Srixon SOFT FEEL golf balls might be the world’s most aptly named product.
That’s if you’re into the whole brevity thing, man.
Virtually everything you need to know about the product – its intent, key selling point, and performance – is right there in capital letters.
SOFT FEEL.
Any questions?
Well, yeah, there are. We’ll get to those in a second. On its most basic level, however, the new 2025 Srixon SOFT FEEL golf ball is about as basic as it gets. It’s a two-piece ionomer-covered golf ball designed for, you guessed it, SOFT FEEL.
It’s also designed for a low price which is another question we’ll get to. First, however, let’s discuss compression, feel and performance.
Srixon SOFT FEEL golf balls: Why soft matters
Why do golfers play low-compression “soft” golf balls?
Feel and price.
Regardless of handicap, golfers love soft feel at impact. There’s something about the subtle, squishy sensation and that luscious thwack sound that creates such an addictive high that golfers will spend thousands trying to feel it again. Wilson may have been the first to fully capitalize on that sensation with the original DUO in 2011.
Today, virtually every OEM has at least one golf ball with “soft” in the name. Additionally, they all tout “soft feel” as an attribute, even for their high-compression “Tour-level” balls.
As for price, the going rate for low-compression, two-piece ionomer-covered balls is in the $22.99 to $24.99 price range. With Titleist asking $54.99 for a dozen Pro V1s, there’s a certain attraction to “soft.”
“Soft without compromise”
That’s how Srixon is describing the 2025 SOFT FEEL. It may be true but it requires context.
While low compression feels awesome, it does come with a ball speed penalty. Imagine swinging a baseball bat at 100 mph. If you hit something firm, like a baseball, it will travel faster and farther than if you hit something soft, like a Nerf ball. That formula doesn’t change if you only swing the baseball bat 70 mph, either. The only thing that changes is the speed and distance both balls fly.
OEMS have only so many levers to pull to change performance in a two-piece ionomer ball. Compression, of course, is one. Low-compression balls tend to stay on the clubface a nanosecond longer which produces a higher launch. That high launch can be enhanced or controlled with dimple depth. Balls with shallower dimples – and SOFT FEEL’s 338 Speed Dimple pattern qualifies – fly higher and stay in the air longer for more carry.
Soft golf balls also spin less. That’s particularly helpful for the chronic slicer. Lower spin could be the difference between the fairway and rough or between finding it and not finding it. Lower spin also tends to roll a bit more. I don’t care who you are, every foot of distance helps.
Over the last decade, OEMs have steadily improved another lever: gradational cores. A gradational core is soft in the center and gradually firmer towards the outside. It’s like having a thousand different core layers, each one firmer than the last. This soft-to-firm inside-to-outside profile allows OEMs to squeeze a little bit more ball speed out of a soft ball without taking away the things people love about them – primarily the soft feel and low spin.
Srixon’s FastLayer Core
At the center of the new Srixon SOFT FEEL golf balls is, quite literally, a newly formulated FastLayer Core. It’s Srixon’s take on a gradational core and a version of FastLayer is used in virtually every Srixon ball.
According to Srixon, this new SOFT FEEL version of FastLayer is more resilient than the version in the 2023 model. Srixon says the new core will snap back into shape more quickly which means it’s capable of more ball speed than the 2023 model.
As mentioned, and from what we’ve learned from the new Wilson DUO Soft and Bridgestone e12 and e6 low-compression golf balls, OEMs are getting better at mitigating ball speed penalties expected with low compression. They’ll never get to the ball speed of a firmer Tour-level golf ball but they’re better today than they used to be.
The Srixon SOFT FEEL is listed at 58 compression, putting it around the level of Bridgestone’s new e12 lineup. It’s also a good bit firmer than the new Wilson DUO Soft which Wilson lists at 37 (we measured the 2023 model at 46) and the new Bridgestone e6, which Bridgestone says is below 40 (we measured past models in the low 50s). Those two balls, plus the Callaway Supersoft, are in the same price category as the Srixon SOFT FEEL.
Srixon SOFT FEEL golf balls: Colors, price and availability
Golfers who love low-compression golf balls also love that they come in bright colors that are easy to track while in flight. The new Srixon SOFT FEEL comes in the traditional Soft White and Tour Yellow colors. The SOFT FEEL BRITE comes in three you-can’t-miss-em matte colors: BRITE Red, BRITE Orange and BRITE Green.
There’s also the Srixon SOFT FEEL LADY model which Srixon says is designed specifically for women’s swing dynamics. It’s slightly softer (56 compression) and, from the description, we presume it has an even shallower dimple pattern to stay up in the air longer. SOFT FEEL LADY will be available in Soft White and Passion Pink.
The new Srixon SOFT FEEL golf balls will hit the stores and the World Wide Web on Feb. 19.
For more information, visit the Srixon website.
The post Srixon SOFT FEEL Golf Balls: What You Need To Know appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
