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What are you doing with the '21 Ball test data?


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5 minutes ago, storm319 said:

Actually, Callaway was already a couple of years into their 5 year, $50 mil investment plan when the 2019 test came out so it was not a reaction to the bad press (although the way that they continually brought it up during damage control made it seem that it was a reaction to the test).

I do agree that the release of the results this time around were a bit lack luster given the build up. 

Iirc they had planned for $30 mil then after the ball report they bumped it up to $50m

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Iirc they had planned for $30 mil then after the ball report they bumped it up to $50m

I stand corrected (Chip Brewer references this in the video below). An important thing to keep in mind is that much of the investment was focused on expanding/updating the physical building, production capacity, human capital, and simply replacing archaic equipment. We’ll probably never know what part of that went directly to QA or whether the new equipment just resulted in a more consistent product, but Callaway definitely didn’t drop $50 mil simply because of one of Tony’s social media posts (although you may be able to give him credit for their addition of xray QC).

Also, I'm not trying to pick on Callaway as all OEMs struggle with consistently centering dual core designs (I personally swore them off after seeing an extremely misaligned NXT Tour nearly a decade ago). 
 

 

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Still haven’t figured out which ball to look at substituting for the Pro V1X. I’m thinking I’m going to get some more Snells, TP5X, and something else mid-spin, or low-spin. Left dash is good for everything but driver for me.

Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X

Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X

Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X

Irons:  Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100

Wedges: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

Putter:  :edel-golf-1: EAS 1.0

Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX

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1 hour ago, PMookie said:

Still haven’t figured out which ball to look at substituting for the Pro V1X. I’m thinking I’m going to get some more Snells, TP5X, and something else mid-spin, or low-spin. Left dash is good for everything but driver for me.

Too low spin of the driver for you?

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18 hours ago, storm319 said:

Actually, Callaway was already a couple of years into their 5 year, $50 mil investment plan when the 2019 test came out so it was not a reaction to the bad press (although the way that they continually brought it up during damage control made it seem that it was a reaction to the test).

I do agree that the release of the results this time around were a bit lack luster given the build up. 

yea....but like you said, the original test hit home with Callaway.....

i play the new CS and its really good.....their whole ball lineup is impressive

Golf is cool

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15 hours ago, PMookie said:

Still haven’t figured out which ball to look at substituting for the Pro V1X. I’m thinking I’m going to get some more Snells, TP5X, and something else mid-spin, or low-spin. Left dash is good for everything but driver for me.

how is left dash bad off the driver? too firrm? the ball flies a mile for me....

i just tried the CSX and it performed really well.....a little short in the 7 iron range as I found it to be ~5 yards shorter thana the CS.....but everywhere else, the CSX has been really good...

Golf is cool

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1 hour ago, Tsecor said:

how is left dash bad off the driver? too firrm? the ball flies a mile for me....

i just tried the CSX and it performed really well.....a little short in the 7 iron range as I found it to be ~5 yards shorter thana the CS.....but everywhere else, the CSX has been really good...

Left dash doesn’t spin enough off driver for me, it literally drops out of the sky. Hated the original CSX so I’m not sure about that ball

Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X

Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X

Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X

Irons:  Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100

Wedges: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

Putter:  :edel-golf-1: EAS 1.0

Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX

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2 hours ago, PMookie said:

Left dash doesn’t spin enough off driver for me, it literally drops out of the sky. Hated the original CSX so I’m not sure about that ball

wow....for me, it lowers my trajectory and im getting a decent profile with height and some roll....

the CSX and CS are shockingly good for me but neither one is a complete ball for me....both have real long driving attributes, but the CSx is a little short in the 6-8 iron....while the CS isnt goof for me under 40 yards.....

i just purchased a dzn left dots this morning so im hoping that is the unicorn ball i have been searching for. 

Golf is cool

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Still using Callaway Supersoft Max...good ball.  Was hoping they would compare it with others for slow speed swingers.  My driver speed is around 65-70 and my iron speed is around 55-60.  Oh, well.  Test did nothing for me.  Shot my age for the first time with Supersoft Max...75.  Even with a triple on 18...messed up a sand shot.  

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Hodgepodge of clubs, mostly woods and hybrids 

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3 hours ago, Tsecor said:

wow....for me, it lowers my trajectory and im getting a decent profile with height and some roll....

the CSX and CS are shockingly good for me but neither one is a complete ball for me....both have real long driving attributes, but the CSx is a little short in the 6-8 iron....while the CS isnt goof for me under 40 yards.....

i just purchased a dzn left dots this morning so im hoping that is the unicorn ball i have been searching for. 

I just got another sleeve of left dash so I’m going to loft-up the driver and try them at the start of the shamble I’m playing in on Saturday. 

Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X

Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X

Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X

Irons:  Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100

Wedges: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

Putter:  :edel-golf-1: EAS 1.0

Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX

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15 hours ago, PMookie said:

I just got another sleeve of left dash so I’m going to loft-up the driver and try them at the start of the shamble I’m playing in on Saturday. 

good luck. i lowered my loft to 9 degrees with this ball and found the sweet spot. I usually play it at 10.5 degrees. 

Golf is cool

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On 8/31/2021 at 6:11 PM, storm319 said:

I stand corrected (Chip Brewer references this in the video below). An important thing to keep in mind is that much of the investment was focused on expanding/updating the physical building, production capacity, human capital, and simply replacing archaic equipment. We’ll probably never know what part of that went directly to QA or whether the new equipment just resulted in a more consistent product, but Callaway definitely didn’t drop $50 mil simply because of one of Tony’s social media posts (although you may be able to give him credit for their addition of xray QC).

Also, I'm not trying to pick on Callaway as all OEMs struggle with consistently centering dual core designs (I personally swore them off after seeing an extremely misaligned NXT Tour nearly a decade ago). 
 

 

callaway has been good for many years and we all know everyone is chasing Titleist in terms of overall quality and reputation, but yea, the first ball test had tremendous impact on Callaway...they should be thankful. Im sure if you really dig into the quality aspect of each manufacturer you could find issues with TM and others.....im not sure how TM controls 5 layers so well....maybe the extra layer covers up any core issues  lol

Golf is cool

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3 hours ago, Tsecor said:

good luck. i lowered my loft to 9 degrees with this ball and found the sweet spot. I usually play it at 10.5 degrees. 

Thanks. I had to loft-up the Cobra to 10.5 to get the right spin, up from 9.5, but I’m playing Callaway Epic Max LS at 8, so I’ll try at 9 to see what happens

Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X

Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X

Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X

Irons:  Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100

Wedges: :edel-golf-1: SMS 50D/54V/58D:Nippon:Modus 130 stiff, +1”

Putter:  :edel-golf-1: EAS 1.0

Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX

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I'm not using low compression balls anymore my driver swing speed is roughly 108 with a 116 if I get after it. I also want a bit less spin so I'm staying away from my previous gamers Ksigs/Mizuno and going with the vice pro plus for a while. I'm still to inconsistent to want to play with a pricier ball so I'm sticking to the pro plus for a while. Additionally I'm giving my buddies who are just starting all the balls I find as they are really just happy to get it in the air and relatively straight right now. I will say the two rounds I played the pro plus the ball flight/spin/feel has felt more consistent for me and while it could be placebo right now I'm convinced it's a good move. 

  • Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero 8° Accra FX2.0 250 M4
  • PXG 5 wood turned 4 wood hzrd black
  • PXG 3 Hybrid hzrd black
  • Taylormade 2019 P790's KBS Tour S 4-5
  • PXG 0211 ST 6-GW
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1 hour ago, ST3LTR0 said:

I'm not using low compression balls anymore my driver swing speed is roughly 108 with a 116 if I get after it. I also want a bit less spin so I'm staying away from my previous gamers Ksigs/Mizuno and going with the vice pro plus for a while. I'm still to inconsistent to want to play with a pricier ball so I'm sticking to the pro plus for a while. Additionally I'm giving my buddies who are just starting all the balls I find as they are really just happy to get it in the air and relatively straight right now. I will say the two rounds I played the pro plus the ball flight/spin/feel has felt more consistent for me and while it could be placebo right now I'm convinced it's a good move. 

what do you consider low compression?  Tiger uses an 86 compression ball....works pretty good for him

Golf is cool

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1 hour ago, Tsecor said:

what do you consider low compression?  Tiger uses an 86 compression ball....works pretty good for him

I was using the vice pro softs/ wilson duo's in years prior. Fairly certain they are lower than an 86. Probably all mental but the former balls seem more responsive imo. 

  • Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero 8° Accra FX2.0 250 M4
  • PXG 5 wood turned 4 wood hzrd black
  • PXG 3 Hybrid hzrd black
  • Taylormade 2019 P790's KBS Tour S 4-5
  • PXG 0211 ST 6-GW
  • Vokey 54/58° sm8 
  • Mizuno Mcraft 3

 

 

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12 minutes ago, ST3LTR0 said:

I was using the vice pro softs/ wilson duo's in years prior. Fairly certain they are lower than an 86. Probably all mental but the former balls seem more responsive imo. 

i havebeen flip flopping between balls all summer in an effort to find the best perfroming/best feeling ball......played the cjromesoft which is 75....and i like it.....played the TP5x (90), prov1 (90), CSX (95) and the left dash (101) and all have different feels and characteristics.....i love the feel of the CS off the driver but also have grown to love the left dash off the driver as well....it really feels like it explodes off the face but feels slightly "heavier" if that makes sense....

whittling it down this week with the BXS test and the left dot test.....hoping the left dot works well for me.....i think at this moment the chromesoft X and the prov1 are the two best all around balls for me......we'll see

Golf is cool

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10 hours ago, Tsecor said:

callaway has been good for many years and we all know everyone is chasing Titleist in terms of overall quality and reputation, but yea, the first ball test had tremendous impact on Callaway...they should be thankful. Im sure if you really dig into the quality aspect of each manufacturer you could find issues with TM and others.....im not sure how TM controls 5 layers so well....maybe the extra layer covers up any core issues  lol

Dual cores designs are the real problem as there is a larger margin of error when trying to center the inner core due to the size of the outer core and method of molding a core. Injection molding mantles and covers are much easier to get right consistently (and thickness deviations aren’t as drastic due to their relatively thin nature vs a core).

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:titelist-small:  690.CB 3-PW

:titelist-small:  Vokey SM5 50, 56

image.png.e50b7e7a9b18feff4720d7b223a2013d.png   Works Versa 1W

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11 hours ago, storm319 said:

Dual cores designs are the real problem as there is a larger margin of error when trying to center the inner core due to the size of the outer core and method of molding a core. Injection molding mantles and covers are much easier to get right consistently (and thickness deviations aren’t as drastic due to their relatively thin nature vs a core).

yea, ive read all that as well and its amazing how well that actually turn out in the end

I think the next biggest story might be how an off center core effects flight and dispersion /distance.

i know they are cutting open some of the "squirlley ball" they found during the test....cant wait to see what they look like inside

Golf is cool

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To start, I really appreciate the time and effort the MGS staff dedicates to ball testing and data analysis. The results a couple of years ago prompted me to switch from Chromesoft to Maxfli CG.  Reviewing the data, the performance for me was somewhat of a push.  I hit balls in the water and the woods, so cost is a factor for me:)  In the last two seasons, I have improved.  I hit more fairways and a few more greens.  This is most likely a result of practice and effort, not a switch in golf balls. If I can increase my swing speed and consistency, I might consider another switch.

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The ball test coming out has really caused me to reevaluate my ball situation. Two years ago I started to really get back into golf after playing in HS ten years ago. After slowly upgrading my clubs I realized at the beginning of this year, there is a lot more to balls than just the brand. I would mostly just play “good ball name brands” that I would either randomly find or buy. 
I now obviously realize the vast difference in ball material and quality. I have improved 7 strokes this year since taking a couple lessons and upgrading clubs and most importantly, I now know my style/game and what I need to compliment it. The ball test had helped me get a starting point of balls to consider that will help my game the most and I now have a number of balls I am going to test this fall/next spring to see what fits me the best. I have come a long way from where I was a few years ago and MGS has been an invaluable resource the past year to help guide a number of my decisions.

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The ball test is a great test....as a base for us to start our OWN testing......

I have read the data sets up and down and probably spent more time than I should have reading their data and analying their conclusions.  It led me to buy 8 different balls this summer (~$400) to really do some extensive testing for the "top 8 balls" i thought would work for me.

What i found was, I swing nothing like a robot :)......

as much as I thought the data points MIGHT apply to me, i found they really were not that close in many situations.

For example....the Prov1X, on paper, was supposed to be the perfrect ball for me. When i actually played 36 holes with it, i couldnt wait to give the rest of the balls away....this ball was horrible for me.

On the other hand, the Chromesoft was SHOCKINGLY good for me off the tee and from the fairways.....out of the rough and under 50 yards, not so much.....soft is NOT SHORTER...i found that out with the CS and for MY SWING.

At the end of the summer, i found the BXS, V!x, AVX, TP5 and TP5X are all balls that do not work for me (although the TP5x could be ok in a pinch)

I found the Left dash to be a beast off the tee but thats where the benefits end for me....the Chromesoft X??? FOR ME, a grossly under rated ball. This ball does everything tee to green.

The Prov1 may be the best all around ball if you include "feel" but is a little short off the tee

The Prov1 left dot??? this is a BOMBER Off the tee and irons into the green. Its missing a tiny bit of spin i need around the greens and with the 8-pw irons but this was the 2nd best ball ive played this year....just fractionally behind the CSX.

You have to test the balls extensively....i suggest two full rounds, to see what truly works for you.....forget hitting off a mat, inside a store...find a way to test outdoors, off grass, from the rough, sand and sometimes woods :)......

there is nothing you can take from a data set that shows an 8 iron hitting off a tee with a robot other than seeing how the ball performs in that exact circumstance.....that same ball hitting from 1.5" deep rough into the green may roll out too far for you....

you have to really play the ball extensively to see how it fits your overall game.....that was the ONLY conclusion i drew after analyizing all thier data.....that and how shocked i was the CSX ended up being the best all around ball for me this year.

 

I still love hitting that left Dot though....

Golf is cool

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I'm not doing much with the data.  I have 6 dozen prov1 I received through the years as Christmas and birthday presents and about 6 dozen of the srixon z-stars. I'm not about to throw out those balls just for an extra couple yards.  My game isn't good enough to take advantage of minute differences the top balls have to offer.

 

MDGolfHacker

TSssWhat's In This Lefty's Bag?

Driver: :titleist-small: TSR2 11° Project X HZRDUS Black 4G 60g 5.5 Flex

Fairway Woods: :cobra-small: F8 3W Project X Even Flow Blue 75g shaft

Fairway Woods: 

Hybrid: :titelist-small: TSR2  18° Graphite Design Tour AD DI-85 Shaft

Irons: :titelist-small: 2021 T200's 4-GW AMT RED shafts Regular Flex

Wedge: :cleveland-small: Tour Satin RTX 4 Wedges in 52° and 56° 2 Dot

Putter: :nevercompromise-small: Gray Matter TDP 2.2 32.75"

Bag: :1590477705_SunMountain: Three 5

Ball:  :titelist-small:  PRO V1 / :srixon-small: Z*Star

RangeFinder:918457628_PrecisionPro: In search of new range finder

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46 minutes ago, MDGolfHacker said:

I'm not doing much with the data.  I have 6 dozen prov1 I received through the years as Christmas and birthday presents and about 6 dozen of the srixon z-stars. I'm not about to throw out those balls just for an extra couple yards.  My game isn't good enough to take advantage of minute differences the top balls have to offer.

 

MDGolfHacker

I think you would be shocked.

I thought the same way until i actually tested them myself....the differences in balls is much bigger than you think.....

but given the fact you have 12 dozen to get through, you may not be ready for a new ball until 2030

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22 hours ago, Tsecor said:

I think you would be shocked.

I thought the same way until i actually tested them myself....the differences in balls is much bigger than you think.....

but given the fact you have 12 dozen to get through, you may not be ready for a new ball until 2030

The way I've been playing lately, they may only last me now until the beginning of October😁😅🤣. Will definitely keep this in mind!

 

MDGolfHacker

TSssWhat's In This Lefty's Bag?

Driver: :titleist-small: TSR2 11° Project X HZRDUS Black 4G 60g 5.5 Flex

Fairway Woods: :cobra-small: F8 3W Project X Even Flow Blue 75g shaft

Fairway Woods: 

Hybrid: :titelist-small: TSR2  18° Graphite Design Tour AD DI-85 Shaft

Irons: :titelist-small: 2021 T200's 4-GW AMT RED shafts Regular Flex

Wedge: :cleveland-small: Tour Satin RTX 4 Wedges in 52° and 56° 2 Dot

Putter: :nevercompromise-small: Gray Matter TDP 2.2 32.75"

Bag: :1590477705_SunMountain: Three 5

Ball:  :titelist-small:  PRO V1 / :srixon-small: Z*Star

RangeFinder:918457628_PrecisionPro: In search of new range finder

Social Media:

Facebook:   MD Golfhacker
Twitter:        @mdgolfhacker
Instagram:   mdgolfhacker

 

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