On January 12, 2024, Wilson Golf will be releasing two new Tour-level golf balls to replace the previous Staff Model series. Unlike the previous generation, 2024 brings two unique versions that offer fitting options for different types of players and swings. The company appears to be excited about the Staff Models and the fact that its Tour staff is reportedly putting them into play. According to the company, Brendan Steele, John Augenstein, Quade Cummins, Ricky Barnes, Martin Trainer and Willie Mack III are all playing either the new Staff Model or Staff Model X. While we haven’t been able to confirm this information independently, it would be a major coup for the company, as their presence in the ball space on Tour has historically been minimal at best.
The use of an industry-standard naming system should make it easy for consumers to determine their ball of choice among the two options. The Staff Model X is the firmer and faster of the two balls and should offer a higher flight, while the Staff Model is slightly softer and should provide flatter trajectory. According to Frank Simonutti, Global Director of Golf Ball Innovation, “Elite golfers looking for higher velocity and spin will benefit from the ‘X’ ball while the new Staff Model ball will be the perfect choice for golfers who generate enough spin on their own.”
While Wilson emphasized the dispersion benefits of their uniform paint application process with older versions of the Staff Model line, in 2024 it appears they are focusing on speed. Though it appears to be a carryover technology by name, V-COR™ technology, a “unique core composition that magnifies energy to generate maximum velocity off the club face for greater distance”, is being heavily emphasized by the company this year.
According to Simonutti, “Through our internal testing, both Staff Model and Staff Model X yield faster ball speeds than any other urethane golf ball in their respective class. During testing, the ball speed numbers on both models were consistently higher than the most popular tour balls.”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the company is providing specific results of that testing, which was conducted at their facility in Humboldt, Tennessee, so we can’t quantify the speed gains or which golf balls the Staff Models were compared against.
Wilson provided the following information regarding the two new Staff Model balls. While the details concerning the construction of the balls is the same word-for-word, they do take care to note that the standard Staff Model has a lower-compression core and softer feel, along with its lower-spin profile. Each ball is designed to provide the highest possible amount of greenside spin.
Wilson Staff Model X Golf Balls
- Highest velocity, longest distance and highest iron-spin rate in the urethane ball category.
- Four-piece construction consists of ZnPCTP boosted rubber core for velocity, a soft HPF inner mantle to control driver spin, a firm ionomer outer mantle for maximum velocity and a thin (0.025-inch) cast urethane cover for high iron spin.
- $54.99 MSRP per dozen in both white and yellow
Wilson Staff Model Golf Balls
- Designed for the players that prefer a lower spin and better performance than many softer, urethane balls, featuring a 10-point lower core compression for a softer feel and lower spin rate than the Staff Model X.
- Four-piece construction consists of ZnPCTP boosted rubber core for velocity, a soft HPF inner mantle to control driver spin, a firm ionomer outer mantle for maximum velocity and a thin (0.025-inch) cast urethane cover for high iron spin.
- $54.99 MSRP per dozen in both white and yellow
Though Wilson isn’t touting it as heavily as they did in previous years, they do still make mention of their “finely controlled” paint application process, which they believe results in a higher level of consistency from ball to ball, leading to increased accuracy.
For more information on the Wilson Staff Model and Staff Model X golf balls, visit the company’s website at www.wilson.com.
