MyGolfSpy 2023 Golf Ball Test!!!

[GolfSpy SAM]

3 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

It's funny, the last two ball tests I actually took the data they had in the article and created my own spreadsheet and ordered it by the columns that matter most to me and then went through and assigned Red/Yellow/Green fill to results that fit what I wanted from a ball. Then I assigned numbers to R/Y/G and added up each ball's score to look at a few balls for me to test on my own. I didn't get to the testing part, but I loved manipulating the spreadsheet and all that. I'm an IT Architect/Engineer, what can I say. I'm a nerd who golfs. 

I was shocked when I saw their flagship balls were both bottom 5. Crazy!

My favorite part about that first paragraph is all the work you put into it only to not actually test the balls - this I'm VERY familiar with

I'll say this - while they may be bottom 5, it'll be curious to see by how much.  If the "furthest" ball goes 139, it will be not that impressive  

[Shrek74]

13 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

My favorite part about that first paragraph is all the work you put into it only to not actually test the balls - this I'm VERY familiar with

Yeah, the nerd in me who loves math just enjoyed the process and stuff. I already was playing the Maxfli Tour and that's what turned out to be the best according to my scoring system and results (no I didn't "fix" the results ;-D). So I just skipped the testing. I'll do a bit more this time around, especially where I live now and the fact I'll be working with a swing coach to become a better ball striker. I'm doing sort of a test between Tour and Tour S now that I've seen the Ball Lab results. I need to get my driver spin down and hoping the Tour S can at least contribute to getting it down at least a few hundred revs.

[GolfSpy SAM]

25 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

Yeah, the nerd in me who loves math just enjoyed the process and stuff. I already was playing the Maxfli Tour and that's what turned out to be the best according to my scoring system and results (no I didn't "fix" the results ;-D). So I just skipped the testing. I'll do a bit more this time around, especially where I live now and the fact I'll be working with a swing coach to become a better ball striker. I'm doing sort of a test between Tour and Tour S now that I've seen the Ball Lab results. I need to get my driver spin down and hoping the Tour S can at least contribute to getting it down at least a few hundred revs.

Nice. I've been gaming the Tour X, but am VERY tempted to switch over to the Tour, as I prefer a softer-feeling ball.  I went with the X, as I tend to be slightly low-spin, so wanted the X's elevated spin numbers, and I've so far been VERY pleased, but do miss the softer feel (I was gifted a box of Pro-V's, and just far prefer that softer feel)

[Shrek74]

4 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

Nice. I've been gaming the Tour X, but am VERY tempted to switch over to the Tour, as I prefer a softer-feeling ball.  I went with the X, as I tend to be slightly low-spin, so wanted the X's elevated spin numbers, and I've so far been VERY pleased, but do miss the softer feel (I was gifted a box of Pro-V's, and just far prefer that softer feel)

I have the opposite problem - I overspin my driver. Like high 3k's on average, which is why my 3-wood rivals it on distance a lot of the time. I did try the X's for a short time just to test them out. Much firmer for sure. The Tours are great and I'd stay with them if the Tour S didn't come out. So we'll see how the testing came out since the Ball Lab was a big thumbs up.

[Bluetrumpet]

waiting to try out some new balls as I’ve just made the switch from Callaway Supersofts to Vice Pros. Maybe it’s in my head but I feel like there’s a big difference in 2 vs 3 piece balls. Thanks for doing all the leg work! 

[GolfSpy SAM]

48 minutes ago, Bluetrumpet said:

waiting to try out some new balls as I’ve just made the switch from Callaway Supersofts to Vice Pros. Maybe it’s in my head but I feel like there’s a big difference in 2 vs 3 piece balls. Thanks for doing all the leg work! 

It's definitely not just in your head  

[Hook DeLoft]

On 8/15/2023 at 12:58 PM, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

 

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

[DoubleBogeyDad]

So close! Hopefully the meager supply of balls in my bag lasts a couple more rounds so I can bulk order something Monday.

[GregGarner]

10 hours ago, DoubleBogeyDad said:

So close! Hopefully the meager supply of balls in my bag lasts a couple more rounds so I can bulk order something Monday.

I find it impressive that you can make a decision that quickly! When the last test dropped its data, it took me a solid week of reading/comparing/hemming/hawing before I could even decide what balls to test for myself, let alone bulk order! 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Results due to come out on this Monday!

[DoubleBogeyDad]

I have depleted my stock. Will have to cobble together some balls out of the shag bag until resupply arrives

[USMCSnyper]

This was great read and confirmed for me the Maxfli Tour S is the right ball for me~!

[GolfSpy_APH]

https://mygolfspy.com/buyers-guide/2023-golf-ball-test/

Results are in!

[lopey986]

For a mid swing speed guy here a couple things that stuck out to me:

LA Golf Ball seems to be FOR REAL. Top marks for driver and iron at mid swing speed. Still...I can't justify 60 bucks for a dozen balls.

ProV1 YELLOW was a champ. Kind of surprising to see it rate higher than the white version, must be something to the coloring proces of the cover that changes the dynamic of the ball. 

Titleist Tour Speed was a pleasant surprise and you can find some sales on them sometimes compared to the ProV so maybe save a little scratch without sacrificing much performance wise.

MaxFli keeps hanging with the big dogs. Easily the best value in a golf ball that you can get. 

Chromesoft X LS was a surprise to me, it's the one ball that I haven't tested out at all, going to have to throw a few in the bag before I definitively settle on a ball.

 

As of now, i'd like to go pro v1 yellow but due to cost i'll end up sticking with my Maxli Tour Yellow (i do wish the Maxfli Yellow had made it into testing considering the difference in performance between the prov1 yellow/white but iiwii.)

 

Quickie Edit: TAYLORMADE TP LINE...BIG WOOF. Absolutely atrocious performance from them. Their Tour Response ball graded out better.

Edited August 28, 2023 by lopey986

[Javs]

2 minutes ago, lopey986 said:

For a mid swing speed guy here a couple things that stuck out to me:

LA Golf Ball seems to be FOR REAL. Top marks for driver and iron at mid swing speed. Still...I can't justify 60 bucks for a dozen balls.

ProV1 YELLOW was a champ. Kind of surprising to see it rate higher than the white version, must be something to the coloring proces of the cover that changes the dynamic of the ball. 

Titleist Tour Speed was a pleasant surprise and you can find some sales on them sometimes compared to the ProV so maybe save a little scratch without sacrificing much performance wise.

MaxFli keeps hanging with the big dogs. Easily the best value in a golf ball that you can get. 

Chromesoft X LS was a surprise to me, it's the one ball that I haven't tested out at all, going to have to throw a few in the bag before I definitively settle on a ball.

 

As of now, i'd like to go pro v1 yellow but due to cost i'll end up sticking with my Maxli Tour Yellow (i do wish the Maxfli Yellow had made it into testing considering the difference in performance between the prov1 yellow/white but iiwii.)

 

Quickie Edit: TAYLORMADE TP LINE...BIG WOOF. Absolutely atrocious performance from them. Their Tour Response ball graded out better.

The Chromesoft X LS is a great ball if you are looking for higher compression and low spin. This ball goes a long way and still bites on the green. It just won’t spin back excessively. 

[Nolan220]

what happen to snell .. I feel like it was always talked about being one of the top DTC balls but now barely mention .. did it fall off ? are members still playing snell ? 

[lopey986]

3 minutes ago, Nolan220 said:

what happen to snell .. I feel like it was always talked about being one of the top DTC balls but now barely mention .. did it fall off ? are members still playing snell ? 

granted i only look at the mid swing speed data as that matches up with my own swing but none of the DTC brands were particularly impressive. they all lagged behind Maxfli.

[Q22Golf]

So much fun data to go through! I’ve been waiting for this to figure out my next golf ball move. Vice Pro Plus was not where I expected when chatting on other forum threads. 

It continues to impress me how Titleist continues to set the bar!! And oof on Taylormade. What happened to their TP5s! They fell of big time. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

One thing the data tells me, I swing driver way faster than my irons. My driver data fits  fast swing speed and irons mid swing speed. I guess I have to fix that  

[IndyBonzo]

A the high end of "mid" swing speed, this chart confirms that the Maxfli Tour X is probably the best DTC/"budget" option available for me, with my other preferred ball (Bridgestone RB Tour X) also a solid choice.

My good friend swears by the left dash.  I may need to give that a serious test.  

Many huge and lavish thanks to MGS for this fantastic test and results.  It is immensely helpful!

[Quigleyd]

I am wondering if there is a typo here.

 

ball speed rankings high swing speeds a Srixon Diamond XV is listed. I don’t know that ball exists. Did you mean the z star Diamond? Or the Z star XV? Or did you just accidentally drop something g we shouldn’t know about. Lol

 

[golfer3134]

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!

[golfer3134]

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!

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 hours ago, lopey986 said:

For a mid swing speed guy here a couple things that stuck out to me:

LA Golf Ball seems to be FOR REAL. Top marks for driver and iron at mid swing speed. Still...I can't justify 60 bucks for a dozen balls.

ProV1 YELLOW was a champ. Kind of surprising to see it rate higher than the white version, must be something to the coloring proces of the cover that changes the dynamic of the ball. 

Titleist Tour Speed was a pleasant surprise and you can find some sales on them sometimes compared to the ProV so maybe save a little scratch without sacrificing much performance wise.

MaxFli keeps hanging with the big dogs. Easily the best value in a golf ball that you can get. 

Chromesoft X LS was a surprise to me, it's the one ball that I haven't tested out at all, going to have to throw a few in the bag before I definitively settle on a ball.

 

As of now, i'd like to go pro v1 yellow but due to cost i'll end up sticking with my Maxli Tour Yellow (i do wish the Maxfli Yellow had made it into testing considering the difference in performance between the prov1 yellow/white but iiwii.)

 

Quickie Edit: TAYLORMADE TP LINE...BIG WOOF. Absolutely atrocious performance from them. Their Tour Response ball graded out better.

Tour Response is a great golf ball. I always loved the Project(a) and this being their newer version it is the real deal. Had some fantastic rounds with this ball this season. 

[russtopherb]

3 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Tour Response is a great golf ball. I always loved the Project(a) and this being their newer version it is the real deal. Had some fantastic rounds with this ball this season. 

I liked the P(a) as well. Haven't tried the Tour Response to be honest, for me in that category/price range the Q Star Tour seems to fit me best.

[chisag]

... As I have always said I think any test is just a starting point because things like face angle and AOA play a huge role with driver performance and with this test they change the parameters for each swing speed category. Exactly what that means is anyone guess*.  But all in all pretty much what I have seen with my Maxfli Tour and V3 as the performance is very close and the Maxfli may produce a few more yards off the tee when hit perfectly but more often than not my results are pretty similar. With my driver swing speed and AOA ideally around 2700 works best for me going by my last 3 driver fittings. 

... I am around 95mph so I usually extrapolate data combining the mid and slow swing speed numbers. Not perfect as I am closer to mid speed but it is what it is. Interestingly the V3 wasn't the highest spinning ball off the driver for mid speed with the PXG and Inesis recording higher spin numbers. And to say the V3 still produces excessive spin is a bit misleading as the ZStar, Chrome X, BX-S, Star Diamond and TP5 all produced spin in the 2900's for mid swing speeds. 

... Just keep in mind if you play a fade or a draw and your AOA is a +3 or a -3 your results can be very different than this test data. All I know is for my last round I had 7 birdies with the Kirkland V3 and it did everything I want/need from my golf ball, including only costing me $14 a dozen. If I am playing for fun the V3 will remain my ball of choice and if playing something more serious I will play the Maxfli Tour. 


*For each of the three speeds for the driver and iron portions of the test, the robot was calibrated to achieve specific launch and spin targets. The parameters for each portion were decided on after consulting with multiple ball manufacturers. The specific configuration for each test condition (including the clubs used) is detailed in the relevant sections below.

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 hours ago, Q22Golf said:

So much fun data to go through! I’ve been waiting for this to figure out my next golf ball move. Vice Pro Plus was not where I expected when chatting on other forum threads. 

It continues to impress me how Titleist continues to set the bar!! And oof on Taylormade. What happened to their TP5s! They fell of big time. 

While the Pro Plus didnt blow it out of the park it seemed to still be a solid fit. Especially looking at the graphs. Helps me reaffirm I made a solid purchase decision and doesnt make me feel like I wasted my money at the very least!

[ZackS]

8 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

While the Pro Plus didnt blow it out of the park it seemed to still be a solid fit. Especially looking at the graphs. Helps me reaffirm I made a solid purchase decision and doesnt make me feel like I wasted my money at the very least!

I am feeing similar. I don't think it would have changed my mind since I am really liking the Srixon Z Star Diamond so far but seeing it doing very well in the tests so far is reaffirming. Never thought I would start using a higher spin ball but seem to fit me better on the irons and you can off set some of that with the lower spin driver options if needed. Interested in the seeing the wet wedge results. 

[russtopherb]

Looks like I really need to check out the Maxfli Tour S. 

[Kenny B]

8 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

Looks like I really need to check out the Maxfli Tour S. 

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