The 8 Best Golf Balls for Beginners of 2023

Finding the best golf ball can be overwhelming, especially for beginning golfers. Playing the same ball Tour players use sounds exciting, but until you improve your skills, those balls will hurt you more than they’ll help. There are several features that make some golf balls better for beginners than others. Here are the eight best golf balls for beginners of 2023.

The Maxfli Straightfli gets our nod as the best golf ball for beginners because it can really help you all the way until you’ve improved into sub-20 handicap range. Plus, it’s a great ball for distance, accuracy, and value, a vital trifecta for beginners.

The Straightfli’s unique dimple design stacks large and small dimples to make the ball fly straighter – 20% straighter than previous models, according to Maxfli – while matching the distance of other 2-piece balls in the category. We’ve put it to test, and absolutely co-sign that claim.

While the Straightfli isn’t the most responsive ball around the green, it really doesn’t have much competition from a distance-accuracy-value standpoint, making it an easy pick for our top-choice golf ball for beginners.

Pros:

• Unique dimple pattern designed for 20% straighter ball flight
• Maximum distance
• Great alignment aid

Cons:

• Sacrifices greenside performance

The Srixon Soft Feel is a low-compression, medium-greenside spin ball with a mid-high trajectory. This combination gives it great distance for players with slower swing speeds, nice short-game feel, and easy launch, which many beginners appreciate.

The dimple pattern allows the Soft Feel to cut through wind, and with its high launch off the tee and low spin, you can expect straighter drives. Its feel and performance make it seem like a premium ball, but at just $23 a dozen.

The Soft Feel is a great all-around ball, with its low-spin characteristics making it one of our top choice golf balls for slicers, while the low compression makes it a great ball for seniors.

Pros:

• Better greenside control than most 2-piece balls
• Fits a wide demographic of golfers with slower swing speeds

Cons:

• High swing speed players will over-compress the Soft Feel

The Noodle Long and Soft, now made by TaylorMade, is a classic golf ball for all the right reasons. Let’s start with the obvious – given the name – but this ball is long for players with moderate swing speeds. With a compression rating of 34, you’ll get satisfying distance and that popular soft feel that so many golfers love.

The cover and dimple pattern reduces drag, resulting in even more carry. Adding to the appeal of the Noodle Long and Soft is the value. Yes, it still comes in a double-dozen, which checks in at just $25, or a dimple over a buck a ball. 

Pros:

• Top end distance
• Excellent value
• Desirable soft feel

Cons:

• Alignment aid is underwhelming

If you swing your driver 90 MPH or slower and want the absolute longest, lowest spinning, softest feeling golf ball available, try the Wilson Tour Duo Soft+. With a super low 29 compression, the Duo Soft+ is as soft as they come. It also generates very low spin, meaning added distance and improved accuracy in the long game.

While holding greens is typically a problem for low-spin, 2-piece distance balls, the Duo Soft+ tackles the stopping power issue head-on with a higher launch, which creates a steeper descent and helps the ball stop on the green.

Players who swing driver in the mid-90s and above will over-compress the Duo Soft+, but those with moderate to slower swing speeds will enjoy the total package.

Pros:

• One of the softest golf balls available
• Low spin increases accuracy and distance
• Higher launch, steeper descent increases stopping power

Cons:

• Players with faster swing speeds (95+ MPH) will compress too much with driver and hinder distance

The TaylorMade Distance+ is, as the name suggests, primarily a distance ball. The medium compression rating of 77 means the Distance+ stands up to moderate swing speeds, appealing to the majority of beginner golfers. 

Its low spin helps you squeeze every yard out of your swing. Meanwhile, the soft cover gives you some of the greenside feel that many balls in this category lack. The Distance+ is one of the better-performing balls around the green on this list, providing more short game control than most 2-piece balls.

Once you’re on the green, you’ll appreciate the unique, but still understated plus-shaped alignment aid. The aid helps you line up properly then gives immediate feedback on your roll.

Pros:

• Fits the majority of beginner swing speeds
• Effective alignment aid
• Better greenside control than many 2-piece balls

Cons:

• Still too soft for fast swing speeds

The Vice Drive gives golfers serious bang for their buck. With pricing as low as $15 a dozen when you buy in bulk (five dozen or more) the Drive is one of the best values in the game. If you just want one box, the Drive still only costs $20 a box. 

The low price is great for beginners, but how about performance? With a DuPont surlyn cover, the Drive is one of the most durable balls on the market. As a ball targeted to beginner and occasional golfers, the Drive’s performance features emphasize distance for moderate to slower swing speeds, with a soft feel. On the outside, you’ll appreciate Vice’s simple yet effective KIL alignment line on the greens.

Pros:

• Great value
• Nice alignment line
• Very durable

Cons:

• 5 dozen is a considerable commitment for beginners to get the lowest price

You’ve probably noticed that it’s much easier to find a ball that pairs distance with value than one that blends distance, short game performance, and a reasonable price. If that’s the combination you want, the Titleist TruFeel is our top recommendation for you.

From a performance perspective, you get Titleist’s unique TruFlex cover, which is what gives you better short game control with the TruFeel than any other ball we recommend for beginners. That cover, paired with Titleist’s TruTouch Core, helps TruFeel deliver excellent distance as well.

Even though it’s not as budget-friendly as some other balls on this list, at $25 a dozen, the TruFeel still won’t break the bank, especially considering the performance you get for that price.

Pros:

• Best short game control of any ball on this list
• High quality and ball-to-ball consistency that Titleist is famous for
• Excellent distance

Cons:

• At $25 a dozen, you have to pay a little more to get a little more

Another strong contender in the distance and value sub-set, the Top Flite XL Distance appeals to beginning golfers with faster swing speeds who still want to spend less than a buck a ball. The XL Distance is designed to reduce spin, maximizing distance. Unlike many of the other balls on this list, it’s not an ultra soft ball. While those softer balls are easier for players with slower swing speeds to compress, faster-swinging players need a ball they can play with confidence, and this is it.

The XL Distance, complete with its Rock-n-Roll vibes alignment aid, comes in a 15-pack, and you can get two of them for just $25.

Pros:

• Best ball for beginners with higher swing speeds
• One of the best values in beginner golf balls

Cons:

• Rock hard feel turns some golfers off