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What’s new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Steve Carroll has everything you need to know about the new Wilson Triad golf ball
Looking to take your scoring to the next level? Wilson want you! Their Triad golf ball is said to offer a combination of low spin, high flight, and soft feel and is aimed at those players who’d really like to break through the 80 barrier. So is it going to help? Let’s find out…
A well balanced ball that performs admirably from tee to green, Wilson’s Triad golf ball should be a definite consideration for those players on the cusp of single figures.
PROS
CONS
Firstly, you need to understand the variables of testing balls as an 11 handicapper. The way I swing the club, and the impact I create, varies with every shot and can skew the data. I worked hard to try and put together a consistent set of numbers that would accurately reflect what I might produce out on the course. But I’m human and sometimes I hit it badly.
So let’s get to it.
Hit more fairways, attack more pins, sink more putts. The Wilson Triad ball might as well say it can help you turn pro, such is the expectation they’re ramping up in their marketing.
Wilson Triad golf balls “will fly longer and straighter, hold greens better, and roll truer”. Can they also cure disease? It’s about the only thing that’s not being promised.
I’ve orbited the sun a few times now, and I’ve got a healthy scepticism when companies make big claims. But Wilson are nailing their colours pretty firmly to the mast here. They’re basically making guarantees.
So how do they say it’s going to be done? First up, they reckon the high MOI design on this three-piece ball will mean “fast speed with lower spin off the tee for a more stable flight”.
They claim an “ultra-thin cast urethane cover means high spin with scoring irons and wedges”, and they assure you that a “patented Tri-Balanced” construction means pinpoint accuracy and putts that roll true”.
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Let’s remove all the TMs, strip away the spiel, and take these to the course to see if they’re really worth the hype…
When the Triad was first unveiled at the start of 2022, it had a very specific golfer in mind. Me. That’s right, if you were looking to break 80, this was the ball for you. And if you could get your swing speed into the mid 90s (yes, I can), even better.
You can see why. It really is great to hit. It feels like it absolutely crunches off the face with a driver, and the sound is incredibly satisfying. At the performance centre at Woodhall Spa, I just want to keep teeing up one after the other.
My numbers were right where I’d expect them to be – 205 carry and around 220 total – but I reckon with slightly better ball striking I could get much more out of the Triad. While I hit the ball reasonably well, with an average 10 yards dispersion right, I was finding a slight fade rather than my customary little draw.
The spin numbers were distorted by one moon ball at 4,233rpm and 93 feet high and I’m not discouraged at all by figures in the mid 2000s.
This is a supposed to be a low spin ball with the big stick but it’s not far away from where I’d normally expect it to be.
I hit the driver relatively low anyway, so, once again, the height numbers were pretty much in my window of expectation. I do also enjoy getting a bit of roll.
Into the 7-iron and I was pretty pleased with the overall carry, which is five yards – or half a club – more than I’d usually manage with this club.
Once again, the average spin numbers were moved by one shot that revved at over 8,000rpm but, generally speaking, these figures would be above average for me given my irons sweep the turf rather than take a divot.
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With that caveat, I was very pleased to see the ball stopping so quickly – with an average roll of 2.6 yards.
The eagle-eyed among you will note I wrote in another review about my consternation at this, but that was because the carry distance was shorter than I would have liked.
Here, the Wilson Triad went further and stopped quicker. That would give me a lot of confidence I could fire into the heart of a green without fearing I wasn’t going to hold the putting surface.
As with the driver, I hit the irons with a slight fade. If that was my go to shot with this ball it would be eminently manageable at an average of just over five and a half yards right.
And with front to back dispersion on carry of about the same distance, I’m not expecting to see a lot of shots fall way short.
In fact, I was really pleased with the way the Wilson Triad appeared to hold in the air a little longer for me and the whooshing sound when club made contact with ball. I do like to get a satisfying noise when a shot is hit well. It was a joy to hit this ball with an iron.
It’s not ideal to have a sweeping swing with a wedge. You don’t get the advantage of spin – my numbers are always ridiculously low – and I’ll hit as many thins as fats as I struggle to get a good contact. Most of the time on the course, I’ll try to bypass this problem altogether by hitting a half-attack wedge.
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But try and hit it 50 yards in total, NCG’s equipment expects said and, in that regard, I had a great time with this ball. Beat a carry average of 47 and total of 50.2 if you will.
Give me that target on the course, and I’d be really confident of finding it.
The Triad still feels incredibly soft off the face of wedges and putter. On the green, that did mean I felt I needed to hit it a bit harder than other models but I’m not going to dismiss anything that promotes a positive strike.
I’m always leaving putts short and I’ve got no excuse when using a ball I might need to send a bit firmer on its way. There is a really nice consistent roll about the Wilson Triad and I could be confident it would hold its line.
I like the bold Wilson logo on the front and while I’d prefer the Triad symbol to be a solid black line to help alignment even further, the arrows on either side do help you point the ball to your intended target line.
Trust in Triad, we’re told. I think I do, Wilson. I think I do.
Available: Now.
RRP: £39
More information: Amazon website
At National Club Golfer, we are passionate about producing accurate and thorough reviews and make sure our testing process is rigorous so we get a good understanding of how each club performs.
We headed to Woodhall Spa Golf Club to allow us to collect launch monitor data with our in-house TrackMan and Flightscope. We tested each golf ball on the putting surface and around the greens before collecting data on 50-yard pitch shots, with a 7-iron and with a driver.
Feel
Golf ball feel is a personal preference. Different balls on the market will feel softer or firmer depending on their compression and structure. It is crucial to test balls when putting, chipping and hitting long game shots to check you like the performance across all areas.
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Distance
How far you want to hit the golf ball is a crucial consideration when picking a brand and model. Getting the right compression relative to your swing speed and strike will help you get the maximum distance out of a golf ball. You also need to consider if getting maximum distance is important to you or if you would rather give up some yardage to gain in other areas.
Spin
Generally, lower handicappers are looking for a ball that spins more so they can get more control around the greens. In this case, getting a ball with a urethane cover is really important as it will give you the most spin and control.
Price
Not everyone wants to spend £50 a dozen on golf balls. When picking the right golf ball for you, you should consider how much you want to spend relative to what performance you want.
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