MyGolfSpy 2023 Golf Ball Test!!!

[JohnnyO3478]

7 minutes ago, Dooby said:

Just curious - why do you doubt a 4 pc ball suits your game? Or why does a 3 pc suit it better?

To be fair - I have only tried 4 - Pro V1x, Chromsoft X, Vero X1 and Pro Plus.  They are all fine around the green for me - but I spin them too much off the T - compared to a quality 3 pc ball.  The Oncore was particularly short and spinny off the t for me.

Edited August 29, 2023 by JohnnyO3478

[Dooby]

6 minutes ago, JohnnyO3478 said:

To be fair - I have only tried 3 - Pro V1x, Chromsoft X and Pro Plus.  They are all fine around the green for me - but I spin them too much off the T - compared to a quality 3 pc ball.

Gotcha thanks. I was curious because I am narrowing my search and selection and I think I've landed on the MaxFli Tour X but that is a 4 pc.

[Shrek74]

17 hours ago, Jnoble89 said:

Look no further than me as the prime example of losing distance due to added spin by way of a negative AoA. Also why I slice it off the planet when things aren’t going well with driver. I can easily spin it well into the mid-upper 3000s, sometimes 4000s so that paired with path and face at impact = disaster at times. 

What's crazy is that I hit mid to upper 3k's just hitting it straight. At 105ss, I only get 220 out of my drives because of this. It's killing me to figure out the combo of bad swing, bad ball, bad club.

[Shrek74]

2 hours ago, PhilM75072 said:

As an old guy with a slow swing speed, I continue to be surprised by how well the Vice Pro Plus performs, a ball described as being for a high swing speed golfer (110+ mph), not only in these tests, but for me on the course! The test shows the Vice Pro and Vice Pro Plus, in combined yardage, driver plus mid-iron, are practically indistinguishable. I may switch to the Pro as I do prefer a little softer feel off the driver especially. 

I think you fall into that category mentioned in item 1 of the key findings:

High Compression Golf Balls Can Work for Nearly Everyone

I would not have believed that if it weren't for a test like this. Yes, there are always exceptions to every rule and high compression won't work for all lower swing speed players. But seeing this brings it back to my dad who always says he can't benefit/compress a ProV1. Now I can tell it doesn't matter.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

4 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

What's crazy is that I hit mid to upper 3k's just hitting it straight. At 105ss, I only get 220 out of my drives because of this. It's killing me to figure out the combo of bad swing, bad ball, bad club.

I find myself in the 3K club with straight shots more often than I'd like as well! I can always tell when I don't overspin one because that is when I'll get the 260-280 total distance. Even then it leaves me wondering, how many yards am I leaving out there simply with how I deliver the club? I'm already playing a lower spin driver with TSi3 that I was fit into, so just need to get that part of my game sorted out. 

[Shrek74]

5 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

I find myself in the 3K club with straight shots more often than I'd like as well! I can always tell when I don't overspin one because that is when I'll get the 260-280 total distance. Even then it leaves me wondering, how many yards am I leaving out there simply with how I deliver the club? I'm already playing a lower spin driver with TSi3 that I was fit into, so just need to get that part of my game sorted out. 

I'm going for a full bag next May (my 50th bday) so I'm just going to keep trying the Rogue ST Max LS I put together and look at the Maxfli Tour S (I play Tour now) and maybe the 2022 OnCore Elixr. The lower compression might help with the spin while not being too short since they're not "super low compression."

[GolfSpy_KFT]

6 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

I'm going for a full bag next May (my 50th bday) so I'm just going to keep trying the Rogue ST Max LS I put together and look at the Maxfli Tour S (I play Tour now) and maybe the 2022 OnCore Elixr. The lower compression might help with the spin while not being too short since they're not "super low compression."

Very nice! I am going to give the Tour X a run next year I think. I played the Tour this year and did like how it performed, but want to try the "x" version of a few different balls and see if I notice any distance gains off the tee. ProV1x will be my next trial, and have been playing the TP5x which so far have liked OK, but they did not perform well and I have noticed the cover gets damaged very quickly compared to other balls in the premium lane.

[JohnnyO3478]

FYI - if the Wilson Triad ticks your box and you want to try them out - Amazon offers a subscription that's $2 per dozen cheaper than non-subscription pricing .....

 

..... order today if you want them by October 2.  

Edited August 29, 2023 by JohnnyO3478

[lopey986]

22 hours ago, mikeanthony said:

MGS did a ball lab test on them in ‘22 and gave em an overall score of 89 in that test.

On a whim and based on that info, I had a DSG gift card and bought a dozen, and I was shocked by how well they performed for me.

Already a low spin hitter as it is, but for me, off the driver, the X LS just flies. Don’t know if it is the hexagonal dimple pattern or whatever, but I was hitting to landing areas at my home course that I was rarely ever at. Went thru that dzn and didn’t buy them again, I’m a DTC Snell/Vice guy. 

Fast fwd to just maybe a month or two ago and DSG had the cubed box sale for 48 balls at the cost of about 3 dzn. Snatched ‘em up, and once again, they’re a fantastic performer for me. I might just suck it up and buy them from here on out … especially when you factor in that they’re wayyy more durable than the new Snells. 

For reference I’m at/around 107 swing speed. 

i almost bought that dang cubed box early this year and talked myself out of it...now i'm really hoping it makes a comeback again. i might have to drop into my local dicks and see if they don't possibly still have some on shelfs even though they don't show online anymore. that's a great deal.

[lopey986]

On 8/28/2023 at 1:25 PM, Kenny B said:

I like it and now available in Yellow!!  My new winter ball.

The ProV1 yellow seemed to perform much better than the ProV1 White, I wish the Maxfli yellows had made it into the testing. Makes me wonder if the yellow cover isn't slightly firmer which led to more distance. I am going to have to try out the Maxfli Tour S in yellow and see if that is the case there over the white Tour S

[chisag]

On 8/28/2023 at 11:25 AM, Kenny B said:

I like it and now available in Yellow!!  My new winter ball.

 

... If following the ball flight is an issue, these shouldn't be a problem. I saw them for the first time at GG yesterday and they were the brightest yellow I have ever seen. I was gonna pick up a dozen Tour's but just too bright for me. They look good on you though!

[Siamese Moose]

54 minutes ago, chisag said:

I saw them for the first time at GG yesterday and they were the brightest yellow I have ever seen. I was gonna pick up a dozen Tour's but just too bright for me. 

I find that extra brightness a real plus. Due to some minor eye issues I cannot see a white ball against a white cloud. I wonder if that Australian brand Optic is still around? I didn't care for the performance, but you could see them from two states over.

[chisag]

2 minutes ago, Siamese Moose said:

I find that extra brightness a real plus. Due to some minor eye issues I cannot see a white ball against a white cloud. I wonder if that Australian brand Optic is still around? I didn't care for the performance, but you could see them from two states over.

 

... These should be good for you.   I love when my playing pards use yellow balls because they are so easy to follow and they don't always find the fairway. Or green. 

[KC Golf]

I remain a Srixon Z Star Diamond guy,  The ball test confirms to me that Srixon ZS Diamond is pretty good.  Even the Z Star and the Z Star XV are pretty good too.

Not that I know what the “XV” stands for, but the Diamond is great!   Hard to not like it since it’s always at a nice discount to a Pro V1.

[chisag]

... Those reading and comparing be sure you are comparing similar attributes. For instance, each swing speed has a different driver loft. And this is only one parameter difference. 

High 7.5*
Mid 10.5*
Low 12*

So looking at my ball of choice in the Maxfli Tour and Kirkland V3 it is difficult to extrapolate the numbers since I am at 95 mph with my 10.5* driver. So the 100mph swing speed is more similar than the 85 swing speed with a 12* driver. 

Maxfli Tour Spin:
2744 mid speed
2856 slow speed

Kirkland V3 Spin:
2991 Mid/speed
3256 slow speed

If I take my own formula of my swing being 10mph faster than slow and 5mph less than mid, I can add the mid number twice with the slow and divide by 3 giving me:

Maxfli Spin Combined:
2781 Mid/Low

Kirkland Spin Combined:
3079 Mid/Low

So these numbers are as close as I can get to an estimate BUT I don't play a 12* so my results at 85mph with a 10.5* driver will have lower spin. How much I have no idea. Then I have to wonder why the Maxfli spins 112 more with the 12* slow speed and the Kirkland spins over twice that at 265 more with the 12* slow speed. This throws off my personal estimate even more. Then I have a +3 AOA so these spin numbers are also higher than mine would be with what I assume is a neutral AOA. 

Taking all the above into account and this is only two balls, you can see what I say these teats are just a starting point and your results can be radically different than the data. I have done my own real world testing with quite a few balls but narrowed my choices down to the Maxfli and Kirkland. On the course I certainly don't see the kind of disparity as the test suggests because my parameters are very different that the test. I have no way of knowing if the Maxfli carries 2 or 3 more yards than the Kirkland on average but what I do know is the trajectory is very similar and the carry is very similar and the roll is very similar, and on two holes I have had my longest drives with the V3. Never has the statement "your results may vary" been more appropriate. 





 
 

[JohnnyO3478]

38 minutes ago, chisag said:

... Those reading and comparing be sure you are comparing similar attributes. For instance, each swing speed has a different driver loft. And this is only one parameter difference. 

High 7.5*
Mid 10.5*
Low 12*

So looking at my ball of choice in the Maxfli Tour and Kirkland V3 it is difficult to extrapolate the numbers since I am at 95 mph with my 10.5* driver. So the 100mph swing speed is more similar than the 85 swing speed with a 12* driver. 

Maxfli Tour Spin:
2744 mid speed
2856 slow speed

Kirkland V3 Spin:
2991 Mid/speed
3256 slow speed

If I take my own formula of my swing being 10mph faster than slow and 5mph less than mid, I can add the mid number twice with the slow and divide by 3 giving me:

Maxfli Spin Combined:
2781 Mid/Low

Kirkland Spin Combined:
3079 Mid/Low

So these numbers are as close as I can get to an estimate BUT I don't play a 12* so my results at 85mph with a 10.5* driver will have lower spin. How much I have no idea. Then I have to wonder why the Maxfli spins 112 more with the 12* slow speed and the Kirkland spins over twice that at 265 more with the 12* slow speed. This throws off my personal estimate even more. Then I have a +3 AOA so these spin numbers are also higher than mine would be with what I assume is a neutral AOA. 

Taking all the above into account and this is only two balls, you can see what I say these teats are just a starting point and your results can be radically different than the data. I have done my own real world testing with quite a few balls but narrowed my choices down to the Maxfli and Kirkland. On the course I certainly don't see the kind of disparity as the test suggests because my parameters are very different that the test. I have no way of knowing if the Maxfli carries 2 or 3 more yards than the Kirkland on average but what I do know is the trajectory is very similar and the carry is very similar and the roll is very similar, and on two holes I have had my longest drives with the V3. Never has the statement "your results may vary" been more appropriate. 





 
 

I understand where you are coming from - and most if not all of us are likely in the same boat. I am high 80s low 90s with a driver but I swing my 8i around 73 - so I have been doing quite a bit of interpolation, myself.  There are some really interesting results, once you start moving things around.  It's not always completely directional, either (if you look at all three swing speed ranges).

 

I'm basing my decisions on Tony's (that's who I heard it from, anyway) advice of picking a ball that is right for my irons/wedge play and then fit my driver to the ball I have chosen. With a definite nod to how the balls feel around and on the green.  The latter lands me in the mid 80s compression range and there ends up being some good choices for me there that both perform well on the course, and are affordable for a new guy that still loses too many balls .....

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by JohnnyO3478

[JerryB]

Lots of info to peruse here, both with the test and with many of the comments.  Good stuff!

 

Now, if someone will kindly complete this sentence:  Jerry, the ball you should play is ________.

[JohnnyO3478]

Been doing some testing on my own - in advance of the MGS results being published - and following the discontinuation of my old Tour CG model.  As of right now - I would order a big supply of the Elixr if they were available in yellow (my old eyes just see and find yellow balls better).  Since that's not likely to happen any time soon (I've bugged them but they quit responding) it will probably be either the new Tour CG going forward - or the as of yet to test Triad (on order).

[GolfSpy SAM]

5 minutes ago, JerryB said:

Now, if someone will kindly complete this sentence:  Jerry, the ball you should play is ________.

"Round."  You're welcome.

[GregGarner]

4 hours ago, lopey986 said:

i almost bought that dang cubed box early this year and talked myself out of it...now i'm really hoping it makes a comeback again. i might have to drop into my local dicks and see if they don't possibly still have some on shelfs even though they don't show online anymore. that's a great deal.

My local Golf Galaxy has tons of the cubes left... For a nominal fee, I can pick some up and ship em to you

[chisag]

6 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

"Round."  You're welcome.

 

... LOL, knowing Jerry I was gonna say cheap inexpensive. 

[Javs]

15 minutes ago, JerryB said:

Lots of info to peruse here, both with the test and with many of the comments.  Good stuff!

 

Now, if someone will kindly complete this sentence:  Jerry, the ball you should play is ________.

As obedient and loyal as a good dog!

[JerryB]

  Y'all really do get me!

[Dooby]

1 hour ago, JohnnyO3478 said:

I understand where you are coming from - and most if not all of us are likely in the same boat. I am high 80s low 90s with a driver but I swing my 8i around 73 - so I have been doing quite a bit of interpolation, myself.  There are some really interesting results, once you start moving things around.  It's not always completely directional, either (if you look at all three swing speed ranges).

 

I'm basing my decisions on Tony's (that's who I heard it from, anyway) advice of picking a ball that is right for my irons/wedge play and then fit my driver to the ball I have chosen. With a definite nod to how the balls feel around and on the green.  The latter lands me in the mid 80s compression range and there ends up being some good choices for me there that both perform well on the course, and are affordable for a new guy that still loses too many balls .....

 

As far as the logic of picking a ball that is right for irons/wedges and then fit it to your driver - can you explain that or point me in the direction of that rationale? I am curious about it and when I am going through the data I find myself in between a handful of balls because there does seem to be a performance difference when going from driver to mid iron.

[Dooby]

On 8/28/2023 at 12:27 PM, golfer3134 said:

Anybody know of a way to get the data from the 2023 ball test into an excel or google sheet? I'd like to add a ranking column next to each ball and see which one's have the highest average position between driver/iron/wedge when it comes to spin, distance etc. I have tried copying and pasting but nothing has worked for me. Any help is much appreciated!

Did anyone end up telling you the answer to this?

[Siamese Moose]

4 hours ago, chisag said:

I love when my playing pards use yellow balls because they are so easy to follow and they don't always find the fairway. Or green. 

I resemble that remark!

[ZackS]

32 minutes ago, Dooby said:

As far as the logic of picking a ball that is right for irons/wedges and then fit it to your driver - can you explain that or point me in the direction of that rationale? I am curious about it and when I am going through the data I find myself in between a handful of balls because there does seem to be a performance difference when going from driver to mid iron.

There are 2 main things with idea. First being balls tend to differentiate themselves more in the wedges and irons than with driver. The other with the fact most people have adjustable drivers you can adjust it to the ball if needed. So for example if you go with a ball that spins more you can use the driver adjustments to decrease loft or more weight forward. But if you go with a lower spin ball for your driver you can easily make your wedges create more spin. 

[EFConn]

I am sure that this is just a temporary promotion, but Carl's Golfland is offering 4 dozen LA Golf Balls for the price of 3 dozen.  So if you were planning to "stock up" this makes the LA Golf option the essentially the same price as Pro V1, Pro V1x or - Pro V1x.

After watching the "cheeky video" that the team did 4 weeks ago with all  the "LAGOLF!" hints, I bit the bullet and got 4 dozen LA Golf Balls instead of my planned 2 dozen - Pro V1x.   For me, the LA balls feel more like an AVX but fly higher like the - Pro V1x for me especially off the irons.

 

Thanks for all the testing and documentation.

[KC Golf]

2 hours ago, Dooby said:

As far as the logic of picking a ball that is right for irons/wedges and then fit it to your driver - can you explain that or point me in the direction of that rationale? I am curious about it and when I am going through the data I find myself in between a handful of balls because there does seem to be a performance difference when going from driver to mid iron.

This makes total sense to me. Well articulated!
I think some would say start with putter just to make sure the balls are okay for feel before going to the irons.  Most premium balls pass this test easily though….

[GolfSpy_APH]

Question for the group now that the results are in. What would you pay for the LA Golf ball and what are the performance levels required to be at the cost of $70 if any?