Wilson Triad and Duo Soft balls: What you need to know

What you need to know: Wilson’s second iteration of its Triad ball moves weight from the ball's core to its mantle layer. Doing this allows for the density of all three layers (including the urethane cover) to be equal. That produces a ball that is better balanced with a higher moment of inertia to promote less movement in flight as well as less wobble on the greens. This time around, a change in compression as well as a change to the core and mantle construction brought meaningful enhancements. Meanwhile, the new Duo Soft is a two-piece Surly ball the company believes to be the softest ball in the game.

Price: Triad, $40 per dozen (white and yellow); Duo Soft, $30 per dozen (red, orange, green, yellow and pink)

3 Cool Things

1. Center cut. The first iteration of the Triad was an interesting idea: make a ball where all three layers were the same density so concentricity (centering all the layers perfectly) wouldn’t be an issue. The goal was to make a ball that took manufacturing variations out of the equation, leaving golfers with the best opportunity to maximize performance on each shot.

The new version has the same goal but with significant enhancements. Namely, bring the compression down to 80 through a softer core. That lowers the spin rate off the tee, enhancing accuracy.

2. Inner workings. The mantle was redesigned as well, something Frank Simonutti, Wilson’s global director for golf ball innovation, said was “challenging.”

“The mantle was the challenging adjustment to keep densities equal,” Simonutti said. “We used an inert filler to help with that and were able to lower the driver spin, which got us some more distance while keeping iron spin up. In short, it’s an even more consistent ball than the previous Triad.”

3. Pillowy soft. How soft is the new Duo Soft? How about a compression of 37. For those not versed in compression, that’s really cushiony. The core was made slightly smaller to accommodate the lower compression.

The two-piece construction with a Surlyn cover isn’t for pin-hunters, but rather for the golfer looking to maximize distance off the tee with enhanced accuracy (thanks to lower spin) at a palatable price point.

The new Duo Soft also comes in a rainbow of color options with red, orange, green, yellow and pink.