There is nothing worse than standing on the tee box watching your drive fall softly out of bounds about 180 yards from the tee next to the out of bounds stake. Regardless of your skill level or the amount of time you been playing golf, you have struggled with a weak slice at one time in your playing career. You can spend your next few paychecks on lessons, anti-slice drivers or buy one of the fancy training aids you are bombarded with daily on Facebook or YouTube.
Your other alternative….find a golf ball that will slice less and fly straighter and help you hitting more fairways. We prefer this option first before we start dropping hundreds of dollars on other options.
The staff at PG Golf Links has spent the last several weeks playing dozens of different golf balls to find the best ball to avoid slicing, and we wanted to share with you our top picks. We know once you commit to playing one of these balls, you are going to start hitting more fairways, and more importantly, enjoying the game much more.
Let’s dive in to our picks.
Best golf ball for slice swing
Bridgestone E6 Soft Golf Ball
The Bridgestone E6 is a perfect blend of speed and distance. With its high-quality inner core and a lower spin rate, it is the best choice for use with a long driver.
The ball has a soft core, which means that the immediate resistance of the ball is low. The outermost layer features the Delta Dimple design. This reduces the resistance between the ball and the air and gives you more control.
What We Liked
- We were amazed by how accurate this ball is, which is made possible due to a lower spin rate.
- The ball has a soft core, which provides a softer feel, and the ball does not stray from its trajectory, which means no slicing.
- It is an excellent ball for pop-ups.
- These balls offer good value for your money as they are reasonably priced.
What We Didn’t Like
- Although it is a great ball for beginners, some professional users may find it too soft for use in tournaments.
- It does have the feel and gives you the adrenaline when hitting the ball, but in real-world performance, it doesn’t go all that far away.
Polara XDS 3-Piece Golf Balls
For a perfect angle, you will need these golf balls. Angle correction is made possible by their self-correcting technology. This corrects any deviation by the accuracy of 50 percent.
Although this ball is great for having fun, it is not a professional golf ball; if you want a ball that you can play in tournaments, get something else.
What We Liked
- The balls show the best of their potential when players take shots on the green.
- The balls have a considerably fair amount of lift due to the enhanced aerodynamics.
- The XD in the name refers to the extra distance which they do provide.
- With a compression rate of 90 percent, 336 dimples, and an ionomer cover, it certainly performs very well.
What We Didn’t Like
- It is not approved by the PGA.
- Although it is advertised to cover high trajectories, it is not as good at covering high distances.
Wilson Smart Core Golf Ball
For pros who need a balance between distance and spin, this golf ball is one of the best choices. The Smart Core technology makes it possible to have a balance between distance and spin. This is true for chip shots too.
With an ionomer cover known for high durability and 432 surface dimples, it has a balanced feel with a compression rate of 85.
What We Liked
- The smart core technology is incorporated for both spin and direction.
- It minimizes the spin rate when you swing your driver for achieving long distances.
- Even though it attains higher distances with lesser spin, on the green, you will see that you can achieve some decent spin as well.
- The ball feels soft on the green when you putt it. This is because of the high-quality inner core, which is very responsive.
- The box comes with a generous number of balls. It has 24 balls in 8 sleeves.
- It is also very durable as we didn’t notice any signs of heavy wear and tear after a lot of use.
What We Didn’t Like
- The ball may appear too hard for some players. If you are a beginner, you may want to go for a softer ball.
- It is not suitable for spinning when you are not on the green.
Titleist Pro V1x Prior Generation Golf Balls
This ball is ideal for accurate and distant shots. It has what they call the Next Gen 2.0 ZG Process Cores. This enables the player to go for long shots, which the cores make possible by allowing a lower spin and faster speed.
The design gives you consistent results. The 352-dimple surface makes it possible to give an aerodynamic effect that is the same every time
What We Liked
- This ball is a rare blend of distance and accuracy, designed for players from all kinds of skill levels.
- The ball focuses on long shots and lowers spin rates, which means that it can make some straight, penetrating shots.
- The outer cover consists of soft urethane elastomeric, which I mainly prefer on the golf course as I found it to give me a very controlled experience. Furthermore, it is also very durable, and you can expect the ball to last long.
- The casing layer balances the speed with control.
- I found that the ball rolls comparatively well on the green. So, it is quite a nice ball for every kind of swing.
What We Didn’t Like
- While it’s a great set of golf balls, and we have no complaints regarding performance, it will burn a big hole in your pocket. I would go to the extent of saying that it is a bit overpriced for a set of 12 balls.
Srixon Soft Feel Golf Balls
This ball is all about compression. Compared to their previous version, which had 72 compression levels, they have reduced the compression to about 60 this time. This gives a soft feel without sacrificing performance.
One particular thing we liked was the hard outer shell and the soft inner core that provides an outstanding balance between spin and distance.
What We Liked
- The core supports a high launch and lower spin partially because of the thin Rabalon HR+ and Pana-Tetra blended material used for its cover. Although the cover is thin, it doesn’t affect the softness.
- The 324 dimples give an enhanced coverage area, which allows you good control on the green.
- On the green, you will be able to generate some spin.
- The aerodynamic design is impressive and also reduces the drag force, making it suitable to use in windy conditions.
- The ball has a much-reduced spin off the tee, which means less slicing.
- The low compression core combined with the ionomer layer is responsible for the high speeds that this ball can achieve.
What We Didn’t Like
- The hard outer shell may not be able to utilize the capabilities of the soft core fully.
- The core is much less affected when hit by the driver, no matter how strong the swing is.
Buying guide for slice golf balls
1. Why is it important to find the right golf ball?
One thing a professional golfer knows is to be consistent, not only the way he plays but also how he sticks to one ball. One ball to rule them all, one ball to beat them. For consistency in scores, using the same golf ball helps a lot. Do the math – you may change your clubs every shot depending on the shot type, but you will always use the same ball for every shot.
It is, therefore, vital to find the right golf ball for you, yet still, many players just choose whatever they find. Many people might think that they are not good enough with one ball and may always switch to another when they don’t get the results. However, this produces results counter to the requirement. Whether it is spin, straight shots, slices, angle control, etc., all will depend on the right golf ball.
2. How to decide your budget?
Golf balls are often costly. Many budget-friendly options are available in the market, and they are best for people who often lose their golf balls. Cheap golf balls are a great way to get started without burning a big hole in your pocket. Of course, for maximum performance, you are going to need balls from the top tier.
If you have a limited budget, we advise you to stick with cheaper balls for many reasons. One is that they quickly get lost; second, it is not so much the ball that takes you to the path to success, but it is the skill of the player himself.
3. What’s inside of a golf ball?
The innermost part of a golf ball is called the core. If you have ever looked at old golf balls, the core consisted of tightly packed rubber bands. Modern golf balls, however, feature a very different design. These balls have a one-piece core made of a blend of rubber, acrylates, and resins. You will be surprised to know that some balls also have a liquid center.
4. What is the importance of the golf ball cover?
The outermost part of the ball is its cover that interacts with the club. This part mainly decides how the ball will look, feel, and perform.
The hard cover is suitable for gaining control of the ball with a soft feel, around the big greens. The cheaper balls use Surlyn, or it blends with other materials to make it light yet durable. These kinds of balls tend to travel further distances and are best for new players. Urethane-covered balls are the most expensive and are the first choice of professionals.
5. What is golf ball compression?
The compression decides how a ball will react when it hits the club. Compression is a measure of ball deformation when the club strikes the ball. This can vary differently in different conditions, such as club type and swing speed. The manufactures often list the compression factor on their packaging.
A higher compression factor means that the ball is deformed less. This may make the feel of the ball a little hard. Low compression means that the ball will have a higher rebound even when struck comparatively lightly. Still, it depends much more on how fast and accurately you swing your driver.
6. Is there any variation among golf balls?
There is a lot of variety when it comes to golf balls. They come in different layer types and core types. Some of them come with as many as five layers, which offer the best performance to the player. Here we have classified some of the golf balls based on their construction and features.
One-piece golf balls
Golfers use one-piece balls because they are durable and cheap. In fact, they are the cheapest option available. But players don’t use these balls in competitive tournaments. A few advantages of these balls are durability, a hard outer cover, and affordability. These balls are, however, not so great in distance performance.
Two-piece
Two-piece balls are highly durable and cover the maximum distance. They are also lesser expensive as it doesn’t take much to construct them. If you are looking to save money and want clean rounds, then these are great for beginners. These balls are made with high-grade resin or acrylate and have a cover consisting of high-quality Surlyn coating. The hard cover, combined with a solid core, enables it to travel greater distances than other balls.
Three-piece
If you are used to touring-level balls, then you might be wondering why those balls offer you more control compared to other balls. That is because they are usually three-layered balls. Three-layered balls vary a lot when it comes to their price and performance.
Most of these balls will have a solid rubber core or a soft liquid core. Then they have an additional layer of rubber or liquid surrounding the main core. A hard cover made of urethane or Surlyn then surrounds the second layer. Three-piece balls have more weight and offer a premium feel. Typically, you can use these balls for generating a lot of spin during your gameplay and for getting more control near greens.
Four-piece
If you have used the Pro V1x, then it may surprise you to know that this ball as many as four layers. Each of the four layers of a golf ball has a particular purpose, and they work in unison to give you high performance, a long distance, and an incredibly soft feel.
These balls have four basic components: the rubber core, the inner ring, the third layer for extra distance, and the outermost premium-looking cover that comes into contact with the club. The inner ring increases the energy transfer efficiency from the core to the outer layer while the third layer gives power to the ball.
Five-piece golf balls
Five-piece golf balls are used for extreme golfing. With the addition of three mantle layers on top of the core, the ball becomes exceptional at spinning and gives you an extended travel distance. Furthermore, it is also helpful when the weather is windy. The five layers react differently to different clubs, and you get the most performance out of them. Most of the pros and tour players use five-layer balls.
7. How does spin relate to golf balls?
There are many ways you can spin a ball, and you will be able to attain different kinds of spin when using these techniques. The low spin, mid spin, and high spin refer to the spin rates of golf balls. Most often, a ball has either sidespin or backspin. Here are some of the different categories.
Low-spin
Novices often have a hard time using the driver. The tee shots can spin too much, affecting the maximum distance covered by the ball. This can also result in the ball immediately stopping after hitting the ground. If you feel like your ball is spinning too much or that it doesn’t roll on the ground and loses distance, then a lower-spin ball can fix the problem. This will improve your game as a beginner and will keep your motivation up by preventing the ball from aggressively curving through its trajectory,
Mid-spin
Many players use these types of balls as they are a middle ground between high-spin and low-spin balls. Intelligent golfers often prefer sacrificing a few yards to make sure that their ball is in place and the shots in tee greens go in their course. They are designed to have both distance and a soft feel. The properties they have vary by brand as they can possess anywhere from 3 to 5 layers. They are the most preferred balls for many golfers.
High-spin
High spin golf balls are not for everyone. While they may have benefits for more experienced players, we won’t recommend these to beginners. These balls can hold the greens very well and work well with the tees, but in windy conditions, they may sway way off their course and may lose speed at a higher rate. If you are an intermediate player, you may experiment with these balls, but we certainly don’t recommend it for your training or game.
8. What are the types of golf balls according to usage?
You can divide golf balls into many kinds based on their usage. They have been classified into different profiles so that golfers can choose the best option for their needs without having much of the technical knowhow. The most common groups every golfer knows about are the tour-level balls, distance balls, and soft golf balls. Here is a brief description of each.
Tour-level
These are named tour golf balls because they are found readily with elite players who use them mostly in world golfing tours. The tour-level golf balls have maximum performance but also come at a very high price. We recommend that you buy these only if you are an enthusiast or a collector. If you’re a beginner, or you lose golf balls quickly, we would suggest that you definitely avoid these.
Distance golf balls
Beginners often play with distance golf balls as they are best at covering larger distances, which is suitable for practice. If you don’t like to spin and just want to train on the basics, these are the balls for you. They are also very cheap, so you don’t have to worry about losing them. These balls often come with a low compression factor that allows the player to hit high-speed straight shots and low-speed spin shots by effectively removing slicing.
Softness and feel
Sophisticated golfers often use soft golf balls. For those who want a lot of feel and feedback from their golf balls, and for those who want to feel that they have hit something, these balls are the best. They have lesser spin and can travel moderate distances. The softness of the ball gives a rebound effect that provides the golfer with the feel of hitting something vigorously.
Even though they may not be useful for spin, many professional players use them just for the sake of enjoyment. These balls are best for chipping and remove slicing effectively. Therefore, these are an excellent option for amateurs. These balls cannot travel a very long distance as they are low-compression balls. Just use your wedges to make full use of these balls.
Conclusion
We had a great time with all these golf balls. The Titleist is my personal favorite for spins, and I loved the Polara while playing on greens. But these are my personal preferences.
If I had to pick the most balanced ball which will suit players from different skill levels and give a good balance between spin, distance, and accuracy, I would have to go with the Bridgestone E6. The soft feel, combined with comparatively straight shots without diverting from its trajectory, makes it the best golf ball for slice. With more air control and on-ground distance, I will recommend this ball to everyone.
