Picking the right golf ball for your swing is one of the few things you can actually control before stepping on the golf course. Every type of ball is made for a specific golfer, and in this post, we’ll be talking about golf balls for 105+ MPH swing speeds.
Here are the best golf balls for high swing speeds:
- Vice Drive (best for high handicappers)
- Vice Tour (best for mid handicappers)
- Taylormade TP5x (best for low handicappers)
- Bridgestone e12 Contact (mid to high handicap alternative)
- Kirkland Signature (mid handicap alternative)
- Vice Pro Plus (low handicap alternative)
Each of these is for different types of golfers, and it’s important to fully understand why. We’ll talk about everything you’d need to know throughout the article, but if you want to skip directly to the section that talks about the right ball for you, click on the links above.
Do you have a fast swing speed? In the comments below, let me know some of your favorite balls are and why.
What Is Considered A High Swing Speed In Golf?
In golf, a high swing speed is anything above 105 MPH with the driver. At these swing speeds, you could expect to hit the ball 240+ yards with the driver depending on additional factors.
Swing speed is a key factor for measuring distance after contact with the ball. Generally, the higher the clubhead speed (also referred to throughout this article as swing speed) the further the ball will travel.
The tour average for clubhead speed is around 110 mph (you can see what balls the pros use here), while high single-digit handicaps are typically around 95 ish. Long drive has become a much bigger topic as of late with players like Bryson Dechambeau from the tour participating in multiple events.
Distance is changing the game of golf and swing speed is a very important factor in that. Let’s be honest, it’s always fun to try and hit the ball hard and far no matter who you are.
If you want to calculate your swing speed, there is a simple formula you can use out on the course. What you need to do is divide your average drive (or any other club for that matter) by 2.3 and that will provide you with clubhead speed for that club.
For example, say your average drive is 250 yards, you’ll take 250 / 2.3 which equals 108.7 mph clubhead speed. It’s not a perfect solution but it should give you a rough idea.
The majority of average players don’t have a swing speed anywhere close to 105+ MPH. If that’s the case, you can read our article on the best golf balls for slow swing speeds.
What Compression Golf Ball For Fast Swing Speed?
For golfers with high swing speeds, playing a golf ball with a compression rating of at least 100 is ideal. This will result in the most distance and the most optimal spin rates and ball flight.
Golf balls have a metric in which they are attributed compression ratings. These ratings range anywhere from 30 to 120. The softer a golf ball is, the closer it will be to 30 while the harder a ball is the closer it will be to 120. See the golf ball compression chart here.
It is recommended that if you can carry the ball further than 250 yards in the air, you should look into balls that have compression ratings higher than 100. We did a test to see how compression impacted distance, so you can see do high or low compression golf balls go further?
If you have a faster swing speed and are using a ball that is too soft, you’ll notice a decrease in distance. The reason for that is that the ball cannot transfer the energy you’re producing from the clubhead as efficiently as a ball with a higher compression rating.
In simple terms, if you use a ball that is too soft and you swing fast you will cause the ball to spin too much and lose a good amount of distance because of that.
RELATED: Soft vs Hard Golf Balls
Other Factors You Need To Consider
When looking for the proper ball for your game there are a plethora of factors. It can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start.
I recommend that you start with a ball that reflects what you want around the greens. This is a good starting point because if you’re confident in how it feels, sounds, and looks when you’re hitting putts and chips it will give you the confidence to execute your intended shot accordingly.
After you’ve found a ball that suits your needs on and around the greens you can start looking deeper into other metrics behind a ball’s technology.
The majority of the time when you shop for golf balls you can find a few key parameters that the manufacturers think are useful. Some of those include cover material, spin rates, and the number of layers (or cores) a ball has.
Cover material: The most common cover material in the modern era of golf is the urethane golf ball cover which is typically your “high” end golf ball. Your tour ball provides you with that soft feel in your hand, the proper sound and decent durability. Other ball covers include Surlyn and ionomer ball covers.
RELATED: Urethane vs Surlyn vs Ionomer
Spin rates: Golf ball spin is one of the most important factors to pay attention to when looking for what ball to use in my opinion. I think that if you want to hit the ball lower, you should look for a ball that spins less from tee to green.
On the other hand, if you need more lift and a higher trajectory at launch you need to seek a ball that spins more from tee to green. Technology today also offers low spin driver balls that still have plenty of spin with approach shots and around the putting surface as well.
Each ball can be fine-tuned for your game if you know what you are looking for. If you’re unsure, click here to learn how backspin and sidespin affect a golf ball.
Number of layers: Layers within a ball can provide more predictability and reliability. For example, most 3 or 4 layer golf balls have more greenside control with higher spin rates and typically have the ability to fade or draw easier than a two-piece ball.
Although, if you need a less spinny ball you may want to look at the 2 or 3 piece golf balls that have a higher compression rating and lower spin rate.
Are Pro V1s The Best For Fast Swing Speeds?
Titleist golf balls have been the gold standard for quite a long time. There are a variety of golf balls on the market now that are fine balls and good for multiple swing speeds.
Personally, I think if you’re looking for a ball you should try out a customizing system. Most websites have them. They will ask you questions about your swing speed, how far you hit specific clubs, what brands you prefer, and what kind of feel you prefer on and around the greens.
These tools are very beneficial in providing recommendations and potentially lead you toward a ball that best suits you.
The Pro V1 is a good ball for higher swing speeds. Typically the Pro V1 provides good results for swing speeds around 98-105 mph. Although this might be the recommended swing speed for the Pro V1, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re right for your game.
For example, if you find you spin these balls too much going into greens you may want to look for another ball that has lower spin rates. Or maybe you don’t like the way the ball curves off the tee.
My point is, that just because it is recommended for your swing speed doesn’t mean it will properly fit your game. Other balls are better for higher swing speeds while others are obviously better for slower swing speeds.
When choosing the best ball for you, you’ll need to first find your clubhead speed. You can do this by going to your local golf simulator and finding the metric using their technology. If you don’t have the ability to do that, you can refer back to the formula at the top and calculate it yourself.
Eventually, once you find that number you can utilize that to choose the best golf ball for you. Which will help you enjoy your game more, because of how predictable it will be. Once you find a ball you enjoy please don’t switch it too often as this can create false inconsistencies around your game.
Best Golf Balls For High Swing Speeds
Once you’ve figured out whether or not you’re considered a “high swing speed” golfer, the next thing to look at is your skill level. If you have a fast swing speed but you shoot 95, you’ll probably want a different ball than someone shooting 75.
There are a bunch of different types of golf balls on the market and they’re all designed for different golfers. Some have different compression ratings while others have different spin rates. With that, comes different prices.
What I’m going to do is break things down into high, mid, or low handicap. I’ll give a couple of options for each skill level to make sure you’re playing the optimal ball for your swing.
To figure things out, I got a couple of buddies to help me test out a number of balls. Each of us is at a different level but we made sure we were swinging at a fast pace. I won’t list every single ball we hit but we’ll talk about the ones we thought were the best overall.
Our Testing Process: Our goal is to help you find the right product. We continue to use each product over time and will keep our reviews updated. Learn more here.
High Handicap
A high handicapper is anyone that shoots above 90 on a full-sized golf course. The average golfer falls into high handicap territory, but that being said, the average golfer probably doesn’t have a fast swing speed.
You’ll typically see low to mid handicappers having fast swing speeds, but it’s not always the case. A lot of high handicap balls are built for low to mid swing speeds, so they might not be perfect. That being said, for anyone in this range, here are the main things you’d want to look for:
- A good price.
- Straight off the tee.
- Not too high of a launch.
If you’ve golfed for any amount of time you’ll know that people in this category lose a lot of balls. Maybe it’s plugged in the rough, maybe it’s out of bounds, or maybe it’s just too many fairways over.
If you’re playing $5 balls then things can really add up. You won’t see any benefit at all by playing premium balls, which is why the price is an important thing to consider. If it were me, I’d stick to balls between $2-3 each.
The next thing you’ll want to make sure of is that the ball is forgiving. Hitting the ball straighter, hitting more fairways, and landing on more greens are one of the fastest ways to improve your game.
I remember the best 9 holes I’ve ever played was when I hit hybrid off the tee instead of driver. My distance was a lot less, but I was playing almost every single second shot from the fairway.
You’ll want to make sure that the ball you play has a low amount of driver spin. The majority of high handicappers slice the ball off the planet, so playing a tour-level ball could make that worse.
RELATED: 5+ Reasons You Hit The Golf Ball Right
The final thing to look for is a ball that produces a low-to-mid-ball flight. If you swing too fast for the ball you’re playing, you might end up hitting the ball too high. Hitting the ball too high will decrease fairway rollout and lower distance.
I can’t guarantee it, but you’ll probably get more distance from a ball like this. That’s especially the case when the fairway is nice and firm.
In saying all of that, here are a couple of solid options:
Out of all the balls we tested, these seemed to be the best for high handicap golfers. The Bridgestone was the straightest off the tee while the Vice was good all around for the price.
Even though these balls aren’t specifically designed for fast swing speeds (none are for high handicaps), they both perform really well. For most, I’d recommend the Vice Drive because it’s almost half the price. The value for the price is incredibly hard to beat.
RELATED: Best Golf Balls For Average Golfers
Mid Handicap
A mid handicapper is anyone that shoots in the 80s on a full-sized course. At this point, you might start thinking about spending more money on a higher-end ball. You definitely don’t need to, but it could help you a bit.
I’m a mid handicapper myself and my best round ever was when I was playing a cheap 2 piece ball. The greens were a bit soft, which helped quite a bit, but if you don’t want to spend more money then don’t.
I still wouldn’t recommend spending 5 bucks per ball on a Pro V1 or other tour-level ball. It still won’t benefit you enough to justify the higher price.
What we need at this point is a ball that still flies straight off the tee. The dreaded hook or slice still tends to show up occasionally, so it’s important to stick to the fairway as much as possible.
At this point, you might be able to start spinning your wedge shots a bit. Being able to chip the ball into the green and have it bite quicker is a great way to lower scores.
Having a ball that produces a bit more wedge spin is what you’ll want to look for. Somewhere between a cheap 2 piece ball and a tour performance ball.
Here are a couple of balls that performed well:
These two balls are mid-tier balls that are a bit more expensive. That being said, I think it’ll be worth it at this point. Either of them is a solid pick.
Everyone knows Kirkland (Costco) but most people overlook their products. I’ve actually been surprised by some of the stuff they’ve put out (balls and wedges) and would recommend giving them a try.
They’re a 3 piece urethane ball and are priced somewhere under $1.50 per ball. The value you get for the price is really good if you ask me.
The compression rating is somewhere around 90, which makes the ball good for high swing speeds. Since it’s a 3 piece urethane ball, the amount of short-game spin is actually quite good as well.
On the other hand, you might not know about the company Vice. They’ve been around for a number of years now and make some great balls for the price. The Tour is their middle-of-the-range version (3 piece ball with a Surlyn cover).
They’re slightly more than the Kirkland balls, but I liked them a bit more myself. The Kirkland seemed to have a bit more short-game spin but the Vice hit more fairways. The distance was pretty close.
RELATED: Best Golf Balls For Mid Handicappers
Low Handicap
If you can consistently shoot in the 70s then I’d consider you to be a low handicap golfer. At this point, you can think about using a premium golf ball, but it’s not something that’s 100% necessary.
If you’re someone who’s just out for fun then you can always save some money and use a tour value ball as we talked about in the previous section. If you’re set on shooting the best possible score then it might be worth your while upgrading.
The main benefit to using a premium ball is when it comes to short-game spin. In most cases, you won’t see any benefit in distance or overall feel compared to lower-end balls.
RELATED: The Highest Spinning Golf Balls
The reason these balls are more expensive is that they’ll help you chip the ball into the green, have it bounce once or twice, and then stop quickly. Pretty much like you see on tv.
Not everyone will be able to do that, but having a ball that spins more should help you out. The majority of golfers who shoot above 80 won’t be able to spin the ball back (with any ball), and that’s why I wouldn’t spend the extra money.
Here are the balls that performed the best for us:
- Vice Pro Plus
- Titleist Pro V1x
- Taylormade TP5
The one that’s right for you will depend on a few different factors. Things like low spin, high spin, and balanced performance in terms of spin and distance are what you need to think about.
If you prefer a ball that has less spin, the Vice Pro Plus is a good choice for you. Some golfers spin the ball too much with their wedges and some people prefer a lower ball flight (which low spin should provide).
If you’d like a ball that spins more, the Titleist Pro V1x could be perfect for you. It was the highest spinning ball when it came to short game spin and it was also the highest-flying off the tee.
If you want the best balance of distance and spin, the Taylormade TP5x could be the way to go. It’s actually one of the few 5 piece golf balls on the market. It was right in the middle in terms of spin rates and was also the longest off the tee.
Note. This article is part of our series on what golf ball should you use. If you want to know everything that goes into picking the perfect golf ball for your game, check that out.
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