Pretty much everyone has heard of Wilson. They’ve been in the golf industry for a long time and have actually won the most majors. They make some really solid balls for average golfers, and in this post, we’ll go over each of them and who they’re built for.
Here are the best Wilson golf balls:
- Best For High Handicaps: Wilson Duo Soft
- Best For Low-Mid Handicaps: Wilson Triad
- Best For Low Handicaps: Wilson Staff Model
Just because you don’t see Wilson balls often on tour doesn’t mean they aren’t good. When it comes to balls for mid to high handicappers, they’re some of my favorites. I took each ball to the course and tested them out to try and figure out which one is right for which type of golfer.
If you’re curious, you can see our favorite balls for average golfers HERE. To see the specs of every ball on the market and which one is designed for your skill level, check out our comparison chart HERE.
Best For High Handicaps: Wilson Duo Soft
- Layers: 2
- Cover: Surlyn
- Compression: 37
- Feel: Soft
- Swing Speed: Under 90 MPH
- Driver Spin: Low
- Wedge Spin: Low
This is Wilson’s entry-level ball and is one of the best options for beginners and high handicaps. Out of all the balls I’ve tested, this one was one of the most forgiving, which means it finds the fairway.
My best 9 holes were 4 over, and this was the ball I was using. Yeah, it doesn’t bite the greens that well, but playing your second shot from the fairway makes the game so much easier.
The ball that’s most similar to this is probably the Callaway Supersoft. Both balls have two layers and an ultra-low compression rating (35-40). The Duo Soft+ is actually the softest golf ball out there (at the time of writing this).
I found that the Duo Soft was a lot softer than the other two balls and also flew higher (which makes it a good choice for slow swing speeds). That being said, it didn’t go as far as the other two balls because my swing speed is a bit faster than recommended.
Overall, this probably isn’t the ball I’d use myself as a mid handicapper, but for anyone shooting over 90, this is the best choice when it comes to Wilson balls. The price and forgiveness are good, and the distance is respectable.
- Full Review: Wilson Duo Soft Review
- Where To Buy: Check Price On Amazon
Best For Low-Mid Handicaps: Wilson Triad
- Layers: 3
- Cover: Urethane
- Compression: 80
- Feel: Mid
- Swing Speed: Under 105 MPH
- Driver Spin: Mid
- Wedge Spin: High
This is Wilson’s most balanced ball and is a great choice for low to mid handicaps with an average swing speed. What I like about this ball is that you get the premium specs (3 piece urethane), but the price is lower, and you don’t need a super fast swing speed to play it.
I’d say the Triad is between a Callaway Chrome Soft and a Titleist Pro V1. All three have the same number of layers, the same cover material, and good spin around the green. The main difference is the compression ratings (Triad is in the middle).
After testing the Wilson balls, I found that the Triad was my favorite when it came to overall performance. They felt a lot better than the Staff Model and had better spin rates than the Duo Soft.
Off the tee, the Triad was longer than the others (slightly). One of the first holes I used this ball was a shorter par 4, so I used a 6 iron off the tee. I was pretty surprised when I ended up hitting the ball 206 yards and almost into the pond.
The most I’ve ever hit my 6 iron was 195 yards up until this point. I’ve used a Pro V1 and Chrome soft quite a lot, so for me, it was clear that the Triad was longer. Plus, I hit another shot that was 204 yards with my 6 iron, so it wasn’t a fluke.
With the wedges, the Triad stopped better on the green compared to the Duo Soft. I also didn’t notice much of a difference compared to the Staff Model.
Overall, this is my favorite Wilson ball by far and is one that I’d absolutely add to my bag. It feels awesome off the tee, it stops pretty well on the greens, and it’s cheaper than its competitors.
- Full Review: Wilson Triad Review
- Where To Buy: Check Price On Amazon
Best For Low Handicaps: Wilson Staff Model
- Layers: 4
- Cover: Urethane
- Compression: 94
- Feel: Firm
- Swing Speed: 105+ MPH
- Driver Spin: Mid
- Wedge Spin: High
This is Wilson’s premium model and is the ball you’d see on tour. The 4 piece design and high compression rating make this a good ball for low handicaps with a high swing speed (105+ MPH).
I felt like this ball was way too firm for me, and I’m not good enough to benefit from the higher spin rates. I got much better performance using the Triad, which is better suited to my swing.
I don’t know what ball you currently use, but I’d say this ball is very similar to the Titleist Pro V1x. Both of them have 4 layers and a compression rating in the mid to high 90s.
After messing around with each ball, I noticed that the Staff and Triad were fairly close in terms of distance. The main difference between them was the spin rates and overall feel.
The Staff Model is supposed to have higher spin rates than the other two balls. I didn’t notice much of a difference between the Staff and Triad, but better players probably would.
Overall, this isn’t a ball I’d use myself, and probably wouldn’t fit the majority of people. It felt like I was hitting a rock off the tee, and I had a lot more “bad” shots compared to the rest. Only use this ball if you’re shooting in the 60s or 70s and have a swing speed over 105 MPH.
- Where To Buy: Check Price On Amazon
How We Test Golf Balls
To figure out which ball is best for whom, we need to actually compare them on the course. Most comparisons just list the specs, which you can find on the Wilson website, but that’s not too helpful.
Some people also compare them with a simulator. It’ll be way more helpful because you’ll see the numbers, but it doesn’t always translate to the course. I wanted to play a few holes with each ball to see if there really was a noticeable difference. Here are the results:
Hole #1 (par 3)
Staff Model: I hit this shot pretty well, so it went straight and landed on the green (probably 15 yards from the flag). I noticed right away that it felt firm and was almost like hitting a rock off the tee. When I got to the ball, it showed that it landed on the green and stopped pretty quickly.
Triad: I also hit this shot pretty well, but it had a slight fade to it and ended up missing the green (so I couldn’t tell how well it stopped on the green). When I hit the ball, it felt a lot better than the Staff, but it also wasn’t too soft. When I got to the ball, it looked like it was 10 yards or so farther than the Staff.
Duo Soft+: Unfortunately, I didn’t hit this shot as well as I’d liked. It definitely felt softer than the other balls, but it was still decent. It ended up at a similar distance to the Staff, but I think it ran a little bit.
Hole #2 (par 3)
Staff Model: This shot went a similar distance to the other two balls, but I pulled it a bit to the left. What I noticed again was that it felt way too firm for my liking.
Triad: This was a good shot, but I didn’t quite get all of it. It went straight, landed just short of the green, and ran up onto the front edge of the green. I couldn’t tell how much spin it had, but the ball felt pretty solid.
Duo Soft+: This shot was hit pretty well, but I started it a bit too far to the right, so it just missed the green. I didn’t find the ball to be too soft, and it actually ended up going a similar distance to the other two balls.
Hole #3 (par 3)
Staff Model: This shot went about 5 yards longer than the Duo Soft and just missed the green. I don’t think it hit the green, so I couldn’t tell anything about spin rates. Again, it felt really hard.
Triad: A complete mishit, so we won’t count this one.
Duo Soft+: This shot went about 5 yards less than the Staff, but it landed on the green. It landed on the green, and the ball rolled out 4-5 yards. It also felt quite good when I hit it.
Hole #4 (par 4)
Staff Model: The first shot with the driver had a bit of a fade to it and just missed the fairway to the right. It was somewhere around 10 yards shorter than the Triad, but had it gone straight, it might have been closer.
Hitting into the green, the ball felt firm again, but the shot was pretty decent. The ball landed on the green and rolled out 2-3 yards. Off the putter, it felt harder than the other two balls by quite a bit.
Triad: The first shot was struck super well and ended up in the middle of the fairway. Of the three balls, this one went the furthest. For me, it also felt better than the other two balls.
Into the green, the results were pretty similar to the Staff. It landed on the green and ran out a few yards. With the putter, it felt really good. I prefer a slightly softer feel because my putter is pretty firm.
Duo Soft+: The first shot had a slight fade to it and seemed to be higher than the other two balls. It landed on the right side of the fairway. This shot was the shortest and ended up 10 yards back of the Staff.
With my wedge, it definitely felt softer than the Staff, but I didn’t notice a huge difference compared to the Triad. What I did notice was that it didn’t stop nearly as quickly as the other two balls. It probably released 6-8 yards. Off the putter, I really liked how it felt.
Hole #5 (par 5)
Staff Model: With the driver, the shot was a bit low and had more curve to it than I’d like. It really didn’t feel that good off the club, and it wasn’t that close to hitting the fairway. The distance here was the worst.
Since I missed the fairway, I grabbed this ball and took it to where the Triad was so I could hit my wood to compare. I hit the shot pretty well, it felt too hard, again, and it was pretty low. That said, it ended up within a chip of the green.
I wanted to see how much spin I could get on the ball when I was chipping from 30 yards out. I tried chipping the ball 15-20 yards and then seeing how much it would run. The ball landed on the green and rolled out 10 yards past the flag.
Triad: I struck this one pure, and it ended up in the fairway. It was the longest of the three, and it felt really good.
With my wood, I hit the ball a little fat, but it still went a decent distance and landed in the first cut of rough. Since I didn’t get all of it, it wasn’t quite as far as the other two balls.
From 30 yards out, I chipped the ball 15-20 yards and let the ball roll out. It didn’t stop that quickly (I’m not good enough for that) and ended up rolling 10 or so yards past the flag (the same as the Staff)
Duo Soft+: This shot was also hit well, but it didn’t feel quite as solid as the Triad. It had a slight fade, landed on the fairway, and rolled into the rough. Since I didn’t hit the Staff that well, the Duo Soft came second in terms of distance.
With the wood, this shot was the best of the three. I got all of the ball, it went nice and high, and landed just short of the green. The distance was the best of the three balls.
I did the same test from 30 yards out. I chipped the ball 15-20 yards and noticed that it ran out a bit more than the other two balls. It was maybe 5-8 yards more, which could have been just a coincidence, but it was pretty common with the testing I’ve done.
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