Smackey17

Agree on wanting to see how the new Maxfli Tour balls stack up. I played the Tour (both white and yellow) the past year and thought they played as well as any of the other tour balls I played (Pro V1 and TP5).  Though this ball might be out of scope because Titleist markets it primarily in Japan, but the Titleist VG3 is being sold at two of my local golf courses and are being promoted as "10-20 yards longer."  I'm skeptical to say the least, but would be interested in any data on this ball.

1. Have you purchased any golf products based on MyGolfSpy reviews?  (Please list which ones.)
Yes, I now use only Maxfli Tour CG and ProV1 balls after previously using Srixon Q-Star Tour balls (mainly) and a variety of other non-tour balls. After reading the recent article on LAB putters I decided to try a Toe Up putter (Odyssey 1) with a similar non-torque to the LAB. Am following the LAB testing to see if I want to pull the trigger on a new Link. Also, bought my wife a Ping Hoofer Lite bag after the recent carry bag ratings and she loves it. 
2. How has MyGolfSpy changed the way you think about golf equipment?
When considering any new equipment, whether its clubs, clothes or other gear, I always check to see if it's been evaluated on MGS.
3. Have these purchases lowered your scores? (List which products and how much they have lowered your scores.)
Not sure yet if the balls and putter have lowered my scores, but I can say the balls perform really well and I have more confidence with the putter.
4. How have these purchases helped you enjoy the game more? How?
I was always trying new golf balls and believe not using a consistent ball hurt my game. Now I feel confident that the ball will do what I want it to do without any second thoughts, which gives me more enjoyment and no second thoughts.

Man, I'm going to have to up my graphics game... 😆  For now all I can do is promise that it'll be better presented in the final review.  
 
For now, all I can say about week 3 of my 5' test is "of all weeks where I couldn't play a round 🤬".  The flat sticks were hot!  Not sure what the deal was (it might be that I've been rolling 300? putts a week for the last three weeks) but I missed a grand total of 7 times over 153 putts (this includes two misses in the warmups.)
Bettinardi Innovai 6.0 CTR
42 Putts, 42 Makes, 100.00%  The Innovai made a case for itself this week.  The unstable feeling was gone.   One thing that I noted is that the face is notably softer than the other two putters.  It's more forgiving of overpower but way less forgiving of decel.  Two of the 7 misses were in warmup for the Innovai so make of that what you will.
YES Callie
42 Putts, 39 Makes, 92.86% Make.  Still might be my favorite feel off the face.  Something about the C-groove just works.  All three misses were toward the end one just short the other two lipouts.
L.A.B.  Link1
42 Putts, 40 Makes, 95.24% Make.   Still wildly consistent.  Two silly misses where I got a little handsy at the end otherwise just straight down the line every time.
 
After three weeks and 123 putts here are the total make percentages for each putter.  
L.A.B.  Link1 -- 93.65%
YES Callie -- 83.33%
Bettinardi Innovai 6.0 CTR -- 86.51%
All three are well above PGA make percentage (with a lot of assistance in perfect conditions) but the thing that has struck me so far is that even on a week where I felt off (last week) the Link stays consistent.  This seems to be true out on the course as well where it just stays consistent even when my stroke or my aim sucks.   I haven't had a super hot day with it yet, but I also haven't had a day where I went ice cold and had zero feel.    
One of my favorite things after three weeks is that I feel like it's vastly improved my game all around.  It so consistent that it's helped me identify some inconsistencies in my putting stroke, setup, and alignment.  Kind of a neat trick since it also lead me to identify the same inconsistencies accross my game from tee to green-- Apparently the worst part of my game ( by far ) is my ability to align my feet to where the club is pointing.  😑  It is comically bad for someone at my index and might account for a high double digit percentage of my misses from tee to green.
In any case, back to the testing front, I picked up a couple things I'm going to use to do a few more tests & for just general practice.
First, some flat rubber cups so I can be out of the way of other when I'm testing (Making 150+ putts)

Second, some rings for dispersion testing from lag distances.  I'll run this against the Callie & Innovai.

And last, a home made version of this.  (I'm not going to spend $19 when I have thinner longer tent stakes and mason string in the garage). 

 
I'm going to do linear (speed) dispersion with this from 10 & 20 feet.   I'll set it up parallel to my line beside the cup with some markings on the string to identify distance.  I'll then plot where each putt stops so that I can put together a plot graph that will look a graphic version of this.

If you don't know what this is it's a Scott Fawcett Decade Golf concept that you have a speed dispersion pattern when putting.  You leave x number short at the bottom of the pattern, x number in the center, and x number at the end.  The idea is to center the heaviest concentration of your speed dispersion pattern on the hole so you make more.  It makes you putt more freely doing this since you're less concerned with speed and more concerned with putting the ball on a line that's going to center your dispersion pattern over the hole.  Should be a good test of the speed control of the Link vs. the other putters.

I use my 54 around the green 90 percent of the time if I'm two or more paces off the fringe. If I have a good lie on or just off the fringe I will sometimes putt it. But in this scenario, given the lie, I would most likely bump and run with a 9 iron with the ball back in my stance.

I had a 9-hole playing lesson on Tuesday, where we played from the red tees so that we could work on our scoring clubs (8i - SW). The session revealed what I already had been experiencing this year:  my half-pitches were killing me, shots from 40-80 yards out. I had 5 such shots and I actually missed the green on two of them and left myself more that 40-foot putts on two others. The problem was a lack of commitment to the club and shot choice in those instances. So today, rather than hitting full shots I plan on working exclusively on dialing in my pitches. Based on my experience this will likely be something close to the following:  40 yards (carry)  = 9 o'clock swing with my 54; 50 yards = 10'clock w/54; 60 yards = 10 o'clock w/GW; 70 yards = 10 o'clock with PW. With the exception of the 40-yard swing, I prefer to dial in distances with a consistent 10'clock swing using different clubs rather using one club and varying the swing length because I think it can be more repeatable and consistent. 

I had a 9-hole playing lesson on Tuesday, where we played from the red tees so that we could work on our scoring clubs (8i - SW). The session revealed what I already had been experiencing this year:  my half-pitches were killing me, shots from 40-80 yards out. I had 5 such shots and I actually missed the green on two of them and left myself more that 40-foot putts on two others. The problem was a lack of commitment to the club and shot choice in those instances. So today, rather than hitting full shots I plan on working exclusively on dialing in my pitches. Based on my experience this will likely be something close to the following:  40 yards (carry)  = 9 o'clock swing with my 54; 50 yards = 10'clock w/54; 60 yards = 10 o'clock w/GW; 70 yards = 10 o'clock with PW. With the exception of the 40-yard swing, I prefer to dial in distances with a consistent 10'clock swing using different clubs rather using one club and varying the swing length because I think it can be more repeatable and consistent. 

I had a 9-hole playing lesson on Tuesday, where we played from the red tees so that we could work on our scoring clubs (8i - SW). The session revealed what I already had been experiencing this year:  my half-pitches were killing me, shots from 40-80 yards out. I had 5 such shots and I actually missed the green on two of them and left myself more that 40-foot putts on two others. The problem was a lack of commitment to the club and shot choice in those instances. So today, rather than hitting full shots I plan on working exclusively on dialing in my pitches. Based on my experience this will likely be something close to the following:  40 yards (carry)  = 9 o'clock swing with my 54; 50 yards = 10'clock w/54; 60 yards = 10 o'clock w/GW; 70 yards = 10 o'clock with PW. With the exception of the 40-yard swing, I prefer to dial in distances with a consistent 10'clock swing using different clubs rather using one club and varying the swing length because I think it can be more repeatable and consistent. 

Four. My pitching wedge and gap wedge are essentially my 10 and 11 irons, though I do use the pitching wedge occasionally for 50-70 yard shots. I just replaced my previous sand and lob wedges with Cleveland ZipCore CBX 54* and 60*.  Love them. The 60* is very easy to hit, though I use the 54* 90% of the time around the green. I mainly used the lob when very short-sided or am in a steep bunker.

Monday, May 15, 2023
My first test was on the chipping green where I used 3 ProV1's and 3 of the Maxfli Tour's.  The clubs I used were LW through 9 iron.  My method of testing was to chip 1 ball of each brand to 3 different flag locations, with each club, for a total of 30 chip shots.  I could not tell any difference in sound, feel, or spin.  On the putting green, I used one ball of each brand and I couldn't distinguish a difference between sound, feel, or roll.  
I gave each of my playing partners a Maxfli Tour in order to gain their feedback.
Chico - a Callaway Chrome Soft loyalist, said the Maxfli Tour felt and played the same as his Chrome Soft.
Long Jon - a golfer who will play any good condition ball, said the Maxfli Tour played great.
Ricky Ticky Tavi - typically uses a Wilson Staff golf ball, gave the ball a thumbs up.
Cross Fit Joe - favorite ball is the Titleist AVX, but said he had found a new favorite in the Maxfli Tour.  
Following are some of my own conclusions after 36 holes of play with the Maxfli Tour.  I learned the Maxfli Tour, like other quality golf balls, do not float.  Also, the Maxfli Tour makes a great solid crack of the baseball bat sound when errantly hitting a tree.  In all seriousness, I was impressed with my first weekend of testing the Maxfli Tour.  Distance was normal to other balls I have played and the feel, and spin rate were good.  I planned on taking a picture of the ball after 2 rounds to show signs of wear, but the first ball only made it through 29 holes before finding a watery grave.  
The next outing for the Maxfli Tour will be Wednesday Night League.    

It poured rain all weekend, so I went out early this morning. Even par front 9, so I’d say its maiden voyage was a success!! I only got 9 in before work imploded and I had to go in to the office. It was very humid and the course was soaked, so all carry no roll. I went out not knowing any numbers, wanted to go into it blind. It feels very firm, so I was a little skeptical on feel. First drive, felt like an explosion off the face. I’ve played Pro V1x Left dash, and Chrome soft x LS, but this drive looked very fast off the face.  Highlight hole was the par 5, I had a very bad strike, almost missed face bad. It carried, as far as my okay drives usually roll out to, then 7 wood and flip wedge one putt birdie. It handled the wet spin conditions very well. So very good start, the ball still looks new. 
 

"Crunching the numbers. I tracked 75 putts from 5’ 10’ and 20’ overall and once I entered them in and compared my initial putts the DF2.1 came out swinging. My make % is higher with LAB (36made/75putts) vs 2-Ball (33/102) or Anser (5/29) nearly every metric was better with LAB."
The LAB numbers look very promising. Very interested in seeing if they hold up and how the putter performs on the golf course for you. 

"Crunching the numbers. I tracked 75 putts from 5’ 10’ and 20’ overall and once I entered them in and compared my initial putts the DF2.1 came out swinging. My make % is higher with LAB (36made/75putts) vs 2-Ball (33/102) or Anser (5/29) nearly every metric was better with LAB."
The LAB numbers look very promising. Very interested in seeing if they hold up and how the putter performs on the golf course for you. 

What a busy weekend it was. Played a couple competitive rounds this weekend with the Link in the bag. The putt of the weekend goes to a par saving ~30 footer from just on the fringe and boy it felt good! I felt like I was hitting my line almost every single time, however, I did seem to struggle a lot with leaving putts shorts which is not something I typically do. I am going to attribute this to testing on the Birdie Ball mat for a while, as it is pretty quick compared to the course.
I am off all this week and plan to visit the course each day to do some testing and get some data... or is it pronounced data?

"Crunching the numbers. I tracked 75 putts from 5’ 10’ and 20’ overall and once I entered them in and compared my initial putts the DF2.1 came out swinging. My make % is higher with LAB (36made/75putts) vs 2-Ball (33/102) or Anser (5/29) nearly every metric was better with LAB."
The LAB numbers look very promising. Very interested in seeing if they hold up and how the putter performs on the golf course for you. 

Definitely the 5W for me. My Ping 3W was/is the most consistent club in my bag, prompting me to buy a Ping 5W, which I hit just as well as the 3, though on my home course I only have the need to hit it once or maybe twice a round. I even experimented with a 7W to replace my 4H and a 9W to replace my 5i because I tend to hit my woods better than my long irons. But in the end I felt the 4 hybrid and 5 iron gave me a better feel for approaching greens from a distance than the woods did. That said, I still do a H2H with these clubs now and again at the driving range. 

Congratulations to those who were selected!
I play both the Maxfli Tour and the ProV1X. Will be very interested to seeing what the testers think, especially those who are were playing ProV1 or ProV1X previously. I have my opinion on the matter, but withhold comment until the results are in.

Congratulations to those who were selected!
I play both the Maxfli Tour and the ProV1X. Will be very interested to seeing what the testers think, especially those who are were playing ProV1 or ProV1X previously. I have my opinion on the matter, but withhold comment until the results are in.

Congratulations to those who were selected!
I play both the Maxfli Tour and the ProV1X. Will be very interested to seeing what the testers think, especially those who are were playing ProV1 or ProV1X previously. I have my opinion on the matter, but withhold comment until the results are in.

I've tried to wean myself from watching a lot of YouTube or other golf media, especially instructional advice, because I get overloaded. At this point in my golf life I'm trying to keep in simple. I did appreciate Mark Crossfield's videos, though. I've gone with a modified Stack & Tilt swing and found Nick Taylor's videos on this to be very good--simple yet comprehensive enough to be all I needed to understand and execute the swing.

I've heard so-called golf ball experts say that a modern ball should last 5-12 rounds without performance degrading, though I've never seen any corroborating tests. I use a urethane cover ball, which is on the softer side and will tend to scuff when hitting anything but a plush fairway or cushiony green. So typically I play a ball until it has a visible blemish or scuff, which is anywhere from one round to five or six.

Agree on wanting to see how the new Maxfli Tour balls stack up. I played the Tour (both white and yellow) the past year and thought they played as well as any of the other tour balls I played (Pro V1 and TP5).  Though this ball might be out of scope because Titleist markets it primarily in Japan, but the Titleist VG3 is being sold at two of my local golf courses and are being promoted as "10-20 yards longer."  I'm skeptical to say the least, but would be interested in any data on this ball.

Agree on wanting to see how the new Maxfli Tour balls stack up. I played the Tour (both white and yellow) the past year and thought they played as well as any of the other tour balls I played (Pro V1 and TP5).  Though this ball might be out of scope because Titleist markets it primarily in Japan, but the Titleist VG3 is being sold at two of my local golf courses and are being promoted as "10-20 yards longer."  I'm skeptical to say the least, but would be interested in any data on this ball.

I thought I was going to change out my driver, but did a driver shootout with my Ping G400 Max (with shortened shaft) vs. the new G430 (full length shaft) and it was at best a push for the G430. Smash factor on the G400 was consistently higher (1.46 - 1.51), which netted better distances over the slightly higher swing speed (about 1 mph) from the G430.
I keep going back and forth on my 4 hybrid and 5 iron, replacing them with a 7 wood and 9 wood, respectively, then going back to the 4h/5i. Right now I have the woods in the bag and will give them a couple of weeks more of trial on course. On the range the 7 & 9 win every time. I'm more of a sweeper so in theory they should outperform the hybrid and iron on course as well.
Ongoing putter shootouts have yet to find a better solution than my Odyssey O-Works Tank.

I thought I was going to change out my driver, but did a driver shootout with my Ping G400 Max (with shortened shaft) vs. the new G430 (full length shaft) and it was at best a push for the G430. Smash factor on the G400 was consistently higher (1.46 - 1.51), which netted better distances over the slightly higher swing speed (about 1 mph) from the G430.
I keep going back and forth on my 4 hybrid and 5 iron, replacing them with a 7 wood and 9 wood, respectively, then going back to the 4h/5i. Right now I have the woods in the bag and will give them a couple of weeks more of trial on course. On the range the 7 & 9 win every time. I'm more of a sweeper so in theory they should outperform the hybrid and iron on course as well.
Ongoing putter shootouts have yet to find a better solution than my Odyssey O-Works Tank.

I can relate to that. I ordered my Mach-E in August 2021 and didn't get it until the end of May 2022. Almost cancelled the order a couple of times, but figured I'd have to start over somewhere else and still have to wait.  I'd trade you my car for your handicap though.