The Soft Feel Trap: Golf Balls That Cost You Speed (And The Few That Don’t)

For some golfers (myself included), there is a lot to like about playing a soft-feeling golf ball. The sound off the putter, feedback on short shots and overall feel are nice benefits. The problem is that recent golf ball testing continues to confirm that “soft is slow.”

That does not mean soft-feel golf balls are unusable or that every golfer should avoid them. As with most things in golf, it comes down to compromise. Some softer-feeling golf balls give up significantly more speed than others and a few manage to preserve more driver ball speed while still delivering the soft feel many golfers want.

To see how much separation exists within this category, we pulled driver ball speed data for several of the softer-feeling golf balls tested in the 2025 MyGolfSpy Golf Ball Test across fast, mid and slow swing speeds.

Driver Ball Speed: Soft-feel golf balls compared

Golf Ball	Fast Swing Speed	Mid Swing Speed	Slow Swing Speed
Callaway ERC Soft	165.63	148.90	123.80
TaylorMade Tour Response	164.55	148.16	123.08
Titleist TruFeel	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 soft feel without losing too much speed

If you like the feel of a softer golf ball but want to minimize the distance penalty off the tee, the data points to two options worth trying. Neither eliminates the tradeoff entirely but both retain more speed than most balls in this category.

TaylorMade Tour Response

Within the soft-urethane category, the 2025 test data consistently shows Tour Response preserving more ball speed than most balls with a similar feel. It produces lower driver spin which can help manage flight while still delivering solid mid-speed iron distance and more usable greenside spin than soft ionomer options.

✅ Buy if: you want soft urethane without giving away too much speed.
❌ Skip if: you need high driver spin or a very firm/fast profile.

Vice Pro Air

Vice Pro Air fits the soft-leaning profile in the 2025 test, producing lower driver spin while maintaining mid-pack ball speed among softer-feel balls. As with most soft constructions, speed is not its strength but the trade-off is measured rather than extreme.

✅ Buy if: you want a urethane ball that trends low in 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 about soft feel

“Soft” is not a performance category of golf balls. Soft feel can span a wide compression range from under 60 compression to balls in the high 70s or low 80s. It’s important to remember that feel alone is not a reliable performance predictor. Here are some of the things to keep in mind about soft-feel golf balls in our 2025 testing.

• Lower compression generally correlates with lower ball speed: The test repeatedly reinforces that softer balls trend slower off the driver, particularly at higher swing speeds.
• Excessively soft balls show the clearest speed penalties: The steepest drops in driver ball speed appear in the lowest-compression, softest ionomer models rather than soft-leaning urethane constructions.
• Low driver spin is common among soft-feel balls: Many softer balls appear near the bottom of the driver spin charts. While low spin can help manage dispersion and increase roll, it does not offset speed losses on its own.
• Ionomer soft 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 spin matters, urethane is required.
• Speed does not have to come at a cost unless feel is pushed to extremes: Golfers do not need to sacrifice speed unless they are seeking an excessively soft feel.