MG Golf Tour C4
Often you get manufacturers, big and small, making bold claims about their products, but it’s not often that they have the stats to back it up. Sometimes the claims are half-truths, or completely true depending on certain word definitions...
MG Golf are very proud of their Tour C4 ball, and are not shy about touting it as delivering “MORE carry, MORE total distance, and similar wedge spin, compared to the Pro V1!”
I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm a sceptic, but I have been burned with my own experiences not measuring up to manufacturers claims previously, so I guess you could call me a 'cautious optimist'. At first glance the MG Golf website does come across as pretty basic and with a bit of an infomercial look, so my heckles were raised a little, but at $19.99/dzn, I thought it’d be rude not to see how the MG Tour C4 performs for me.
Tour C4 Specs:
Long distance, straight drives. The aerodynamic 332-dimple design and the extra-large core give you longer and straighter drives with low spin!
High-velocity core = more distance. We reformulated the extra-large core amping up ball velocity to the extreme making the Tour C4 go farther than ever!
High spin, soft feel with short irons. Like the Pro V1, the Tour C4 urethane cover (not Surlyn® like an ordinary ball) gives you high spin and a very soft feel close to the green and without sacrificing durability!
Conforms with USGA rules. So it's legal for tournament play.
Claims:
Better Carry than the ProV1
Better overall distance than the ProV1
Comparable wedge spin to the ProV1
As accurate as the ProV1
Trackman Results
I wasn’t going to be able to replicate the test that MG Golf did on the range, but I did manage to get a little time on the Trackman to measure the same metrics that they’d based their claims on. My numbers below are based on 5 good swings for each ball with both Driver (Carry and Total Distance numbers) and my 60 degree wedge (Wedge Spin). FWIW I'm not certain what loft wedge MG Golf used in their test.
The Trackman numbers for me showed a similar pattern to what MG Golf found in their testing:
slightly higher carry and total distance with the MG Tour
slightly lower wedge spin
On Course
With my wife and kids away over the last few weeks I have been able to get out more often than normal. I played two rounds using both ProV1 and Tour C4 side by side, and one more round with a Srixon Z-Star and Tour C4 side-by-side.
All three I found to perform really well for me. Very little difference off the tee, and I think the biggest difference I found was from 100-yards to 40-yards from the green. The MG Tour C4 basically wanted to stop where it pitched, whereas both the ProV1 and Z-Star consistently hopped once then stopped. Considering the Tour C4 slightly lower spin numbers this is a little strange, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been accused of being a freak of nature.
Putting
I'm not really going to be much help to anyone here - I don't find a lot of difference between balls with putting. I find it difficult to perceptively give an opinion on whether a ball is clicky, firm, etc. The graphics are a little busy on the ball, but I do like the long putting guide on the Tour C4.
Durability
Excellent. I recently purchased non-confirming Sonartec wedges and was really interested in whether they would cut up the ball, but used the same ball for two rounds and haven't found any noticeable scarring as yet. I usually change balls every round anyway, so for my uses these are great.
Overall
I can confidently say that, for me anyway, these are performing as advertised. I haven't tried any of the other smaller-brand or lower cost 'tour performance' balls on the market, but I can say that if you're looking for tour-level performance, and don't want to pay tour-level price, then definitely give these a try. For $19.99/dozen, these represent real value in my opinion.
MG Golf website
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While not necessarily an in-depth review, my experience with these balls has been really positive. I know that there are a few other forum members who have tried out these balls at various times, so I'd really value your overall and/or specific thoughts on the MG Golf tour C4.