By ED TRAVIS
Titleist’s mid-market golf ball entries include the Tour Soft which features a core-to-cover redesign for better consistency and soft feel plus the Velocity with a new high-speed construction for more distance throughout the bag.
Fast Facts Titleist Tour Soft Golf Balls
Two-piece construction
Elastomer cover-ionomer & polymer blend
Smaller core
386 quadrilateral dipyramid dimple pattern
White or yellow
$39.99 per dozen
Titleist Velocity Golf Balls
Two-piece construction
Higher rebound ionomer cover
Softer core
350 octahedral dimple design
White, green, orange
$29.99 per dozen
WYNTK
At the mid-range of the golf ball price spectrum Titleist has brought out two balls which have been reformulated for the 2026 season.
Tour Soft saw engineers providing more tee ball distance plus improving scoring shot performance by making the cover even softer than prior models plus making it thicker which necessitated making the core smaller. This in turn meant less driver spin and all things being equal the result is more driver yardage. This combination also produces higher launch on iron shots, helping players hold more greens through trajectory.
“Tour Soft is the hidden gem in our lineup, providing total performance tee to green,” said Frederick Waddell, Titleist’s Director of Golf Ball Product Management. “In our testing, Tour Soft consistently outperforms golf balls at higher prices and/or with more layers of construction. This ball is a gamer.”
Titleist, to achieve added driver distance for the Velocity, lowered the compression by changing the core’s chemistry making it softer. Spin was further decreased by firming the cover slightly which added ball speed and therefore more distance.
Regarding the Velocity Waddel said, “There are a lot of reasons why golfers choose to play Velocity. Consistency and durability are high on the list, but distance is really the top priority for these players. It’s not just distance off the tee either. They’re looking for every yard possible through the bag to help them shoot lower scores.”
