Wilson Staff Model vs Staff Model R golf ball

Wilson are known as one of the top brands in the sporting world but aren’t massively well known for their golf balls. So are you overlooking their golf ball range for more well-known ball manufacturers?

Wilson Staff Model R vs Wilson Staff Model golf ball review

Wilson’s Staff Model golf ball is a tour-inspired product designed for elite players. It comes in two versions and one of them is a paint-free edition.

So why is the Staff model R unpainted? Well, it’s to give it more aerodynamic consistency which equals a more precise ball flight.

“The automated painting process can sometimes deliver balls with uneven coverage and the pooling of paint in the shallow dimples,” Frank Simonutti, Wilson’s chief of golf ball innovation explains. “This can significantly affect the trajectory and the directional stability of the ball flight. By doing away with the paint finish, we were able to eliminate all the short comings attributed to the paint process and deliver a unique product for the golf purist.”

Pretty cool, huh?

The typical gloss paint finish we see of a ball is mainly applied for visual appearance. It also prevents against staining and helps UV stability. The Staff Model R then will discolour over time but Wilson believe the performance gains merit this.

So how does it perform? I got my hands on both versions to find out.

Wilson Staff Model R vs Wilson Staff Model golf ball: Looks

Wilson has changed the game with the look and feel of one of their elite golf balls. The Wilson Staff Model R is one of the first balls that is unpainted with a urethane cover meaning the ball feels and looks matt. It was a weird sensation taking them out of the box as they felt much lighter but I was intrigued to see how it would perform especially around the greens. The Wilson Staff Model golf ball keeps it classic with a thin logoed line saving you from having to draw a sharpie line which is always helpful.

Wilson Staff Model R vs Wilson Staff Model golf ball: Feel

The feel of both golf balls was very different. The Wilson Staff model has a soft feel off the face which is common amongst high performing golf balls. However, the Wilson Staff Model R feels very hard and springy off the face. I thought the feel was good with a driver off the tee but I did not like the hard springiness off my putter face and it felt hard to control distance. The matt exterior off the ball made it difficult to feel if you had stuck the ball well or not but I liked how you could feel the spin around the greens.

INSERT PUTTER PICTURE

Wilson Staff Model R vs Wilson Staff Model golf ball: Performance

Out of the two balls, I gained the most distance with the Wilson Staff Model R. I previously spoke about its springiness off the face and I felt it had more ball speed, particularly with the driver.

Its lower trajectory helped the ball roll out a little further compared to the Wilson Staff Model golf ball. I found that I lost around 3-5 yards with each club using the Wilson Staff Model which was disappointing. But with its other spin benefits, this may be a great ball if you are not prioritising gaining distance.

Both golf balls spun very well. The Wilson Staff Model had enormous amounts of spin with my irons and around the greens. This made it easy to control and move the ball where I wanted to but did spin quite high and stall when hitting fairway woods off the tee. If you have a lower ball flight and are looking to work the ball in different directions this could be a great option.

The Wilson Staff Model R did not spin as much when hitting irons into the greens but it grabbed really well when hitting chip shots which is something I struggle with. If you want to have more spin and grab with pitch shots and chips the Wilson Staff Model R may be the best pick for you.

Both golf balls retail at £48 per dozen. This is on the higher end of the market but are both great options if you are looking for something specific to help with your game.

Wilson Staff Model R vs Wilson Staff Model golf ball: NGC Summary

The Wilson Staff Model offers exceptional spin and workability and the Wilson Staff Model R offers both distance, unique feel and grab around the green. I would suggest the Staff Model for a player who has a lower flight as it does spin up quite a lot but if you want to be able to move the ball more this would be a great option. Although the Wilson Staff Model R feels strange with the matt exterior its performance was surprising. I liked the distance and low flight off the tee and the grab I gained around the greens. I would prefer something a little softer for putting but if you tend to leave putts short this could be a great option that helps get your ball to the hole with its springiness.

Wilson Staff Model R vs Wilson Staff Model golf ball: The Details

Available: Now

RRP: £44.99 per dozen

More information: Wilson Website

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