What Are Soft Golf Balls?
Soft golf balls have become popular in recent years among golfers looking for more touch around the greens.
Most major golf ball manufacturers have created soft golf balls that do not sacrifice distance for spin and control.
Instead, these creative golf balls are tailored to help golfers with high swing speeds gain more precision on their approach shots into the green.
Whether you are an average golfer or among a large playing group of senior golfers, our soft golf ball list can provide exceptional spin properties and might even provide you with a few extra yards off the tee.
What You Will Learn In This Post
CHAPTER 1
How Each Club Plays With Soft Golf Balls
Driver
For golfers who are worried that their ball speed will be affected by a softer ball, I can assure you that theory is a myth.
If you have a high swing speed, these urethane-covered golf balls deliver length, low spin, and exceptional feel and response.
Even for golfers with slower swing speeds, the difference between these softer golf balls and a firmer ball when using the driver remains borderline unnoticeable.
If you prefer to play with a firm ball over a soft feel ball, chances are high that you are sacrificing spin and touch around the greens.
So while you are maximizing distance, you are probably failing to get the ball into the cup with minimal strokes on the scorecard.
Iron Play
When it comes to irons and soft cover golf balls, I would like to talk a little about compression.
Low compression golf balls spin more than your average higher compression ball. When a ball feels softer and spins more, regardless of your swing speed, you must judge its performance based on its launch angle.
If you are hitting the ball too high, especially those golfers with faster swing speeds will find that soft balls will dramatically fall short of their intended target.
That’s not the ball’s fault. That’s your fault for hitting it far too high.
But regardless of your golf ball’s compression number, even if you are playing mid-compression golf balls or a high-compression ball, playing golf the right way means you are playing with the right ball for your game.
Also, just because you have a slow swing speed does not mean softer balls will limit your distance, especially on entry shots into the green.
Short Game
Around the greens, these delicate golf balls absolutely shine. With premium soft cores, the spin rate of these balls helps when you are looking to stop your shots from minimal distances.
One of the quickest ways to stop a golf ball around the putting surface is by imparting higher rates of spin.
Today’s golf ball companies produce high-quality, lower-compression balls that provide the control you need for your short game by boosting spin rates.
Whether you prefer a high, soft pitch shot or like the bump and run, the response of these high spin rate golf balls remains the same with either style of shot. Both, in the end, produce exquisite results that help you save par.
Advanced golfers love to play a softer golf ball further in their stance when hitting a short shot to generate even more spin.
Putting
Here’s where the urethane cover plays such a huge role in creating softness with the putter.
When the golf ball feels soft at impact, think any premium ball or even the old-school balata balls that were all the rage a while back, you can better gauge the distance control you need with the putt.
Hard golf balls send mixed messages when we hit them with a finesse club. Whether we are putting or chipping, firmer golf balls don’t provide the response we need to better judge the power behind our swing.
High-grade urethane covers really pay off when you are looking to improve your putting.
With a soft core, a low compression ball can absorb the impact to minimize skidding and hopping, helping you produce a dependable roll that finds the cup with more regularity.
CHAPTER 2
Why Golfers Should Play Soft Golf Balls
The more golf balls you play, the more you’ll understand that every golf ball on the market delivers specific results related to your skill set.
Average golfers will find that premium balls, such as the Bridgestone Tour B or Srixon Z-Star, for example, provide more distance over a two-or-three-piece golf ball.
Premium golf balls deliver better performance. That’s no secret.
But if you are searching for more spin around the greens and more short game consistency, those higher end soft golf balls typically played by professional golfers, can be just the trick to unlocking your game.
High handicappers can utilize softer golf balls to work on their short game.
When I’m with a new student, I love changing their golf ball to one with a soft feel, so they can gather a better sense of what the ball feels like when chipping and putting.
As always, testing balls remains the best way to discover the right golf ball for your game.
CHAPTER 3
Best Soft Golf Balls Available
Of course, everyone points to the Titleist Pro V1 when they talk about the greatest golf ball on the planet, but the best soft golf ball is the Callaway Chrome Soft.
Not only does the Chrome Soft have an incredible soft response, but with the driver in hand, you’ll notice that the ball delivers low spin, helping you craft straighter shots.
When I play the Chrome Soft, what I love about the golf ball, other than how they put the word “soft” right in the name, is how it does exactly what I want it to do on the golf course.
Regardless of whether I’m on the fairway or in the deep rough, the Chrome Soft delivers consistency and a softer feel.
Like most golfers that play this Callaway ball, I’m absolutely smitten with the ball’s performance, and it is easily my favorite softer ball.
What are soft golf balls?
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the disadvantages of soft golf balls?
Soft golf balls generate significantly lower spin off the driver, which can severely compromise control and distance for golfers with high swing speeds.
When a player with a fast swing speed compresses a low-compression ball excessively, the core deforms beyond its optimal elastic threshold, resulting in energy loss and inconsistent trajectories.
Furthermore, soft golf balls produce less greenside spin compared to premium tour-level balls, making it harder to stop the ball quickly on fast, firm greens.
Their softer urethane or ionomer covers are also generally less durable, making them more susceptible to scuffs, cuts, and wear from wedges.
Players accustomed to firm feedback will find that soft balls provide a muted feel on putts and chips, making precise distance control and sound-based touch much harder to judge accurately.
Do you lose distance with soft golf balls?
You only lose distance with soft golf balls if your swing speed is high enough to over-compress the core.
For golfers swinging a driver at over 95 mph, soft balls absorb excess energy rather than converting it into velocity, resulting in lower ball speeds and reduced overall carry distance.
However, for slower-swing players, typically under 85 mph, soft golf balls actually increase total distance.
The lower compression allows these golfers to fully activate the ball’s core, producing maximum energy transfer, reduced sidespin for straighter drives, and higher launch angles.
Ultimately, distance loss depends entirely on your swing speed: soft balls optimize distance for slower swings, whereas firmer, higher-compression balls maximize distance and efficiency for faster, more powerful swings.
Is a Pro V1 a soft ball?
The Titleist Pro V1 is a medium-compression golf ball, placing it squarely between traditional soft balls and ultra-firm tour balls.
At roughly 85 to 90 compression, the Titleist Pro V1 features a soft cast urethane cover that provides exceptional greenside feel.
At the same time, its inner casing and gradient core are engineered to deliver high resilience and mid-to-high compression feedback off the driver.
True soft golf balls typically feature compression ratings under 60. While the Pro V1 feels softer around the greens than hard distance balls, it maintains sufficient structural firmness to handle high swing speeds without losing energy or velocity off the tee.
Do pro golfers use hard or soft balls?
Professional golfers almost exclusively use firm, high-compression golf balls to maximize energy transfer and control at swing speeds exceeding 115 mph.
Tour players typically require compression ratings between 90 and 100+ to prevent the ball from overcompressing, thereby maintaining maximum initial ball speed and optimal launch conditions.
Additionally, high-compression tour balls utilize thin, high-spin urethane covers that generate the precise greenside control, stopping power, and flight stability required on fast professional courses.
While many tour balls are marketed as having a “soft feel” due to their premium urethane covers, their cores remain firm to support the extreme speeds and consistency that high-level players demand.