Understanding spin – from tee to green – is a crucial part of playing your best golf. 

If you have too much spin, you’ll lose distance on drives and likely miss a lot of greens in regulation. If you don’t have enough spin, your ball will fall out of the air, tumble, and also lead to missing too many greens.

The key is to have the right amount of spin for your unique swing speed and goals. It’s important to understand the difference between high spin vs. low spin golf balls to help you with various parts of the game. 

Keep reading to learn more about short game vs. long game spin, types of golf balls, and what is best for different types of golfers. 

High Spin vs. Low Spin Golf Balls 

Choosing the right golf ball is almost as important as the right set of golf clubs. 

Most committed golfers have custom fit clubs, which is why you should consider a ball fitting too. Learn more about that process here. 

Key Takeaways

• Golf balls have a huge impact on your distance, accuracy, and spin rates. 
• It’s important to find a golf ball that matches your swing speed and short or long game characteristics. 
• Golf balls are known as high spin or low spin and we’ll show you how to find the right one for your game. 
• Also, just remember that the most expensive golf balls aren’t always the right ones for your game. Plus, don’t feel like playing the golf ball of your favorite professional golfer is the right strategy, either.

High Spin Golf Balls

High spin golf balls create more backspin, which can also lead to a higher trajectory. This makes it easier to stop balls on the green faster and hopefully yield more birdie putts. 

These balls can benefit golfers with slower swing speeds. The extra spin can help get the ball in the air longer, which can maximize carry distance. Longer drivers lead to shorter approaches and easier to lower scoring average. 

However, one major drawback is that high spin balls curve more. This is why Tiger Woods plays a ball with high spin – he loves hitting draws and fades. But the everyday amateur who doesn’t have a controlled swing like Tiger can lose out on accuracy with these types of balls. 

High spin golf balls can also help with short game precision and great if you need to stop it quickly. Paired with the right wedges, more backspin can help improve your short game fast. 

Low Spin Golf Balls 

Low spin golf balls produce less backspin, which leads to a lower, more penetrating ball flight. They usually roll more once they land, which can be great for golfers with enough swing speed. 

If you swing above average, you can likely benefit from a lower spinning golf ball. This will help produce a more penetrating ball flight off the tee for greater distance.

Another perk to low spin balls is that they’re often cheaper to produce as they’re only 2 or 3-piece designs. This means they’re more affordable for you and a lot of times more durable too. They’re harder (usually an Ionomer cover) which means more durability and less having to switch out balls from wear and tear.

Long Game Spin vs. Short Game Spin 

However, now that manufacturers create 3, 4 and even 5-piece designs, spin is a little confusing. Because they separate it into multiple categories; long game spin vs. short game spin.

For example, here’s how Titleist describes their best-selling Pro V1. “Pro V1 has a softer feel, less spin and flatter trajectory than Pro V1x, which makes it the preferred model for players who like exceptionally long distance, the ability to flight shots, and score with precision and touch.”

The standard ProV1 has longer distance, low long game spin, penetrating trajectory, and drop and stop greenside control. Not to mention a very soft feel in a more consistent ball flight.

While the ProV1X has a very different profile. “Pro V1x is most frequently recommended for players with launch conditions that are naturally low in height and low in spin.”

These balls have longer distance, low long game spin, higher trajectory, and also offer plenty of greenside control. This is why it’s so important to buy the right model of a golf ball so you have more consistency from tee to green. 

Choosing the Right Golf Ball 

Now that you know more about the different types of golf balls and spin, which is right for you? Golf Digest shared a great way to narrow down your choices. 

“First, focus on one or two characteristics, like greenside spin, and be wary of solely determining a ball’s efficiency on how far you can bust it off the tee. Starting your ball-selection process from the green and working your way back to the tee is more helpful than starting at the tee and moving toward the green.”

Greenside spin is so important to making sure you can get as many shots as possible up and down. Amateurs miss a lot of greens in regulation, which means you’ll have plenty of opportunities to scramble. The right golf ball can do wonders in helping you chip closer and hopefully give yourself easier putts. 

Don’t Forget About Driver 

The same Golf Digest article also mentioned how you can’t neglect driver, either. “That said, you cannot totally ignore the numbers off the driver. If you have a slower swing speed, odds are you might need a ball that spins a little more to keep the ball airborne longer for greater carry.” 

So yes, the greenside spin features are important but don’t neglect driver spin too. If you play a ball that doesn’t have enough spin and has a less than average swing speed, it might hurt your overall game. Never forget, there is a direct correlation between longer drives and lower scores.

If you need more help bombing drives, make sure to consider overspeed training. Using products like SuperSpeed Golf or Rypstick can help you add 10+ yards fast. 

Test 3-4 Golf Balls

Ultimately, the best way to figure out the right golf ball for you is to test them out. Buy a sleeve of 3-4 top brands and take them to the golf course. 

Start at the putting green and see if they have the right type of alignment aids. For example, some golfers like to line up the arrows of a ProV1 golf ball as their start line. 

Then, take the various sleeves of balls to the chipping green. Hit all types of chips, pitches, flops, and greenside bunker shots to determine which one spins enough for your swing. Rank them from best to worst in terms of short game performance.

Next, take them to the golf course and hit them off the tee, iron shots, and wedge shots. Rank them in different categories to see which one has the right amount of spin and distance. Don’t be surprised if this takes several rounds before a winner is determined.

This is also a time to be very honest with yourself and not try to play a certain ball because your friends do (or your favorite golfer). Even if a $20 dozen works better than a ProV1, trust it! 

Don’t forget, you can always change later if you find it’s not working as well. 

My Experience 

The right golf ball can make golf a little bit easier and hopefully help you produce more consistent results. I’ve played the same ball for years (the ProV1X) as it’s right for my game. But that doesn’t mean I don’t ever test out new ones too.

Over the years, I’ve tried various balls from Callaway and TaylorMade, but the ProV1X simply works the best for me. Don’t be afraid to test out new golf balls using the steps above to ensure all your equipment is dialed in.

This is especially true if you’ve made some swing changes and/or gained swing speed, too. 

Final Thoughts on Low Spin vs. High Spin Golf Balls 

Playing the right golf ball is key to maximizing your performance from tee to green. 

Start by evaluating your current ball in terms of driver spin, mid-iron spin, and short game spin. Then, use a golf ball selector tool online and/or a golf ball fitting to try out 3–4 sleeves.

Once you have a sleeve of each, test them on the golf course. Hit a variety of shots, measure performance, and see which ones provide the best results. 
Also, don’t forget to make sure you’ve tried out a custom putter fitting too. Having a putter that suits your game can help your scores drop dramatically and give you tons of confidence.