The best golf balls you can buy

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

The Insider Pick:

All golf balls aren't created equally, so we've done the research to find the best golf balls you can buy. Our top pick, the Titleist Tour Soft golf ball, delivers outstanding performance and it has a distance that’ll work nicely for mid- and low-handicap players.

One of the great things about the game of golf if that you can test yourself on the same types of courses and hole distances as the pros you watch on television. You can even play with the same equipment those men and women use.

Of course, once you take a look at the cost of some of the drivers and irons the pros use, you may want to seek out a cheaper way of copying your favorite pro’s game.Even if golfing with the same clubs as the pros may be impossible, you can, at the very least, try playing with the same golf ball that your favorite pro uses.

Even though it may feel cool to use the same ball as the guy who just won the Masters, we should mention up front that you are highly unlikely to receive the same performance from that pro-level golf ball as the pro does. Pro-level balls react differently to the skills professional players have versus the talent of the occasional weekend golfer’s skill level.

Different levels of golf balls are available to meet the needs of different levels of players, both in terms of skill and in terms of price. So maybe you can play with a ball from the same company as your favorite pro, but just choose a level or two lower than he or she uses.

We've read many expert and buyer reviews to come up with a guide to the best golf balls for every skill level and type of player.

Read on in the slides below to learn why the Titleist Tour Soft is our top pick and why you might prefer the TaylorMade Project (a), the Bridgestone e6 Speed, the Callaway Warbird, or the Titleist Pro V1.

SEE ALSO: The best golf clubs you can buy

The best golf ball overall

Why you'll love it: The Titleist Tour Soft has been redesigned for better distance and feel versus other two-layer golf balls.

The Titleist Tour Soft golf ball is a new ball from one of the best golf ball makers around, and it delivers a great mix of distance and feel. Whether it will be as popular as its predecessors — the Titleist NXT Tour and the Tour S — remains to be seen, but it’s an interesting choice at a great price.

The Tour Soft is a two-layer golf ball with an extremely thin cover, which may leave some golfers skeptical that it can deliver the performance of a three- or four-layer ball. Titleist is banking on the huge core to give advanced golfers the control they want and expect from a multiple-layer ball.

Titleist redesigned the cover on the Tour Soft ball, making it with a mix of materials, to better handle the large core that allows for greater exit velocity for the ball.

The thinner cover delivers feel and spin. Golf Info Guide says the Tour Soft should give you a better level of feel than the balls it’s attempting to replace.

Golf Monthly writes that the Tour Soft golf balls will give you a nice height on approach shots, helping you hold the green better. However, it’s a little more difficult to spin the Tour Soft on short approach shots and chip shots than some other high-level golf balls.

The softness of the Titleist Tour Soft is noticeable on the greens, too, according to Golf Shake. It takes far less force to putt with this ball, which should give you more control over your stroke on long putts.

Most buyers on Amazon rate the ball highly and recommend it for golfers. A reviewer named Ron likes the way the Tour Soft feels when playing in cold weather.

However, another Amazon reviewer named Brent was disappointed with the two-layer design on this Titleist ball, saying it felt like “hitting a rubber ball.”

Pros: Smart new design gives you more feel than a normal two-layer ball, huge core delivers more exit speed and distance, offered at a reasonable price point for a newly designed ball

Cons: Spin control on chip shots lags a little bit, only a two-layer ball, which leaves some golfers skeptical

Buy the Titleist Tour Soft Golf Balls on Amazon (1 Dozen in White or Yellow) for $34.99

The best ball for amateurs to learn to spin

Why you'll love it: When you want to learn how to spin a golf ball on approach shots, the TaylorMade Project (a) golf ball will give you more control than most balls aimed at bogey-level golfers.

One of the best ways for mid-level amateur players to make a jump in their scores is to improve their performance on approach shots and around the green. To become a high-level golfer, learning how to spin the ball off iron and wedge shots will help quite a bit, as the right spin can help you keep the ball closer to the pin.

When you’re just learning how to spin and control the ball, the best ball to help you is the TaylorMade Project (a). This ball, which has been upgraded in 2018, carries a high spin rate when struck properly.

Of course, if you don’t strike it properly, it can cause a greater severity of hook or slice, according to Two Golf Guys, which means this TaylorMade ball probably isn’t the best choice for high-handicap golfers. Still, this ball can potentially help a bogey golfer to start consistently shooting in the 80s.

TaylorMade uses a three-layer design to give the Project (a) golf ball its high level of spin. The better spin results should give mid-level handicappers the ability to keep the ball closer to the pin on approach shots, leading to shorter putts and better scores, according to Today’s Golfer. However, you may notice more spin off the face of the driver, too.

Golf Info Guide says the TaylorMade (a) gives mid-level golfers the kind of performance that high-level golfers want from their golf balls, but at a lower price. This ball is so soft, it almost “sticks to the club face.” One reviewer named C. Tanon loves the feel of these golf balls around the green, but also likes how they perform off the tee.

Another Amazon buyer named Rob likes the feel of these Project (a) golf balls, but says they scuff too easily.

Pros: High level of spin on approach and chip shots, good price point for such a responsive ball, TaylorMade recently gave ball a slight design upgrade, three-layer construction works great for many levels of golfers

Cons: Mis-hits will slice or hook more severely than other balls, thin cover on the ball will scuff easily

Buy the TaylorMade Project (a) Golf Balls on Amazon (1 Dozen in White or Yellow) for $34.99

The best golf ball for straight flight

Why you'll love it: For less skilled golfers, golf balls with high levels of spin could lead to more severe slices and hooks, so the Bridgestone e6 Speed golf ball’s promise of less spin makes it a great choice.

One of the biggest frustrations for mid-to-high-handicap golfers is hitting the ball straight. It doesn’t take long to ruin a solid score by slicing your drive on the 12th hole into the trees and taking five shots to work your way out.

Certainly, improving your swing is the best way to avoid unwanted slices and hooks that leave you in big trouble off the tee. The Bridgestone e6 Speed golf ball can help you stay straighter off the tee, too, while also delivering a nice level of distance.

These golf balls carry a really nice price point, closer to the value end of the market than the top end.

Don’t expect to have a lot of spin control with these Bridgestone balls, according to My Golf Spy, as the design of the e6 Speed causes for a slower spin rate, which provides a straighter shot.

Bridgestone is betting on the fact that for most amateur golfers who are fighting their swings a bit, a straighter ball is more beneficial than a spin control ball. The company uses a three-layer construction with the e6 Speed, but its middle layer works to reduce spin, rather than enhance spin like many three-layer balls.

The lesser amount of backspin does make it a little harder to hold the green on approach shots, according to Amazon buyer Evan Yarbrough, as the golf ball tends to bounce and roll forward without the backspin.

Plugged in Golf says the e6 Speed delivers several yards of extra length, as Bridgestone promises. It works well for amateur players who don’t have a high club speed and exit velocity rate for the ball.

During tests, Golficity says keeping the Bridgestone e6 Speed in play both off the tee and from the fairway was easier than with other golf balls. Amazon buyer Storm says the e6 Speed plays well around the greens, too, all at a great price point.

Pros: Designed to reduce the spin of the golf ball for straighter shots, when struck properly should give you a bit more distance, works well for amateur players who don’t have a high club speed, nice price point

Cons: Less backspin means it can be tougher to hold the green, not really made for advanced players who want ball control