2019 Maxfli Tour and Tour X Golf Balls

[Tsecor]

22 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

Ok, who's going to step up and cut their balls in half so we can look at and dissect the guts? 

I'm sorry but i just cant.......sounds like something my wife would say

[revkev]

4 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

@jddaigneault @revkev if you guys still have the specific "Tour x" ball that feels like a rock (JD) and softer than the regular tour ball (rev), would you consider cutting those balls to see if they are indeed the same ball?

Great idea - I will be glad to do it sometime in the next few days. 

I've certainly settled on the Tour ball as the preferred choice for me.  In fact the Tour ball has made me curious enough that I'm going to grab a sleeve of Pro VI's from the clubhouse the next time I play and throw that comparison into the mix.  (I currently game the Ix).  I'm a few yards longer with my gamer than I am with the Tour except for when the wind gets up - with a lot of wind in I'm a tad longer with the Tour than my gamer but down wind I'm 15 plus yards longer with the Pro VIx because it launches so much higher with the driver.

I'm about the same length with approach shots on all three balls and they all stop reasonably well for me - I'm not a high spin player, my greens tend to be firm although it was very wet (cart path only) on one of the days that I had them out on the course so anything would have held that day.
 

 

[the_hammer]

4 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

@jddaigneault @revkev if you guys still have the specific "Tour x" ball that feels like a rock (JD) and softer than the regular tour ball (rev), would you consider cutting those balls to see if they are indeed the same ball?

Just to add a bit to this on feel I agree the Tour X has a much harder feel than the Tour. I first noticed this on the practice putting green. Off the putter face the 2 balls felt different. I liked the feel of the Tour better because it was soft but seem to have been getting better results with the Tour X in my putting. I am looking forward to my test data to see how feel translates to performance. 

[artful_golfer]

9 hours ago, downlowkey said:

I haven’t pored over the MGS ball test data in awhile but seem to recall the Maxfli ball(s) having some eyebrow raising offline statistical anomalies. Which, with consistent testing protocols, would seem to suggest some serious in-flight spin axis tilt. I believe @artful_golfer put a dozen through the epsom balance test and promptly returned them because almost every ball in the box was wonky.

Considering the reported impacts that MGS is having on the ball industry (read: manufacturing perceptions), I would be very interested to compare balance tests with the potentially “hand picked” products delivered to testers -vs- balls from retail shelves.

I did. After studying the MGS Ball Test, I purchased 2 dozen retail Maxfli Tour balls on sale from Dick's Sporting Goods. My epsom salt floating balance test was quite disappointing. Compared to the Chromesoft and Sxiron I also floated, except for a couple balls the Maxfli spun quickly each time to the same high spot which was never on the printed CG line. The whole point was to find myself a new consistently balanced ball that didn't break my bank, so I returned them all. To be fair, I did not hit any of them because I didn't want to return used balls. I then re-studied the MGS ball data to find another option.

[the_hammer]

As I outlined in my initial post, I am taking an approach that blends on course performance and indoor launch monitor analysis to test the balls. Today was a launch monitor day. I am limiting the number of shots that I take in the sessions to remove performance issues due to fatigue. Using SkyTrak and my set up in the garage I added about 30 shots today brining the total so far up to ~300 shots.

Once outlier shots are removed I have about 100 shots right now that are in the analysis. Using 4 test groups; Control, ProV1, Tour, and TourX what I am looking for is if the claims of this ball having a higher ball flight are true. I also want to see how both my current ProV1's compare to the test balls and control group. Before I draw any conclusions I do want to increase the population of the analysis dataset. 

What would you be looking for out of the ball you play when it come to the launch monitor? Total Distance? Amount off line? Apex? Decent angle? Spin rates? Let me know and I will be sure to pull those datapoint into my analysis. 

 

[revkev]

As I outlined in my initial post, I am taking an approach that blends on course performance and indoor launch monitor analysis to test the balls. Today was a launch monitor day. I am limiting the number of shots that I take in the sessions to remove performance issues due to fatigue. Using SkyTrak and my set up in the garage I added about 30 shots today brining the total so far up to ~300 shots.

Once outlier shots are removed I have about 100 shots right now that are in the analysis. Using 4 test groups; Control, ProV1, Tour, and TourX what I am looking for is if the claims of this ball having a higher ball flight are true. I also want to see how both my current ProV1's compare to the test balls and control group. Before I draw any conclusions I do want to increase the population of the analysis dataset. 

What would you be looking for out of the ball you play when it come to the launch monitor? Total Distance? Amount off line? Apex? Decent angle? Spin rates? Let me know and I will be sure to pull those datapoint into my analysis. 

 

 

 

We all would be different in regards to what we should look for - slower swing speed needs higher launch and more spin. I would want 15 degrees launch and about 2,800 spin rate as my ideal. That would not work for a guy who swings 110.

 

I will be curious to see the launch rate, spin rate comparisons between the balls. I suppose offline too - I don’t have access to a device that will give launch angle spin rates. Still it’s very easy to see that the Tour launches lower than the X. It also goes significantly longer for me which leads me to believe that the X spins too much. I’ve had any number of times where my Pro VIx was 20 yards past the Tour X ball. I can’t afford that kind of distance loss.

 

Last time that I was out was a prime example. 18 at my club, 420, back pin, into a slight breeze, wet conditions. I smoke three drives - there was 19 yard between the Pro VIx and Tour x, 8 between the Tour and the ProVIx - I had 191 to the pin - A 7 wood as opposed to not being able to reach in regulation from the Tour x.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

[golfinnut]

My Story ….

Golfinnut … Yep, that’s me.  The infamous sarcastic, sometimes irritating Golfinnut.  Some of you know me & have even played a few rounds with me.  Those of you that have, know that I’m a decent golfer that can hold his own on the course.  I despise slow play & also despise playing like crap.  I can shoot anywhere from 68 to 88, depending on the day and to which swing I bring to the course that day. 

 

I like to have fun on the course.  If you have a horrible shot, I will make sure you know it with a few sarcastic remarks.  All in fun of course.  I don’t do it to harp on anyone, I do it to lighten the mood & to not be so stuffy on the course.  Some people enjoy the light heartedness brought to the group but sometimes there are some who find it irritating.  I normally figure out which pretty early.  LOL  But trust me, you will hear some somewhat colorful commentary about my own play throughout the day.  You will be smiling & just saying “what did he just say?”  Most of that colorful commentary isn’t for everyone’s eyes here, so I’ll leave it at that.

 

I’ve been playing this lovely game of ours for over 40+ years.  My father started me when I was only 4 years old (yes, do the math, I’m pretty old!) with some clubs he cut down for me.  I would swing out in the yard and as I got older I would play on weekends with him and his buddies.  By the time I was 10 years old, I was beating him & taking money from his friends.  I would have to give them strokes but I still won the money.  I continued playing religiously all the way through high school and college.  The lowest my cap got was a 2 back in high school but that was when I was playing or practicing every day of the week.  I had nothing else to do except that.  I wanted to be the best on my team and beat the best on the course.  I became dedicated to getting better and better every year.  Then as what happens to all of us, family & work obligations took over.  And so declined my time I could put in to my golf game.  I still made time for it at least once a week, but my game still suffered.  But as with anything else, I found a way to keep at it.  As I’ve aged, I’ve learned to appreciate what little time I must dedicate to the game by not getting as frustrated as I did when I was younger.  Knowing full well I don’t have the time be as good of a player, I just take what the game gives me day to day.

 

What makes me love the game? 

The test of your mind & your ability.  To actually think your way around a course.  It’s just You vs the Course … no team, there is no “I” in Golf either, but the game can really frustrate the hell out of you and bring you to your knees or it can make you jump for joy … all in the same day!

 

What region do I play out of?

I’m a northern VA golfer, born and raised here just outside of DC.  So, I play in all surrounding states as well.  There are probably very few courses I haven’t played in VA one time or another. 

 

My golf ball Needs?

What I need a golf ball to do?  Well first, get in the damn hole!  Now how it gets there is another matter.  I’m a natural high ball hitter.  So, I really don’t have any issues getting any ball into the air.  I tend to increase the loft at impact (an issue I’m working out now).  So, I need the ball to be of a more penetrating flight, that really bores through the air vs ballooning.  I also need the ball to drop & stop when it’s called for.  Which is pretty much all the time because I fire at every pin regardless of its location.  LOL  I currently play the 2019 ProV1 & really like it this year.  The previous iterations weren’t all that great, but this year’s ball is fantastic.  It just has the perfect trajectory and “drop & stop” performance that the ball is known for. 

 

The Golf Questions

My handicap is normally “myself” but if we want a number, it’s usually around an 8 or so. 

My typical flight is either a straight ball or a slight fade. I’m more of a “point & shoot” type of player.  I pick the target and aim straight at it …. Whichever way it decides to move, so be it … I’ll live with a fade or a draw.  I don’t play for a certain path anymore.  Now when I was younger, I had a natural draw that would just turn on command.  As I’ve gotten older, stiffer, & fatter it’s become a fade.

My miss is usually a slice.  Not an “off the planet” type of slice but one that is still playable.   I was hoping the Maxfli could alleviate some of this.

 

I’d like to think I have a great short game.  Well more like a scrambling game because I always seem to be getting myself out of trouble one way or another.  I have the ability to get up and down from anywhere.  At least, I keep telling myself that.  My only issue is putting.  I’m too inconsistent.  One day I’ll have 26 putts, the next 36.  The NUT CAVE is full of putters of every make and style.  I have yet to tell myself that it’s not the putter but the putt-ee!  LOL

 

Maxfli Tour & Tour X CG (Center of Gravity Balanced)

I was really impressed when I took out both balls from their simplistic box.  The box brings attention to the name Maxfli  but nothing really grabbing your attention to the new technology, except small print at the top left corner.  Two different color variations … Tour is white while the Tour X is gray metallic cover. 

The cover of the ball itself feels decent.  Doesn’t feel cheap.  (when I initially think of Maxfli, I put them in the category with Top-Flight, rock hard cheap balls.  That’s one reason why I never considered playing them).  Fingernail test done … no real indentions or scrapes.  Bounce test …. Done.

 

So, the point behind this technology is to “Point the alignment line towards your target and hit your tee shots longer and higher.”  My original thought was “now how is that possible, I’ve been doing that for a long time now & it doesn’t help.”  I always mark the alignment line with a sharpie and then align the line on the tee down the target line.  It’s just been a habit of mine for a long time, regardless of the make of the ball.  So, having to do this as a tester was a no brainer for me. 

Maxfli throws around terms like “Moment of Inertia” & “Center of Gravity” which when done correctly, is supposed to reduce sidespin & create longer distance and higher flight.  Now I’m no physicist, nor claim to be one, but wouldn’t the highest moment of inertia on the ball be at the middle of where the mantle or cover meets the two spheres together?   I get it that it has to do more with the core than anything else but still. 

 

Now we all know of the “line” at which the two spheres of the cover of the ball meet, right.  I’ve always harped on manufacturers that didn’t put the side stamp exactly on that line.  Which brings me to the question, how do they decide where the highest moment of inertia is on the ball to put the stamp?  Is each ball gone thru a myriad of testing, forces put upon it from all sides, etc to find this mysterious MOI or COG? 

The Center of Gravity is officially the place in a system or body where the weight is evenly dispersed, and all sides are in balance.  Now how is that accomplished in a golf ball?  Especially when the alignment aid is put on the ball in any random spot?  I would think that all sides would be in balance at the meet point of the two spheres, as I spoke about above.  But hey, I’m no physicist or engineer, so maybe someone can clue me in.  But on to more important discussions ….

Now I do like the feel of both balls off the wedges just chipping around the yard.  After 100 or so chips back & fourth, even with my dog interrupting by retrieving a few Tour’s, the ball seems to be still ready for play.  Barely an abrasion to be found. 

Putting … good feel off the putter face on the indoor mat.  Now comes the real test on the course.  Will I be able to control the distance with both?  Yes .... both balls perform equally well on the green.  The X seemed to have more of an audible click to it but not overly harsh. 

Does It Go Further & Higher?

This is going to be a fun test.  I really want to see if this claim is true, just by “pointing & shooting” the alignment line to the target.  That’s the way I play golf anyway, so it won’t be hard.  I’m going to test both balls side by side, along with my current gamer.  Now I hit a high ball naturally, so it may be hard for me to decide if it goes any higher.  But I will notice the distance difference, if any.  I’m going to be anxious to see if there is a lack of sidespin on any of the shots … cause straight balls are a good thing, but just hard to hit. Not having any preconceived notions, I think I will probably like the Tour X ball a bit better, just because of the layer difference, from 3 to 4.   

edit ... they do go higher!  I'm a high ball hitter as it is.  But these ... wow do they go high!  Especially on the short irons.  If you get the distances dialed in, you can potentially fire at any flag cause they stop on a dime coming in at that decent angle.  Yikes!  

I love ball testing! 

The story continues ….

 

 

[fixyurdivot]

21 hours ago, downlowkey said:

Considering the reported impacts that MGS is having on the ball industry (read: manufacturing perceptions), I would be very interested to compare balance tests with the potentially “hand picked” products delivered to testers -vs- balls from retail shelves.

As I previously stated, my salt bath tests show these to be VERY WELL balanced...  as in the balls did not return to a previous marked high-spot in 5 roll attempts. I'm hopeful this is Maxfli's product/marketing advantage; and the result of controlled manufacturing... not cherry picking. 

We no doubt have enough random inventory throughout the MGS community at large to test the question.  Let the salt bath tests begin .  

 

[fixyurdivot]

11 hours ago, the_hammer said:

As I outlined in my initial post, I am taking an approach that blends on course performance and indoor launch monitor analysis to test the balls. Today was a launch monitor day. I am limiting the number of shots that I take in the sessions to remove performance issues due to fatigue. Using SkyTrak and my set up in the garage I added about 30 shots today brining the total so far up to ~300 shots.

Once outlier shots are removed I have about 100 shots right now that are in the analysis. Using 4 test groups; Control, ProV1, Tour, and TourX what I am looking for is if the claims of this ball having a higher ball flight are true. I also want to see how both my current ProV1's compare to the test balls and control group. Before I draw any conclusions I do want to increase the population of the analysis dataset. 

What would you be looking for out of the ball you play when it come to the launch monitor? Total Distance? Amount off line? Apex? Decent angle? Spin rates? Let me know and I will be sure to pull those datapoint into my analysis. 

 

Awesome stuff!  Love your test plan. Can you please provide your street address - there are a few of us spies who would like to come over and use your indoor range .

[DrMJG]

eplied: Wednesday at 02:46 PM

Round was one using only the Maxfli Tour 

      

18 holes, 2 balls used as a sent one swimming, otherwise used the same ball all round.  Both OB balls were able to be retried. No rough spots on either ball.  OB were  the result of BARELY rolling into the marked OB areas.

Course info:  I played the forward tees. 73.20/128

Score: 87, Putts 32,  GIR 11%. FIR. 71%. Handicap difference 12.2

All in all some of the best driving I have ever had. Long for me, with excellent dispersion

BIG TIME NOTE:  I also changed my driver this week from my long time friend Ping G5  Soft Regular to a Ping G410 Plus with a Alta CB Red SR.  I set it to correct a slice with a neutral setting for loft. My driving range stats over 100 hits showed distance came out with ball speed 109 average and a distance average of 210, with little divergence.  I did not note ball speed today but Arccos noted my average driver whack came out at 219. One may conclude the ball was 9 yards longer.    

For all you number junkies I will have a fun numbers run when I take my Bridgestone e12, my usual gamer, and both Maxfli to an indoor hitting range to get data on all three.

I was happy with only 32 Putts and I felt I had better control on the greens.  Speed and hold with wedges and chips still ran quite a bit, added, perhaps and extra stroke on some holes.

Edited October 27, 2019 by DrMJG

[DrMJG]

Today was the Tour X, on the same course as the Tour round earlier this week.

   

18 holes, 5 balls used as I sent one swimming, 2 out of bounds and replaced one due to scuffing off of a sprinkler.  

Course info:  I played the forward tees. 73.20/128

Score:97, Putts 35,  GIR 4%. FIR. 712%. Handicap difference 16.4

Compared to the Tour, this was a disappointing round. The additional spin on the ball was obvious in higher drives, which ended up with  marginal difference in terms of distance, compared to my usual gamer.  It was on average 6-10 yards shorter, than what I got with the Tour. (I should mention that wind was negligible for both rounds.)

This was the most notable difference. Both were fine using the centering line on the ball.  Dispersion was good, it was the loss of yardage, especially  my driver, 4h, and 6i, that caused the swimmer and one of the OB to go wild as it went well short of what was aimed at and took a wicked bounce out, never to be seen again.  The other OB I purely commit to operator error.

The ball I replaced hit an exposed sprinkler head at a good speed; off a 7i. It was more "dumb luck of a geezer duffer" than any thing that could be blamed on the ball. The scuff did come off after the game, when I had a tad more time to deal with it,; but, I still relegated it to my collection of practice balls.

In regards to putting, this ball was difficult to find that sweet speed read. Three putts, two between 15'-20',  one of which presented a severe break to the left, which I had lined up quite well, but hit the back of the cup very hard and bounced out.  I rarely hit a putt hard out the back with my gamer.  I might simply have not found the perfect, or at least playable, speed touch for the Tour X in my practice.  It frustrated the hell out of me today.

Some of the added shots over the other day came from my pitching chips hitting the green "hot". making the putts longer. I also had fewer GIR as the short hits off the tees, in particular, added one more shot to reach the green. The FIR was about the same, indicating dispersion off the tee was quite similar.

Not sure how to master the tee/chip speed demon at this time. If I were to change to this ball, much additional preparation would be needed to get to comfortable results.

 

 

 

•  

Edited October 26, 2019 by DrMJG

[the_hammer]

Today was another good day of testing. Despite the fact that it was only about 46 degrees out the course was in great shape and primed for testing. I brought the wife along to take some videos and pictures. 

Today I focused on testing the Tour ball and this was the first day that I did not test the balls side by side. On the first hole I hit my 3rd shot just short left of the green (it's a par 5).  Below is the 4th shot, chipping to a deep flag.

A bit too far left but still noticing the higher ball flight on shots around the green. As I continue to use these balls I do think I like the Tour ball more than the Tour X. Moving on the next few holes were uneventful and the Tour performed as I would expect. I have talked a lot in some of my past posts about the performance on the putting green. Below are 2 putts from the round today. 

Putt

 Putt 2 - 

I like the control that come with the Tour ball on the greens. For me what I look for out of a ball is to build confidence. I am starting to get that feeling with the Tour ball. 

I am looking forward to the upcoming days where I will be testing out the TourX for the first time solo. 

 

[jddaigneault]

Managed to get out yesterday for nine holes, despite 30+ mile an hour winds and a ton of smoke in the air from a nearby wild fire. I figure, as long as the course isn’t on fire, every day is a good day to play golf. 

I used the Tour ball, as I’ve definitely developed a preference for this one. I played some holes with the CG line as a direction aid, and some with my own line based on the epsom salt test. 

First two holes, my epsom line, -3. 

Third hole, CG line, pulled left into water. On the bright side, I didn’t think I could hit it that far so that’s cool. Wind was heading in that direction, so I’m not sure we can blame much of the misses on the ball but it hurt my solid start. 

Ended up shooting 3 over through nine (definitely didn’t finish what I started!). Interesting notes on the round...the spin does not seem to be as high as my normal ball. It would pop and release, which is uncommon for me. I usually see more pop and stop or roll back. I’m not sure how much the wind would impact that, but it was definitely noticeable. 

The CG line seemed to make absolutely no difference. Using the epsom line definitely worked better. Some of that could certainly be placebo effect.

I really liked the way the ball responded on the putting green. It held a line really well, I had a great day putting. For nine holes I had 14 putts, many of which were outside 10 feet. The ball rolls well. 

Overall, it was a great experience playing with the maxfli tour. I’ll have to adjust to the spin difference, but I look forward to more rounds. 
 

[revkev]

I am seeing a real trend here. Is there any among us who prefers the Tour x ball or is finding that it performs better than the Tour x?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

[DrMJG]

3 hours ago, revkev said:

I am seeing a real trend here. Is there any among us who prefers the Tour x ball or is finding that it performs better than the Tour x?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

So far, not for me.  There are some reasons some my find the Tour X better for them, but so far it is not a "match" for my game.

 

Edited October 26, 2019 by DrMJG

[DrMJG]

Today, I took out my ancient blade putter, more for something to change up, to see if it were possible to do a better job with speed on putts, especially over 15'.  

My goal was to see just how much I could adapt both balls or the balls to my stroke or visa versa.

I was fairly pleased with the results on those 15' challanges with the Tour.  I still tended to miss on the longer putts; and I missed long.  I eventually got it down to the point where I could have a much better second putt.

 The CoG line did appear to help, especially on the much longer puts of about 20'

From within 4', I was a much, much better putter. Again, the CoG line did not fail; but, in truth, at that distance I am not sure how much impact it had.  

To be honest, in my whole golfing life, I have never chosen a ball based on how well it occur on, at this .  I primarily register about 2 putts/whole over all. I have too many other areas I need to fix.

Both were somewhat hot on the longer putts. While today,  I noticed no worrisome  difference between the two, The Tour X come out to have been a little bit more of a runner.

Edited October 27, 2019 by DrMJG

[SteddyGolf]

“Innovative, Patent Pending Center of Gravity Balanced Technology aligns the golf ball’s Moment of Inertia with the desired target for reduced side spin and optimal ball flight. A large, soft core construction combines with an interior Ionomer layer to create exceptionally soft feel, optimal spin and higher ball speeds.........”

 

Let’s pretend for a moment this is true and not just marketing speak, would you not have to consistently hit the ball in the exact correct spot to take advantage of these properties????? Who among us hits the ball dead center every swing?

 

What I have witnessed is both versions of these balls tend to spin heavy leading to increased action left and right. I’ve hit far less fairways than my statistics over the past three years would indicate I should.

 

My readers digest version short review is these balls in both versions are more difficult to control off the tee and are not as long as the other balls in my bag (TM TP5, Snell Black, T PV1).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

[fixyurdivot]

5 minutes ago, SteddyGolf said:

“Innovative, Patent Pending Center of Gravity Balanced Technology aligns the golf ball’s Moment of Inertia with the desired target for reduced side spin and optimal ball flight. A large, soft core construction combines with an interior Ionomer layer to create exceptionally soft feel, optimal spin and higher ball speeds.........”

 

Let’s pretend for a moment this is true and not just marketing speak, would you not have to consistently hit the ball in the exact correct spot to take advantage of these properties????? Who among us hits the ball dead center every swing?

 

What I have witnessed is both versions of these balls tend to spin heavy leading to increased action left and right. I’ve hit far less fairways than my statistics over the past three years would indicate I should.

 

My readers digest version short review is these balls in both versions are more difficult to control off the tee and are not as long as the other balls in my bag (TM TP5, Snell Black, T PV1).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

They give you the perfectly balanced ball... but they cannot hit it for ya .  How about rolling them on the green - like either?

[fixyurdivot]

7 hours ago, revkev said:

I am seeing a real trend here. Is there any among us who prefers the Tour x ball or is finding that it performs better than the Tour x?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

It sure seems like the Tour is getting a bit more love than the Tour X.  I'm not there yet, but leaning that way.  My early deciphering of our posts is that us slower swing speed players are not getting all the X has to offer.  It will be interesting to see if our fast swingers see better distance with the 4 piece X.

[SteddyGolf]

It sure seems like the Tour is getting a bit more love than the Tour X.  I'm not there yet, but leaning that way.  My early deciphering of our posts is that us slower swing speed players are not getting all the X has to offer.  It will be interesting to see if our fast swingers see better distance with the 4 piece X.

 

End of summer handicap is a +o5 so hitting a golf ball is not the issue. In this case these balls just don’t perform for me. Others may have different results but my experience has not been positive. To eliminate the natural variance of Golf I’ve played numerous 9 hole afternoon rounds hitting three balls from each location as I moved down the fairway. Two Maxfli and one other brand premium ball. Obviously there have been some good shots with the Maxfli. Overall for me Snell, Bridgestone, and TP5 have statistically out performed the Maxfli balls. I hit more fairways, more greens and less putts per round when compared to the Maxfli balls while using the aforementioned premium balls.

 

Moving forward my plan is to compare the Maxfli balls against other balls in their price range. This maybe a better comparison of their value.

 

 

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