~ ~ Srixon is probably not the first name that springs to a person's mind when they think of golf equipment manufacturers. Names like Slazenger, John Letters and Dunlop, and more recently Taylor Made, Callaway, and Nike are the manufacturers of clubs, balls and equipment that most modern-day golfers would readily associate with being market leaders in the golf world.

~ ~ There were two major problems with balata golf balls. Firstly, they didn't go as far as a conventional two-piece construction ball, and secondly they were so soft that you were lucky to get one full round of golf from one before you had quite literally cut the cover to ribbons!
So golf ball manufacturers began to develop "compromise" balls. These are solid two-piece golf balls (as distinct from the wound rubber in a balata ball) which fly much further and have harder covers, some so much so that they are virtually indestructible during normal play. (Think balls like the Top Flite and Dunlop DDH) But the problem with these harder balls is that while they travel much further, the spin rate is so poor it's practically impossible to impart any control on the ball for the shorter more delicate shots around the putting green.

~ ~ For anyone with a swing speed of around 95mph plus, then the Titleist Pro V is the golf ball to purchase. My problem is that I can no longer manage to generate this sort of club head speed, as the years (arthritis, rheumatism, and generally less flexible muscles and joints) have conspired against me. Up until about five years ago my average swing speed was around the 100 to 105mph mark, the same as a professional. However I recently had my swing speed analysed at a golf tournament I was visiting, and it is now in the region of 85 to 90mph. In fact, it's probably a bit less, as I was conscious of being measured, and consequently most likely swung the club that little bit harder, albeit unconsciously!

~ ~ Anything I don't like about the Srixon Soft Feel? Well, yeah. In common with nearly all golf ball and club manufacturers these days Srixon seem to be hell bent on confusing the average punter by using as much technical jargon in their advertising as possible. Thus the Srixon Soft Feel is marketed as having a "Rabalon® HR Elastomer Blended" cover, and a "Super Soft Dual core" centre. Much play is also put on it having "Seamless 333 Aerodynamic" dimples, as it's seemingly the only golf ball on the market with an odd (as opposed to even) number of dimples on its surface. All this meaningless gobbledigook makes about as much sense to your average punter who buys golf balls as the workings of a nuclear reactor! I do wish that manufacturers would cop onto themselves and drop all this meaningless drivel from their advertising.