These golf balls recorded the highest spin rates during our robot testing

Understanding spin rates is essential if you want to get the most out of your current gear setup. Too little spin throughout the bag can rob you of carry distance, while too much spin could have the opposite effect and send the ball into the stratosphere with a suboptimal launch and spin rate.

The goal is to search for a “Goldilocks” ball that has the ideal spin rate and launch angle for your game, so for the latest round of robot testing, we focused on models generating the highest spin rate with driver and wedge (50 yards) at 95 mph. If you’re in need of more spin to optimize carry, consider picking up a few of these balls to test on your own.

Methodology: Each ball model — 41 in all — was hit 10 times by the robot during driver and wedge testing, and the average of those hits was recorded.

Spin is necessary to achieve an optimal carry and peak height with the driver, so don’t assume low spin is the only way to gain more distance. It’s important to point out that half of the balls we tested had a driver spin rate that was within 280 RPMs or less of the five listed below.

Similar to ball speed — you’ll notice a trend here with drivers — there was much bunching going on in the spin department. The tight spin rate delta reinforce that you can use the ball to fine-tune spin characteristics with the driver.

1. TaylorMade TP5

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2. TaylorMade TP5x

3. Titleist Pro V1x

4. Wilson Staff Triad

5. Mizuno RB Tour X

Spin is necessary to hold the green. But before you assume the five listed here are the runaway winners, consider this: While the spin rate delta between the highest and lowest spinning balls was a staggering 3,300 RPMs, only 800 RPMs separated 31 balls on the list. That’s our way of saying not to sweat the results too much if you aren’t playing one of the five balls below.

In the end, urethane balls, or those with a cover modifier that helps induce spin, bring the zip, while surlyn tends to do what it does best — improve distance with a slight downtick in greenside spin.

1. TaylorMade TP5

2. Mizuno RB Tour X

3. Oncore Vero X2

4. Srixon Z Star

5. TaylorMade TP5x

Want to overhaul your bag for 2023? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.