Pro V1 golf balls are the most popular ball on the market right now. I’ve seen golfers from all skills levels using them and was curious if they were any good for beginners. I decided to call 7 golf coaches in my area and ask their opinion.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
On average, most golf coaches recommend that a beginner golfer avoid Pro V1 balls. The higher price and spin rates make the Pro V1 suited to better players. Most beginners will get better performance with a cheaper 2 piece ball.
What I did find out was that the Pro V1 was still better than a lot of other balls on the market. There were just a few reasons why it’s probably not the best for most, and we’ll jump into those reasons next.
You can see our favorite balls for average golfers HERE.
Should Beginners Use Pro V1 Balls?
I was pretty curious to see whether or not the Pro V1 is actually a decent ball for beginners. I’ve always kind of liked them, but I wanted to give a few golf pros a call to find out their opinion. Here are the answers I got:
| Golf Pro | Answer |
| 1 | No |
| 2 | No |
| 3 | Yes |
| 4 | No |
| 5 | No |
| 6 | Yes |
| 7 | No |
Of the 7 golf coaches/pros I called, 5 of them said beginners shouldn’t use Pro V1s while 2 of them said beginners could use them. Here were each of their reasons:
I wouldn’t recommend a Pro V1 to a beginner because the price is too expensive.
Golf Pro 1
A beginner doesn’t need a high spinning ball, so the price doesn’t really make sense.
Golf Pro 2
Pro V1 might not be the best option right now, but if it’s within the budget, it could be a decent choice to improve more quickly.
Golf Pro 3
Look for a ball that’s cheap but will give you the height, distance, and forgiveness to find the fairway.
Golf Pro 4
I think a beginner is better off playing a cheap ball and spending the money on some lessons.
Golf Pro 5
It’s one of the best all-around balls out there and should perform for all skill levels.
Golf Pro 6
Pro V1 has a higher compression rating and could be tough for beginners to hit consistently.
Golf Pro 7
So, we clearly have a few different opinions, but it’s pretty clear to me what my answer would be. Beginners shouldn’t use a Pro V1 as their main golf ball simply because of the price.
Think about how often you lose balls (or when you were just getting started). It really doesn’t make much sense to play a high-end ball, and you’d get just as good of performance with something way cheaper.
Just in case you were curious, we did a test to see how balls of different prices differ. You can see the results HERE. What should beginners be playing instead? We’ll talk about that next.
Do Golf Balls Make A Difference For Beginners?
Golf balls do make a difference for beginners and should be chosen carefully. Having a ball that’s inexpensive and easily compressed will result in the most distance and fairways hit.
I don’t know about you, but I really don’t like losing golf balls, especially if they’re high-end balls. The benefit of more expensive balls is that they’re better for controlling the trajectory and will spin more on the green.
As a beginner, you aren’t going to benefit from those. If you aren’t able to hit the ball from left to right (or right to left) and you aren’t able to control the height, what’s the point in spending the extra money?
Some of the more expensive balls (Pro V1 included) are higher compression balls. Basically, this means that it takes more speed to properly compress the ball. If you don’t compress the ball enough, you’ll lose a lot of distance and will have a lot of shots curve to the side.
All you should be looking for right now is a ball that won’t break the bank, will give you a good amount of distance, and will hit fairways.
What Is The Best Golf Ball For A Beginner?
The best type of ball for a beginner is a 2 or 3 piece ball that produces lower amounts of spin and is easy on the wallet. This combination will save money, generate more distance, and land in more fairways.
The majority of golf balls for beginners and high handicaps are either 2 or 3 pieces. These balls are less expensive and (usually) take less speed to get height and distance. I’m pretty sure most beginners could benefit from those two things.
These balls normally have a lower compression rating too (except distance balls). Beginners probably have slower swing speeds and might not compress the ball that well. If you don’t swing over 100 MPH, you’ll probably get less distance with a Pro V1.
3 or 4 piece balls are for better players who want more control over the ball. More wedge spin is what most people are looking for, but that shouldn’t be something to worry about until you can consistently shoot in the mid-80s.
When Should You Use A Pro V1?
Just because Pro V1s aren’t the best choice for mid to high handicaps doesn’t mean they’re only for professionals. At a certain point, it might make sense to put them in your bag.
What I’d say is that when you’re consistently hitting greens and fairways and you need more short-game spin, this is when you should pay for a premium ball.
This is usually when you’re shooting in the mid to low 80s.
At this point, you won’t be losing as many balls. You’ll also be a more consistent ball striker and will be able to take advantage of the increased spin around the greens.
Let’s hear from you – Do you think a beginner or high handicapper should be using Pro V1s? Let us know in the comments below.
And if you want to learn more, check out one of these articles:
What To Do Next:
Enter Our Gear Giveaway: Like free golf stuff? A few times per year, we pick a few of our viewers and send them some gifts. Click here to learn more.
Deals & Discounts: We’ve worked with brands to offer discounts to our readers. See our deals and discounts page to see our current promotions.
Write For Us: Calling all hackers, whackers, and golf enthusiasts. Out Of Bounds Golf is looking for writers. If you’d like to get paid to write about golf, click here for more info.
