Let’s face it, golf balls consisting of bright, vivid colours aren’t for everyone. Just recently on social media, I was a part of a conversation where someone had mentioned that they couldn’t get the same performance out of a coloured golf ball versus a golf ball that’s white. I think that we could agree that this sentiment is mostly psychological.

But, the coloured golf ball market is actually a very competitive market and they really do have a place among golf consumers. Admittedly, I’m a golfer that used to sort of frown upon the coloured golf ball but out of necessity with aging eyes affected by diabetes, I too, am headed in the direction of playing bright-coloured golf balls. All of the major manufacturers produce at least one bright golf ball offering and among them of course, is Srixon Golf.

Srixon Golf isn’t new to the coloured golf ball game. As a matter of fact, they’ve offered their tour level golf balls (Z-Star and Z-Star XV respectively) in a high-visibility “Tour Yellow” for several years now. So adding more colour options to their golf ball stable isn’t a surprise. Especially, when it comes to golf balls directed at the recreational player looking for a golf ball that offers bright colours, a soft feel, and a very budget-friendly price point. In a nutshell, this is the Srixon Golf Soft Feel BRITE golf ball.

The Set-up

The Srixon Soft Feel BRITE golf ball is in its second generation. Built on the chassis that is the successful Soft Feel golf ball, which is in its 11th generation, the Soft Feel BRITE brings gofers a soft feeling golf ball in bright, vivid colours that are almost guaranteed to help golfers track the flight of their golf ball and then find it afterwards in the fairway. Or dare I say it, the rough. One could argue that the ease of locating the golf ball, could help with better pace of play.

The Soft Feel BRITE as you might expect is a golf ball that is two-piece and is safely lumped into the “Distance Golf Ball” category. The BRITE is offered in a few colours being BRITE Orange, BRITE Red, and BRITE Green.

The Srixon Golf Soft Feel BRITE has some key technological talking points that make it the golf ball that it is. Some of these talking points include…

  • FastLayer Core: With a soft center that gradually transitions to a firm outer edge, the FastLayer Core gives Soft Feel BRITE incredible feel and great distance off the tee.
  • Matte Visual Performance: Three BRITE color options – Red, Orange, and Green – deliver enhanced visibility so it’s easy to track and find the golf ball.
  • 338 Speed Dimple Pattern: To get more distance overall and better performance in the wind, Speed Dimples reduce drag at launch and increase lift during descent.
  • Soft Thin Cover: Provides more greenside spin and softer feel on all pitches, chips, and putts.

The Soft Feel BRITE is offered at retail with a price point of $21.99 USD per dozen or approximately $24.99 CAD per dozen.

The Transition

When it came to the testing of the Soft Feel BRITE golf ball, I ended up choosing the Soft Feel BRITE Orange. To be totally honest, I wanted to test the BRITE Red but there were none available where I made my purchase. In the past, I’ve liked watching the ball flight of red golf balls. Mostly because, it looks like a “shot tracer” on television. So, orange was my second option, and not to mention, orange is a colour of Until The Next Tee.

The testing process involved dedicated putting sessions, dedicated short-game practice, and of course on-course testing. For the purposes of writing this review, we’re going to look at the performance of these golf balls from green to tee.

Putting

I tested the Soft Feel BRITE with a few different putters where one of the putters had an insert, and the others had no insert at all. There is no doubt that the Soft Feel has the right moniker attached to it. This golf ball feels so soft off of the putter that you barely feel it leave the face. Moreover, the Soft Feel BRITE sounds very muted at the point of impact. The alignment aid is simple and functional and it’s easy to get your golf ball lined up and started on your intended line. I loved putting with this golf ball.

Short Game (Chipping, Pitching, and Bunker Play)

There’s no doubt that the soft feel of this golf ball is this golf ball’s “money maker”. The feel around the green while using wedges was impressive. It’s just so soft that it makes it fun to work with. Coming out of the sand, the Soft Feel BRITE spun quite nicely and landed softly with no rollout.

However, when it came to the greenside testing consisting of chips and pitches, the results were much different. On simple chips the Soft Feel BRITE consistently rolled out 8-10 feet after landing on the putting surface. These were shots executed onto either level parts of the green or even into slight upslopes. Anything downhill, there was another 3-5 feet of additional rollout. If you factor in this rollout, the Soft Feel BRITE is then consistent and predictable.

So, with that all being said the “Soft, Thin Cover” mentioned in the technical talking points did not equate to “more greenside spin” but did offer the soft feel that they talked about. Based on this feedback, anybody wanting to play the Soft Feel BRITE (or Soft Feel in general) spend some time with them around the green. It might save you a stroke or two.

Full Approach Spin

As much as the greenside spin wasn’t really there for me during the testing process, the full approach spin was a different story altogether. On approach shots into greens that were a little bit more on the firm side there was a degree of “drop and stop” characteristics. Approach shots would end up about 5 feet ahead of their pitch marks.

Now when it came to greens that were more receptive, the Soft Feel BRITE did have “drop and stop” capabilities. As a matter of fact, I had several shots spin back from their pitch mark making it almost seem like a tour ball.

I really thought that the Soft Feel BRITE offered very admirable full approach spin.

Distance

When it came to the distance of the Soft Feel BRITE, I really had mixed feelings. In adjudicating things from a distance standpoint, there really had to be a level of objectivity involved. One round was in very comfortable weather from a temperature standpoint, but the air was heavy with humidity. A couple of rounds had literally perfect golf weather. We’re talking low to mid 70’s and sunny, blue skies. And then there were a couple of scorchers too!

When it came to distance, I found that the Soft Feel BRITE was inconsistent. Out of the same dozen I had swings with a 9-iron on Par 3’s that barely flew 130 yards. Bear in mind that my average 9-iron is 140-150 yards. But then, I had an 8-iron fly 165 yards land over the green and come to rest 20 yards behind the green. More often than not though, I found that the Soft Feel BRITE was about a full club shorter than my gamer or against balls tested of the same genre. I can handle the golf ball being a little bit shorter, but the inconsistency that I experienced always had me second-guessing my club selection. That’s never a good feeling that inspires confidence.

Making my testing even more polarizing was the distance with the metalwoods and driver. I thought that the distance offered by the Soft Feel was reasonable. The dimple pattern which consists of 338 dimples is quite typical as far as distance golf balls go. But again, there were hints of inconsistency throughout my dozen. Some drives that were absolutely “nutted” off of the sweet spot were longer than my gamer. Meanwhile, there were other drives that were met with the same kind of swing that went nowhere, Thinking back, it was the sleeve of #3 balls where this was noticed with both the irons and metalwoods.

The feel off of the driver etc was very nice, and again the feel is what I think the hallmark of these golf balls truly are.

Visibility

I really liked the visibility of the Soft Feel BRITE. For the last couple of seasons, I’ve really struggled with tracking the flight of my white golf ball in subdued, overcast skies. The BRITE is my “cup of tea” as it was easy for me to track in overcast and sunny skies alike.

As far as finding these golf balls in the fairway, it’s no issue except for when you’re “dew sweeping” first thing in the morning and it’s bright out. This isn’t an issue with strictly the Soft Feel BRITE as it can be encountered with any golf ball. In this situation, I found that I had to get up ahead of the golf ball and look back down the fairway to locate my golf ball. But, when there aren’t the conditions that I just described and the fairways are void of dew, the Soft Feel BRITE sticks out like a sore thumb. Easy to locate in the fairway, rough, or on the green from way back in the fairway the Soft Feel BRITE is easy to locate.

The Finish

At the end of the day, the Soft Feel BRITE is a golf ball that some golfers will like. there are pro’s to the Soft Feel BRITE. I really like the feel and the high-visibility offered by these golf balls. I also liked the full shot approach spin. I am also quite fond of the matte finish and the fair price point.

However, I’m not necessarily sold on the full-swing distance or greenside spin of the Soft Feel BRITE. This is in fact a “distance ball” so the adage “it is what it is” does come into play.

The Soft Feel BRITE is worth a look and could prove to be valuable in early spring and fall golf conditions. Would I go out of my way to buy another dozen? That answer is very unlikely. I’d rather spend a couple more dollars and purchase the Q-Star or especially the Q-Star Tour. Hmm, the Q-Star Tour in BRITE Red? Now we’re talking!!

Until The Next Tee!!

#fightandgrind #seeuonthenexttee

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