Walk into any golf shop and you'll be met with dozens of boxes promising a super soft or ultra soft feel, but what does that description actually mean for your golf game? It’s not just marketing jargon, the softness of a golf ball has a direct and significant impact on how it performs. This guide breaks down exactly what a super soft golf ball does off the tee, with your irons, and around the greens, helping you decide if it's the right choice for your swing.
Before we can talk about performance, we have to understand what makes a ball "soft" in the first place. The term refers to the ball's compression rating. Think of compression as a measure of how much the golf ball deforms (or squishes) when struck by the clubface. It's measured on a scale from roughly 30 to over 100.
Imagine compressing a spring. A low-compression ball is like a softer, easier-to-press spring, while a high-compression ball is like a very stiff, heavy-duty spring. The amount your swing can compress that spring at impact is the key to unlocking the ball's performance features.
For most amateur golfers, the biggest impact of switching to a soft ball is seen on the tee box. The benefits here are primarily about forgiveness and, for the right player, added distance.
This is arguably the single greatest benefit of a low-compression golf ball for the average golfer. When you strike a low-compression ball with a driver, it generates less spin. This has two major effects:
The ball deforms more against the driver's face, leading to a longer contact time. This reduces the gear effect that creates side spin on off-center hits. The result? Your misses are a whole lot more manageable.
Here’s where a little bit of physics comes into play. To get the maximum distance out of any golf ball, a player needs to fully compress it at impact to achieve the highest possible rebound effect (often called Coefficient of Restitution, or COR).
Players with slower to moderate swing speeds (generally below 95 mph with the driver) often struggle to fully compress a firm, high-compression tour ball. For them, it's like trying to bounce a basketball that's over-inflated, you don't get the maximum spring-back.
By switching to a super soft, low-compression ball, these golfers are finally able to compress the ball optimally. This creates a more efficient transfer of energy from the club to the ball, resulting in higher ball speed and more distance. It’s not a gimmick, you’re simply matching the engine (your swing) to the right type of fuel (the golf ball).
The benefits of a soft ball aren't limited to the driver. How it interacts with your irons and wedges can have a huge impact on your approach game and feel.
Just as with the driver, a soft ball deforms more easily against an iron face. This characteristic often leads to a higher launch angle. For players who struggle to get their mid and long irons up in the air, this can be a massive help. A higher flight means a steeper angle of descent when the ball comes down, which is a major factor in getting your shots to stop on the green.
While a 2-piece soft ball might not rip back with the same backspin as a premium urethane-covered tour ball, its high launch and steep landing angle provide excellent and predictable stopping power for most amateur swings.
Here, a distinction needs to be made between "soft feel" and "high spin."
If there’s one area where personal preference reigns supreme, it’s putting. However, the feeling a super soft golf ball delivers off the putter face is one of its most universally loved traits. It gets rid of the sharp "click" you get from a firm ball, replacing it with a quiet, dull "thud" or "thump."
This softer feedback can improve a player's distance control. Because the impact feels less jarring, golfers often feel like they can put a smoother, more confident stroke on the ball, rather than feeling the need to "pop" or "jab" at it to get it to the hole, especially on long-range lag putts.
A super soft golf ball is an excellent choice for a wide swath of the golfing public. You might be the perfect candidate if you are:
Super soft balls are fantastic, but they aren't the perfect solution for everyone. You might want to look at a firmer, higher-compression model if you have:
In short, a super soft golf ball uses its low compression to fight accuracy-killing spin on long shots, providing more forgiveness and often more distance for a majority of golfers. At the same time, it deliverers a supremely satisfying, muted feel on clubs all throughout the bag, from the putter to bunker escapes, that can help to boost confidence for every golfer.
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