Compression: what the word means and why it is the whole comparison
Callaway’s own buying guide defines compression as how much the ball deforms at impact: “The compression rate refers to how much the golf ball compresses upon impact”, and “the lower the compression rate, the easier to compress”. The same guide ties it to construction and swing speed — “the more pieces a golf ball has, the higher the compression. Higher compression golf balls are designed for players with faster swing speeds.”
That is the entire argument for a soft ball as a beginner: a slower swing cannot fully compress a firm ball, and an uncompressed ball loses distance and feels like a rock. Both of these balls are built low. The Supersoft is the one marketed hardest on it, and the registry note on our pick says it plainly: low compression means the ball deforms easily at slower swing speeds, so you get distance without swinging out of your shoes.
What neither maker publishes is a number. We checked: Callaway’s guide explains compression at length and gives no per-model figures, and the charts circulating online are third-party measurements of varying rigour rather than published specifications. Treat compression as low, mid or high and ignore the decimal points — our ball-choosing guide goes through why there is no authoritative compression chart.
Launch: the one real difference
The Srixon Soft Feel’s listing is explicit about a high-launch profile, and that is the cleanest distinction between these two balls. A high-launch ball helps a slower swing carry further in the air, which matters if your problem is that shots never climb.
The Supersoft’s pitch is the opposite emphasis: low spin and straight flight. Low spin flattens the curve on a mis-hit, which is what you want when the miss is a slice rather than a worm-burner.
So the honest decision rule is about your miss, not the brand. If your bad shots are low and running, take the Soft Feel. If your bad shots are sideways, take the Supersoft. If you have both problems, the Supersoft is the safer default because sideways loses golf balls and low does not.
Feel, and how much to trust it
Both balls are marketed on feel, and feel is the one thing you can genuinely assess for yourself without equipment. Callaway’s guide gives the method and it is not what most golfers do: “you should always test a golf ball by starting from the green and working your way back to the tee.” Putt and chip a sleeve of each before you judge them off a driver, because the difference is largest and most perceptible around the green.
If soft feel is the thing you care most about, there is a third ball worth knowing. Wilson’s DUO Soft is marketed as one of the softest balls in golf and is one of the lowest-compression balls widely sold, which is why it is the third pick here. The trade-off is in the same sentence as the benefit: the same softness that makes it feel pillowy also means it spins less around the green.
Price per lost ball is the real spec
In your first season you will lose balls. That makes cost per ball the dominant consideration, and it is why Srixon’s value packs can settle this comparison on arithmetic rather than performance. Check both live prices above and divide by the box count — the cheaper one per ball is very often the right answer, and nothing on either box will cost you a shot.
It is also worth knowing that both conform to the Rules. Rule 4 governs the player’s equipment and the Equipment Rules behind it set the conditions a conforming ball must meet; every ball sold by a mainstream manufacturer meets them, so this is not something a recreational golfer needs to police.
Which to buy, and when to stop caring
Buy the Supersoft as the default, the Soft Feel if you need height or the value pack is meaningfully cheaper per ball, and the DUO Soft if feel is your priority. Then stop thinking about it. The ball becomes a real decision at the point where two things are true: you lose no more than a ball or two a round, and your approach shots land where you aimed. Before that, the gap between any two soft two-piece balls is smaller than your shot-to-shot variation.
If you would like the wider field rather than a head to head, our beginner ball roundup ranks six balls including both of these, and Supersoft vs Titleist TruFeel is the other comparison people run — that one is largely a question of what the box says. Soft vs distance golf balls covers the category labels themselves, and our Supersoft review looks at the winner on its own.
