For some golfers (myself included), there’s a lot to like about playing a soft-feeling golf ball. Off-shot sound, short-shot feedback, and overall feel are good perks. The problem is that recent golf ball testing continues to confirm that “soft is slow.”
This does not mean that soft feel golf balls are unusable or that every golfer should avoid them. As with most things in golf, it’s about compromise. Some softer-feeling golf balls give up significantly more speed than others, and some manage to retain more driver ball speed while still providing the soft feel that many golfers want.
To see how much division exists within this category, we pulled the driver ball speed data for some of the softest-feeling golf balls tested in MyGolfSpy 2025 Golf Ball Test with fast, medium and slow swing speed.
Driver Ball Speed: Soft-feeling golf balls are compared
| Golf ball | Fast swing speed | Average swing speed | Slow swing speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callaway ERC Soft | 165.63 | 148.90 | 123.80 |
| TaylorMade’s tour answer | 164.55 | 148.16 | 123.08 |
| TruFeel title | 164.98 | 148.30 | 123.44 |
| Vice Pro Air | 163.71 | 147.45 | 122.49 |
| Callaway Supersoft | 163.02 | 146.89 | 122.81 |
| Srixon Soft Feel | 162.99 | 146.68 | 122.45 |
| TaylorMade Speed Soft | 162.39 | 146.46 | 122.76 |
Two “soft” golf balls to try if you want a soft feel without losing much speed
If you like the feel of a softer golf ball but want to minimize distance penalty from the tip, the data points to two options worth trying. Neither completely eliminates the trade-off, but both retain more velocity than most balls in this category.
TaylorMade’s tour answer
Within the soft urethane category, the 2025 test data consistently shows tournament response that retains more ball speed than most balls with a similar feel. It produces lower driver spin, which can help with flight management, while providing solid mid-speed iron distance and more usable greenside spin than softer ionomer options.
Buy if:you want soft urethane without giving too much speed.
Skip if:you need high driver spin or a very strong/fast profile.
Vice Pro Air
The Vice Pro Air fits the soft-leaning profile in the 2025 test, producing lower driver spin while maintaining middle-of-the-pack ball speeds among softer-feeling balls. As with most soft builds, speed is not its strength, but the trade-off is measured, not the extreme.
Buy if: you want a urethane ball that tends to have low driver spin while maintaining playable ball speed within the softer feel category. Skip if: you are prioritizing maximum driver ball speed or need higher spin characteristics off the tee.
What the 2025 ball test reinforces for soft feel
“Soft” is not a performance category of golf balls. Soft feel can span a wide range of compression from below 60 compression to balls in the high 70s or low 80s. It is important to remember that feeling alone is not a reliable predictor of performance. Here are some of the things to keep in mind about the soft-feel golf balls in our 2025 testing.
- Lower compression generally correlates with lower ball speed: The test repeatedly reinforces that softer balls tend to be slower from the driver, especially at higher spin speeds.
- Extra soft balls show the most obvious speed penalties: The greatest drop in driver ball speed occurs in the lower compression and softer ionomer models than in the mildly slanted urethane constructions.
- Low driver spin is common among soft-feel balls: Many softer balls appear near the bottom of driver spin charts. While low revs can help manage distribution and increase torque, it doesn’t compensate for speed losses by itself.
- Soft ionomer balls struggle on greenside shots: The test is clear that even the best performing ionomer balls fail to generate competitive greenside spin. If short game rotation matters, urethane is required.
- Speed should not have a cost, unless sentiment is pushed to extremes: Golfers don’t need to sacrifice speed unless they’re looking for an incredibly soft feel.
Post The Soft Trap: The Golf Balls That Cost You Speed (And the Few That Don’t) appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
