So you’ve just started to play golf or you know someone who has taken up this great game. Or maybe you’re a high handicapper (20 or above). For all these types of golfers, there are a lot of questions, including how to get the most out of the game with everyday equipment that doesn’t cost a fortune.
One of the basics, of course, is what are the best golf balls for beginners or high handicap golfers?
And the short answer to that is cheap. After all, most beginners and high handicappers are going to lose golf balls at a higher rate than better golfers. And if that’s the case, it hurts a lot less if those golf balls are less than a dollar each instead of $5 each, the latter of which is how much most premium tour golf balls cost.
On top of that, do the premium tour golf balls really benefit the beginner? Probably not much. But we wouldn’t be writing this article if it were really that simple. After all, beginners aren’t all alike. Some are young and strong and can compress a firm ball. Some have slower swing speeds and would benefit from lower compression balls. Some make consistently poor contact. There’s no one golf ball that’s right for all of them. But there are trends and definitely characteristics and brands you should consider if you are a beginner or high handicapper.
We polled our GolfPass members that have a handicap higher than 19 to see what they preferred from their golf ball. In order to be eligible for this list, the product must have a least 5 reviews from our members. In determining the best golf balls, we surveyed members and asked them to rate the golf ball they use on the following categories and generated an overall score for each.
– Distance
– Feel
– Value (cost vs. performance)
– Satisfaction
You may notice that the list includes older golf balls, highlighting the continued satisfaction golfers experience with these options. We hope this list offers valuable insights, whether you are in the market for brand-new golf balls or considering used golf balls. While the list is not data-driven, it provides additional options you may want to explore during a ball fitting or looking to try something different.
These days there are basically two kinds of golf balls – two piece balls with surlyn covers and premium three-piece balls, which usually have urethane covers. There are a few four-piece balls and even a five-piece ball among the more premium selections, but let’s just eliminate those right now for any discussion on what’s best for beginners or players who struggle to break 100.
The short of it is going to be that two-piece, surlyn (or ionomer) covered balls are the best option for most beginners. They are more durable golf balls than tour-level golf balls, for example. A surlyn cover is also cheaper than a urethane cover. It’s not as soft or grabby as urethane, which means it generally spins less. And most beginners need less spin rather than more to help cut down on curvature, primarily slices.
With a two-piece ball, feel generally comes from the softness of the large inner core. Some are pretty firm, which is where you can pick up distance. So a beginner who is looking for as much distance as possible will want a firm ball. In truth, even beginners will get more distance out of an expensive, three-piece urethane firm ball, but the difference is negligible.
So again, a two-piece ball that is low spin and costs a buck or two vs. five dollars is probably the way to go. Here are some options:
This is certainly one of my favorite golf balls on the market in terms of value, and Srixon says the new Soft Feel (12th edition) for 2025 is longer than previous versions while providing the soft feel it’s known for. At around $22 or $23 a dozen, this golf ball is hard to beat. It’s decent around the greens, feels pretty good off the putter, and goes fairly straight and provides nice distance off the tee and irons.
Not too long ago when I was struggling with my game a bit, I decided to put the Precept Laddie Extremes (made by Bridgestone) into play on a particularly tricky golf course, and guess what? I played pretty well. Maybe because at around a dollar a ball, I didn’t worry about losing any of them. But they actually performed decently, too. They had enough stopping power that if I came in high with irons shots, they held the green. And I didn’t feel like I was giving up significant distance off the tee.
Another really good versatile ball much like the Srixon Soft Feel is the Callaway Supersoft. It is, of course, a low-compression, two-piece ball that feels pretty good when you hit it, goes pretty far, and doesn’t cost too much. It also comes in lots of colors and designs, which makes that part of it a lot of fun. New for this year is the Supersoft Lucky, which besides a new advanced core, has a horseshoe/four-leaf clover logo on the cover. And who couldn’t use a little more luck?
If you’re a beginner or high handicapper who wants the feel of a much more expensive golf ball and also wants some stopping power on approach or short game shots, this Costo ball, which costs around a buck each, might be the ball for you. After all, the Kirkland Signature Ball is a three-piece urethane covered golf ball, with decent distance and a lot of grab if you manage to strike an iron shot purely. If you’re one of those players who hits occasionally great shots, but tends to spray it, this is great choice.
Shop Kirkland Signature Golf Ball
Pinnacle has two balls basically – the Rush and the Soft. I’m choosing the Rush here because it’s the longer of the two, and at $20 for 15, it’s a real bargain. It has a high energy core with what the company touts as a soft ionomer 332-dimple cover that actually doesn’t feel too bad. I’ve played with this ball, and I can say its feel did surprise me a little for a ball that has a reputation as being harsh.
The Noodle has a long and storied history, actually, dating back nearly three decades around the same time the Titleist Pro V1 came along. As its name would imply, it’s a very soft feeling ball, and it’s always been fairly cheap, when it was owned by Maxfli and now by TaylorMade, which didn’t give it up when it sold the Maxfli brand to Dick’s Sporting Goods a few years ago. The reason they kept the Noodle Long and Soft is because of its loyal following.
Shop TaylorMade Noodle Long and Soft
At $15 a dozen, the Vice Drive is a great value for any golfer who tends to spray shots. Plus, it really is a decent golf ball. The German company behind the Drive increased the compression for 2025 and it has a slightly harder cover so it goes even farther. So if you’re looking for more distance in a ball that’s highly durable, this is a great choice.
For the most part, we’ve been touting two-piece balls, but the Volvik Crystal, which has been updated in 2025 with an improved ionomer cover, is a three-piece ball. That means a little more feel perhaps, and more distance with more layers interacting with each other. One of the really cool aspects of buying the Crystal is that a dozen pack comes with four sleeves, all different brilliant colors, which can really add to the fun. And at $20 a dozen, it’s a great choice for beginners or high handicappers.
Now a Dick’s house brand, Maxfli balls in general are lower priced, and the Maxfli Softi is a good value. Obviously a low compression ball, this isn’t going to give you more distance, especially if you’ve got a fast swing speed. But it feels really good and is decent around the greens. It also doesn’t spin much off the tee, so it’s fairly straight, which is another good quality for beginners or high handicap players.
Wilson claims this is the world’s softest golf ball, so for beginners and high handicappers with slower swing speeds, the Wilson Duo Soft should give them a nice feel and decent distance. You’re not going to get much spin with these, so they tend to go pretty straight. Conversely, low spin here means short game shots are going to run out and not check, but beginners and higher handicappers usually can’t generate spin around the greens anyway. They also come with a really cool alignment marking on the ball, so this is a great aid for putting, which is an area beginners and high shooters can improve the most at in a short time.
