Almost everyone is familiar with the Wilson brand since they make a wide range of different sports products. A lot of people overlook them but they actually make some really solid golf balls, which we’ll be comparing here.
Which golf ball are you interested in?
- Wilson Staff Model (best Wilson ball for tour-level players)
- Wilson Triad (best Wilson ball for low-mid handicappers)
- Wilson Duo Soft (best Wilson ball for beginners & high handicaps)
If you look at any other comparison out there, you’ll just see a list of each ball and info that can be found on the manufacturer’s website. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that’s too helpful. To figure out which is best, we took each of the Wilson balls to the course and tested them head-to-head.
Wilson Golf Balls Specs
| Golf Ball | Handicap | Layers | Feel | Compression | Speed (MPH) | Driver Spin | Wedge Spin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Staff Model | Low | 4 | Firm | 100 | 105+ | Mid | High |
| Wilson Triad | Mid-Low | 3 | Mid | 85 | Under 105 | Mid | Mid-High |
| Wilson Duo Soft | High | 2 | Soft | 35 | Under 90 | Low | Low |
Wilson Staff Model
- Layers: 4
- Cover: Urethane
- Compression: 100
- Feel: Firm
- Swing Speed: 105+ MPH
- Wedge Spin: High
- Handicap: Low
This is Wilson’s premium model and is a ball for professional golfers and low handicappers. The 4 piece design and high compression rating make this a good ball for high swing speeds (at least 105+ MPH).
Since the price of this ball is quite high I’d only recommend it for low handicaps with faster swing speeds. 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 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 close to 100.
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 low 70s and have a swing speed over 105 MPH.
Wilson Staff vs Wilson Staff R: These two golf balls are exactly the same, but the “R” stands for raw, which means that this model doesn’t have paint on it.
Wilson Triad
Layers: 3
Cover: Urethane
Compression: 85
Feel: Mid
Swing Speed: Under 105 MPH
Wedge Spin: Mid-High
Handicap: Mid-Low
This is Wilson’s middle-of-the-range ball and is a great ball for mid handicappers. The reason is because of the cheaper price tag, and the reduced compression, and as a result, you won’t need to swing the club as fast.
Two balls that are pretty similar to the Triad are the Pro V1 and Chrome Soft. All three have the same number of layers, same cover material, similar compression ratings, and pretty solid greenside spin.
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.
Wilson Triad vs Wilson Triad R: Both of these balls have the same specs and will perform the same on the course. The “R” stands for raw, which means that the ball doesn’t have any paint.
Wilson Duo Soft
Layers: 2
Cover: Surlyn
Compression: 35
Feel: Soft
Swing Speed: Under 90 MPH
Wedge Spin: Low
Handicap: High
This is Wilson’s entry-level ball and is one of the top choices for average golfers. Out of all the balls I’ve tested over the years, 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 the 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 (for me).
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.
Wilson Duo Soft vs Wilson Duo Optix: Both of these balls have the same specs and will perform the same on the course. The main difference between them is that the Duo Soft+ is white while the Optix is colored.
How We Test Golf Balls
To figure out which ball is best for who, 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 which 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.
What’s The Best Wilson Golf Ball For You?
As we talked about before, there are many types of golf balls. You could use a cheaper 2 or 3 piece golf ball and shoot in the 70s. You could also use a premium 3 or 4 piece golf ball and shoot 110.
Using the right golf ball won’t have a big impact on your scores but it can definitely help. Not only your game but also your wallet. There’s no point in paying a bunch of money for something that won’t help you.
I think the best approach is to use a cheaper ball that finds the fairway when you’re starting out. Then you can upgrade as you get better. As for the all-popular Pro V1, you probably aren’t good enough for it until you can shoot in the 70s.
So, which ball should you use and why?
If you’re shooting above 90: The best Wilson ball for you will most likely be the Duo Soft+. Even to this day, it’s one of my favorite balls. Nothing fancy, but it finds the fairway.
At this point, you probably slice or hook the ball way too often. You probably can’t put much spin on your wedge shots either. What’s the point in spending a bunch of money on a high spinning ball?
Playing a ball with a low compression rating, softer feel, and less spin off the tee will be the way to go. Losing a Duo Soft that costs 2 bucks isn’t as bad as losing a Pro V1 that costs $5.
If you’re shooting in the 80s: The best Wilson ball for you will be the Wilson Triad. There’s a reason this ball is designed to “help you break 80,” according to the website.
That’s just a marketing gimmick, but it does have some truth to it. You could break 80 with the Duo Soft, but it might be a bit tricky. The reason is because of the increased short game spin.
The Triad costs more than the Duo because it spins more. When you start working your way into the 80s, you can probably spin the ball a bit. Using the Triad will help you land the ball on the green and have it bounce once or twice and then slow down.
I’m sure you’ve hit the ball onto the green only to have it roll 20 yards long. This could help you out a bit. I still wouldn’t use a premium ball (they cost too much), but something in the middle will be the perfect solution.
If you’re shooting below 80: The best Wilson ball for you will be the Triad or Staff Model. What it really comes down to is your swing speed and how much short-game spin you need.
Generally, the Triad is best for swing speeds under 105 MPH (most people) while the Staff is for speeds over 105 MPH (mostly tour-level players). The Staff was way too firm for me but I really liked the way the Triad felt.
When it comes to distance and trajectory, both of them were essentially the same for me. The only difference is that the Staff Model spins a bit more around the greens. Most people won’t be able to tell the difference, but better players might.
If you want to see balls from other manufacturers, check out one of our articles below:
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