The Best Golf Balls For Seniors – The newest guide

Your golf game depends on more than just how skilled you are. Your choice of golf clubs and even balls is can make a huge difference. If you feel like you’re underperforming, or notice parts of your game lacking, perhaps your current ball isn’t enough.

Finding the ideal golf ball and sticking with it can really boost your game. With that in mind, what is the best golf ball for seniors?

In this article, I review the top five choices for the best senior balls:

• Oncore Avant Golf Balls
• Bridgestone Golf e12 Soft Golf Balls
• Bridgestone Golf 2013 e6 Golf Balls
• Bridgestone Tour B330 RX 2016 Golf Ball 
• Srixon Q Star Tour Golf Balls

The Best Golf Ball for Seniors: Buyer’s Guide

Once you start searching for the right ball, you’ll come across jargon like compression and spin rating. All these factors matter when it comes to golf balls for seniors. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what you need to know.

What Makes Golf Balls for Senior Golfers Different?

Golf balls, much like golf clubs, have their individual upsides and downsides. While there aren’t specific golf balls for seniors (these balls can be used by any golfer), certain balls are more suited.

Senior golfers may have similar habits and attributes in their game. Including a slower swing speed and less need for spin. Senior balls complement these attributes and work with the golfer.

Spin

Golf balls spin after impact throughout their flight and spin is how you control direction and distance. If you lack spin, the ball won’t travel far. But too much spin can make your shot spiral, skew, and probably come short as well.

How much spin is too much though? Pros want more backspin because it fits their high swing speeds and clean contact. In contrast, senior golfers usually have slower swings that work better with low-spin balls.

An added bonus is that these balls offer less sidespin, leading to straighter shots that travel longer.

If you want do want spin, you can always add it:

Compression and the Ball’s Core

Compression ratings indicate the level of deformity a ball incurs when struck. A low compression rating means softer balls that deform more. On a scale of 0 to 200, 0 deforms the most (around five millimeters or more), while a 200 golf ball suffers no deformity.

Senior golfers should aim for softer balls as they rebound well and travel further with slower swing speeds. Whereas a harder ball is like swinging at a rock, softer balls travel well with minimal effort.

The thing is, you can’t completely rely on the manufacturer’s rating, as each brand uses somewhat different standards. This means that ratings should be taken into account with reviews, but nothing is as solid as testing out the ball yourself.

Cover Material

While golf ball covers generally look the same, the cover material can be quite different. The most popular materials are Surlyn and urethane but some manufacturers use a more advanced ionomer blend.

Urethane balls are somewhat less durable and are designed with more focus on spin. Surlyn balls are harder and more durable, they’re also less expensive which is a plus. But the main reason senior golfers should go for Surlyn-covered golf balls is the reduced spin.

If you’ve been paying attention, you may wonder why a firmer cover is best after we’ve recommended softer balls. Kudos if that question crossed your mind. The ideal choice for senior golfers is a Surlyn-covered golf ball with a super soft core. This offers you the most suitable mixture of characteristics.

Construction

You may have heard of two-piece, three-piece, and multilayer golf balls.

Of these, two and three-piece balls are ideal for senior golfers. Multilayer golf balls are generally the choice of pros. Forget about one-piece golf balls because they won’t benefit your game.

More experienced senior golfers should go for three-piece options. These balls offer more spin and an extra soft feel thanks to a rubber layer between the core and cover.

In general, though, two-piece golf balls are good enough. They’re designed for distance and won’t give you any trouble with sidespin if your impact is less than perfect.

Color

While this doesn’t impact performance, it’s a bonus to have a brightly colored golf ball. It’s easier to spot your ball throughout its flight, plus, you won’t have trouble finding it in the rough.

Reviews: The Best Senior Golf Balls

The following selection of golf balls fall within the parameters I set out above. However, you’ll notice some different factors to accommodate preference and experience levels. Pick your favorites then test them out on the golf course.

1. Oncore Avant Golf Balls

The Oncore Avant targets golfers with slower swing speeds, making this model perfect for senior golfers. Don’t worry if you swing below 90 mph. This two-piece golf ball with a 65 compression rating has the characteristics you need.

This low compression rate allows you to hit far despite swing speed. And the two-piece construction reduces sidespin, making it even easier to control. It also has that Surlyn cover we recommended. In tandem with the soft core, the Avant has an ideal soft-to-hard ratio.

Experts praise its feel and sound.

Pros

• The two-piece design optimizes distance
• Super low 65 compression rating
• Low spin rating for straight shots
• Surlyn cover for durability and reduced spin

Cons

• Golfers used to harder balls may not like this one

2. Bridgestone Golf e12 Soft Golf Balls

The Bridgestone e12 is slightly more complex than the previous option. A three-piece Surlyn covered ball, it works well for experienced senior golfers.

Moreover, the ball has an Active Acceleration Mantle. This is made from a dense high-performance polymer with an added surfactant. Such a combination adds more thrust and initial velocity to boost travel distance. This is complemented by the Delta Dimple pattern to reduce drag.

This allows Bridgestone to add more softness to the core to enhance the feel. You’ll probably enjoy the feel and sound of Bridgestone’s signature gradational compression core.

While it is a three-piece ball with added spin, the Surlyn cover keeps it in check. Such a combination is ideal for senior golfers who have faced a few courses over the years.

Pros

• Three-piece construction plus Surlyn cover for an ideal spin level
• Active Acceleration Mantle for added distance
• Delta Dimple pattern for better aerodynamics
• Soft core for an excellent feel on impact

Cons

• Spin is closer to urethane balls, which are harder to control

3. Bridgestone Golf 2013 e6 Golf Balls

If you liked Bridgestone’s first offering but are skeptical about the spin, what about this option?

The Bridgestone e6 golf ball has a soft core and a Surlyn cover but offers less spin than the e12. It works perfectly for golfers with moderate swing speed and boasts a low-compression core (40-50). This should give it extra speed on the launch.

A two-piece construction plus the cover material keeps spin at bay and allows consistently straight shots. It actually has one of the lowest driver spin ratings for the company who claim less sidespin with off-center hits.

The gradation core, which is harder in the middle and softer on the outside balances feel with speed upon impact. This also allows it to hold its own with faster swings. So if you grow in that area, the balls will still perform well.

Pros

• Straight flight with reduced spin
• Gradation core that works for a range of swing speeds
• Low compression core to fit slow swing speeds
• Off-center hits are less likely to create sidespin

Cons

• Not the best for putting

4. Bridgestone Tour B330 RX 2016 Golf Ball

The idea behind this golf ball was to introduce a tour-level option for golfers with moderate swing speeds. Such an ambitious balance is what makes this golf ball both an award-winner and a best seller.

If you swing between 85 to 104 mph, the Tour B330 RX should offer you maximum distance. It takes the excellent performance of tour balls and tweaks it to fit Sunday golfers.

The Amatour Core is 28 percent softer than your standard tour ball. It also features a steeper gradient from the core to the softer outer region. In addition, the SlipRes cover reduces the friction coefficient of the ball in flight. The dual dimple pattern helps with aerodynamics too.

All this translates into a better fit for slower swing speeds and, ultimately, longer travel distances.

Pros

• Tour-level golf ball performance
• Softer core to fit slower swing speeds
• SlipRes cover and dual dimple pattern for fantastic aerodynamics
• Award-winning design
• Good for all levels of senior golfer

Cons

• This is a premium golf ball for seniors and as such, comes at a premium price.

5. Srixon Q Star Tour Golf Balls

If you want to forget most of our recommendations for senior golfers and go out on a limb, this is the ball for you. The Srixon Q Star is a three-piece golf ball with a urethane cover designed to maximize spin. Senior golfers with years of course experience will appreciate this ball’s dynamic qualities.

It features a third-generation spin skin coating for extra spin, plus a tour-level urethane cover to complement it.

This golf ball has an Advanced Energetic Gradient Growth to help transfer energy from the club to the ball for maximum distance. As for aerodynamics, the 338 dimple pattern reduces drag to maximize lift and distance.

Now, why would we recommend this for senior golfers?

It combines a number of innovative features to give you excellent ball spin with optimum distance. Plus, it has a low compression rating of 72 to give golfers with slower swing speeds but masterful ball control the best chances of long drives.

Pros

• Urethane cover and spin skin for added spin
• Low compression rating to fit slower swingers
• Advanced Energetic Gradient Growth for maximum speed and distance
• 338 dimple pattern for better aerodynamics
• Excellent ball for experienced senior golfers

Cons

• Not all golfers can adapt to the extra spin

Conclusion

After careful deliberation, our choice finally came down to the Oncore Avant as the best golf ball for senior golfers. These little dimpled allies are perfect for golfers with slower swing speeds thanks to the low 65 compression rating.

We also liked that the two-piece construction offered easy ball control and good distance. It traveled well, boasted excellent feel, and the sound was spot on.

That all said, there are some cracking golf balls for seniors on our list. So why not try them all out and let us know what you think?