Golf Ball FAQ
Straight answers to the questions golfers type into Google. Each one is short, sourced, and points to the guide that goes deeper. Still unsure which ball is yours? Take the 90-second fitting quiz.
Compression
What the number means and when it matters.
Do higher compression balls go farther?
A little, and more the faster you swing. Robot data shows roughly a 1 mph ball-speed gap at 85 mph growing to 4 to 5 mph at 115 mph, which is a few yards to ten.
Do low compression golf balls go straighter?
Not because of the number. Many low-compression balls are built to spin less off the driver, and less spin means less curve. That is the whole straight reputation.
What does higher compression do for a golf ball?
A higher compression number means a firmer core that deforms less at impact. It feels firmer and holds ball speed better as your driver speed climbs.
What happens if compression is too high?
Mostly it feels harsh. In robot testing from 85 to 115 mph, firm balls never lost driver ball speed to soft ones, so the main cost of too-high compression is feel.
What is better, high compression or low compression?
Neither wins outright. Low compression buys softer feel and often a lower price; high compression holds ball speed at fast swing speeds, usually with a urethane cover.
What is the compression of a Wilson 50 Elite golf ball?
Wilson names the ball for its 50 compression rating and sells it as a low-compression distance ball. We have not found an independent lab measurement to confirm the number.
Swing speed
Finding your number and what it buys you.
How do I know my swing speed?
A launch monitor is the direct way. Without one, divide your driver carry in yards by about 2.4, or divide your ball speed by 1.45 to 1.50.
How far should I hit my driver if my swing speed is 100 mph?
With a good strike, about 235 to 247 yards of carry and around 272 total, per TrackMan's optimizer. Most amateurs at 100 mph carry less because their smash factor is lower.
Is the Pro V1x for slower swing speeds?
Titleist says Pro V1x works at any speed. It flies higher, spins more, and feels firmer than Pro V1, so a slower swinger picks it for flight and spin, not for distance.
What swing speed do you need for 170 ball speed?
About 113 to 115 mph of club speed. Divide 170 by a smash factor of 1.48 to 1.50 and you land at tour-level swing speed.
What swing speed do you need to hit 250 yards?
To carry 250 yards you need roughly 101 to 105 mph with a good strike. To reach 250 total with roll, the mid-90s can get there.
Seniors and slower swings
Distance, feel, and the Pro V1 question.
How far should a 70-year-old hit a golf ball?
Arccos data from 6.5 million real drives puts men over 70 at 190 yards of total driver distance. Women in their 60s average 160. Fairways hit go up with age.
Should seniors use Pro V1?
If you like how it feels and flies, yes. At 85 mph in robot testing, no ball under 75 compression beat the Pro V1 for driver speed. Weigh cost and spin instead.
What is the average swing speed for a 70-year-old man?
No large measured sample exists for men over 70. Median men over 60 swing about 93 mph, and men over 70 average 190 yards; our estimate is 75 to 85 mph.
What is the best color golf ball for seniors?
Yellow. Testers found it easier to track in the air than white, especially in overcast light, and it is sold as the same ball. Try it against white where you play.
Answered in our guides
Ball basics
Layers, covers, spin, and how to tell balls apart.
Are golf balls different weights?
Only slightly. The rules cap a ball at 1.620 ounces (45.93 g) with no minimum, and makers build close to that cap. Diameter has a minimum of 1.680 inches and no maximum.
How can you tell if a golf ball is hard or soft?
Look up its compression number; the word on the box means little. Under about 75 is soft, 80 to 90 is mid, 90 and up is firm. The cover changes how that feels.
How many types of Pro V1 are there?
Three in the regular lineup: Pro V1, Pro V1x, and Pro V1x Left Dash. A Pro V1 Left Dot sells in limited drops, and a tour-only Pro V1x Double Dot exists for pros.
What are the three types of golf balls?
Two-piece ionomer balls, three-piece urethane tour balls, and four- or five-piece multilayer balls. Layers and cover material decide how a ball spins and feels.
What is a 3-piece golf ball?
A core, a mantle layer, and a cover. The mantle lets a urethane ball spin low off the driver and high around the green, which is why most tour balls are built this way.
What is a 5-piece golf ball?
A core wrapped in three mantle layers under a urethane cover. TaylorMade's TP5 and TP5x are the only 5-piece balls in our catalog. More layers is a design choice.
Choosing a ball
Questions our fitting guides already answer in full.
What the pros play
Tour bags, as of the month shown on each page.
Do any pros play Volvik golf balls?
A few, on smaller tours, as of October 2026. Bubba Watson signed with Volvik in 2017 but now plays a Pro V1x. Volvik's Condor balls are on trial on senior tours.
What golf ball did Jack Nicklaus use?
A MacGregor ball for all 18 of his major wins, a wound balata model that even MacGregor's own staff thought was inferior. His 1986 Masters ball was a Nicklaus Tour Balata.
What golf ball does Bryson DeChambeau use?
A tour-only Titleist Pro V1x 'Double Dot', as of October 2026. The closest ball you can buy is the Pro V1x Left Dash, which he used to win the 2024 U.S. Open.
What golf ball does Rory McIlroy use?
The 2026 TaylorMade TP5, as of October 2026. He switched from the TP5x to the softer TP5 in 2025 and won the 2026 Masters with the updated model.
What golf ball does Scottie Scheffler use?
The Titleist Pro V1, as of October 2026. Scheffler plays TaylorMade clubs but has stayed with the softer, lower-flying Pro V1 rather than the Pro V1x.
What golf ball does Tiger Woods use?
As of October 2026, the 2026 Bridgestone Tour B X. Bridgestone lists him as a Tour B X player, and he has played Bridgestone balls for more than 25 years.
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