Do Low Spin Golf Balls Go Further And Straighter?

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For us average golfers, having the occasional slice that curves two fairways over is one of the many joys we face during our rounds. One of the easiest things you can do is switch to a ball that goes straighter, so today, we’ll answer the question do low spin golf balls go further and straighter?

As a general rule, low spin golf balls will go straighter, and as a result, further for most golfers compared to high spinning balls. Having a ball that spins less will reduce some of the sidespin your ball has and will generate a lot less backspin.

If you’re interested in seeing which golf balls have high amounts of spin and which have low amounts, be sure to check out our golf ball spin chart. It’s important to note that some balls have low amounts of driver spin and high amounts of wedge spin. We’ll touch on that next.

Do Low Spin Golf Balls Go Straighter?

In most cases, low spinning golf balls will go straighter than high spinning balls. For some, that could be beneficial, but for others, it might not be what they’re looking for.

Simply put, low spinning golf balls will dampen that dreaded side spin. If you’re shouting “Fore!” more than you’re wanting to, chances are there is a lot of curvature on your shots. You can see how backspin and sidespin affect a golf ball here.

Creating side spin will cause the ball to curve either left or right. Unfortunately for us higher handicappers, there are many factors as to how much side spin is created on any given shot other than which golf ball we use.

Some factors that influence spin rates are:

Club impact angle
Club path through impact
Club face at impact

Using a low spinning golf ball with the right compression rating is going to reduce the amount of spin the ball will have once struck. Having less side spin will ultimately lead to straighter flights, which in theory, can lead to more on-target ball trajectories.

Do Low Spin Golf Balls Go Further?

Not only will low spin golf balls go straighter, but they will typically also go further than other balls. This is especially important for high handicaps who can use all the distance they can get.

Backspin is the enemy, standing on the tee box of a long Par 5 with your driver in hand. Backspin is created by striking down on the ball, starting a backwards spinning motion which is what causes the ball to rise into the air.

The less backspin a ball has the further it is going to fly and then roll out once it lands.

When distance is what you’re looking for, having a ball that’s going to give you less backspin is key. Obviously, you need a moderate amount of backspin to get the ball airborne, but the more backspin you have during flight the higher up the ball will rise, which will diminish your carry distance.

As well as reducing carry distance, more backspin is going to drastically reduce any potential rollout your shots are going to have. This could reduce your yardages by 10+ yards per shot.

If you select a low spinning ball it will dramatically help with those tee shots that sky up or don’t roll out as much as we want them to. We have all had fantastic feeling shots zoom off the tee, only for us to get up to them and it is 20-30 yards shorter than what we thought it should have gone.

If you’re someone who constantly finds yourself in this situation, switching to a lower spinning golf ball may be exactly the remedy you need. You can see which golf balls spin the least here.

What Are The Benefits Of Low Spin Golf Balls?

We have obviously touched on most of the major benefits of low spin balls. Anyone interested in a straighter, longer golf ball? I don’t know about you, but I sure am.

Here are the main benefits of a lower spinning golf ball:

Straighter shots.
Increased distances.
Cheaper prices.

But in all seriousness, these are things the average golfer fails to consider. We see the pros or all of our friends playing a certain ball and we just follow suit. Showing your buddies the five-dollar golf ball you’re about to lose is almost as much a part of the game as our actual scores.

Many of us fail to realize there is a robust ball market that offers options tailored to all handicap levels. A higher handicapper may benefit from a straighter low spin golf ball, whereas a lower handicap golfer is going to prefer more spin.

The other benefit we haven’t touched on yet is pricing. Golf balls are not cheap as we all know, but when comparing the two, low spin golf balls are going to be cheaper almost every time.

If you’re used to paying top dollar only to lose 3-4 balls every round, maybe a low spin option will aid your pocketbook and ease your mind the next time you plunk one in the water or rifle one out into the woods.

If you’re like me and need any advantage you can get off the tee; a high spin, incredibly expensive golf ball may actually be affecting your game negatively. I have found recently changing to a less expensive, low spinning golf ball has helped lower my handicap over the last several rounds.

What Are The Drawbacks Of Low Spin Golf Balls?

Now is the point in the article many of you are asking yourself, “Why doesn’t everyone play a low spinning golf ball?” Well, there are actually some fatal flaws when gaming these, most of all is backspin.

Here are the main drawbacks of low spinning golf balls:

Less backspin, which reduces stopping power.
Lower shot trajectory.
Firmer feel around the greens.

As noted before, when thinking in terms of pure distance, backspin is not the goal. But as we get closer to the green, it gets less about distance and is all about control. That’s where backspin is crucial.

When hitting onto greens, we all want the ball to land soft and rip back towards the flag just like we watch on TV when the pros play. For that to happen the ball needs an excessively high amount of backspin.

Having a high launch is paramount to a soft landing. The higher the golf ball rises into the air the more it will descend at a straighter angle. Without enough backspin being generated your ball is going to land and roll out much like you see when hitting onto fairways.

This can cause missed GIRs or even worse, hitting a great shot only for it to land on the green and roll 30 yards off the back into a greenside bunker.

Feel around the greens is another drawback in the low spin ball. These balls have a much firmer cover than their counterparts, causing them to bounce more off the clubface. If you’re interested, you can read our article on soft vs hard golf balls.

This can make putting and chipping more difficult. Getting a ball to stop when it’s constructed to maximize distance can be incredibly difficult. If you’re more focused on how a golf ball feels when you chip and putt you’re better off going with a higher spinning ball.

Should You Play A Low Spin Golf Ball?

Should you game a low spin golf ball is probably the whole reason you clicked on this article in the first place. It’s not an easy question to answer, but there are several factors that should play into deciding which golf ball would be best for your particular game.

The best question to ask yourself is, what are you looking for out of your golf ball?

A lower spinning golf ball is designed to add distance and decrease curvature in your shots. Since that’s the case, these balls are great for beginners and high handicaps. That being said, a lot of low to mid handicaps use them as well.

RELATED: Best Low Spin Golf Balls

The main downsides to these balls are that they normally have a lower ball flight and produce less short-game spin. If you already hit the ball low they might not be the best choice. If you need your ball to stop on the green quicker, they might not be the best choice.

Golf is a beautiful game that has as many variables as the Drake equation. One of the most overlooked is which golf ball you chose to play. If seeing a little more distance off the tee and a straighter flying ball is something that sounds enticing, low-spin golf balls could be a pleasant addition to your game.

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