The new Wilson Staff Model golf balls may very well be early contenders for the unofficial 2024 Ball Speed Championship, Golf Ball Division.

We don’t say that lightly, of course. Wilson’s previous Staff Model balls, as well as the woefully underappreciated Triad, performed well in our MyGolfSpy’s ball tests. For 2024, Wilson Staff is giving the original Staff Model ball an upgrade while introducing the new and firmer Staff Model X.

And if past measurements serve as a guide, it’s possible the Staff Model X might just wind up being the firmest Tour-level ball in golf.

Wilson Golf Balls: Solid and Then Some …

Golf balls evolve. In our 2021 test, the Wilson Staff Model finished half an eyelash behind the Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash in ball speed for high swing speed players. Two years later, however, new models from MaxFli, Srixon, Titleist and PXG leapfrogged the Staff Model. Not by much, mind you. The difference between the top-ranked Left Dash and the sixth-ranked Staff Model was only 7/10ths of a mile per hour.

The Staff Model also proved itself in the mid swing speed driver test (100 mph), finishing eighth in distance and fifth in ball speed, just 3/10ths of an mph behind Left Dash. Additionally, the Staff Model was among the firmest balls in our test at 99 compression. Of the top performers, only Left Dash (102) and the MaxFli Tour X (101) were firmer.

In our slower swing speed distance testing, Triad outperformed Staff Model off the tee and with a mid-iron. Staff Model still provided adequate spin with irons and driver.

All in all, the old Wilson Staff Model makes a solid case for serious golfers looking for solid performance. But when you’re on the outside looking in on golf ball market share, you need more than solid. You need to do some leapfrogging.

And that’s where the Wilson Staff Model X comes in. It’s a completely new ball built for speed and spin. The newly reimagined standard Staff Model, meanwhile, is built for maybe a touch less speed and spin.

The good news is that Wilson’s frog was already in the distance picture so the new frog doesn’t have all that far to leap. The bad news, however, is that there are several frogs between Wilson and the lead frog. And none of those frogs are sitting still.

Wilson Staff Model X

Wilson is calling the Staff Model X the “highest velocity, long distance and highest iron spin rate” ball in the urethane ball category. Of course, that’s courtesy of the company’s own testing so salt grains are necessary.

Like its predecessor, the new Staff Model X is a four-piece ball with a solid core, two mantle layers and a urethane cover. Wilson says the core is “boosted” with ZnPCTP. What is ZnPCTP? Well, courtesy of Google, we can tell you it stands for Zinc Pentachlorothiophenal. It serves as a plasticizer for synthetic rubber. Specifically, it makes a rubber core more flexible so it can be firm for higher compression without feeling like a rock.

Surrounding the core are two mantle layers: a soft yet strong inner layer to control driver spin and a hard ionomer outer layer for ball speed. The hard ionomer layer is then covered with a soft and silly thin (0.025-inch) cast urethane cover.

That contrast between the hard ionomer mantle and the thin, soft urethane cover is what produces iron spin. The bigger the contrast, the more spin you’ll generate.

Wilson Staff Model

The tech rundown for the standard Wilson Staff Model golf ball is essentially the same as the Staff Model X. According to Wilson, it features a core that’s 10 points lower on the compression scale. That will translate to a ball that feels softer and won’t spin quite as much.

It’s still a four-piece ball and makes ample use of Zinc Pentachlorothiophenal. The mantle layers and cast urethane cover are essentially the same. Besides softer feel and lower spin, Wilson says the standard Staff Model will have a flatter driver and iron trajectory. The Staff Model X will obviously feel firmer and will fly higher on iron shots.

10 Degrees of Firm

Since we love to categorize, we can tell you the Staff Model X is closest in overall performance to the previous Staff Model ball. As mentioned, its compression measured out at 99 for our ball test. Wilson adjusted the core formula a tad to firm it up. We expect it to come in at or near the same 102 as Titleist’s Left Dash.

The Staff Model ball is, technically, the “new” ball. Wilson says a few of its Tour players wanted a ball that didn’t spin quite as much as the original, so it softened up the core to bring compression into the low 90s. The lower compression will naturally reduce spin.

When Wilson originally released the Staff Model golf ball, it also released a raw, unpainted version. The theory was paint could be inconsistent and could lead to inconsistencies in ball flight and performance. As ideas go, it was different and probably had merit. But our experience showed the ball would get dirty quickly and no amount of ball washing could bring it back. There’s no raw version in the new offering but Wilson is touting a new “finely controlled paint application process.” Wilson claims the new process will ensure a nearly flawless finish.

What’s Up With The Shield?

In the big picture, it’s probably a nothing-burger, but the Wilson Staff shield on the ball itself and on the packaging is noticeably different. The shield itself is the same, but the W/S inside is gone.

Logos, even iconic ones, are updated or altered all the time. This one seems minor, but it is noticeable. That shield has been around since Wilson’s Glory Days and has undergone a few changes over the decades. We know there’s a story behind it all. We’ll dig it out for you as launch season continues.

Wilson Staff Model/Staff Model X Golf Balls: Price and Availability

Price is where things get tricky for Wilson. Retail price for the new Staff Model balls is $54.99 per dozen, the same as the Titleist Pro V1 series. That may very well turn out to be the new standard for Tour-level urethane golf balls. (We’ll find out soon enough.)

It’s a fine line for Wilson. No one likes paying $54.99 for a dozen balls. But if you’re going to fork over that kind of cash, are you going Wilson Staff, Titleist or Callaway? No matter what the performance data says? For some golfers, that may be a bridge too far.

Conversely, would Wilson sell significantly more Staff Model balls if they were priced at, say, $44.99 per dozen? Maybe, but to what end? Dropping your price by 15 percent requires anywhere from a 40- to 300-percent volume increase to make the same profit, depending on margin. That’s an awful lot of work just to tread water. Cutting price and making it up in volume is a fool’s errand.

And no matter what performance testing and data tell us, marketing and our own cognitive bias get in the way. We’re preconditioned to believe something less expensive can’t possibly be as good as the more expensive option.

If you’re Wilson, welcome to the intersection of Rock Avenue and Hard Place Boulevard. But, again, Wilson knows that address well.

The new Wilson Staff Model and Staff Model X golf balls will be available in white and yellow. They go on sale Jan. 12.

For more information, visit the Wilson Golf website.

PS. If you’re looking for extra value or just don’t want to wait on the new release, you can pick up the 2023 Wilson Staff Model Golf Ball for $40.

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