An advanced core (V-COR) also magnifies energy around the centre of the ball, generating maximum velocity for greater distance. We’ve also used a urethane cover that features a seamless 362-dimple pattern, to smooth airflow around the ball, for a lower flight trajectory” he added. 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie on why he switched to the Wilson Staff Model golf ball There’s no guarantee raw will succeed or even outlast its release cycle. It’s also true that Wilson’s Staff Model R is unique – and therefore compelling – only as long as its competitors allow it to be. The Staff Model R qualifies as Fair (below average), again due to the significant variation for half a dozen balls in the sample.

The ball is painted (usually white). It’s then stamped (logos, player numbers, geometric patterns, etc.), and, finally, a protective clear coat is applied to give the ball a glossy look and protect against scratches and scuffing. Foremost covers are typically excellent. That was the case here with only a single minor defect being noted across both samples. Wilson Staff Model / Staff Model R Consistency That’s exactly what we found as the Staff Model R was ever-so-slightly lighter on average despite six balls in the sample that were the heaviest across both models. Similarly, the Staff Model R proved a bit smaller overall though, again, six balls in the sample were among the largest across both models.One is clearly 'better' than the other and that is reflected by the difference in price and the immense popularity of one of those balls. Where things can get confusing is that for many golfers the better ball is not the expensive one that is played by so many players on the PGA Tour, it's the cheap 2-piece ball. Our other solution came during development, when robotic testing revealed that an unpainted or ‘raw’ version of the Staff Model ball provided virtually flawless performance. With no paint in the dimples, it delivered a lower flight trajectory, and ”grabbed” the wedge surface for enhanced greenside spin. The end result of this testing is Staff Model R, the world’s first unpainted urethane golf ball.

Wilson offers two premium golf balls in its current range, the Staff Model and Staff Model R, both of which offer tour-proven performance. Both balls feature a four-piece construction and highly responsive urethane cover, with the result being distance and control in the long game and ample spin and soft feel on and around the greens. The primary difference between the two models is that the R version of the ball is unpainted, which Wilson says will deliver a more controlled trajectory, increased short game spin, and improved accuracy on full shots. Do any professional golfers use Wilson golf balls? It’s worth pointing out that not every manufacturer paints all of its golf balls. The urethane Bridgestone uses in its Tour B series, for example, isn’t painted but the company does apply a clear-coat finish. Most of my golf ball testing is done on a launch monitor where I can tease apart the minute differences between models. While I’ve done that with the Wilson Staff Model golf ball, I’ve also gotten an above average amount of on-course time with it. Both forms of testing have left me impressed. In this section, we detail the consistency of the Wilson Staff Model and Staff Model R golf balls. Our consistency metrics provide a measure of how similar the balls in our sample were to one another, relative to all of the models we’ve tested to date. Relative to the other balls in the Ball Lab database, the weight consistency of the Wilson Staff Model was one of very few that reaches into the Good range.

Introducing two new 4-piece, tour-caliber golf balls from Wilson Golf. The new Staff Model balls have been designed to deliver the ultimate in speed and spin with a focused approach to paint that delivers unmatched precision and consistency. Urethane-covered balls offer the best spin control and feel but do cost more. Experiment with each to see if you notice enough of a difference to justify the extra cost, or whether the best mid-price golf balls might be an option. For its part, Wilson has employees working inside Foremost to, in part, oversee the quality of the product. That’s also a relatively common story among brands who do a high volume through Foremost (and other factories). We’ll have a better sense of to what degree those efforts are successful after we’ve run the Staff Model R through our Ball Lab. Without the protective layers, numbers and logos are likely going to wear and stains from grass and dirt are going to impregnate the urethane. Whether that means the ball looks unpleasantly dirty or, as Wilson suggests, will develop a cool patina, is entirely golfer dependent. Across both models, we found no significant issue with core centeredness. We did find some inconsistencies with layer concentricity. In total, six percent of the Staff Model samples were flagged as bad for unevenness in the layers (most often in the mantle layer), while 14 percent of the Staff Model R showed significant concentricity issues.

As its name might suggest, the Wilson Duo Soft+ is the softest golf ball in the current Wilson range. In fact, its compression rating of 35 is among the lowest of any golf ball that’s been manufactured in recent years. The Duo Soft+ features a two-piece construction and a surlyn cover. That said, while surlyn is significantly less responsive than urethane, which is also far more expensive, the Duo Soft+ provides better greenside control than what players might normally expect from a two-piece ball. While Wilson’s golf ball lineup is synonymous with its uber-soft DUO line, the company typically has at least one premium Tour offering. Wilson's golf ball brainboxes have put a tremendous amount of research and thought into this product and when it comes to performance it can hold its own with anything at the top end of the market.

With the Wilson Staff Model R, Wilson skips steps 1 and 3 entirely. Seams are polished, the raw balls are stamped, boxed and (Shimmy Shimmy Ya) shipped to retailers. Nothing but good news and semi-interesting footnotes here. Across both models, we didn’t find a single ball that failed to meet our standard for roundness. Likewise, none of the balls measured was above the USGA limit of 1.62 ounces. The 2023 Wilson Duo Soft is dubbed by Wilson to be the 'world's softest golf ball' and with a compression rating of 40, it's hard to argue against that. Akin to many of the best soft golf balls on the market, the Wilson Duo Soft is an ionomer covered golf ball that has been designed to allow for maximum energy return, meaning this ball flies further and launches higher with much less effort. We found this was the case when we took it out on the course, where we found it delivered towering, high trajectories with every club in the bag.

More layers. Higher spin. Better control. Unmatched distance and shot-shaping off the tee. Tour-level workability on the fairways. Predictable stability on approach shots and exceptional control around the green. Putter: Snake Eyes Viper Tour Sv1, 34" -or- Cleveland Huntington Beach #1, 34.5" -or- Golden Ram TW Custom, 34" -or- Rife Bimini, 34" -or- Maxfli TM-2, 35" QC at the source factory sometimes allows outliers to slip through, creating inconsistencies within your box of balls. It is important to point out here that this does not impact on performance at all but visually it will be off-putting to some golfers. You don’t expect a brand new shiny golf ball that you’ve only played two holes with to look like one that has been lying in a muddy ditch for six months. The bottom line is that the Wilson Staff Model R, anecdotally anyway, appears to live up to the lower-launch, higher-spin billing. Unfortunately, that also means it’s not a particularly good fit for me.

Durability is certainly an issue though. It turns out that there’s actually a very good reason why golf balls are painted! It has nothing to do with performance and everything to do with protecting the cover and keeping the ball looking as good as new for as long as possible. The durability chapter of our Wilson Staff Model R story is interesting. To some degree, paint and clear coat exists to protect the ball but neither is essential to the design of a golf ball. Bauer Media Group consists of : Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, Company number 01176085; Bauer Radio Limited, At The Golf Shop Online, we are dedicated to offering you the most competitive prices. We continually compare our prices with those of our competitors to ensure you receive the best possible deal. In the rare event that you find a lower price elsewhere, we even provide a price promise* to further enhance your shopping experience. True Price is how we quantify the quality of a golf ball. It's a projection of what you'd have to spend to ensure you get 12 good balls.