Srixon UltiSoft 2022 Golf Ball Review

For those golfers who prioritise a soft feel, Srixon has upgraded its UltiSoft ball for 2022. New technologies have been introduced in a bid to improve the performance from tee-to-green whilst retaining a soft feel and crucially, keeping the UltiSoft at a very attractive price-point. 

The headline technology is the FastLayer core - something that we have seen in the premium, Tour-played Srixon Z-Star family, which are among the best golf balls on the market right now. In the UltiSoft this means it is softer at the centre and gets progressively firmer towards the edge. The result is a low compression of 42 (the lowest of any Srixon ball) which creates the soft feel but, Srixon says, there should be no let-off in terms of power and distance. The new UltiSoft also features a 388 dimple pattern for better aerodynamics and a thin cover for more greenside spin. 

We wanted to see whether the Srixon UltiSoft 2022 was one of the best soft feel golf balls on the market so I tested it on a launch monitor and on the golf course. I also put it through its paces against another, top-performing low-compression option, the TaylorMade Soft Response 2022 golf ball. 

Before I get into any launch monitor data, let’s start with the feel. I played 9-holes using the UltiSoft and spent a good 30 mins with it on the practice green and the feel is superb. Off the face of the putter and when chipping from close range, it has a silky soft feel through impact that I really enjoyed. It’s soft but it still feels solid. As I was chipping and putting, I also hit some shots with the Titleist Pro V1x (my gamer golf ball). The difference was clear - the Titleist had a louder, higher pitched impact sound. The truth is, I tend to prioritise other performance elements but if I was selecting my ball purely based on feel, the UltiSoft would be hard to beat.

What I gained in feel, however, I gave up in spin when chipping from close range. As you would expect from a premium, Tour-played ball, the Pro V1x was grabbing on the second bounce, providing excellent control. Both the TaylorMade Soft Response and the Srixon UltiSoft were releasing out noticeably more. 

That the short game spin profile was similar between the two soft feel options was clear as I hit a series of 50-yard pitch shots on the launch monitor. The Srixon averaged 5395 rpm versus 5422 rpm for the TaylorMade. Whilst this is around 1000rpm less that I got with the Titleist Pro V1x, it is still enough to notice the ball grabbing on pitch shots. 

With the mid-irons the performance of the Srixon UltiSoft 2022 golf ball was excellent. It offered an ideal mix of distance (I was averaging 166 yards carry with my 7-iron) and control. The 7-iron average spin rate of 6121 rpm and 22˚ launch angle delivered a relatively high flight that stopped quickly. This was something I also noticed on the course, albeit my testing session took place on a fairly wet day.

Onto the driver and this is often where I struggle with soft feel golf balls. My experience is that at my driver swing speed (around 112 mph), the low compression can cost me yardage. And so it was the case here. Whilst the ball flight itself was good - the 388 dimple pattern seems to do a good job of providing a strong flight, especially in the wind - the overall distance was shorter than I’m used to. The Srixon UltiSoft spun a little more than the TaylorMade Soft Response (around 300 rpm) and came up around 10 yards shorter. It is important to say that whilst this was my experience off the tee, for slower swinging golfers, the performance in this department might be quite different.  

The Srixon UltiSoft 2022 golf ball undoubtedly delivers on its promise of offering a soft feel. For me, this ball was at its best on and around the green but importantly, it also offers consistently good ball flights throughout the bag.