The data doesn’t lie: these golf balls are the shortest at every swing speed

All golf balls promise distance, but some deliver far better than others. Our 2025 Robot Golf Ball Test reveals three models that could be robbing you of up to 15 yards off the tee.

If you feel like you’re giving your driver everything you’ve got but still coming up short, your golf ball could be the silent culprit.

Different balls perform better or worse depending on your swing speed. That’s why, in our 2025 Robot Golf Ball Test, we tested 62 golf balls at three driver speeds: 78mph, 93mph, and 114mph.

And one part of the results took us by surprise – and might make you rethink your golf ball of choice.

The top-three longest golf balls looked completely different at each swing speed, but what really caught our attention were the balls at the bottom of the table. A few models consistently gave up serious yardage – no matter how fast the club was moving.

In fact, three golf balls repeatedly ranked among the five shortest across all swing speeds, and one ball was the shortest of the lot every single time. If distance matters to you (and let’s be honest, when doesn’t it?), these results are worth paying attention to.

So let’s dive into it.

The shortest golf balls at 78mph swing speed

Test average: 160.4 yards
Longest ball: 163.6 yards

At slower swing speeds, distance really is at a premium – and as you can see, the shortest balls realy struggled to keep up with the test average.

The Pinnacle Soft came up nearly eight yards (4.8%) short of the longest ball, which is the kind of gap you’ll definitely notice on the fairway.

These soft-feeling, low-compression golf balls can feel great on and around the greens, but they give up significant speed and distance off the tee at slow swing speeds.

The shortest golf balls at 93mph swing speed

Test average: 207.4 yards
Longest ball: 210.8 yards

At moderate swing speeds, the Pinnacle Soft again found itself trailing the field, at 6.8 yards shorter than average and 10.2 yards behind the longest.

The Seed SD-15, Wilson DuoSoft, and Seed SD-05 fared a little better, but they could still leave you hitting an extra club for your approach shot.

The shortest golf balls at 114mph swing speed

Test average: 269.3 yards
Longest ball: 275.4 yards

At higher swing speeds, the differences become even more pronounced.

The Pinnacle Soft once again finished dead last – almost six yards shorter than average and a full 15 yards (5.5%) behind the longest ball tested.

That’s a huge loss of potential carry, and the gap in total distance would be even greater.

All five of the shortest balls at this swing speed gave up more than 10 yards against the longest – a difference that would see you hitting an extra club for your approach shots, which will average out in worse scores.

The worst offenders

When we crunched the numbers, three names kept cropping up in the danger zone:

• Pinnacle Soft – shortest ball at all three swing speeds.
• Srixon UltiSoft – second-shortest at all three swing speeds.
• Seed SD-05 – consistently among the bottom five at all three swing speeds.

That kind of consistency isn’t what you want to see when you’re trying to optimize distance.

If you don’t know how your ball performs for your swing speed, it’s worth finding out. The difference between the longest and shortest balls in our test was up to 15 yards of carry. That’s at least one full club more into every green.

So before you blame your swing or your driver, take a hard look at the ball in your bag. It might just be the easiest 15 yards you’ll ever gain.

• Check out our full 2025 Robot Golf Ball Test to find which model adds distance for your swing speed
• Best golf balls for distance 2025: Robot tested to help add yards to your golf game