Tell me if this describes you: You have been golfing for a while and you can hit the ball decently well. You want a good quality golf ball that you can get long distance and control spin on, but you don’t want to spend $50 on a dozen Pro V1s just yet. If this is you then you are in the right spot, because in this guide I’ll go over the best golf balls for mid handicappers.
These are golf balls with solid construction, multiple layers, greenside control, extra distance, and good ball flight. And for each option, I’ll go over:
- Key features in each premium golf ball
- Reasons why it’s perfect for mid handicap golfers
- How to buy golf balls for mid handicappers today
With some extra practice, these balls will take you from a bogey golfer and allow you to break 80. If you have a top preference, comment down below and let us know.
The Overall Best Golf Balls for Mid Handicappers
- Callaway Superfast (Best Overall)
- Mizuno RB 566V (Best for Distance)
- Titleist Tour Speed (Best Ball Speed)
- Bridgestone Tour B RX (Most Improved Design)
- TaylorMade Tour Response (Best for Slow Swing Speeds)
- Srixon Q-Star Tour (Most Underrated)
- Mizuno RB Tour X (Best for Fast Swing Speeds)
- Callaway ERC Soft (Best for Beginners)
- Srixon Soft Feel (Best Overall Budget Ball)
- Vice Pro Plus (Best Budget Tour Ball)
Reviews of the Best Golf Balls for Mid Handicappers
Callaway Superfast
Best Golf Ball for Mid Handicappers
Key Features
- Optimized to reduce drag and enhance lift.
- Promotes soft feel, durability, and excellent greenside control.
- Superb spin control from close range
Drawbacks
- Feel off the face is on the firm side
Price
$30 for a dozen.
Review
Without a doubt, the Callaway Superfast golf balls are among the most widely played on the PGA Tour. The company has more than 30 top players on their record, more than other manufacturers out there. The Superfast Golf balls are perfect for mid handicappers who desire total control, softer feel, and more premium ball.
They feature a high speed core, which promises enhanced feel, spin, and control around the green. These 2-piece constructed golf balls combine a hybrid cover that features an innovative paraloid impact modifier.
The cover has around 320 dimples to produce aerodynamics and long distance through the bag. The Superfast has a low compression rating, which promotes increased speed while delivering maximum flight, great feel, and superior durability.
The greenside spin is fantastic. With well-used wedges, you will notice plenty of grab, plus a stop on the second bounce. The high speed core creates a soft feel and more rebound on long shots.
Mizuno RB 566V
Best Golf Ball for Distance
Key Features
- Has an exceptional tee to green performance.
- Impressive stability in windy conditions.
- Soft feel and excellent greenside spin.
- Built for swing speeds above 100 mph.
Drawbacks
- Ionomer cover is lower quality compared to urethane balls on this list.
Price
$30 for a dozen.
Review
The Mizuno RB 566V is perfect for the average golfer who loves long distance. The balls feature a unique 566 dimple pattern, which helps to produce prolonged flight. Each ball comes with large and high energy cores to elevate launch and reduce driver spin for a more stable and efficient performance. These balls promote excellent performance in dry, warm, colder, and soft conditions.
These three-piece constructed balls feature an Ionomer cover for all year round durability, long distance, and greenside feel. They have a soft feel and low-spin performance at contact.
The large and high energy cores encourage increased accuracy and stability and guarantee lower side spin. They are among golf balls that golfers like Lexi Thompson and Tiger Woods have played.
Mizuno makes high quality golf equipment for tour professionals and experienced golfers. The RB 566 follows that pattern and is made for faster swing speed players.
Titleist Tour Speed
Best Ball Speed
Key Features
- These balls fly higher than the previous generations.
- Good spin control and feel around greens.
- Optimal distance on long game shots.
- The gravitational core behaves differently depending on the force of the shot
Drawbacks
- The firmer feel might not be right for some golfers.
Price
$40 for a dozen.
Review
Titleist has adopted a bold strategy by calling out other golf balls manufacturers, asserting that the new Titleist Tour Speed offers a faster ball speed than the likes of the TaylorMade Tour Response, Srixon Z Star, and Callaway Chrome Soft.
Perfect for mid handicappers, these 3-piece balls feature the new thermoplastic urethane cover, which helps to provide exceptional distance off the tee.
The casing layer combines with the high-speed core for low speed on tee shots and faster ball speeds, especially when using longer clubs. Thanks to the new 346 quadrilateral dipyramid dimple design, these balls produce high speed and distance on the greens.
The new Tour Speed performs better than the past generation. The design lets the ball easily cut through the air with a penetrating flight that retains a tight dispersion and encourages long distance.
Bridgestone Tour B RX
Most Improved
Key Features
- Explosive velocity on long shots
- Increased spin on iron and wedge shots
- Consistent flight
Key Drawback
- More expensive golf balls than others on this list.
Price
$50 for a dozen. We’ve seen these a little less before though, so we’ll say that the price ranges between $40 and $50.
Review
The Bridgestone Tour B RX is a premium ball for professional and newbie golfers alike. They perform optimally from tee to green. With these golf balls, your clubface will rebound quickly due to the Reactiv iQ Cover on tee shots. You will also enjoy minimal spin for longer drives and rapid ball speed.
The RX has a three-piece structure and a mid-compression rating of 75. The RX has the same dual dimple technology and Reactiv urethane cover as the professional XS balls. Moderate swing speed players will really like this ball.
The number of dimples on the cover of these balls are 338. The compression core makes the balls great for golfers with lower club heads. The compression on the RX also helps decrease sidespin for short and straighter shots.
The SlipRes Cover is durable and offers excellent feel and superior spin on the green. Overall, it offers great distance in your long game and control in your short game. Plus, the dual dimple technology helps to boost its aerodynamics to provide a consistent ball flight and limit drag.
Bridgestone’s popularity has increased largely in recent years, thanks to big name golfers like Bryson DeChambeau and Tiger Woods jumping onboard to use their golf balls.
TaylorMade Tour Response
Best for Slower Swing Speeds
Key Features
- High quality, soft urethane cover
- New SpeedMantle promotes explosive launch
- Three-piece construction
Key Drawbacks
- Lower compression rating for fast swingers
Price
$40 for a dozen.
Review
The TaylorMade Tour Response provides great tour quality at an affordable price. These golf balls aren’t made to be a bargain, however compared to other premium golf ball brands on the market you definitely can’t go wrong with these. These are soft balls but with a ton of good technology and high quality design.
For the first time ever, TaylorMade has added their patented Tour Flight Dimple pattern to the Tour Response ball, which has previously only been found in the TP5 and TP5x balls. The 100% Urethane cover provides the softest feel in a golf ball which will help maintain distance while also keeping spin and distance control.
The new Tour Response balls are a 3-piece construction that is designed to maximize efficient energy transfer in your swing and produce incredibly fast swing speeds. This, along with the soft feel of the Urethane cover will help the ball explode off the face at impact and give you excellent game control.
Another feature taken from the TP5 and TP5X, SpeedMantle is a feature that allows the mantle (inner core of the ball) to flex better on impact. This feature helps to increase distance in the ball. Overall, it’s easily one of the best golf balls for mid handicappers and its new for this year.
Srixon Q-Star Tour
Underrated Golf Ball for Mid Handicappers
Key Features
- Soft Feel
- Great Spin Control
- 3-Piece Construction
Key Drawbacks
- Low Compression Rating
Price
$33 for a dozen.
Review
The Srixon Q-Star Tour is an underrated but excellent option for mid handicapper golfers. The new 2022 version of the golf ball has a number of good features for players.
The FastLayer core offers a good mix of distance and softness, thanks to a gradual transition from soft inner core to firmer outer edge. This will good the ball good compression and distance when you hit it.
The urethane coating on the outside and dimple pattern promotes high contact with irons and wedge grooves. The design allows for more friction between the ball and club. This should allow you to maximize your spin around the green.
The lower compression rating of 72 is the only drawback we see here. This might be a little too low for fast swingers, but fine for average swing speeds. If you are a fast swinger, you’ll see a bit more distance with one of the other golf balls for mid handicappers on this list.
Mizuno RB Tour X
Best for High Swing Speeds
Key Features
- Premium 4-layer construction.
- Reduced drag thanks to C-dimple pattern.
- High greenside spin.
Key Drawback
- Requires a good swing speed over 100 MPH.
Price
$35 for a dozen.
Review
The Mizuno RB Tour X has a 4 piece golf ball construction, which we really like for faster swing players. The outer core is urethane and the inner mantle is ionomer, giving a good blend of soft and hard. 4-piece golf balls are harder to compress, but offer a much better feel and variety in the kinds of shots you can play.
The Mizuno RB Tour X has 360 dimples on it in a cone pattern. Mizuno has promised that rigorous lab testing has shown this to be the most effective. Given Mizuno’s strict manufacturing process for golf balls, I believe them.
This golf ball has high short game spin, which will give you more game control. If you are a faster swinger, you’ll appreciate the extra details in the ball and won’t lose a yard off the tee. Mid swing speed players should still be fine for the most part.
Callaway ERC Soft
Key Features
- Very soft ball for high spin around the green and low spin off the driver/
- Triple track alignment lines.
- Hex dimple design for advanced aerodynamics.
Key Drawback
- A very low compression rating.
Price
$35 for a dozen.
Review
The Callaway ERC Soft golf ball is a high distance ball made for amateur golfers. It provides a noticeably higher spin, excellent for golfers who want to have control around the green. Another advantage is that this unique golf ball also helps to minimize the amount of driver spin that is placed on the ball when a golfer swings at it. This helps to create faster ball speeds and results in balls traveling a longer distance.
The Callaway ERC Soft is named after Callaway’s founder, who wanted to design a golf ball that would give tour performance but for those who can’t swing quite as hard.
The ball features triple track alignment lines, two blue and a red in the middle. These three lines help the golfer to align the ball to their specifications helping them to improve their putting accuracy by leveraging the vernier visual acuity.
Overall, I find the ERC Soft golf balls great for beginners who are still new to the game, but can shoot a naturally low score (mid handicapper). Callaway is a high quality brand, so a swift to the Chrome Soft later on will be a smooth transition.
Srixon Soft Feel
Best Budget Golf Ball
Key Features
- 338 Speed Dimple pattern that provides increased lift
- Soft, thin cover that provides spin and soft feel around the green
- Soft Urethane Cover System
- FastLayer core
Key Drawback
- Not good for low handicap players
Price
$23 for a dozen golf balls.
Review
The new Srixon Soft Feel golf balls definitely live up to the name. The soft thin cover gives the ball a great soft feel, but the FastLayer core provides superior distance off the tee. The ball has a 338 speed dimple pattern that reduces drag at launch and increases the ball flight significantly.
With these softer balls, you don’t sacrifice spin on approach shots and chips around the green. This is the best of both worlds for intermediate players who would like some distance off the tee, but would also like some feel on shorter shots.
This ball is a great long golf ball for slow to mid swing speeds that are intermediate players. You also get great value for the money on these Srixon Soft Feel balls. I would recommend this long golf ball for seniors as well.
Vice Pro Plus
Best Budget Tour Ball
Key Features
- A firm ball with an extra layer for a lower driver launch.
- Longer distance.
- High spin on short shots and low spin on long shots.
- Provides more control over the ball.
Key Drawback
- High compression ball only for fast swing speeds over 110 MPG.
Price
$35 for a dozen.
Review
For golfers who are looking for better performance on long-distance shots, the Vice Pro Plus is a great choice. The 4 piece golf ball construction comes with a cast urethane cover material to boost the distance. It is the best Vice golf ball for distance, especially for amateur golfers with high swing speeds.
It has an extra DuPont HPF layer for a lower driver launch in a short game spin compared to the Vice Pro. The additional layer is an outer casing that reduces spin for long-distance play but reduces spin for short distance play. Nevertheless, the material is thinner than what you can find on other long-distance balls.
Thanks to the dual casting and 336 dimples, you’ll have a lot of control. This will provide you with a high spin on short shots and a much lower spin on the longer ones. The ball has 336 dimples indented in it, and it features a dual casing which enables it to cover more distance than the usual golf ball. Also, this means a lower ball flight, so it’s able to travel even farther thanks to the decreased arch of the shot.
Compared to more expensive tour golf balls, the Vice Pro Plus is a good ball for the average golfer who doesn’t want to spend as much. Vice always has a bunch of different color options too if that’s your thing.
What to Look For in a Golf Ball for Mid Handicappers
Mid handicappers should look for a long ball that provides enough distance without sacrificing control. Where beginner golfers should focus on something that gives them straight distance to cut down the course, more experienced golfers can look for some more advanced features.
Urethane Cover
A urethane cover is higher quality than the surlyn find on most beginner golf balls. While slightly less durable, urethane offers a number of other benefits that make up for it, including:
- More spin
- Better control on approach shots
- A better reaction to faster swing speeds
- A more soft golf ball
The switch from surlyn to urethane in a company’s product line is good indication that you’ve gone from beginner to intermediate.
Three or More Layers
Three piece golf balls allow you to place extra greenside spin and game control on your shots. You will be able to hit draws and fades (on purpose) and control your spin rates. Golf balls with more layers have a higher compression rating, meaning that you need to swing faster in order to compress the core to its fullest.
Beginner balls are often two-piece and called “distance golf balls” because that it what they are good at. However, balls with more layers will still give you plenty of distance in addition to other advantages.
Greenside Spin
As you learn to get your approach shots up into the air like an arc, you’ll start playing around with flop shots that have backspin or no bounce at all. To hit these shots more easily, intermediate golf balls for mid handicappers have features to help you out. From the cover material to the energetic core, you’ll notice an improvement in your iron shots.
Intermediate options are usually soft balls, which give off extra spin at impact to help you around the green. Softer balls are also easy to shape shots with.
Higher Compression Balls
Average golfers who have a few years of experience will be able to swing faster and harder. Take advantage of this achievement by buying higher compression golf balls in the 80-100 range. These balls are still easy enough to compress with moderate swing speeds, but will have some of the other features we mentioned above.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the Best Golf Ball for Mid Handicaps?
If you’re a mid handicap golfer, you should be using a 3 piece golf ball that offers you some extra control and shot making ability. Some of our favorites balls for mid handicappers are the Callaway Superfast, Titleist Tour Speed, and the Bridgestone Tour B RX.
What is the best compression ball for a mid handicapper?
If you’re a mid handicap golfer you’ll want to use a medium to upper compression golf ball in the 80 to 110 range. What size you go with depends on how fast your swing speed is.
What is a Mid Handicap Golfer?
A mid-handicap golfer is anyone who shoots between 80 and 89 on a par 72 course. This score is slightly better than a bogey on every single golf hole.
When should I buy some more sophisticated golf balls?
When you start hitting more consistent drives and approach shots and are a bogey-golfer (averaging one over par on each hole), it’s time to look at a more advanced ball. Golf balls for mid handicappers have extra layers, better manufacturing, and sophisticated dimple patterns designs to help you make more shots.
Are Titleist golf balls or Callaway golf balls better?
Both Titleist and Callaway are amongst the top golf brands today and they both offer some great golf balls at each price point. If you are looking to compare similar golf balls, here is the match for each ball:
Titleist TruFeel or Velocity vs Callaway Supersoft
Tour Soft or Tour Speed vs Callaway ERC Soft
AVX vs Chrome Soft Truvis
Pro V1 vs Chrome Soft
Pro V1x vs Chrome Soft X
In general, Callaway focuses on softness and control, where Titleist has straightforward distance golf balls for beginners.
Do Mid Handicap Golfers Need Spin?
Mid handicap golfers who are looking to hone in their approach shots need spin in order to control the ball.
Should Mid Handicappers use Titleist Pro V1s?
The Titleist Pro V1 is the number one ball in golf, I would recommend them for mid handicappers as long as you have a high enough swing speed. Pro V1s have four layers and offer a ton of greenside spin and control. If you can’t swing fast enough to compress this ball, it will feel dead off your driver.
What are the best inexpensive golf balls for a mid-handicapper?
The Srixon Soft Feel is our pick for the best inexpensive golf ball for mid handicap golfers. It is less than $2 per ball with a lot of features that are normally found in more complicated balls.
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
