Need recommendation - low compression, firm feel ball

[Dave2golf2]

My SS is 85-90 mph so I'm looking for a low compression ball, but most I've tried are way too soft or mushy feeling for my tastes, especially for putting. I prefer a very firm, clicky feel off the putter, and I don't really care about spin around the green. I'm currently playing Callaway Warbirds which I really like putting with, but feel like I'm losing some distance due to the higher compression.

 

So what are some of my options for a low compression ball with a firm feel? 

Edited March 2 by Dave2golf2

[North Butte]

The only reason to use a low compression ball is because it feels/sounds softer. If you like the feel and sound of a firmer ball, play a firmer ball. 

 

Swing speed has nothing to do with it. 

[Dave2golf2]

47 minutes ago, North Butte said:

The only reason to use a low compression ball is because it feels/sounds softer. If you like the feel and sound of a firmer ball, play a firmer ball. 

 

Swing speed has nothing to do with it. 

I’d say the opinion that swing speed has nothing to do with selecting the proper golf ball is at odds with the general consensus. I think there’s a valid reason why long drive competitors choose the ball they do.

[ahenderX]

2 hours ago, Dave2golf2 said:

My SS is 85-90 mph so I'm looking for a low compression ball, but most I've tried are way too soft or mushy feeling for my tastes, especially for putting. I prefer a very firm, clicky feel off the putter, and I don't really care about spin around the green. I'm currently playing Callaway Warbirds which I really like putting with, but feel like I'm losing some distance due to the higher compression.

 

So what are some of my options for a low compression ball with a firm feel? 

Try some Bridgestone e12 Contact. You can buy new 2021 Practice balls for $14.95 a dozen on golfballs.com. Compression around 60.

Edited March 2 by ahenderX

[hammergolf]

2 hours ago, Dave2golf2 said:

My SS is 85-90 mph so I'm looking for a low compression ball, but most I've tried are way too soft or mushy feeling for my tastes, especially for putting. I prefer a very firm, clicky feel off the putter, and I don't really care about spin around the green. I'm currently playing Callaway Warbirds which I really like putting with, but feel like I'm losing some distance due to the higher compression.

 

So what are some of my options for a low compression ball with a firm feel? 

All low compression balls will have a soft feel. The low swing speed/soft compression myth was proven wrong years ago. At EVERY swingspeed a higher compression ball will have more distance. 

[Dave2golf2]

6 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

All low compression balls will have a soft feel. The low swing speed/soft compression myth was proven wrong years ago. At EVERY swingspeed a higher compression ball will have more distance. 

If that’s true then what’s the point of low compression balls?  Wouldn’t everyone  just use higher compression balls with a soft cover if they wanted a softer feel without sacrificing distance?

[grochol17]

56 minutes ago, Dave2golf2 said:

I’d say the opinion that swing speed has nothing to do with selecting the proper golf ball is at odds with the general consensus. I think there’s a valid reason why long drive competitors choose the ball they do.

 

The "general consensus" about slow swingers needing a soft ball is wrong.  There's a reason why no one, other than Bridgestone, is pushing the idea that you pick a ball by swing speed... it's because at low swing speeds firm and soft balls produce the same ball speed.  (Check out the MGS ball test results and you'll see this to be the case).  So ball choice should be about what performance or attributes you are looking for in a ball.  If you want to know if you'll hit something further than the Warbird, you'll need to have an idea of how the Warbird might be holding you back... maybe the spin is too low and the ball doesn't stay in the air long enough for you to maximize your distance.  Or maybe you're a high ball hitter and the Warbird is designed to fly high, robbing you of distance. 

 

As for long drive, in 2023 they were all using a specially made ball from Bridgestone that has a compression between the BXS and BX, which are relatively firm balls.  But, more importantly, the design has a high gradient core which is very firm on the outside, but much softer in the center.  The firm outside produces fast ball speeds, but the "firm over soft" keeps the spin rate down.  You can buy this ball directly from Bridgestone:

 

https://www.bridgestonegolf.com/en-us/balls/e-series0/e9-long-drive

[GolfGuitarsCars]

I asked this same thing a few months ago and someone suggested Snell Get  Sum.  It’s a two piece ball if that’s not a deal breaker for you.  I ordered a couple dozen and does exactly what I was looking for.  Best ball I’ve played at that price point.

[Dave2golf2]

Actually just tested a few this morning just on the indoor practice green to get a feel for putts. I gotta say I really liked the Volvik Crystal,  which was a brand I've never considered before. Those are rated at 85 compression so if I'm not going to consider that as a valid factor,  maybe I'll give those a try.

Edited March 2 by Dave2golf2

[ahenderX]

Today's Golfer did a 2023 robot test of 28 golf balls at PXG's test facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The five longest balls off the driver at 85mph swing speed were the Callaway Supersoft, Wilson Duosoft, Callaway Chromesoft, Callaway ERC Soft, and Bridgestone e6. All 194 yards (+-a fraction). The distance variation for all 28 balls off the driver was less than five yards. Most were two yard variances. 

 

ROBOT TEST 2023: Which Golf Ball Is Best For My Game?

Edited March 2 by ahenderX

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, Dave2golf2 said:

If that’s true then what’s the point of low compression balls?  Wouldn’t everyone  just use higher compression balls with a soft cover if they wanted a softer feel without sacrificing distance?

Mostly it’s price, but there are some who prefer the feel of lower compression balls.

[Dave2golf2]

52 minutes ago, ahenderX said:

Today's Golfer did a 2023 robot test of 28 golf balls at PXG's test facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The four longest balls off the driver at 85mph swing speed were the Callaway Supersoft, Wilson Duosoft, Callaway Chromesoft, Callaway ERC Soft, and Bridgestone e6. All 194 yards (+-a fraction). The distance variation for all 28 balls off the driver was less than five yards. Most were two yard variances. 

 

ROBOT TEST 2023: Which Golf Ball Is Best For My Game?

Interesting article. Although the distance variance was not that great, there was a 5 yard difference between the top and the bottom,  but most were about 3 yards.  And, all the top performers for an 85 mph swing were all soft balls, so I'd say there is a definite difference, albeit somewhat negligible.

 

The Callaway Supersoft is at the top of the list, I've tried that ball before and the feel off the putter is horrible - it's like putting with the headcover on. But if I can find something that's  3-5 yards longer that I love the feeling of I'd take it! 

Edited March 2 by Dave2golf2

[ahenderX]

1 hour ago, Dave2golf2 said:

Interesting article. Although the distance variance was not that great, there was a 5 yard difference between the top and the bottom,  but most were about 3 yards.  And, all the top performers for an 85 mph swing were all soft balls, so I'd say there is a definite difference, albeit somewhat negligible.

 

The Callaway Supersoft is at the top of the list, I've tried that ball before and the feel off the putter is horrible - it's like putting with the headcover on. But if I can find something that's  3-5 yards longer that I love the feeling of I'd take it! 

How much do you want to spend? My limit is $25 a dozen.  I play new Chrome Soft practice balls. Also experimenting with Maxfli Tour S.

[bekgolf]

6 hours ago, North Butte said:

The only reason to use a low compression ball is because it feels/sounds softer. If you like the feel and sound of a firmer ball, play a firmer ball. 

 

Swing speed has nothing to do with it. 

 

4 hours ago, hammergolf said:

All low compression balls will have a soft feel. The low swing speed/soft compression myth was proven wrong years ago. At EVERY swingspeed a higher compression ball will have more distance. 

 

4 hours ago, grochol17 said:

 

The "general consensus" about slow swingers needing a soft ball is wrong.  There's a reason why no one, other than Bridgestone, is pushing the idea that you pick a ball by swing speed... it's because at low swing speeds firm and soft balls produce the same ball speed.  (Check out the MGS ball test results and you'll see this to be the case).  So ball choice should be about what performance or attributes you are looking for in a ball.  If you want to know if you'll hit something further than the Warbird, you'll need to have an idea of how the Warbird might be holding you back... maybe the spin is too low and the ball doesn't stay in the air long enough for you to maximize your distance.  Or maybe you're a high ball hitter and the Warbird is designed to fly high, robbing you of distance. 

 

As for long drive, in 2023 they were all using a specially made ball from Bridgestone that has a compression between the BXS and BX, which are relatively firm balls.  But, more importantly, the design has a high gradient core which is very firm on the outside, but much softer in the center.  The firm outside produces fast ball speeds, but the "firm over soft" keeps the spin rate down.  You can buy this ball directly from Bridgestone:

 

https://www.bridgestonegolf.com/en-us/balls/e-series0/e9-long-drive

 

QFT (Quoted For Truth) on the posts.

 

Common knowledge amongst the Men's Club sometimes turns out to be bad ideas repeated enough that people believe them.  I have a whole mess of Wilson Duo Soft I bought on sale that prove that point.  If someone who prefers a soft ball is local in the PNW I can make a great deal on the aforementioned Wilson Optix Duo Soft, lol.

Edited March 2 by bekgolf

[grochol17]

2 hours ago, ahenderX said:

Today's Golfer did a 2023 robot test of 28 golf balls at PXG's test facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The five longest balls off the driver at 85mph swing speed were the Callaway Supersoft, Wilson Duosoft, Callaway Chromesoft, Callaway ERC Soft, and Bridgestone e6. All 194 yards (+-a fraction). The distance variation for all 28 balls off the driver was less than five yards. Most were two yard variances. 

 

ROBOT TEST 2023: Which Golf Ball Is Best For My Game?

 

You absolutely cannot use the distance numbers from that test because they tested *indoors.* 

 

Any launch monitor used indoors only measures the launch conditions of the ball for at most a few feet.  From there, to tell you anything about the downrange flight of the ball, they have take the ball speed, spin, and launch angle, then feed those into an aerodynamic model of a golf ball (I think it is usually a pro v1) to spit out some numbers.  But, all they are really doing with the ball flight is telling you what a pro v1 would do under different launch conditions. 

 

I don't know how accurate the foresight is on ball speed, but if you look at their chart with data for all balls and a 85 mph swing speed, you'll see that pretty much all of the "soft" balls are below the ball speed average for the whole group.  (Though I doubt that the differences are statistically significant.). So, my takeaway from this list is what I said about the MGS ball test... for slow swing speeds all balls produce similar ball speeds.  So people will benefit from a ball that has the spin and aerodynamics that best matches what they need and they might find that in a soft ball or they might find it in a firm ball.

[Tanner25]

3 hours ago, Dave2golf2 said:

Actually just tested a few this morning just on the indoor practice green to get a feel for putts. I gotta say I really liked the Volvik Crystal,  which was a brand I've never considered before. Those are rated at 85 compression so if I'm not going to consider that as a valid factor,  maybe I'll give those a try.

 

They have a 85 compression. I had the same goal and settled on the Soft Feel. Not mushy and a firmer feeling than a SuperSoft. Yet, lower compression, 60. I believe TruFeel is similar.

Edited March 2 by Tanner25

[North Butte]

9 hours ago, Dave2golf2 said:

I’d say the opinion that swing speed has nothing to do with selecting the proper golf ball is at odds with the general consensus. I think there’s a valid reason why long drive competitors choose the ball they do.

Your "general consensus" is actually just the accumulated golf ball marketing baloney of the past 10-15 years. 

[Ger21]

8 hours ago, Dave2golf2 said:

If that’s true then what’s the point of low compression balls?  Wouldn’t everyone  just use higher compression balls with a soft cover if they wanted a softer feel without sacrificing distance?

Because a soft cover on a high compression ball does not feel soft. I like a ball that feels soft off the putter, and the softest high compression ball is a Vice Pro Plus, but it still feels to clicky for me.

[elwhippy]

Try the Bridgestone E9. Feels firm, goes like a bullet and ok around the greens. 

[Dave2golf2]

On 3/3/2024 at 4:39 AM, elwhippy said:

Try the Bridgestone E9. Feels firm, goes like a bullet and ok around the greens. 

 

Thanks - I'm going to give the E9 a try, maybe it's the unicorn I'm looking for.

[North Butte]

Unlike what you asked in your original post, the E9 is neither a low compression ball nor is it marketed as being optimized for 85-90mph clubhead speeds. It is an unapologetically firm ball for the very best driver distance at very high clubhead speeds, while remaining at least somewhat playable by others. 

 

It's a throwback to distance rocks that were on the market 20 years ago, updated with a gradational core to mitigate the excessive driver spin old-tech distance rocks had for very high clubhead speeds. 

 

But at 85-90mph your driver swing is not going to make it acts as anything other than an extremely firm pure distance ball. But it'll make quite a click when you hit it, if that's your main desire!

Edited March 4 by North Butte

[ZAS]

I used Pinnacle Distance for years but the covers were changed, don't perform as well and scuff much too easily

 

I've liked the 2017 e6 and am testing Taylormade Distance+, Bridgestone e9 and Volvik Vivid this season

 

 

[JohnnyO3478]

On 3/2/2024 at 11:32 AM, Dave2golf2 said:

If that’s true then what’s the point of low compression balls?  Wouldn’t everyone  just use higher compression balls with a soft cover if they wanted a softer feel without sacrificing distance?

A high compression ball with a soft cover would be a high spin ball.  Spin is a function of the hard soft ratio of the core to the cover.  The bigger the delta - the more spin you can get out of a ball.  

 

Some folks do not want a high spin ball, no matter how far it can go.  Higher spin will only make it go further off line on a poorly struck shot. 

[North Butte]

4 minutes ago, JohnnyO3478 said:

A high compression ball with a soft cover would be a high spin ball.  Spin is a function of the hard soft ratio of the core to the cover.  The bigger the delta - the more spin you can get out of a ball.  

 

Some folks do not want a high spin ball, no matter how far it can go.  Higher spin will only make it go further off line on a poorly struck shot. 

Correct.

 

And a high compression ball with a soft cover is not going to sound/feel at all like a low compression ball on full shots. 

 

A large majority of golfers prefer the sound/feel of a "soft" ball on full swings. Many of them prefer the softer sound enough to play balls with (slight) compromises in performance to get that. As a result, most balls on the market at least claim some sort of "soft" or "low compression" feel. 

 

Edited March 4 by North Butte

[Avidswampthing66]

Z Star Diamond.  2024 Chrome Soft

Edited March 4 by Avidswampthing66

[CROUSE99]

My impression is that compression has an impact on distance at higher swing speeds but the difference becomes less as swing speed decreases.  At slow swing speeds, a 50 compression ball and an 85 compression ball will probably produce comparable speeds.  However, other factors come into play that determine distance, such as launch angle and spin rate.  As to the OP's original question, if you are looking for a low compression ball that feels firm off the putter, there are probably some.  You're not hitting a ball hard enough with a putter for compression to be a factor.  At putter speeds, the sound probably plays a bigger roll in the perception of feel.

[Striker Ace]

Um, why? That sounds bass ackwards to me. So you are basically saying you want to lose distance compared to just having a higher compression ball....

[storm319]

To re-emphasize what others have already posted, lower compression tends to produce lower ball speeds (which tends to be the highest weighted distance factor), but also lower spin so slower does not necessarily mean shorter. Players that tend to be on the higher end of the spin spectrum may see longer distances from a lower compression ball if the lower spin produces a greater benefit than the ball speed loss, but for most players this tends to be a wash or even a detriment to distance (especially at higher swing speeds). 

 

Below is the ball speed and spin variance between the highest (Titleist ProV1x Left Dash) and lowest (Wilson Duo Soft) compression models tested in MyGolf$py's 2023 ball test. The higher compression ball produced both higher ball speeds/spin at all swing speeds and as you can see the variance grows as swing speed increases. At the slower end of the swing spectrum, a little over 1 mph ball speed may not seem like much, but there definitely is no performance benefit to playing the lower compression ball.

 

CHS   /   BS   /   Spin

85          1.16       97

100        3.47     210

115         5.64     243

 

Basically the only logical reason to choose a lower compression ball would be due to feel preference, but there are options in the 80-90 compression range that are a good compromise between feel and performance that would be a better choice. We have seen many chase smaller gains buying driver after driver which is why I emphasize ball selection and generally recommend choosing the highest compression multi-layer urethane ball that you can tolerate the feel of. 

Additionally, people should avoid taking company provided compression numbers at face value and/or cross company comparisons because there really is no industry standard for measuring compression (and some company's figures aren't even representative of the entire ball). The only worth while cross company comparison would be that of a 3rd party that measures ball models using the same consistent method (MyGolf$py's ball lab being the best resource for this currently). 

[Dave2golf2]

It seems the opinions on this topic are all over the place. I gave up on using compression as a criteria when selecting a ball, and instead just used the one that felt best to me when putting because honestly the results seem pretty much the same no matter what ball I use with marginal differences. I'm really liking the Volvik Crystal ball this year, performs fine for me and love putting with it.

[North Butte]

On 5/21/2024 at 4:06 PM, Dave2golf2 said:

It seems the opinions on this topic are all over the place. I gave up on using compression as a criteria when selecting a ball, and instead just used the one that felt best to me when putting because honestly the results seem pretty much the same no matter what ball I use with marginal differences. I'm really liking the Volvik Crystal ball this year, performs fine for me and love putting with it.

I think you're on the right track. The compression numbers are trying to suggest how hard or soft the ball feels but why not just see how the specific balls you're interested in actually feel, right? 

 

And yes, at our clubhead speeds (I'm probably a bit slower than you) an awful lot of differences get marginalize compared to bit hitter. If I 110-115mph swinger wants to be sure a ball fits him, he probably needs a lot of testing. For us short knockers it's more down to "Do I like the feel of it?" and "Does it seem to go about as far as most balls?" and if we play on firm greens "Does it land fairly softly without bouncing over the green?".