What are Foam Golf Balls Used For? We Tell You Which Types You Need:
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Patrick Corley
- 06/15/2023
Foam golf balls let you strike golf balls with a full swing in your own home without risking extreme damage.
They fly like real golf balls, and after a session with them, you will feel like you had a complete practice with normal golf balls.
In this article, I will explain what they are used for, which ones to buy, and the types of compression you should keep your eye out for when purchasing foam practice balls.
Table of Contents
What are Foam Golf Balls For?
Foam golf balls are used to practice your golf swing when you have limited space to practice your iron and driver shots. Any area that has grass, but a limited amount of space will suffice when practicing your golf swing. This could be your backyard, a field next to your house, or just the park.
There are several types of practice balls that you can choose from to practice with and each has its pros and cons. The choices are plastic, soft foam, and compressed foam practice balls.
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Plastic Golf Balls
These practice balls are made of either a thin or thick plastic material and look just like a Wiffle ball used for baseball. These balls are very light and travel very short distances when struck by a club and are suitable for very tight spaces.
The hollow Wiffle ball design slows the plastic ball very quickly hence the short distance traveled. Of all the practice balls reviewed here, the plastic golf practice ball shows the least indication of a slice or hook when struck. The plastic does little to compress when struck so it gives the player very little information about the ball spin when in the air.
The balls are extremely light and when you strike the ball it feels as if there was nothing there at all. Very interesting for such a unique piece of golf gear! Plastic practice balls are the cheapest to purchase for your golf game and come in a few bright colors. These are not recommended as indoor golf balls.
Pros:
- Best for golfers with limited space and time.
- They weigh a lot less than the average golf balls.
- Usable indoors
- Travel less distance when struck
Cons:
- Wind-sensitive
- Not durable
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Which Practice Golf Balls Do We Recommend?
There are different varieties of practice golf balls that are purchasable online. Because you can’t buy every single one that you come across, our experts at TellMeMoreGolf have summarized three of the best indoor practice golf balls based on price and performance.
1. Callaway HX Practice Golf Balls
Callaway had a successful entry into the domain of foam practice golf balls. For a very affordable price, you can enjoy a pack of high-quality practice balls.
The Callaway HX Practice golf balls are available in three main colors: pink, green, and orange. They have a similar flight as the average golf ball in that they spin, draw, and fade. The Callaway balls also utilize a scaled-down distance to generate real ball flight.
These durable practice golf balls from Callaway come in a set of 9, each one featuring Callaway’s patented HEX pattern dimples. They’re also made of premium-quality EVA foam that imitates the kind of feedback you’d expect from a traditional golf ball when hitting either short or full shots.
2. Almost Golf Balls
If you’re a regular golfer, you’ve definitely heard of Almost Golf. These balls are made of a strong core and are covered with dimples on the shell. These balls compress on impact and take off with a similar velocity and spin like the real deal.
Almost golf balls are softer and lighter than real golf balls. This means that they slow down a lot faster and travel approximately 30-50 percent of the total distance covered by a real golf ball. It’s features like these that make Almost Golf balls for any kind of shot.
Because these balls were designed to copy the feel and spin of real balls, you can easily shape all your shots, impart draw, as well as fade spin. This may work for beginners since it accentuates an open/closed clubface and a poor swing path.
3. The Birdie Ball
Since the Birdie Ball came out, it’s been a huge hit among golfers. It was recently voted the “Best New Product” by golf professionals at a PGA Merchandise Show.
The Birdie Ball is made entirely of polymer and has the shape of a bangle bracelet. It’s also slightly bigger than the traditional golf ball.
Probably Birdie Ball’s biggest strength is the fact that it reacts and feels like a real golf ball. When you try hitting a draw, this ball will curve smoothly from right to left.
If you’re right-handed and you suffer from a slice, the ball will move right. The only difference with the Birdie is that it flies for 50 yards at most. This makes it perfect for long game practice in your local park or your backyard.
High Compression Foam Balls
High compression foam golf balls, like the Almost Golf Balls, are the best practice golf balls if you want the closest thing to practice with a real golf ball. These practice golf balls also look very much like the real thing too, only not quite as shiny. Because of the high compression, these balls go approximately one-half the distance of a real golf ball.
Obviously, these practice balls need more space than plastic or soft foam balls. If you hit your driver 220 yards, you will need space around 110 yards deep to keep these balls in play. In the feel department, the strike felt off your golf club feels similar to a real ball, just a bit lighter. Assuming you have the extra space to hit these practice balls, the feedback on fade, draw, hook and slice mimics exactly the real spin of actual golf balls.
If you hit a slight draw, you will see a slight draw. These practice balls make it easy to practice fades and draws with the same club due to their softness. They also replicate the general loft from each iron as well. When practicing with these balls, it is easy to forget you are not hitting the real thing!
The strike with the golf club is heavier than the plastic and foam, but not as heavy as a regular golf ball. Not recommended to practice indoors as they move quickly through the air and will break things equally as fast. These practice golf balls only come in a few colors and are expensive! They cost about the same price as an average distance golf ball!
Soft Foam Practice Golf Balls
Soft golf foam balls, like the Callaway foam golf balls, are the most common practice balls that many players practice with. They are made of a very flexible, durable foam material that compresses fully when struck by a club. This restricts the amount of distance these balls will travel, the harder you hit them, the faster they go straight and slow down in the air.
One benefit of these practice balls is that they do show slices and hooks in the air since they will compress fully on your golf clubs when you strike the ball. You might be able to get to 90 feet with a driver, maybe. Since these balls are made from light foam, the feel of the golf strike is very light.
You can feel something, but very little at impact. They are safe for practicing indoors as they are very soft. These balls come in many colors and you will find them a bit more pricey than the plastic versions.
Frequently Asked Questions: Practice Balls
Are foam golf balls good for practice?
Yes, they are a good choice if you can’t hit real golf balls on the range.
How far do foam golf balls go?
Soft foam golf balls can go up to about 90 feet, while compressed foam can go up to about 130 yards with a full swing on a driver.
Are foam or plastic golf balls better?
Generally speaking, foam golf balls are better to practice with. They mimic better the weight and flight characteristics of a real golf ball than plastic ones.
How do you practice foam golf balls?
You hit the practice balls the same way you would real golf balls, but these balls fly much shorter distances and are soft so they don’t break things like car windows and walls.
Will foam golf balls float?
Yes, they are very light and will float in water.
What are plastic golf balls good for?
They are good for practicing your golf swing while striking a golf ball-like object into the air.
Are birdie balls worth it?
We found these practice rings hit and miss with the reviewers at TellMeMoreGolf. Some liked the solid strike with irons, some didn’t care for the not-too realistic flight characteristics of the ring in-flight.
What is the number one golf ball on tour?
Although they have been slowly declining in the last few years due to the competition getting better and better, Titleist has been and still is the number one golf ball on the men’s tour.
Conclusion: Practice Balls: Findings and Research by Tellmemoregolf.com
Using practice golf balls is pretty common in the sport of golf. These balls come in a few different flavors depending on how much space you have to practice, the price you’re willing to pay for them, and how accurately you would like your practice ball to perform in your practice sessions.
Plastic golf balls are inexpensive and excellent for very short practice spaces. They also feel the least realistic when striking the ball.
The soft foam practice golf balls give you a more realistic ball flight for the price and the compressed foam balls give a very realistic practice ball that will cost you just as much as buying your regular golf balls. Try them for yourselves in your golf ball practice and see what works for you! At TellMeMore.com, we strive to bring our readers the latest in golf technology and news. Thanks for stopping by and checking this article out!
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