Golf Ball Spin Chart
Every active golf ball grouped by spin profile: 4 high-spin, 43 mid-spin, and 29 low-spin models across 76 rated balls. Greenside spin comes almost entirely from the cover — 44 models use urethane, and nearly every high-spin ball is one of them. Low-spin balls fly straighter off the tee; high-spin balls stop faster on the green.
High spin
4Maximum greenside grip — nearly all are urethane-covered tour or premium balls. The trade-off is more curvature off the driver when your face is open or closed.
Mid spin
43The balanced middle: enough wedge spin to hold greens without the driver sidespin penalty of a full tour ball. Where most premium and soft-tier balls live.
Low spin
29Straighter, longer drives because reduced spin minimizes curvature — at the cost of stop power into greens. Distance and value balls dominate this group.
High spin golf balls
(4)
Mid spin golf balls
(43)
Low spin golf balls
(29)
Spin — frequently asked
What determines how much a golf ball spins?
Two things: the cover material and the construction. Urethane covers grip wedge grooves and generate tour-level greenside spin (typically 9,000–11,000 wedge rpm); ionomer/Surlyn covers spin 1,500–2,500 rpm less. Multi-layer construction lets a ball spin high on wedges but lower on the driver — the defining trick of a tour ball.
How many golf balls are high spin vs low spin?
Of the 76 rated models in Stymie's directory, 4 are high-spin, 43 mid-spin, and 29 low-spin. 44 models have urethane covers — nearly every high-spin ball is one of them.
Do I want high spin or low spin?
It depends where you lose strokes. If approach shots bounce over greens, a high-spin urethane ball adds stop power. If your driver curves too much (slice or hook), a low-spin ball reduces sidespin and keeps you in play. Mid-spin balls split the difference — the sensible default for most amateurs.
Does a high-spin ball hurt my driver distance?
Slightly, and mostly when you already spin the driver too much. Extra backspin costs carry-efficiency and extra sidespin costs accuracy. Modern tour balls are engineered to spin low off the long clubs and high off the wedges, so the penalty is far smaller than it was a generation ago.
What is the cheapest high-spin golf ball?
The Snell Prime 3.0 at $30 per dozen is the cheapest high-spin model in the directory — direct-to-consumer urethane balls consistently undercut the big-brand tour balls by $15–25 a dozen.