Srixon Soft Feel Vs. Titleist Velocity Golf Balls Comparison Overview
How much difference is there really between a golf ball that’s labeled “premium” and one that’s labeled “distance?”
A lot of people will point to how many layers the ball has and what the cover material is.
While these are valid points that affect the performance and flight of the ball, we wanted to see if there was anything more to it.
What exactly is the difference between a distance and premium ball? We found out by testing the Srixon Soft Feel balls against the Titleist Velocity balls.
Srixon Soft Feel Golf Balls Overview
The Srixon Soft Feel balls were the distance balls in this control test. They have a compression rating of 71 and 2-piece construction.
They also have an ionomer cover which detracts from the “soft” feel of these balls. While the Srixon Soft Feel balls aren’t the softest off the club face, they do produce a satisfying thud that let’s you know where you made contact.
The Srixon Soft Feel also produced very low spin off the tee, deck and with the short irons. This was a boon in the former situation, as our testers were able to get a max distance of about 270 yards with these balls off the tee. F
rom the rough, they suffered a little even though it’s easy to launch these balls.
Titleist Velocity Golf Balls Overview
The Titleist Velocity balls are mid compression balls with a 2-piece design. As you might imagine from the similar specs, the Velocity balls performed very similarly to the Srixon Soft Feel balls.
These are the “premium” balls we used inn our control test and we found that there was very little performance difference.
The main difference came off the tee. While the Velocity balls produced similar spin rates to the Srixon Soft Feel’s off the tee, the Velocity balls were flying an average of about 3 yards longer.
However, we feel this is a negligible difference considering you are likely to spend about $15 more for the Velocity balls than the Srixon Soft Feel balls.
The Velocity balls don’t spin very much at all so their short game performance is similar to that of the Srixon Soft Feel balls.
In this case at least, we found that there was almost no difference between the Srixon Soft Feel balls (distance category) and the Titleist Velocity balls (premium category).
Srixon Soft Feel Quick Facts
Compression: 60
Cover Material: Ionomer
How Many Pieces: 2
Core Material: Gradational core
Dimple Type: 338 Speed Dimple Pattern
Spin Level: Low long-game spin
Best Suited for: High handicappers looking for more distance off the tee
Titleist Velocity Quick Facts
Compression: Mid
Cover Material: Surlyn
How Many Pieces: Two-Piece
Core Material: N/A
Dimple Type: Quadrilateral Dipyramid (346)
Spin Level: Low
Best Suited for: Low to mid handicappers
Performance Off the Tee
The Srixon Soft Feel balls performed very well off the tee, yielding our testers an average drive length of about 250 yards.
Performance from the Rough
This is where we were pleasantly surprised with the Srixon Soft Feel balls.
They have an impressive launch angle even if you aren’t really that great at being angle to work the ball.
This helps not only in the rough; but when you need to maximize carry distance and get over hazards and trees.
Performance from the Fairway
Again, the easy launch of these balls will be a great asset with your mid-irons off the deck.
Don’t expect a lot of spin from your shorter irons though.
Performance Off the Tee
We really liked the distances we were seeing with the Titleist Velocity balls.
Most of the testers in our party were able to squeeze around 190 yards out of these balls while the slower swingers in the group were still hitting close to 180.
They are certainly not as soft as the Callaway Supersoft balls; but faster swing speed players will appreciate the added feel.
Performance from the Rough
It was a bit hard to control roll-out when getting these balls out of the rough.
They launch high enough (which actually became problematic when the wind picked up) but you don’t get optimal roll control.
Performance from the Fairway
Again, we would have liked a slightly lower shot shot trajectory from these balls but we would say that the exceptional distance with the long irons makes up for the shape these balls take in flight.
Srixon Soft Feel Selling Points
- Substantial feel
- Still pretty soft
- Great for high handicappers
- Good launch angles
- Very affordable
- Good ball speed
Srixon Soft Feel Cons
- Low short game spin
- Not great for faster swing speed players
- Not very durable
- Lacking help with roll
Titleist Velocity Selling Points
- Better for lower handicap players
- Good carry distance
- High launch
- Low long-game spin
- Better feel off the tee
- Soft on putts
Titleist Velocity Cons
- More expensive
- Not great for high handicappers
- Launch high from the rough
- Roll control is lacking
Who are the Srixon Soft Feel Balls for?
These balls will work great for any high handicapper who wants to balance out the softness of their balls but still prioritize driver distance.
We really liked the fact that the Srixon Soft Feel balls were soft without feeling insubstantial. There is some concern about their durability; but that’s to be expected from a distance ball at this price point.
How are they with Short Irons?
While they are certainly lacking side spin and overall short-game control, the high launch will definitely be an advantage with your short irons and your wedges.
It’s easy to pop ‘em high and hang on to fast greens.
On the Green
You kind of have to strike them harder than you normally would with other balls to get the roll you need on longer putts.
Overall Rating: 93/100
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Who are the Titleist Velocity Balls for?
This would be a good fit for mid handicappers who want better short-game feel.
The Titleist Velocity’s are a good middle ground between extremely soft balls like the Callaway Supersofts and tour-grade, lower compression balls.
Long and short-game spin is kept to a minimum but they still feel reasonably soft.
How Are They With Short Irons?
We liked the more substantial feel we got from these balls when playing with short irons. The higher compression made them more substantial.
On the Green
These balls play a bit hot off the putter which worked well for moderate speed greens. Faster greens posed a bit of a problem.
Overall Rating: 95/100
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