Wilson Staff Duo Professional Review

Wilson found a gap years ago and has quietly sat in it since: a genuine cast urethane cover over a core soft enough that a moderate swing can actually compress it. Duo Professional is rated near sixty compression, well under any tour ball and well above the marshmallow end of the Duo family.

Around the green it is the real thing, and this is the whole argument for buying it. A pitch from 30 yards takes one hop and sits. A full sand wedge off a decent lie zips back a foot or two. The cover is soft enough that on a long bunker shot you feel the ball stay on the face through the sand, which is not something a thirty five dollar ionomer ball can give you at any swing speed.

Full swings are where the compromise shows up. The driver launches high with a shade more spin than a firmer urethane ball, which is harmless at 95 mph and starts costing carry above 105. Long irons feel slightly dead off the face, and into wind the flight sits up rather than boring through. The cover is softer than a tour ball's too, so it scuffs sooner and a ball rarely survives two rounds on a course with tight lies. For a mid handicap player who wants to spin a wedge without paying tour prices this is one of the best deals on the rack. For a fast swinger it is a slow ball with a nice cover.