ because materials and processes can create a feel beyond what the compression provides.

Even if the materials are soft, the compression rating could be hard, so it is necessary to look at it. However, you get beginner-friendly options with a higher compression rating, such as in the 60s, but the materials used add softness for forgiveness. Higher compression ratings improve ball speed and distance, but it doesn’t help to have an unforgiving ball far off course!

Durability

The golf ball’s durability is essential, especially when buying budget options. The durability will keep the ball from wear and tear and advance your game. Durable balls are usually covered with a special coating to prevent scratches and paint from coming off. Cheaper options help the wallet, but spending a bit extra on quality will ensure you get the best durability value and game improvement.

Color

You can’t go wrong with a classic white golf ball, but opting for a bright color can benefit beginners. Having a funky green, yellow, or pink ball is aesthetically pleasing and helps you identify it quickly among the rest, which is especially helpful when they land off course.

Price

As a beginner golfer, it doesn’t help to break the bank for golf balls that might go missing after a bad swing. You’ll need a high quantity of golf balls, at least nine, when you start, so lower-cost ones are better. You’ll want to ensure that there is some level of quality so that they don’t wear out, which is where this list will guide you.

Key Takeaways: Best Beginner Golf Balls

The best beginner golf balls are ones that have technology or material that offer forgiveness for when there might be mishits and other game enhancements like distance.

Soft materials and low compression are the usual newbie go-to, like the Titleist TruFeel. However, higher compression balls like the Callaway Chrome Soft can still provide beginners with what they need.