Straightest Golf Ball Guide For 2022

Hitting the ball straight can be pretty difficult, particularly for beginners and high handicappers. Wouldn’t it be great if you could change your equipment to give you a better chance of finding the fairway?

Well, there is one piece of equipment you can swap that should help you curve the ball less. It’s your golf ball!

Let’s look at why your ball could help you out and which ones might suit you best.

For those in a hurry here is a quick summary of the golf balls on this list:

Premium straight ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X LS

Budget straight ball: Srixon Soft Feel

Titleist aficionados straight ball: Velocity

What Makes A Ball Fly Straight?

The best way to hit a straight shot is to hit the ball properly with your golf club. If you don’t make the right sort of contact then you’ll be applying some sidespin to the ball that will make it slice or hook. One reason why professionals and top amateurs don’t try to hit perfectly straight shots that often is if you get it wrong then the ball can miss in either direction. It’s much better if you can be fairly sure of missing only one way.

What most golfers call sidespin is really a simple way of expressing which way the spin axis of the ball is tilted following contact with the clubface.

If you can contact the ball in such a way that the spin axis is horizontal to the horizon then you would have a shot that flies straight. If you strike the ball so that the spin axis is tilted to the left then the ball will curve left (hook). A spin axis tilted right means a shot that curves to the right (slice).

The other thing that will affect the curvature of your shots is the impact position on the face. If you don’t manage to hit the sweet spot then the ball will spin due to gear effect.

If you strike the ball high on your driver’s face the amount of backspin on your shot will be less while a shot hit from low on the face will have additional spin added. Heel strikes will make the ball slice while toe strikes will cause the ball to hook.

Improving your ball striking can be very difficult and one thing you could do to straighten out your ball flight somewhat is to change to a ball that spins less than the ball you currently use.

When it comes to golf balls you might think they are all the same but some balls help you more than others if you want to keep it on the fairway.

How Does Spin Affect Distance?

Your driver spin (backspin) will have a great effect on your carry and total distance. Too much spin or too little spin will see you lose out on distance. Depending on your clubhead speed and angle of attack your optimal carry distance might require a launch of between 3.6° and 24° with backspin between 1600 and 3450 rpm. If you have managed to optimize your launch angle but your spin is still a little too high then a lower spinning ball might get you into the best place for maximum carry.

Best Illegal Golf Balls

Do you ever wish your golf ball would just go straight? Well, there are several golf balls that claim to do just that!

Unfortunately, you can’t use them in competitive play though!

There are a few different types of “illegal” golf balls on the market. The most popular type is the Polara Ultimate Straight golf ball. This 3-piece ball is designed for straight ball flight and is illegal for use in USGA events. The Polara Ultimate Straight golf ball has a very high ball speed and is long off the tee. It is also a great ball around the green and on the greens.

Low Spinning Golf Balls Should Be Straighter

Golf balls that are straighter are often advertised as being able to help improve your game. But do they really live up to the hype? I’ve put several of the most popular models to the test to find out which ones can help you hit straighter shots. I’ve also looked at data and recommendations from manufacturers and other golf sites.

Some found the Maxfli Straightfli golf ball was the best at helping golfers achieve a straight flight.

Since Maxfli is now just a trademark owned by Dick’s Sporting Goods I would be reticent to recommend them. I think you are usually better off sticking with either the major manufacturers or one of the Direct-to-Consumer brands such as Snell Golf, Vice Golf or Piper Golf.

Softer Balls Should Be Straighter

Generally speaking, softer balls will be straighter. This is because as a rule if a ball feels soft then it won’t generate as much spin and won’t curve as much through the air.

What Type Of Golf Ball Goes The Straightest?

If we are excluding balls that don’t make it to the conforming balls list then you would probably be looking at any of the two-piece ionomer-covered distance balls.

These will be designed with lower spin rates in mind so even if you aren’t striking the ball squarely you will get less sidespin than you would with a urethane-covered premium golf ball like the Pro V1 or TP5.

Ultimately, there is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on a number of factors, and it is up to the individual golfer to experiment with different types of golf balls to see which one gives them the best results.

How To Find The Right Golf Ball For You

Some manufacturers (Bridgestone Golf) like to look at your clubhead speed to determine the ideal ball for golfers. I think your approach should be a little more in-depth.

1. Try a number of different ball types on and around the green to see if you like the feel and are getting enough check on your chips and pitches.
2. See whether your favorite balls perform how you like with your irons and fairways. Do you get the right sort of ball flight and distance?
3. Test out the best performers with your driver to see if they give you the distance you need and a ball flight that you like.
4. Pick the ball which does the best in all categories.

Best Golf Balls For Straight Hitting

Here are some of the lowest spinning balls from each of the major golf ball manufacturers. These should be among the straightest golf balls you can find particularly if you currently generate too much spin with your driver. Most of these balls are low compression and playing golf with any of them should see your golf balls fly straighter.

My advice would be to test out 2 or 3 models to see which you prefer. Finding a golf ball that feels right off your clubface should also breed confidence and help you hit it better.

Bridgestone e12 Contact Golf Ball

Although this ball promises more spin with your wedges due to the unique design of the contact dimples it still achieves low levels of spin with your driver and is even slightly lower than the previous generation of this ball.

With a compression rating of 62, it is a fairly soft-feeling golf ball and is likely to suit players with slower swing speeds that are looking to hit straight shots.

The unique design of the contact dimples means that as much as 38% more of the golf ball comes into contact with the clubface at impact which should mean more friction and therefore more spin with your wedges and irons.

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced ball that offers low long game spin for long and straight golf shots this ball might be the one to go for since it retails for around $25-$30 a dozen. This should be one of the straightest.

Callaway Chrome Soft X LS

Callaway produces several low compression, lower spin balls but here I’m focusing on their premium range with the Chrome Soft X LS. This is a premium 4-piece ball with a soft urethane cover which in theory would suggest a higher spinning ball.

While not as low spinning as many of the other balls on this list it might be a good option for you if you want to play a premium ball but don’t want to use one that will get too spinny!

It’s significantly firmer than most of the other balls mentioned with a rating of 94. In fact, this means it is quite a hard ball when looking at the whole market.

Callaway’s quality control processes appear to be doing their job since testing of their balls shows a high degree of consistency.

The recommended retail price of this ball is around $50 although you should be able to pick them up nearer $45 per dozen.

If you like the Callaway brand but don’t want to buy the most expensive golf balls you could take a look at their Supersoft golf ball which is a 2-piece model designed to produce high launch and low spin with your longest clubs to help you hit longer and straighter.

Srixon Soft Feel

As the name suggests this is one of the lowest compression balls in the Srixon on a range rated at 60. It is a two-layer construction ball with an ionomer cover. These design characteristics mean you are looking at a ball that should spin less and help you on the fairway. The 338 Speed Dimple pattern on the cover is designed to boost distance and keep your ball going straight even in windy conditions. A good choice for high handicap golfers that have a tendency to lose several balls around the golf course.

If you like Srixon then the Soft Feel is a golf ball that compresses easily and it should help you keep your golf ball in play.

Fairly inexpensive at around $20-$30 per dozen.

You could even experiment with the Soft Feel Lady which has an even lower compression to help players with slow swings of either gender.

According to the manufacturer’s website, it just pips several similar models from its competitors in the driver distance stakes (at 89 mph).

TaylorMade Soft Response

One of the cheaper balls in the TaylorMade range, the Soft Response is a 3-piece golf ball that should feel soft even to players with modest swing speeds due to its compression of 50. The dimple pattern has been engineered to optimize lift and reduce drag in order to keep the ball airborne despite having lower spin.

It’s unusual to see a three-piece golf ball designed with an ionomer cover. Balls with three-layer construction tend to be aimed at lower handicap players who are looking for a urethane-covered ball.

You will be able to find this ball for $25-$30.

Titleist Velocity

The Titleist Velocity golf ball isn’t quite the softest ball in their range but it has been designed to produce very low spin on long game shots. This should help maximize distance and minimize any hook or slice spin that you impart.

One of the cheapest balls available from Titleist it features a new higher-speed core to generate extra distance and is designed to produce a high launch.

You should be able to pick up a dozen of these balls for less than $30. If you are loyal to the Titleist brand of golf equipment this should be one of their straightest golf balls in 2022.

Problems With Low Spin Golf Balls

Although playing with a golf ball that spins less should help you hit straighter shots it also means you could be losing out in other parts of your golf game. Your short game shots might become more difficult since you will probably not be able to generate as much spin with these balls around the green.

You need to be aware of the implications of using a low spinning ball.

Straightest Golf Ball Guide: Conclusion

While it is always tempting to try and buy a better game, technology can only help so much. Finding the right golf ball for your game can certainly help you hit straighter and possibly longer shots but there is often a trade-off with any golf ball between, spin, feel and distance.

Playing a lower spin ball might help keep your ball in play from the tee but it may not be the ideal golf ball on the green. you have to work out which ball sits best with your game now and how much time and effort you want to dedicate to improving.

Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ]