The 2026 Staff Model is a four-piece urethane ball from Wilson, and the testing backs it up. It ranks among the fastest balls tested, spins full wedges hard, and comes out of the box consistently well made.
What's new
Under a thin cast urethane cover sits a hard outer mantle, wrapped around a medium compression core. Wilson rates it at 90 compression, and an independent check of 24 balls averaged 88.9, close enough to trust the number on the box.
Wilson designed it to keep spin down from the tee and high around the green, with a seamless dimple pattern for the aero side. You can buy it in white, yellow, or TRK360 white, and it scores 8.9 for value.
How it plays
Distance is its strongest score at 9.2, and two separate tests agree. At a 116 mph swing it produced 169.9 mph of ball speed, seventh of 48 balls, and a robot test at 114 mph put it third longest, one of only three balls to go past 274 yards.
The short game holds up too. Full wedges spun at 10,730 rpm, fifth of 48, and it was the fastest ball off a 7-iron at high speed. On course it earned a 4.4 out of 5, with a tester noting it feels softer than the 2024 version.
Where it lacks
Not every test liked its wedge spin. One reviewer measured it below average, which sits awkwardly next to that fifth-place finish elsewhere. Expect good greenside bite, but the tests do not agree on how good.
Sound will split players. The same review described a firm tock at impact. Slower swings also get a little less from it: the robot test that gave it top marks at 114 mph ranked it second, not first, at 93 and 78 mph.
“Hit it hard and it goes as far as anything we tested, then it stops on the green.”- The Club Stand gear team
Reasons to buy
- Ball speed ranked seventh of 48 at a 116 mph swing, and one robot test had it third longest
- Full wedge spin of 10,730 rpm placed fifth of 48 in a large independent test
- Build quality graded 90/100 with zero bad balls in a sample of 36
Reasons to think twice
- Impact sound is a firm tock, even though one tester found it softer than the 2024 model
- A second review measured below-average wedge spin, so the tests disagree on greenside bite
- Forgiveness scores 8.3, its weakest metric, and results for slower swingers were good rather than class-leading
Specs
| Construction | 4-piece, cast urethane cover |
|---|---|
| Core | Medium compression |
| Cover | Thin cast urethane over a hard outer mantle |
| Compression | 90 (Wilson stated) |
| Aero | Seamless dimple design |
| Spin | Low off the tee, high greenside |
| Colors | White, Yellow, TRK360 White |
More balls we've scored
- Maxfli Tour X LS 2026 - 8.8/10. Maxfli's lower-spin Tour X, built for Ben Griffin and sold well under tour-ball money.
- Titleist Pro V1 2025 - 8.8/10. Titleist's most-played ball gets a faster core and adds spin with irons and wedges.
- Callaway Chrome Tour 2026 - 8.7/10. A stiffer mantle gives Callaway's 2026 tour ball more speed without hardening the feel.
- Vice Pro 2024 - 8.7/10. A three-layer urethane ball that matched or beat the Pro V1 in testing for about mid-tier money.
- TaylorMade TP5 2026 - 8.6/10. A softer five-layer TaylorMade that ranked second for greenside spin among 62 robot-tested balls.
- Titleist Pro V1x 2025 - 8.6/10. Titleist's firmer, higher-flying Pro V1x trades a little softness for more wedge spin than its sibling.