The Srixon Soft Feel Brite is an extension of the brand’s low-compression two-piece Soft Feel ball. It’s also a reflection of a growing shift in the perception of golf balls with colors other than white.
The Soft Feel Brite, which will now be part of the 11th generation of the Soft Feel franchise, employs the Soft Feel’s low compression of 60, as well as the company’s core formulation technology where the core gets increasingly firmer toward the outer edges. That combination allows for better energy transfer (more ball speed) and less spin. A dimple pattern adopted from Srixon’s line of Z-Star tour balls helps improve downrange flight for better carry, too. A thin but dense ionomer cover is designed for better spin performance on shorter shots.
But the major story with Soft Feel Brite is the collection of matte colors it now will offer. While the Soft Feel previously was available in yellow, the new matte colors are orange, red and green. Srixon touts the colors as adding a visual enhancement to better enable players to follow the flight of the ball.
The colored golf ball message has been resonating. According to Golf Datatech’s recent biannual survey of serious golfers (those who play a minimum of 16 rounds a year and an average of 66.5 rounds per year), those who say they are at least somewhat interested in trying a colored golf ball has grown from 44 percent in 2015 to 59 percent, and those who say they are very interested has nearly doubled to 23 percent. And while higher handicap golfers register the most interest (69 percent), even the best players (10 and under handicaps) were at 50 percent for colored golf balls. One in four golfers said they were specifically interested in matte finish golf balls. That same survey revealed that interest among serious golfers in playing a “soft/low compression” ball was at an all-time high at 78 percent.
The Srixon Soft Feel Brite is available at retail now ($20 per dozen).