Wilson 2025 Duo Soft Golf Ball Review

One of the best golf balls for slower swing speeds and for senior golfers is the Wilson Duo Soft, which has been given a reboot for 2025 and is now even softer, with a compression rating of 37 (the previous version was 40).

The Duo Soft has been one of the best value golf balls on the market and is extremely popular due to its incredibly soft feel and appealing price point, as well as the benefits it offers to golfers who don’t have a high swing speed.

As you’d expect from a product branded “the world’s softest golf ball”, this is indeed one of the best soft feel golf balls that really excels at the top end of the bag, particularly with driver. It isn’t suitable for high swing speeds though, as it produces high launch and spin, so the longer hitters may struggle to control it and will lose distance. If you come into that category, check out our guide to the best golf balls for high swing speeds.

The Duo Soft is a two-piece surlyn covered ball that features a newly engineered high-energy core that Wilson claims makes this ball carry longer than other two-piece golf balls, while also minimizing spin for a straighter flight. The dimple pattern has also changed slightly to get the peak trajectory high while keeping the overall flight flat.

The big change though from the previous iteration of the Duo Soft is in the looks. The Duo Soft has been distinguishable from other balls in the Wilson range due to the red and black Wilson logo and overall glossier finish (see below). The new Duo Soft is much more in line with the design of the Triad and Staff Model golf balls, as presumably the brand is looking for a more uniform look across its golf ball family.

Personally I really like the new aesthetic and I would say it’s a definite improvement as visually it now looks a lot like the best Wilson golf balls.

The low compression of this ball is both the key to its success as well as its limiting factor. It unquestionably helps boost distance off the tee for those golfers who struggle to generate much swing speed. Why is this? Well in simple terms, a fast swing causes a golf ball to compress more and spring off the club face. So golfers with faster swings will use higher compression balls, like a Titleist Pro V1x or a TaylorMade TP5. A slower swing would struggle to get the necessary compression on a firmer golf ball, so the Duo Soft compensates for that by compressing much easier, thereby increasing distance for those who need help.

Additionally, Duo Soft is a lower spinning ball which produces a lot of run. So golfers who don't carry the ball a long distance can still gain extra yardage with how it rolls out. But this added lower compression means golfers with faster swing speeds (likely anything over 100mph) will see a reduction in distance.

My swing speed has never been the fastest but unfortunately it appears to be declining now year on year! I’m not slow enough yet to need the Duo Soft, but I have played it occasionally over recent years after being given them as gifts at Christmas. I quite enjoyed using them if I’m honest, with the highlight being how it feels off the driver face.

Where it falls down somewhat is with control on approach shots and especially around the green on chip shots. That’s to be expected with a surlyn cover rather than the urethane cover that graces the best premium balls. In fairness to Wilson this is not a golf ball designed to produce lots of spin and greenside control. It serves a very different purpose, which it does very well.

I tested the new Duo Soft on the course as well as on a launch monitor and I put it up against the 2023 version, as well as against the Triad (also upgraded for 2025) which is the ball I usually play with. As I expected, there was no discernible difference between the new and old Duo Soft. The flight, feel, distance and overall performance were all similar but I did note a slight increase in height with the newer model. In comparison to the Triad, the differences I saw were also as expected. The Triad has a firmer feel, provides more spin on approach shots and is easier to control when chipping around the green as it has more check and grip, whereas the two-piece Duo Soft tends to roll out more and gets its stopping power through height.

The new Duo Soft is available in white, red, orange, green and pink and I would absolutely recommend this ball to any golfer who lacks swing speed, while the inconsistent high handicap player could also benefit from this golf ball, not least because of the appealing price point and pleasing feel.