Golf Ball Compression Chart 2026: What Rating Should You Play?

Quick answer

Golf ball compression chart

Every ball in the BallCaddie catalog, softest to firmest. For the 47 balls that were in MyGolfSpy’s 2026 robot test, the number is that test’s gauge reading. The other 25 carry the maker’s stated figure, an older gauge reading or our own estimate, so treat those as approximate.

Jump to a brand: Titleist · TaylorMade · Callaway · Srixon · Bridgestone · Maxfli · Vice · Wilson · Mizuno · Snell · Cut · PXG

Golf ball specs: how to read the chart

Each row in the chart above is also a golf ball spec sheet: compression, cover material (urethane or ionomer), piece count, and list price. Those four specs tell you more about fit than the name on the box. Cover material sets greenside spin, piece count tracks how much a ball separates driver and wedge behavior, and compression mostly sets feel and driver spin. List prices are catalog prices; street prices vary by retailer.

Golf balls by compression band

Filter the chart above by compression rating. Each list uses the chart’s numbers, and a maker’s own figure can sit well away from them: Vice rates the Tour at 85 against a gauged 98, Srixon lists the Q-Star Tour at 74 against 70, and Wilson lists the Staff Model at 88 against 94.

Low-compression golf balls (under 65)

Every ball under 65 compression in the catalog is a two- or three-piece ionomer ball (Surlyn is an ionomer), and brands aim them at driver swing speeds under 85 mph. In 2026 robot testing at 86 mph, the lowest-spinning balls off the driver were soft ionomer models.

• Maxfli SoftFli — ~35, ionomer, 2-piece, $19.99
• Wilson Duo Soft — ~37, ionomer, 2-piece, $24.99
• Callaway Supersoft MAX — ~40 (our estimate; Callaway publishes no figure), ionomer, 2-piece, $24.99
• Bridgestone e6 Soft — ~45, ionomer (Surlyn), 2-piece, $23.99
• Callaway Supersoft — ~49, ionomer, 2-piece, $26.99 (see Callaway Supersoft review)
• TaylorMade SpeedSoft — ~50, ionomer, 2-piece, $24.99
• Amazon Basics Core Soft — ~55, ionomer, 2-piece, $17.59 on Amazon, checked October 4, 2026
• Srixon Soft Feel — ~58, ionomer, 2-piece, $24.99 (see Srixon Soft Feel review)
• Callaway ERC Soft — ~60, ionomer, 3-piece, $39.99
• Cut Red — ~60, ionomer, 2-piece, $16
• Mizuno RB 566 — ~60, ionomer, 2-piece, $22

No urethane ball in the catalog gauges under 65, so this band trades greenside spin for feel and price. The ranked picks for slow swings are in best low compression golf balls and the softest golf balls list.

70-compression golf balls (65–74)

The 70-compression band sits at the boundary between low and mid compression. Brands aim it at 80–92 mph swings.

• Srixon Q-Star Tour — ~70, urethane, 3-piece, $39.99
• TaylorMade Tour Response — ~74, urethane, 3-piece, $42.99

Both have urethane covers and cost $15 to $18 less than a Pro V1. On a 35-yard pitch in the 2026 robot test, the Q-Star Tour ranked 10th of 48 for spin and the Tour Response 22nd.

80-compression golf balls (75–84)

Brands aim the 80-compression band at 88–98 mph swings, the heart of the amateur range.

• Callaway Chrome Soft — ~77, urethane, 3-piece, $57.99 (see Callaway Chrome Soft review)
• Wilson Triad — ~80, urethane, 3-piece, $39.99
• Titleist AVX — ~81, urethane, 3-piece, $50
• Srixon Z-Star — ~81, urethane, 3-piece, $54.99 (see Srixon Z-Star vs Pro V1)

All four are urethane. In the 2026 robot test the Chrome Soft spun least off the driver of the four and the AVX flew lowest. The Wilson Triad is the cheapest at $39.99.

90-compression golf balls (85–94)

The 90-compression band is tour territory, aimed at 92–105 mph swings. These balls feel firm off the driver and spin hard off a wedge: in the 2026 robot test the TP5 ranked 4th of 48 for full-wedge spin and the Pro V1 8th.

• Bridgestone Tour B RX — ~89, urethane, 3-piece, $54.99
• Bridgestone Tour B XS — ~89, urethane, 3-piece, $54.99
• Callaway Chrome Tour — ~94, urethane, 4-piece, $57.99
• TaylorMade TP5 — ~93, urethane, 5-piece, $57.99 (see TP5 vs TP5x)
• Titleist Pro V1 — ~92, urethane, 3-piece, $57.99 (see Pro V1 vs Pro V1x)

Above 94 compression the chart moves into the Pro V1x / TP5x / Z-Star XV / Chrome Tour X firm-tier tour balls — aimed at 100+ mph swings, where the 2026 robot test measured the widest speed gap between firm and soft balls.

Golf ball compression chart by brand

Most brands sell a ball in every compression tier, so the brand you like rarely decides the number you need. Each brand’s lineup is listed softest to firmest below, built from the same catalog as the full chart. Titleist, TaylorMade and Callaway don’t publish comparable figures, so treat any number on a box as that brand’s own scale.

Titleist golf ball compression chart

The TruFeel is the lowest-compression Titleist and the Pro V1x Left Dash the firmest on this chart, a 35-point spread. The Titleist TruFeel review and Pro V1 vs Pro V1x cover the two ends.

TaylorMade golf ball compression chart

The Tour Response is the softest urethane ball TaylorMade sells. See TP5 vs TP5x for the top of the line and the TaylorMade SpeedSoft review for the bottom.

Callaway golf ball compression chart

The $21.99 Warbird is firmer than the $57.99 Chrome Soft. The Callaway ERC Soft review covers why price and firmness run opposite ways below the Chrome family.

Srixon golf ball compression chart

The $15.99 Marathon is the firmest Srixon on this chart, two points above the $54.99 Z-Star XV. Srixon lists the Q-Star Tour at 74; the chart’s 70 is the 2026 test’s gauge reading. The Srixon Q-Star review walks the value line.

Bridgestone golf ball compression chart

The Bridgestone golf balls guide matches each Tour B model to a swing speed.

Wilson golf ball compression chart

Wilson lists the Staff Model at 88. The chart’s 94 is the 2026 robot test’s gauge reading, and a September 2026 Ball Lab teardown read 96. The Wilson Duo Soft review compares the softest Wilson against the Triad.

Maxfli golf ball compression chart

Four of the five Maxflis are urethane at one $39.99 price, from the ~80 Tour S to the ~102 Tour X; the ~35 SoftFli is the softest ball in the whole catalog. The Tour X’s 102 is the 2026 test’s gauge reading; Maxfli states 100. The Maxfli golf ball review matches each one to a swing and a miss.

Vice golf ball compression chart

The $29.99 Tour (~98) is firmer than the $39.99 urethane Pro (~89), so price and firmness run opposite ways here. That 98 is a gauge reading; Vice’s own rating for the Tour is 85. The Vice golf balls guide covers the range.

Mizuno golf ball compression chart

A 42-point spread across four balls, from the ~60 RB 566 to the ~102 Pro X. The Mizuno golf balls guide covers all four.

Snell golf ball compression chart

The PR3 (~93) reads firmer than the PR4 (~91), the reverse of Snell’s own labels. Those are the 2026 test’s gauge readings; Plugged In Golf read each two points lower, at 91 and 89, in the same order. The Snell golf balls guide explains the gauge disagreement.

Cut golf ball compression chart

Three of Cut’s four balls are urethane at $24.95–$29.95 a dozen. The Cut golf balls guide covers the DC’s 99, a Ball Lab gauge reading from 2021.

PXG golf ball compression chart

Two urethane balls at one $39.99 price, seven points apart. The PXG golf balls guide covers which one spins more.

Kirkland, Top Flite and other one-ball brands

Kirkland sells one ball, the Kirkland Signature Performance+ (~95), a firm urethane ball at about $15 a dozen in the Costco warehouse ($29.99 for two dozen) and about $20 shipped from Costco.com ($39.99 for two dozen). The 95 splits the 2026 test’s gauge readings of 94 for the white and 96 for the yellow; the Kirkland golf ball review covers it. The Top Flite XL Distance (~90) is the one Top Flite ball in our catalog: a 2-piece ionomer distance ball at $15 a dozen, and firm for its price tier. The Top Flite golf balls guide covers who should play a 90-compression value ball.

Which compression fits what you want from the ball

Slower swingers are often sold a softer ball for distance, and distance is what they want. Of the 622 golfers under 85 mph who have taken the BallCaddie quiz, 68% say more distance off the tee is what they want most. In the 2026 robot test, the soft balls were the slowest off the driver at every swing speed. Compression changes spin, feel and a little iron speed, so pick it for those.

Test data: the 2026 robot test listed in Sources. The quiz number is self-reported. The BallCaddie quiz weighs your miss, feel and short game together and scores every ball on this chart; your fitting report is free, and naming your #1 ball is paid.

What compression actually measures

Compression is a measure of deformation under load: how much a ball deflects when a set force is applied. Lower numbers mean a softer ball.

Compression doesn’t tell you feel, distance or quality by itself. A 90-compression urethane ball and a 90-compression ionomer ball feel different on chips and putts because the urethane cover is softer — see urethane vs. ionomer covers for the full breakdown.

Manufacturers don’t share a standard gauge, so one brand’s “85” and another’s can measure differently on the same third-party device. The Vice Tour is the clearest case: Vice rates it 85 and the 2026 robot test’s gauge read 98. In the chart above, the 47 balls from that test were read on one gauge and compare cleanly with each other. The remaining 25 rely on maker figures, older readings or our estimates, so allow them a few points either way.

The counter-intuitive finding: compression differential matters more than raw rating

In a multi-layer golf ball, the gap in firmness between the cover and the layer under it drives greenside spin.

A soft urethane cover over a firmer layer gives the wedge something to pinch the cover against, and that is where short-shot spin comes from. A soft ball can still spin. The Srixon Z-Star (~81) ranked 4th of 48 for spin on a 35-yard pitch in the 2026 robot test, ahead of most firmer tour balls, and it feels softer off the driver.

It’s also why a slower swinger with a good short game can play a mid-compression tour ball at a speed brands aim at the low tier. Compression mostly sets feel and driver spin; the cover and the layers under it set what the ball does around the greens.

How compression affects driver performance by swing speed tier

Under 85 mph (usually fitted 30–70)

Slower swings still get full speed from firm balls: in 2026 robot testing at 86 mph, the six slowest balls off the driver were all 72 compression or softer. Low compression earns its place in this tier with lower driver spin, a small edge off a slow-speed iron and a softer feel, usually at value pricing.

Most low-compression balls are two-piece ionomer, which trades greenside spin for durability and price. That’s a fair trade if you miss more greens than you hit and lose a few balls a round. If wedges are the best part of your game, the 70 band has urethane balls that keep the soft feel.

85–100 mph (usually fitted 65–90)

TrackMan’s amateur data puts the average male driver speed at about 94 mph, right in this tier. Premium tour balls start to make sense here if your wedge game is good enough to use a urethane cover’s spin.

The range spans two meaningful sub-tiers: at 85–92 mph, softer options like the Srixon Q-Star Tour or TaylorMade Tour Response give a softer feel and lower driver spin while still delivering urethane short-game feel; at 93–100 mph, the full premium tier (Pro V1, Chrome Tour, TP5) pays for itself if your short game is sharp enough to use the spin.

Over 100 mph (usually fitted 90–115)

Fast swingers get the most from firm balls. At the 2026 robot test’s fastest speed, every ball at the top of the driver speed chart was a high-compression ball.

The gap grows with speed. At 116 mph the fastest and slowest balls in the test sat 5.7 mph apart, against 1.9 mph at 86, so above 105 mph the firmer Pro V1x, Chrome Tour X, TP5x and Z-Star XV earn their place. Within the firm tier, pick on feel.

The common misconceptions

“Softer is always better for seniors and women.” A 70-year-old who still swings 100 mph has no reason to play a 45-compression ball. Choose by the feel and spin you want and the shots you miss.

“Tour players use the firmest balls.” Plenty of them play the Titleist Pro V1 (~92) over the firmer Pro V1x (~102). Titleist separates the two by flight, spin and feel, and tour players choose on those.

“You need a fast swing to compress a firm ball.” In 2026 robot testing, the fastest balls off the driver were firm ones even at the slowest swing speed. Off a slow-speed iron, the three softest balls were the three fastest, though the whole field sat within 1.3 mph.

“All 90-compression balls feel the same.” The ~90 Top Flite XL Distance (2-piece ionomer, $15) and the ~92 Pro V1 (3-piece urethane, $57.99) sit two points apart on this chart. The cover is why they feel so different on a chip.

Key takeaways

• Compression measures how much a ball deforms under load. Feel, quality and distance depend on more than that number.
• Swing-speed bands (under 85 mph → 30–70, 85–100 → 65–90, 100+ → 90–115) are a starting point: in 2026 robot testing firmer balls tended to be faster off the driver at every speed tested.
• A soft cover over a firmer layer drives greenside spin, whatever the overall compression number.
• In cold weather, keep the ball warm and stay in your usual compression tier.
• Use the chart above to compare balls. Makers’ numbers aren’t standardized across brands; readings from one lab’s gauge are comparable to each other.
• If you want to see which ball the fitting engine recommends for your exact swing profile, take the BallCaddie quiz — it weights compression, cover material, swing speed, your miss, and short-game priority together. The fitting report is free; naming your #1 ball is paid.

Related guides:

• Maxfli Tour vs Tour X — the stated-95-measured-94 Tour against the ~102-compression 4-piece Tour X, with the launch-monitor data and the ~105 mph line where the choice flips.
• How to choose the right golf ball for your swing speed — the parent pillar that maps swing-speed bands to compression tiers with example balls in each.
• Best low-compression golf balls (2026) — the curated picks in the 30–70 compression tier, with the ionomer-soft vs urethane-soft fork explained for sub-95 mph swings.
• Best golf balls for high handicappers — the soft, low-compression picks that most 90+ shooters benefit from.
• Urethane vs. ionomer golf balls — when the cover-material upgrade is worth the price jump within your compression tier.
• Pro V1 vs Pro V1x — head-to-head on Titleist’s two flagship tour balls, both in the high-compression tier but with a 10-point spread that drives most of the feel and trajectory difference.
• TP5 vs TP5x — the TaylorMade parallel: identical 5-layer architecture and dimples, with gauge readings of ~93 (TP5) and ~98 (TP5x) producing different driver-spin and wedge-spin behavior.
• Jordan Spieth played the wrong golf ball for years. Are you? — Spieth’s switch from the ~102-compression Pro V1x to the ~105-compression Pro V1x Left Dash, and what the spin-tier shift means for fast swingers.
• Browse the full ball catalog or compare any two balls side-by-side to see compression alongside cover, layers, and price.
• Callaway Chrome Soft review — the 77-compression urethane mid-soft tour ball, with the cover-material math against the 49-compression Supersoft and the 94-compression Chrome Tour.
• Srixon Z-Star vs Pro V1 — two cast-urethane tour balls measuring eleven points apart on compression (~81 vs ~92), with the robot data on how the FastLayer DG Core 2.0 gradient and Titleist’s high-gradient core diverge on iron and wedge spin despite the shared cover material.
• Titleist Tour Soft review (2026) — the 2-piece elastomer Titleist whose 2026 gauge compression measured 88, landing the value-tour line solidly in the mid-compression tier with the TruFeel (~70) below and the Pro V1 (~92) above.
• Yellow and colored golf balls: do they help? — whether a colored cover or matte finish changes spin or distance (it doesn’t, on a modern ball), the vision science behind why yellow tracks best, and the best yellow and matte picks at every compression tier.
• Highest spin golf ball (2026) — the most wedge spin ranked by RPM, the full-wedge vs. greenside-touch split that explains why the firmest ball isn’t always the grippiest, and the urethane budget picks that spin like a $58 tour ball.
• Titleist AVX review (2026) — the lowest-spin, lowest-flying ball in Titleist’s urethane line, with a lab-measured ~81 compression that lands it softer than the Pro V1 (~92), and the Today’s Golfer robot data (~2,400–2,600 rpm driver spin, 11.1° launch) behind the low-flight billing.
• Used golf balls: recycled vs refurbished — why the same solid-core urethane construction that resists water also makes a Mint recycled ball play within 2 yards of new, the peer-reviewed pond study that debunks waterlogging, and the grading scale that separates recycled from repainted refinished balls.
• How many dimples are on a golf ball? — the count for every major model (Pro V1 388, Chrome Soft 332, TP5 322, Tour B XS 330), why the Rules of Golf regulate size, weight, velocity and symmetry but never dimple count, and the ~0.010-inch depth that moves ball flight far more than the number does.
• Softest golf balls of 2026 — the bottom of this chart ranked in order, from the ~35 Maxfli SoftFli through the softest urethane tier, with the marketed-vs-gauge-measured story behind the numbers.
• What do the numbers on a golf ball mean? — why the digit under the brand is identification only, the wound-era 80/90/100 compression stamps that this chart replaced (tour balls labeled 90 often measured 65–75), and the Rule 6.3c penalty for playing a wrong ball.
• TP5x vs Pro V1 — the 6-point compression gap (~98 vs ~92) between TaylorMade’s 5-layer and Titleist’s 3-layer tour ball, with the Today’s Golfer robot data showing them 0.7 yards apart off the driver and why lab gauges disagree on the absolute numbers.
• Titleist AVX vs Pro V1 — the soft end of Titleist’s premium line (~81) against the benchmark (~92): different covers (a teardown found injection-molded TPU on the 2024 AVX against the Pro V1’s cast urethane), and the flight-window trade the compression gap buys.
• Do golf balls go bad? — why solid cores ended the wound-balata expiration problem, Titleist’s five-year-plus shelf-life guidance, the freezer test that cost 21+ yards while moving compression only 2–3 points, and the fingernail test for when a cover is done.
• How to clean golf balls — the warm-water-and-dish-soap method, why no manufacturer publishes a cleaning procedure, the Rule 14.1c exceptions that make cleaning a one-stroke penalty mid-round, and the robot data separating mud (7 yards offline, washes off) from a scuff (40+ yards of carry, permanent).
• Top Flite golf balls — the Dick’s house brand at the firm end of the value tier: the XL Distance’s 90 compression against a 94 mph average amateur, verified per-ball pricing from $0.92, and the Golf Digest robot data on the 45%-less-spin ionomer trade.
• Kirkland yellow vs white — the one ball on the market where the color names the factory: SM Global’s plant in China against its plant in Vietnam, the 3rd-versus-13th driver-spin split in the 2026 robot test, and the July 2026 Ball Lab teardown that measured the yellow at 91.0 compression with zero defects.
• Amazon Basics golf balls review — the bottom of this chart at ~55 compression and $17.59: a robot-test ionomer top pick at slow swing speeds that a Today’s Golfer tester scored 1.5/5, and the 42nd-of-48 total-distance number that reconciles the two.
• Pinnacle golf balls — the Acushnet value brand whose one remaining ball carries no published compression at all: why our ~80 is a legacy placement rather than a gauge reading, the $1.33-per-ball math against a $4.83 Pro V1 (Pinnacle comes out of Titleist’s Ball Plant 2 in North Dartmouth, the Pro V1 out of Ball Plant 3 in New Bedford), and what a title sponsorship of the World Long Drive Tour does and doesn’t prove at 94 mph.
• PXG golf balls — two three-piece urethane balls at one $39.99 price, the Xtreme Tour (~94) and Xtreme Tour X (~101), where the X is the firmer and higher-spinning one; plus the July 2026 Ball Lab teardown that scored the 2025 Xtreme Tour 71 with a Not Recommended verdict, and the three sources that disagree on its compression.
• Callaway ERC Soft review — the three balls below Callaway’s Chrome family, where price runs opposite to firmness: the $39.99 ERC Soft (~60) with its GRIP urethane coating, the $24.99 Supersoft MAX (~40) and the $21.99 Warbird (~90), the cheapest and firmest of the group.
• Srixon Q-Star review (2026) — Srixon’s value line across a 40-point compression spread, where the $1.33-a-ball Marathon (~98) is firmer than the $54.99 Z-Star XV: the 301 redirect that retired the two-piece Q-Star (~72), the 3-piece Ultispeed (~85) that replaced it, and its top-seven iron speed against a third-from-bottom greenside spin rank in the 48-ball robot field.
• Noodle golf balls review (2026) — TaylorMade’s value line priced per ball: the $0.92 Noodle (~69), the Distance+ that lists at 77 but measured 95 in Today’s Golfer’s robot test, and the ~50-compression SpeedSoft that took the mid-speed ionomer pick in the 2026 48-ball test.
• Vice Pro golf balls review (2026) — the Vice range where price and firmness run in opposite directions: the $29.99 ionomer Tour (~98) gauges firmer than the $39.99 urethane Pro (~89) and out-spun 35 of 38 urethane models off high-speed irons in the 48-ball field.
• Wilson Duo Soft review (2026) — the $24.99 Duo Soft (~37) against the $39.99 Triad (~80), where the urethane ball carried further at all three robot driver speeds including the slowest at 78 mph, the greenside gap came to 112 rpm against 455 off a 7-iron, and four sources give the Duo Soft four different compressions.
• Mizuno RB 566 review (2026) — Mizuno’s four balls from the $22 RB 566 (~60) to the $50 Pro X (~102), where only the two urethane balls have any independent robot data: the Pro X took a high-spin driver pick despite Mizuno grading its driver spin Medium, and the firm Pro S (~96) still finished third for driver distance at the 86 mph condition, behind only the Pro V1 and Tour Soft with the top five inside a yard.
• Snell golf balls review (2026) — the range where the 2026 test’s gauge read the PR3 (~93) firmer than the PR4 (~91), reversing Snell’s own 80-85 and 85-90 labels: the PR4 topped a seven-ball tie for distance at 116 mph while the PR3 finished 48th of 48 at 102 mph, and its Ball Lab card pairs a perfect 100% Good Ball Rate with an F for compression symmetry.
• Cut golf balls review (2026) — the only Cut ball an independent lab has torn down, the DC, whose gauge-measured 99 settles a spec sheet that prints both 99 and 105 on the same page, and whose “exceedingly thick” cover explains the range’s scuffing and its 900-rpm wedge-spin shortfall against a Pro V1.
• TaylorMade SpeedSoft review (2026) — the softest ball TaylorMade has ever sold (~50) at $24.99, where the manufacturer’s own spec sheet grades wedge spin mid/high and the 2026 robot test measured 6,311 rpm on a full wedge, second-lowest of 48 and ~4,300 rpm behind a Pro V1, against a 7-iron carry that finished 10th of 48 and 2.2 yards past that same Pro V1.
• Best golf ball for cold weather (2026) — why six hours in a freezer moved the gauge only 2–3 points yet cost 21 yards, the 1.5%-per-20°F air-density rule that no ball avoids, the Rule 4.2a line between a trouser pocket and a hand warmer, and the low-spin picks by swing speed.
• What’s inside a golf ball? — the construction behind every number on this chart: the polybutadiene core that sets speed, the ionomer mantle that splits driver spin from wedge spin, the urethane-or-ionomer cover (5,415 vs 3,506 rpm on a 35-yard wedge in the 2026 robot test), and why 2, 3, 4 and 5 pieces are tuning budgets rather than a ranking.
• Soft vs hard golf ball: which should you play? — the two ends of this chart head to head on Today’s Golfer’s 2023 robot data: the ~49 Supersoft 3.8 yards longer than the ~102 Pro V1x at 85 mph, 5.6 yards shorter at 115, and 783 rpm less on a full wedge, with the soft-urethane middle ground and the winter myth.
• Maxfli SoftFli review (2026) — the ball at the very bottom of this chart: a cataloged ~35 that Today’s Golfer’s gauge read at 48, ranked third-worst of 62 balls on their robot, and still only 2.1 yards behind the longest Maxfli at the 78 mph driver setting it is actually sold for.
• Snell MTB Black LTD - Snell’s new cast-urethane ball: its stated 80-85 compression, the $36.99 to $38.99 a dozen price range (checked October 4, 2026), and what no lab has gauged yet.

Sources

• MyGolfSpy, 2026 golf ball test