8 Best Golf Balls for Putting – Sink More Putts in 2023

When I’m testing a new ball, I take it to the green. If something feels good on the greens, I’m off to a great start.

When I am asked by beginner golfers how to tell a ball apart from another, I always say to do the same thing and go to the putting area to try them out. I’ll show you 8 of my favorite golf balls for putting and which ones could be worth keeping in your golf bag this season.

For golfers looking for a quick and easy recommendation, I’ve put together a side by side comparison of my three top choices:

 

What makes certain golf balls ideal for putting?

The feel of the golf ball will be what stands out most on the putting-green. When looking for golf balls for putting, there are a few factors to consider.

Cover Material

Urethane covers are usually great for putting greens. Surlyn golf balls can also have a mushy, or even too hard, feel. Urethane-covered golf balls can be more expensive.

Alignment Lines

Some golf balls come with an alignment aid built in. Look for a ball with an alignment line if you want to use it to line up your putt.

I like to pick a ball with an alignment line that I can use, but also enough white space to look at it all white if I want to.

Color

In recent times, with the introduction of more colored golf ball options, it has become possible to have something that stands apart on the putting-green. The lime green and yellow colors are very noticeable and can help golfers to focus on the ball.

Some players struggle to see blue, purple, or red. Avoid these colors if you have problems with visibility.

Compression

It’s hard to tell the exact compression of a golf ball while on the putting green. This is because you aren’t compressing the ball with a putter the way you would be with an iron or wedge shot.

However, you’ll notice that many lower compression golf balls, like a Callaway Supersoft, will have a much softer feel on the greens than something like a Callaway Chrome Soft.

The lower compression golf balls can improve the overall feel of the player on the greens. Others prefer a golf ball with a higher compression that rolls towards the hole.

 

Top 8 Golf balls for Putting

Callaway Chrome Soft – Best Overall

Construction: 3-piece

Compression Rating 72

Pros:

• The perfect combination of distance and feeling
• Tour level spin round the greens
• Triple Track alignment aid

Cons:

• Designed for higher swing speeds
• The pricing is for premium golf balls

Callaway Chrome Soft is my favorite golf ball on the market. I love the ball from the tee all the way to the green. But I first fell in love with it for its performance on greens.

The Chrome Soft golf ball has an excellent feel and holds its course really well.

If you have ever struggled to align on the green, Triple Track gives you the perfect line towards the hole. The Triple Track design is also helpful for golfers that have a straight-through putting style.

 

TaylorMade Tour Response Stripe – Best for Alignment

Construction: 3-piece

Compression Rating 70

Pros:

• Urethane cover
• Has many of the characteristics of a Penta, but at a lower price.
• Lower compression core for extra distance
• Softer outer layer

Cons:

• Greenside spin is lower than other premium golf balls
• The TP5 is not as fast as the TP5.

TaylorMade has taken the concept of an alignment stripe on a golf ball to the next level by introducing the Tour Response Stripe.

The Tour Response Stripe ball is a great ball for putting. It has a large center alignment area, so it’s suited for amateurs who have trouble keeping the ball in line. The Tour Response has a soft feel, and the Urethane coating gives it a great grip on the greens.

I often recommend the TaylorMade Tour Reaction to golfers looking for an affordable ball with top-notch performance.

 

Callaway Supersoft – Best Value

Construction: 2-piece

Compression Rating 38

Pros:

• Low compression
• Soft feel
• Straight distance technology
• Fair pricing

Cons:

• Not great with greenside spinning
• Won’t be the longest golf ball for faster swing speed players

Golfers love to share the Callaway Supersoft golf ball with each other.

Why is this the case?

With the pricing of the Callaway Supersoft, it’s easy to consider it a great option for a name brand ball and a fair price. The Supersoft is best for golfers who have a slower swing speed and prefer a softer feel on the putting surface.

A Callaway Supersoft golf ball is only two pieces, so you can’t expect to get the same greenside performance with this ball that you get with others on this list. The new Hyperelastic Core helps players to get a softer feeling from their irons as well as a little bit more spin around the greens.

I like the Supersoft as a beginner to understand the importance of distance control and get a feel for it.

 

Titleist Pro V1 – Best Premium Option

Construction: 3-piece

Compression Rating 90

Pros:

• Low long game spin
• Consistent Ball Flight
• Cast urethane Cover
• Speed around the greens

Cons:

• High priced golf ball
• Iron shots are not as long as they should be

The Titleist Pro V1 premium golf ball is the best for putting. The Pro V1 is a great ball if you have the money. The Pro V1 is a ball that I recommend for golfers who use a regular steel shaft or a stiff one. It takes a bit of speed to get the most out of this ball.

On the putting greens the Pro V1 ball is the one that all other balls are built upon. It has a great feel and rolls off the putter with a strong and solid roll.

The Titleist Pro V1 will be a great option for you if the lower-priced balls on the market have a soft or almost mushy texture. This is the golfball I play, and I cannot find anything that feels similar (although the AVX has a similar feel).

 

Srixon Soft Feel (Bright Orange) – Best for Visibility

Construction: 2-piece

Compression Rating 60

Pros:

• Soft feel
• Bright orange color for better visibility
• Matte coloring
• FastLayer Core combines distance and speed

Cons:

• A thin cover is more likely to split for players who swing faster.

Srixon Soft Feel Bright Green Golf Balls are a great choice when it comes visibility. Many amateur golfers are surprised by how much vision affects putting. You need to be able o see what you are doing, and make a stable and square stroke to make more puts.

With a Srixon Soft Feel golf ball in this Bright Orange finish, it’s so easy to see the contrast of the ball on the green.

Soft Feel is my favorite when it comes to performance on the greenside. It doesn’t spin much on the shorter chip shots, but you still feel control. Srixon spins quite well the longer irons to the green.

 

Vice Pro Soft – Best for Softer Feel

Construction: 3-piece

Compression Rating 70

Pros:

• Urethane Golf Ball
• Greenside spin is a lot of fun
• Several colors available
• Putter with responsive feel

Cons:

• Golf balls with a shorter distance are not as good.
• Cover can be cut easily

Vice Pro Soft golf ball is sold directly to consumers. You can get these golf balls at a very good price. I recently compared the Vice to some of the top models available on the market and they performed well in almost every category.

Vice Pro Soft is my favorite Vice series ball for the putting. It’s a softer golf ball, but it allows you to feel that you can control the balls on the putting Green.

If you’re looking for more contrast, there are other colors available like Blue Light or Living Coral. All Vice golf ball have an alignment guide to help you keep track of the ball.

Consider the Vice if you’re hesitant to switch from the top brands in golf ball construction. I was impressed by what it could do on the green as well as around it.

 

Srixon Z Star Divide – Best for Fast Swing Speeds

Construction: 3-piece

Compression Rating 102

Pros:

• High compression for faster swing speed
• Durable outer cover
• 338 Speed dimple pattern for straighter flights
• The ball is colored differently to make it easier to see.

Cons:

• High compression
• Need high swinging speed to see results

Srixon Z Star Divide, a newer golfball, has many benefits for golfers with fast swing speeds. The Z-Star Divide can help you improve your performance if you have a high swing speed and compress the golf ball a great deal.

The color is what made me put this ball on the list. The ball has a center line that divides it in half, with half being white and the other half yellow.

When you make a good putt, the ball should roll from end to end. In my youth, I used a marker and a golf ball to do this. I used it to train on the green. I love the idea that this can now be done with the Z-Star Divide in play.

Use the practice green as a way to get your ball rolling and then visualize and apply the concept on the course.

 

Titleist Tour Soft XL Align – Honorable Mention

Construction: 2-piece

Compression Rating 67

Pros:

• Easy to see
• New longer alignment line
• Long distance from the Tee
• Soft Feel

Cons:

• Only a two piece ball
• Not as responsive as the Pro V1

I had high expectations for the Titleist Tour, Soft XL Align golf ball. I wanted it to perform like the Pro V1 on the putting surface. The overall feel of the ball is good (softer than Pro V1) but the alignment line is a nice touch.

Overall, the Tour Soft XL Align offers a soft and responsive feel. It is great for shorter chips as it feels like you can control it. There is also a High Optic Yellow ball for golfers who need to be more visible.

I can’t tell you that the Tour Soft XL is a replacement or an alternative for the Pro V1 or the Callaway Chrome Soft. Imagine this ball as a high-quality two-piece ball that has a soft feel, and can provide a lot of distance off the tee.

If you find that your Top Flite or Pinnacle feels too hard to play with, try a golf ball such as eh Titleist tour soft. The extra alignment line is a great choice for those who struggle to line up on greens.