Can Low-Compression, Distance Balls Really Be Every Golfer's Savior?

One of the recent trends in golf balls is the "low-compression ball." Manufacturers claim that softer balls help women and senior golfers with less power improve their distance.

Seoul Economic Daily's Golf Monthly conducted a human test to verify whether low-compression balls actually help with distance. Four participants — two men and two women — took part, testing Voice Caddie's V-Soft (compression 46) and V-Control (compression 70), Volvik's Vellows Candy (compression 65), and the relatively harder Volvik "Condor S4" (compression 90) and "Neo Magma" (compression 95) balls.

The test results showed that low-compression balls were effective for distance among golfers with swing speeds of 85 miles per hour or less, but offered little distance advantage for golfers whose speeds exceeded 100 miles per hour.

In fact, female participant A (swing speed approximately 70 miles per hour) and participant B (swing speed approximately 73 miles per hour) both hit their longest shots with low-compression balls. But when they used harder balls, their distance dropped by 18 to 20 yards. Male participant C (swing speed approximately 85 miles per hour) also hit his longest shots with a low-compression ball. However, in the case of male participant D, whose swing speed ranged around 103 miles per hour, he actually recorded the shortest distance with the low-compression ball.

Kolon's "Atomax," known as the "world's longest-distance ball," had a clear effect in increasing distance for female golfers rather than male golfers.

Compression 80 or Below Is Low-Compression, 95 or Above Is High-Compression

Before examining the results of this test in detail, it is necessary to first understand how balls are classified by compression. A ball's compression is generally expressed as a value measured by a machine from the U.S. company ATTI. Most balls sold on the market have a compression between 80 and 95. A compression of 95 or higher is called a high-compression or high-hardness ball. A low-compression ball refers to a compression of 80 or below. Ultra-low compression is even lower, at 70 or below.

Volvik released the "Vellows Candy" this year. As an additional model to the Vellows series unveiled last year, it features improved visibility through pastel neon colors. Vellows Candy has a compression of 65, placing it in the ultra-low compression ball category. In addition, the ball weighs only 40 grams. That is about 5 grams lighter than a typical ball.

Voice Caddie, which made its name with distance measuring devices, also took its first step into the golf ball market by launching low-compression balls. Voice Caddie introduced two types of balls: "V-Soft" and "V-Control." V-Soft has a compression of 46. It could be called an "ultra-ultra-low compression ball." V-Control has a compression of 70.

Volvik and Voice Caddie claim that when women and senior golfers with less power use low-compression balls, they can hit the ball farther with just a smooth swing. The explanation is that because the ball compresses well even with a slow swing, energy transfer is maximized, resulting in longer distance.

"The Compression 95 Ball Felt Like Hitting a Rock"

The test was conducted at the fitting studio of Ping Golf, which has no stake in golf balls. First, female participant A (swing speed approximately 70 miles per hour) recorded distances of 178.7 yards and 175.2 yards, respectively, when hitting with the low-compression Voice Caddie V-Soft and Volvik Vellows Candy.

Afterward, A was asked to hit Volvik's Neo Magma ball, which has the highest compression. This was to clearly confirm the difference through an "extreme-to-extreme" contrast. The Neo Magma ball's distance dropped sharply to an average of 158.4 yards. It showed a difference of up to approximately 20 yards compared to the low-compression balls.

"When I hit the low-compression balls, I only thought they felt a bit light, but when I hit the hard ball, it was so surprising it felt like hitting a rock. I could feel a clear difference," A said.

Female participant B (swing speed approximately 73 miles per hour) was also asked to hit the balls in the same order. The Voice Caddie V-Soft averaged 172.5 yards, and the Volvik Vellows Candy averaged 178.4 yards. But the Volvik Neo Magma ball stopped at an average of 160.8 yards. That was about 18 yards shorter than the Vellows Candy.

"Design is also important to women, and I like the Vellows Candy because its color is pretty. As a result, I think I can hit it with more confidence," B said. She added, "The Neo Magma, which is dedicated to distance, was clearly heavy and burdensome," and "The sound was very sharp, so even when I hit the ball in the center of the face, it felt like I had mishit it."

Distance Differences Arise by Compression… Comparison With Premium Balls Is Uncertain

This time, female participants A and B were handed the Voice Caddie V-Control. This ball has a compression of 70, making it relatively less soft than the two previous low-compression balls. Participant A's distance was 161.3 yards, and participant B's distance was 174.7 yards. Participant A, whose swing speed was relatively slower, fell behind the data of the two previous low-compression balls by up to 17 yards. This could be interpreted to mean that the slower the swing speed, the greater the effect of compression.

We also compared the balls with a premium urethane cover ball. Volvik's Condor S4 ball was used. Participant A hit 178.7 yards, and participant B averaged 175.4 yards. Its distance performance was not inferior to the low-compression balls. A and B, both women, also described the feel as "soft."

Park Seung-geun, director of the Volvik Research Institute, explained why the Condor S4 ball felt soft despite its firm compression of 90: "It appears to be the effect of the urethane cover." He said, "The ionomer cover used in low-compression balls has excellent distance performance and durability. In comparison, the urethane cover is soft and has excellent spin performance." He added, "If the test had been conducted outdoors rather than indoors, different results would have come out. In actual field conditions, it is somewhat burdensome for women to use the Condor S4."

One thing was clearly confirmed in the experiment involving women. There is definitely a difference in distance and feel between low-compression balls and the hard, heavy Neo Magma. However, no difference was found between low-compression balls and high-compression urethane balls. The small sample size and indoor testing were also limitations of this experiment.

Fast-Swinging Men Hit Farther With High-Compression Balls

The same test was conducted with two male golfers. Participant C (swing speed approximately 85 miles per hour) recorded the longest distance with the ultra-low compression Volvik Vellows Candy (average 242.4 yards). This was followed by V-Soft (average 229.2 yards), V-Control (average 224.5 yards), Neo Magma (average 222.6 yards), and Condor S4 (average 220.0 yards). Although it did not match exactly, the pattern showed that the higher the compression, the shorter the distance.

"The ultra-low compression V-Soft ball made such a light sound that even when I hit it flush, it felt like a mishit. For me, even among the same low-compression balls, the Vellows Candy felt better," C said. "The Neo Magma and Condor S4 had a familiar feel and sound, so there was no great sense of unfamiliarity."

In the test of male participant D, whose swing speed ranged around 103 miles per hour, the opposite result came out. The Condor S4 (average 274.9 yards) flew the farthest, followed by Neo Magma (average 273.3 yards), Vellows Candy (average 271.8 yards), V-Control (average 268.8 yards), and V-Soft (average 268.2 yards). The higher-compression balls flew farther, and the lower the compression, the less they flew.

"The Condor S4 had no great sense of unfamiliarity from the ball I usually use, and the Neo Magma, though a little hard, was decent enough to hit," D said. "But when I hit the low-compression balls, the ball just flew off abruptly, and it felt hollow, as if there was nothing there. Because there was no sensation of striking, I couldn't properly use my power at impact."

In this experiment, the male participant