The Srixon Soft Feel is widely advertised as the best golf ball for senior players with slower swing speeds. With a compression rating of 60 and the concept that these are soft, slower swing speeds often gravitate towards something like this.
I recently tested the Srixon Soft Feel out on the course. I’m typically a Pro V1 player, and this golf ball comes in at a fraction of the cost. Take a look at what my experience with the Soft Feel golf ball was like and whether or not I would put this one in the bag.
Srixon Soft Feel Review
- Ball Flight: High
- Compression: medium/low (~60)
- Number of Pieces: 2
- Colors available: White, matte green, matte orange, matte red, tour yellow
- Spin: Low
- Feel: Soft
Distance
Distance is, of course, what everyone expects, especially from a two-piece ball like the Srixon Soft Feel. I expected this distance ball to give me comparable length results to the Pro V1.
The first thing I noticed is that the driver spins more than I expected it to. Sometimes the Soft Feel actually stopped right in its tracks on the course, something I was not expecting. In fact, when I recently tried another two-piece distance ball (Titleist Velocity), I was impressed with how much run out I got on the tee shots.
However, the carry distance with the Srixon Soft White was still good. I was in all the same positions on the course I normally am playing with a Pro V1. The 338 dimple pattern does a good job of holding the line as it travels through the air.
When looking at the iron distance to the green, I was impressed. Overall, ball flight and distance were high with this golf ball. I know exactly how far I hit each of my irons, and the Soft Feel balls flew quite well, even on slight miss hits.
Srixon put these golf balls on the market to give slower swing speed players more ball speed and a soft feel. Essentially, it’s a distance ball.
I’ll talk more about feel later on, but there are times that I associate a fast feel off the face of the club with more distance. When hitting the Srixon Soft Feel, golfers often expect a more explosive feeling because this is a distance ball.
You won’t get that.
In fact, the ball feels soft/ even a little dead coming off the face. Especially when you are looking for maximum distance. This was something I noticed on the first drive I hit, and of course, the compression is lower, but I think the thin ionomer cover also contributes to this feel.
If you like a golf ball that feel powerful off your club face, the Soft Feel golf ball may not be the best choice. Surprisingly, this soft feel doesn’t result in reduced distance off the tee.
Spin
The dream golf ball offers low spin off the tee and high spin around the greens. Premium golf balls achieve this with 3-5 layers and a thin, urethane cover. So I was interested to see how the budget Soft Feel stacked up.
I didn’t expect the Soft Feel golf ball to have any spin around the greens. In fact, I knew the soft feel cover was in place to make up for the lack of spin in previous Srixon distance balls.
With a premium ball like the Pro V1, I was able to generate more roll for a few extra yards of the total distance off the tee. However, the carry distance from this Srixon soft feel vs. the expensive balls was pretty similar.
If you play on a wet or soft golf course, you may notice your average driving distances decrease a bit, something that could cause a problem for the average golfer.
The greenside spin was better than I expected with the Srixon Soft Feel. The Soft Feel golf ball is made up of an Energetic Gradient Growth Core and a very thin Ionomer cover. I didn’t expect this combination to do much with helping chip shots stop on the green.
When close to the hole, expect a few yards of run out, even when hitting from a clean lie or a bunker. However, for approach shots with wedges, this ball is far better for greenside spin when compared to the other two-piece balls.
One of my approach shots with a gap wedge had a higher trajectory and actually stopped and backed up a foot. As you get closer and slow downswing speeds to hit shorter shots, the spin rates are not as good as a premium ball like the Pro V1 and Pro V1x.
The good news here is that I can see a player who is consistently using Srixon balls like these to learn how the ball reacts and adjust their game accordingly. Even though it’s not a high spin ball, there is enough feel and control to produce a very good value for a player.
Feel
The Srixon Soft Feel is supposed to be one of the softer-feeling golf balls in the golf industry. It does feel soft both from the tee and around the greens.
I will say that the greenside feel is where I think the Srixon Soft Feel stands out from the other two-piece golf balls on the market. The ionomer cover has a more premium feel than other balls in this price range, and it does a good job of giving golfers the feeling of control coming off the clubface.
However, off the tee and with the iron shots, I felt the Srixon Soft Feel was a bit mushy. It just feels as though I’m leaving something out there. My swing speed may be a little high to use this ball, but I still expected something a little different when it comes to overall feel on the longer shots.
Many golfers think that a soft-feeling golf ball will help with increased accuracy and spin around the greens. The softer feel does not increase spin, in fact, harder balls, with a premium cover often generate more spin (see how the Pro V1x outperforms the Pro V1).
When putting with the Srixon Soft feel, I liked the way the ball came off the face on the putts that were less than ten feet. On longer putts, I was coming up short of the hole several times. Again, the ball is softer than what I am used to, and this probably was part of it.
The bottom line here is that the feel around the greens is good, just don’t expect it to give you more spin. Feel from the tee and fairway can be a little soft and not that signature feel golfers expect from a true distance ball.
Longevity
When you look at a soft golf ball that is considered more of a value ball, longevity needs to play into the decision. I expect to be able to use a ball like this for more than one round of golf.
The cover thickness on the Srixon Soft Feel is .063 inches. Srixon calls this a thin cover, and I guess when compared to the size of the Fast layer Core, it seems thin. However, it’s certainly not as thin as three and four-piece golf balls like the Pro V1. In the Pro, V1 expects a cover thickness of less than .025 inches.
When golf balls have a thin cover, they can have a tendency to scratch or scuff easier. After playing a few rounds with the Srixon Soft feel, I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of scuff marks I found on the ball. I think this is because the golf ball cover is not actually all that thin, and the ionomer holds up well.
For moderate swing speeds and slower swing speeds that can keep the golf ball away from the cart path, expect good longevity.
Value
One of the reasons the Srixon Soft Feel has become so highly recommended for golfers with higher handicaps or slower swing speeds is that it is fairly priced. Even the Srixon Soft Feel Lady ball has a fair number on it.
For the price you pay for the golf ball, I can certainly say this provides good value.
When I talk about the shortcoming around the green related to spin and off-the-tee related to feel, there is only so much you can expect from a two-piece ball in this price range.
Golf Insider Verdict
For its price, this is one of the best performing golf balls on the market. Good distance, levels of spin, a soft feel all at a very fair price.
If you’re moving from a premium golf ball just make sure when you are close to the green, you allow a little room for your shots to release. If you are transitioning from similar-priced golf balls, be prepared for a softer feel on iron and drivers, but enjoy the all-around performance of the Srixon Soft Feel golf balls.
Happy golfing.
