What Golf Ball Should You Actually Be Using?

A brutally honest guide from the team that thinks compression matters almost as much as your transfusion-to-bogey ratio.

So you're standing on the first tee, double-checking if you grabbed your ProV1s or if you're playing the “premium” 2-piece balls you found in the parking lot. Either way, you probably haven’t put enough thought into what ball you should be playing—and that’s okay. Most golfers don’t. But we do.

At Sandcrane Golf, we’ve spent way too many hours nerding out on dimple patterns, cover materials, and compression scores—all so you can stop second-guessing your ball and start second-guessing your club selection instead.

Let’s break it down.

The Ball Breakdown

🟢 2-Piece Surlyn Balls

Translation: Weekend warriors, casuals, and budget bros—this is your jam.

• Construction: One big core + a durable surlyn cover

• Feel: Firm. Like, “I hit a rock” firm.

• Spin: What spin?

• Best For: New golfers, budget golfers, and those who treat cart paths as optional fairways.

These balls are tough, cheap, and fly straight-ish. Great if you're losing three a round and not mad about it. But if you’re aiming to break 90—or even 80—this ain't it.

🔵 3-Piece Surlyn Balls

Translation: The “I’m getting better” crowd.

• Construction: Core + mantle + surlyn cover

• Feel: A little more refined, like you just started ordering medium-rare instead of well-done.

• Spin: Slightly better—but still not stopping anything on a dime.

• Best For: Mid-handicappers still terrified of hitting a wedge with zip.

You’re gaining control. You care a little more. But you also still snap-hook a few into the water. This is the middle ground, but let’s be real: this isn’t where you want to settle.

🟡 3-Piece Urethane Balls

Translation: You know your handicap. You know your carry distance. You know you're not paying $55 a dozen again.

• Construction: Core + mantle + urethane cover

• Feel: Soft and buttery, like your third shot from 92 yards that you actually practiced.

• Spin: Tour-level. Stop-on-a-dime, zip-back-slightly, throw-your-wedge-in-the-air kind of spin.

• Best For: The bulk of real golfers—5 to 15 handicaps with goals, grooves, and enough self-respect to buy their own tees.

Urethane covers matter. Compression matters. If you're swinging it at 85–105 mph, this is your zone. If you're flirting with single digits or just escaped the 20-handicap zone, welcome to your next chapter.

This is also where we come in.

We’re building a 3-piece urethane ball because this is the ball you should be playing. Not just because it performs like a ProV1 or Vice Pro, but because you can buy ours and still afford a $14 hot dog at the turn.

🔴 4-Piece Urethane Balls

Translation: You probably carry two launch monitors and still think you’re “between clubs.”

• Construction: Core + dual mantles + urethane cover

• Feel: Tour. Tour. Tour.

• Spin: High spin on irons, low spin on driver if you’ve got the speed.

• Best For: 110+ mph swing speeds, scratch golfers, gearheads, or guys who read TrackMan reports for fun.

Let’s be honest: if you actually need a 4-piece urethane ball, you already know it. And if you don’t but still play one... we get it. Marketing works. Ego is undefeated.

Compression & Swing Speed: Why It Matters

Golf balls don’t compress themselves. Your swing speed does.

• Slower Swing (Under 85mph): Look for low compression. That’ll help you launch it higher and squeeze out more carry—even if it costs you a little control.

• Faster Swing (95mph+): Go mid to high compression. You generate enough speed to compress the ball naturally, and you'll want the spin benefits and control around the green.

Pro tip: Slower swing speeds can actually benefit from a slightly firmer ball for distance—but they’ll lose out on greenside spin. That's the trade-off.

So Why Is Sandcrane Betting Big on a 3-Piece Urethane Ball?

Because that’s where most of you live.

You started playing during COVID. You were a 20+ handicap. Now you’re floating between a 5 and 15 and realizing that gear matters—especially the ball.

The Sandcrane Feather Pro (our upcoming launch) is going to give you:

✅ Premium 3-piece urethane construction
✅ Compression built for real-world swing speeds
✅ Tour-level feel and spin
✅ Pricing that won’t make you weep when it lands in the lake

You're going to stick more wedges, get more check around the greens, and finally have a ball that fits your game (not just your cart partner’s hand-me-downs).

“But What If I Still Want a 2-Piece?”

We got you.

Our 2-piece Surlyn ball is already in the works. Give us time. It'll be built for the 20+ handicaps, the range rats, and the guys whose Saturday rounds include five beers and zero regrets.

But in the meantime—do yourself a favor.

Play one round with the Feather Pro when it drops. If it doesn't make you feel something, we’ll be shocked. It’s like falling in love with the neighbor girl again—except she costs less and spins better.

Final Word

We're not here to sell you snake oil. We’re here to sell you a damn good golf ball.

One that’s engineered to help you—the 5–15 handicapper who cares, who’s improving, and who knows value when they feel it.

You don't need to mortgage the third house for a dozen. You just need to give the right ball a shot.

STRUT ON.