cksurfdude

The Salt Bath Test OK.. rainy day golf-nerd project... * Background Earlier this season, based on the MGS ball test, I'd purchased some MaxFli Tour and Tour X to try out ($25/doz @ Dick's when buying 2 or more). Have played both, though have not played/tested them side-by-side in the same round, and at this point I'm with the majority of the testers in that the Tour feels like the better ball of the two for me. While I understand - in principle - the advantage of the CG Balancing I was not 100% sure of its effect; so I've been reading and following this testing thread with great interest to see others' reactions. And then with all the talk about doing the balance tests I just had to jump in and try it. FYI - I got the Tour in the hi-vis matte green .. I like the color, though in certain conditions it does not stand out all that well (so it becomes kinda "lo-vis" ) and I do *not* like the matte finish on this ball - tho it's durable it retains dirt and moisture. * Testing I took one new ball each of... - Maxfli Tour - Maxfli Tour X - Chromesoft Truvis - Pro V1 (a few years old but kept in the basement) and.. - a very "experienced" Top Flite Z-Balata I happened to find in my bucket on the practice range the other day. After preparing the salt bath (ie. continually adding more and more [table, not epsom] salt until finally the ball started to float .. man it needs a lotta salt!) I dunked a ball and waited for it to settle, made sure it was not touching the side of the pot, carefully picked it up and marked the "high" point and then repeated the dunking / waiting / marking 4 more times for a total of 5 marks on each test ball. (I ended up not testing the Noodle .. who plays those anyway?) * Hypotheses Pro V1 -- Even though these are a few years old, they're still new/unused and have been kept in the basement within a narrow temp / humidity range. With the vaunted Titleist quality control I would expect these to come out on top - that is: each mark should be at different spots around the ball. Tour, Tour X -- I expected the marks to be on or very near the equator described by the stamped CG alignment line. Chromesoft -- Might have a particular hi/lo spot or a circular area with all the marks near each other. Z-Balata -- clearly this should be the worst; presumably with a repeated hi spot. * Results Again, I tested only ONE ball of each model (and noting that, statistics-wise, it is not a valid conclusion to extrapolate single subject results onto a general population), what I saw in this test was... # Pro V1 -- negative. Spots were not randomly marked all around the ball, and instead 4/5 marks were actually near each other and fell roughly along a straight line; the fifth mark is just out of sight (top of ball) and also close to this line. Note this "line" does not coincide with the manufacturer side-stamp; nor .. I presume .. is it supposed to. Again, this ball is a few years old and most likely Titleist has further improved their quality and quality control? # MaxFli Tour -- ok. Good - 4/5 marks, although near each other, at least are very close to the CG equator indicated by the dashed line; and then not so good - 3 of those 4 are really close together. The fifth (#2) mark is further away from that CG equator on the other side of the ball. # MaxFli Tour X -- not so ok. 5/5 marks were clustered near each other all on one side of the ball and not anywhere near the CG equator. # Chromesoft Truvis -- good(-ish). 5/5 marks were separated apart but all the marks fell on one side/hemisphere of the ball; they were not scattered all around the entire ball. # Top Flite Z-Balata -- poor, as expected. 4/4 marks (#4 not marked) were closely clustered together; effectively into a single spot. Call this one the placebo or "control group" test subject (ie. the float test works!) * Conclusions The MaxFli Tour (not X) at least had its high point nearly along the CG equator, and so when set up using the alignment line (teeing off and putting) it "should" (quote-unquote) perform as advertised; but then the Chromesoft appears to have "won" this test with the float marks the most randomly placed. So... Unless you're going to both float test and spin balance each and every golf ball you play, and grade and mark them, then IMHO .. at the current state of the CG technology .. you're no better / no worse off just playing the "right" ball for you, the one that best fits your overall game. Also considering that each ball manufacturer wants to reduce sidespin, it seems in their interest to continue to refine and improve their production techniques and quality control in order to claim for themselves "CG Balanced". (Side note - it would be interesting to also test the OnCore Elixr and a newer Chromesoft with graphene that have more perimeter-oriented weighting.) End Notes: This was kinda fun and helped me think a little more on just what's inside a golf ball and why it matters. FWIW, I'm going to get some MaxFli Tour in white and try to test those head-to-head vs the Chromesoft Truvis; may also pick up a sleeve of Srixon Q-Star to experiment with, too.

dammmmmmmmm! So sorry the knee can't stay fixed... Sucks. But really happy to hear your positive and determined outlook!!

Gonna try out the poker chip idea chipping in the garage. Thx!

Yeah, Q for Callaway, re: golf balls -- 1. What do they think of CG balancing? 2. If positive .. Do they have any plans to do it? Thx! PS: Not too many tasty craft brews _before_ testing

Good write-up .. fun read! I'm not .. nor ever will be .. a blade guy but it was interesting reading about your experience .. good luck with them! Also, I commend you on clearly outlining some really good reasons for trying something new!

Nice .. congrats!

^ That's what I was thinking, also ... *IF* he can drive it both further AND accurately then that _should_ positively impact his scoring average.

@chisag said... ------------------------ >> Layout and scenery are paramount for me. Don't care for houses on a course unless they are far enough away from greens and fairways. The more nature the better. >> Condition is also a must. It does not have to be pristine, just in reasonably good shape. >> Walking is a huge bonus. >> Like others I am not a fan of blind shots and certainly not multiple blind shots. >> But my biggest gripe is tricked up greens that don't match the natural terrain and have fabricated humps, mounds and tiers. Especially when the layout is so nice but ruined by silly greens. Hitting a good drive and a great iron shot to 8 feet and looking at a possible bogie because of a mound or tier just isn't the way I want to play golf. I don't mind a tier if they keep the pins a good distance from the top or bottom but my experience has been if they have tiers they like to put the pin right at the top/bottom edge or even on the slope. ------------------------------------ Quoting Chisag 'cuz he said all that good stuff I wanted to way better than I would have - especially the last part about "tricked up greens"; just seems really silly .. and unnecessary .. to me particularly on muni/public courses where you have pace of play problems! In re: walking, I'd also add, to paraphrase Alistair McKenzie "teeing grounds proximate the last putting green". I understand some courses may have a forced "bridge" between 2 separated parcels of land that divide up two parts of the course, but poorly planned layouts with too much distance between holes don't make sense to me. Was on a very popular - and well-rated - course in CO this summer that had a long distance to the next hole on most of the course, and I for one wouldn't care to play there again.....

Question: does it have to be epsom salt? (eg. would regular salt, or maybe kosher salt, work the same?) I do have a few sleeves of the MaxFli Tour (matte finish) and X (gloss finish).

Hunh, that is interesting! Just wild speculation here, but maybe that helps him with ball positioning on the tee..?

Undoubtedly. I flagged it.

Hi, not a tester here. I *do* use the CG alignment line on the tee, and pointing (downtown) at my target. (Fyi I've been doing this for a while, even before playing these new MaxFlis) I also use the CG alignment line on the putting green; MaxFli suggests it'll help your putts roll truer.

^^ second that!

Had a very good range session yesterday ... varied clubs, varied shots, varied targets, took a break between shots, lined up my target each time, etc. and worked on just swinging the clubhead and moving the body and arms with a decent tempo. Hit a bunch of solid shots and regained a lot of the confidence that I'd completely shot to hell last weekend on the course! Also tested out a new club - Tour Edge HL4 #4 iron-wood. Short answer: I love it. Easy to hit, super forgiving and seems to be giving me the exact distance I've been having a gap with in my bag. Very highly recommend testing these to anyone who may not hit their long irons consistently or who's having trouble finding a hybrid they like (Tour Edge offering a $40 / 30 day full refund trial of a #6i-w).

Tour Edge HL4 #4 iron-wood. Have had a gap in my set makeup b/w the 6i and the 4H .. can't really hit the 5i consistently; have tried a few different hi-loft hybrids along with the Ping Crossover, with which I've had an on-and-off relationship .. so decided to trial the HL4 #6i-w (only option available; $40 and can return it for full refund w/in 30 days). Took it right out to the course, had a shot where I could give it a good test (150ish uphill from the left rough, ball a little below the feet) and the shot felt solid and hit the front-left corner of the green. OK! That exhaustive test completed .. I went and ordered the #4 (don't call me impulsive...); took it to the range yesterday and dare I say I feel like I've found "it" that I've been missing. A solid strike seems to go exactly the distance I was trying to fill, and a mishit, while of course will lose distance, still flew straight enough. Also hit the 6 hybrid and 5 Crossover that have shuffled in and out of the bag and this new HL4 iron-wood is definitely the better choice for me!

Very keen on reading up on each of the testers' experiences as you go along! Earlier this year, after the MGS ball test, I'd picked up some of those new MaxFlis (from Dick's, and still at 2 dozen for $50). I tried both the Tour and the X .. tho I did not test them side-by-side .. and also tried both the matte and gloss finishes. I think I have a preference on ball, and on finish, but am curious to see if a consensus develops amongst the tester group..... Have fun!

..and yet another GREAT tip!! Thanks for that info! For short game shots, I was taught to use less arms / more body (torso) rotation ... what's your view on this? (- for this example let's just assume a basic short range pitch shot; no special lie, trouble, etc.) (> If I were near Chicago I'd be throwing money at you to help me with my swing & game!!!)

Wow.... What a transformation!

Thx, Kenny! But... my bigger problems on that hole are the approach and then the green itself - I've three putted that green more than any other! The approach problem is literally all in my head - it drops off steeply behind and left and right towards marsh/wetlands/OB without much room for error; a deep bunker is front-right with a small pond leading towards it. The safe approach is from the left side of the fairway, thru the dogleg, and believe me I've layed up to there and still f***ed it up....... Maybe next time I go there I'll just play that one hole 9 times!!

Hah, love it! Then I'm ok 'cuz I *always* do well there! Ha thx, not sure where I lost "it" in my game but at least I'm determined!

Good review, good info .. thx! I'm intrigued by these new Cleveland putters and your positive experience has me leaning more towards testing one out.

Went back to the same course I'd played yesterday, in an attempt to seek some redemption on the first three holes that I had played poorly - and, well, that didn't work out...... Just one stroke better on #1 but then just as bad on #2 and #3. Scratched out three ok bogeys to follow but then yet another blow-up on the #7 hole. And the last two holes that I'd almost-birdied and birdied yesterday? Well today was the polar opposite.... Man this game can be hard sometimes, and I'm not really liking the way I'm closing out the season here. Gotta turn it around!!!

Well it was an incredibly warm, clear day (gonna be the last one of those for a while....) but started off kinda poorly... ..to where my score to par after the first 3 holes matched my previous whole 9 hole round there! Picked it up after that with bogeys and pars, tho I did add another double on my nemesis hole at this course (#7) - tee shot left, punch out, chunked the approach, chip on but ran out too much, misread the first putt..... Finished well with an almost birdie (Par 5) - I actually missed a straight-in level 3 footer - and a solid birdie (uphill Par 3). .. And speaking of Canadian Geese .. typically this course, especially #7 thru #9 by the water, are thick with geese and geese poop (walkers tip: put cheap plastic shower caps on your cart wheels) .. but today was strangely, weirdly clean! Not one goose in sight .. Hey @Kenny B maybe they all went to Washington?!?!

Nice! I've got a 4W that I'm pretty happy with .. been hitting it nicely off the tee lately and once in a while off the deck, too. The mantra around here - which I totally completely wholeheartedly agree with - is play what works best for you