MyGolfSpy 2023 Golf Ball Test!!!

[Dooby]

2 hours ago, IndyBonzo said:

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!

I'm in the same boat as far as being at the high end of the "Mid" swing speeds and am looking at the Maxfli Tour X as the best budget ball. Vice Pro was up there as well as a good comparable ball and slightly cheaper than the Maxfli. 

The left dash did surprise me in the rankings as I typically don't hear about it when people talk about which ball they game.

Edited August 28, 2023 by Dooby

[GolfSpy_KFT]

12 minutes ago, Dooby said:

I'm in the same boat as far as being at the high end of the "Mid" swing speeds and am looking at the Maxfli Tour X as the best budget ball. Vice Pro was up there as well as a good comparable ball and slightly cheaper than the Maxfli. 

The left dash did surprise me in the rankings as I typically don't hear about it when people talk about which ball they game.

I also fall into the higher end of the mid swing speed (typical avg. driver is 104 mph) and have been playing a mix of Maxfli Tour, ProV1, and just the last couple weeks the TP5x (got a dozen from a member/guest as a tee gift earlier this year). Definitely disappointing to see the TP line performed so poorly as I have really liked the feel of the TP5x. 

Going to be putting the Kirkland V3 through it's paces soon as I picked up 2 doz. at Costco the other week and am about out of my Maxfli Tours. Also found a few ProV1x the last time I was out (yes, I miss MANY fairways ) and going to see how those perform for me as well. I definitely tend to spin the ball more than I should with driver because of how I deliver the club (#1 goal of my offseason this year to improve) so anything that promotes lower spin off the driver is something I am interested in. Definitely will be giving the Maxfli Tour X a run this season or next as well.

[KC Golf]

1 hour ago, russtopherb said:

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.

I liked the Project an and the older version of the Tour Response.  I don’t think the new bold colour band is for me.  I like something more subtle. Kind of a deal breaker for me. I know most people think that’s strange but I like a subtle line. 

[TG8]

4 minutes ago, KC Golf said:

I liked the Project an and the older version of the Tour Response.  I don’t think the new bold colour band is for me.  I like something more subtle. Kind of a deal breaker for me. I know most people think that’s strange but I like a subtle line. 

I game the tour response without the stripes.. should still be an option. 

[chisag]

11 minutes ago, KC Golf said:

I know most people think that’s strange but I like a subtle line. 

 

... Less than you think. I like no lines on my golf ball and we have plenty of company. 

[GolfSpy_BEN]

2 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Less than you think. I like no lines on my golf ball and we have plenty of company. 

I’ve tried the tour response with the color band and the Callaway triple track balls in their many iterations. While I have nothing against the performance of any of these balls, I don’t like putting with any of them. I find all the alignment aids to be more distracting than helpful. When I am standing over a putt, I only want to see a solid colored object, no alignment or logos. Now pardon me, while I go yell at the clouds for a bit.

[funkyjudge]

Looks like I am going to have to try the Vice Pro Soft balls (they included two of these balls in the 10-ball "sampler pack" that I got from them.

I may also have to try some of the Maxfli Tour S balls.  I've loved the Tour X version, and have NEVER liked so-called "soft" golf balls, but with the results that these "soft" balls and the Vice Tour Soft balls received, I just may have to give these Urethane-cover soft balls a trial run.

[funkyjudge]

 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

This one comment by chisag says a lot!  Someone with a downward AOA will impart massively MORE backspin (and sidespin, unless they hit the ball with an absolutely straight clubhead path that is directly down the target line). Conversely, someone who hits the ball with an upward AOA and catches the ball slightly above center on the clubface will generate LESS spin.

Edited August 28, 2023 by funkyjudge

[sirchunksalot]

I haven't got to dig in on the data just yet, I did give it a glance on lunch but having 30 minutes isn't that much time to digest all the information. It does look like the MaxFli Tour S might be worth looking in to, I love the regular tour ball and still have quite a few from the cube I bought a couple of months ago. 

[GregGarner]

It doesn't look like they're making the raw data available for download via Tableau. Probably the easiest is to just copy/paste into your own spreadsheet?

[GregGarner]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

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

Results are in!

I love the team. I really, really do. But I am absolutely begging them to hire a professional copyeditor. Please.

It seriously undercuts credibility when you see a graphic that says "Z-Star Diamond XV" or says Chromesoft X in a graphic but the explainer text below says XLS. At the very least, it makes you wonder if there are any other errors/how reliable is the reporting? (Thank goodness for the Tableau data at the end!)

[chisag]

13 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

 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

This one comment by chisag says a lot!  Someone with a downward AOA will impart massively MORE backspin (and sidespin, unless they hit the ball with an absolutely straight clubhead path that is directly down the target line). Conversely, someone who hits the ball with an upward AOA and catches the ball slightly above center on the clubface will generate LESS spin.

 

... And Doug I would add 2800 spin can be very different for different players. With a 90mph swing speed hitting down on the ball, starting low and climbing rapidly 2800 might be too much spin, ballooning and losing distance with a steep landing angle and little to no roll. But hitting up on the ball with 90mph swing isn't enough speed to keep the ball in the air with lower spin and 2800 with a more shallow landing angle might be ideal for carry and roll. And that isn't considering draw or fade spin. Just so many factors involved and without someone like you guiding a player through their fitting options it can be a real roll of the dice. 

[mikeanthony]

Wasn’t surprised at all to see Vice Pro Plus towards the top of the rankings.

Bought 5 dzn for my boys golf team this past spring season and after some initial push back on buying them … it was within a week that many of my golfers were waxing poetically about them. They loved em. 

 

[Berg Ryman]

Well, as a low spin guy with irons and wedges, and mid spin off driver, this does make me happy with my 100 mph swing speed that the B-XS continues to be a solid pick in that space for me, especially since that shipping error/good fortune from GolfBalls.com left me with 6 dozen instead of the 3 dozen I placed... 

[Dooby]

24 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

I haven't got to dig in on the data just yet, I did give it a glance on lunch but having 30 minutes isn't that much time to digest all the information. It does look like the MaxFli Tour S might be worth looking in to, I love the regular tour ball and still have quite a few from the cube I bought a couple of months ago. 

Why switch to the Tour S from the Tour X? Especially if you love the X. To me it seems like the X is a better performing ball unless I am misinterpreting something.

[mikeanthony]

29 minutes ago, funkyjudge said:

 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

This one comment by chisag says a lot!  Someone with a downward AOA will impart massively MORE backspin (and sidespin, unless they hit the ball with an absolutely straight clubhead path that is directly down the target line). Conversely, someone who hits the ball with an upward AOA and catches the ball slightly above center on the clubface will generate LESS spin.

Was told by my fitter that my avg angle of attack throughout my iron set ranges from just under a -1 to just under a +1, a ‘picker’ as he called it … and by virtue of that, my ball spin numbers will almost always be low. It was like a freakin eureka moment for me and made so much sense. 

For those of us golfing mortals, it is almost never an apples to apples comparison. But, the ball test data is still incredibly helpful and insightful nonetheless. 

[sirchunksalot]

10 minutes ago, Dooby said:

Why switch to the Tour S from the Tour X? Especially if you love the X. To me it seems like the X is a better performing ball unless I am misinterpreting something.

Mostly it's about the Tour vs the Tour S. I haven't played the X, I just initially bought the Tours and have played them for a while. 

It's just a flaw in my system, I'm not much of a club ho, but when I got back into the game I loved experimenting with different balls. 

Edit: now that I did a comparison of the MaxFli balls, I'll probably stick with the Tour. It looks like it ever so slightly outperforms the S.

[chisag]

2 minutes ago, Dooby said:

Why switch to the Tour S from the Tour X? Especially if you love the X. To me it seems like the X is a better performing ball unless I am misinterpreting something.

 

... Dooby, no such thing as a "better performing ball... " without the addition of "... for my swing". Just way too many variables involved but the one thing I agree with 100% about the 2023 MGS Ball Test is:

"Taking manufacturing quality and consistency out of the equation for now, we’d argue there’s no such thing as a bad ball. While a good bit of what’s on the market is designed to work for a wide portion of the bell curve, our test uncovered some niche offerings that, if nothing else, suggest there’s a ball out there for every golfer. 

The challenge comes in finding the one that works for you."

[Q22Golf]

2 hours 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!

Great to hear! Once I get to a computer and not my phone, I plan to select the options to see how Vice did compared to the top brands. Thanks for sharing!

[mikeanthony]

5 hours ago, lopey986 said:

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.

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. 

[chisag]

3 minutes 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 of 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 with them. 

 

... One of my Pards loves the X LS too and bought 10 dozen when I sent him this link.   He didn't wanna take a chance on Cally coming up with a new version of the X LS because he absolutely loves these so he stocked up:


https://mggolf.com/golf-balls-other/?v=BIBB

[GolfSpy_KFT]

1 hour ago, funkyjudge said:

 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

This one comment by chisag says a lot!  Someone with a downward AOA will impart massively MORE backspin (and sidespin, unless they hit the ball with an absolutely straight clubhead path that is directly down the target line). Conversely, someone who hits the ball with an upward AOA and catches the ball slightly above center on the clubface will generate LESS spin.

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. 

[Grip]

I'll keep my Snell MTB Prime balls.

[bens197]

3 hours ago, chisag said:

... 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.

I agree with a lot of what Sam says here.  I've been a fan of using this test especially as a starting point for selecting a ball. If you're considering a ball, look at the margins and see that many are within a certain distance range.  

More than anything, this is validating for me.  My Venn Diagram for price, distance, quality is Srixon Z Star.

[PhilM75072]

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. 

[Shrek74]

21 hours ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

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  

I actually have the opposite problem. My 7-iron is 90mph and driver only 105.  Granted my driver fits in the middle of their tests but probably lean more to the mid swing speed since on course I'm probably not 100% on each swing. Makes for fitting a ball a bit trickier for us.

[Shrek74]

20 hours ago, 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!

If you go into the Crosstab Data link - https://public.tableau.com/views/MyGolfSpy2023BallTest-public-crosstab/TableData?:language=en-US&:embed=y&:embed_code_version=3&:loadOrderID=2&:display_count=y&publish=yes&:origin=viz_share_link, you can adjust for speed and club and then download in a PDF. Then open that PDF and go to File -> Export To -> Spreadsheet -> Microsoft Excel. You may have to clean that up a bit, but it's what I did and I have my data in Excel now to play with to help me find my next ball or two. Hope this helps.

[JohnnyO3478]

I honestly love and really appreciate the work that MGS does in this space.  The biennieal Ball Test and the regular Ball Lab reports are some of the best stuff on the golf interweb, IMO.  And I think it is important to consider both in my decision making process.  In general, I am very happy with the 3 pc products that I have tried from both the Foremost factory and Launch out of Taiwan.  I think I'd be happy playing any of the mid-compression 3 pc balls from either of those factories (Maxfli Tour/Tour S, Wilson Triad, Seed SD-01, Vice Pro, Oncore Elixr) and have extesively tested 3 of those on my home launch monitor and side by side on the course vs the newest Pro V1 (yellow, btw).  I find not much difference in any of them with the notable exception being the insane durability of the yellow Pro V1.  I hit probably more than my fair share of trees and cart paths and the Yellow Titleist just keeps on taking it like a champ.  But I digress ...... and I am just not going to pay $55/dz when I still lose a ball or two each outing - if there are similarly performing cheaper options.  

The 3 pc Taiwanese balls generally seem to perform better in the ball lab than the 4 pc offerings from Foremost.  Tony responded to a question I posed on Twitter about the Vice Pro Plus ball lab score (there was no published report - but it was scored) and he indicated that the Pro Plus suffered the same inconsistency of compression that they found with the 2023 Maxfli Tour X.   If a 4 pc ball suited my game - I'd likely just pony up the dough for Pro V1x and the exceptional quality that comes out of Ball Plant 3.  That said on the 3 pc front, the Vice Pro Ball lab report does give me some caution.  The 2016 ball was really bad and the 2020 ball seemed to improve but not enough to make it an example of above average quality.  Is the 2020 ball the current offering from Vice or has it been updated since?

I'll likely stick with the Maxfli Tour - but having the Vice Pro as an option would be nice.

Thanks in advance. 

[tommyb1683]

I think first it's important to know what you want out of your game. Also, knowing the numbers for your swing will make a huge difference. We get fit for clubs I think the same should be done for a golf ball. The only part that sucks is paying the money to try out the different balls. This gives a great insight into narrowing that list down on what you might be looking for. I know there are definitely a few that I would like to try out and compare on the course after reading through this testing. Being a higher swing speed its great to see what balls might work for the certain categories that I'm interested in. Thanks you MGS for doing this and keep up the great work. You are helping golfers all over the world.

[Dooby]

32 minutes ago, JohnnyO3478 said:

I honestly love and really appreciate the work that MGS does in this space.  The biennieal Ball Test and the regular Ball Lab reports are some of the best stuff on the golf interweb, IMO.  And I think it is important to consider both in my decision making process.  In general, I am very happy with the 3 pc products that I have tried from both the Foremost factory and Launch out of Taiwan.  I think I'd be happy playing any of the mid-compression 3 pc balls from either of those factories (Maxfli Tour/Tour S, Wilson Triad, Seed SD-01, Vice Pro, Oncore Elixr) and have extesively tested 3 of those on my home launch monitor and side by side on the course vs the newest Pro V1 (yellow, btw).  I find not much difference in any of them with the notable exception being the insane durability of the yellow Pro V1.  I hit probably more than my fair share of trees and cart paths and the Yellow Titleist just keeps on taking it like a champ.  But I digress ...... and I am just not going to pay $55/dz when I still lose a ball or two each outing - if there are similarly performing cheaper options.  

The 3 pc Taiwanese balls generally seem to perform better in the ball lab than the 4 pc offerings from Foremost.  Tony responded to a question I posed on Twitter about the Vice Pro Plus ball lab score (there was no published report - but it was scored) and he indicated that the Pro Plus suffered the same inconsistency of compression that they found with the 2023 Maxfli Tour X.   If a 4 pc ball suited my game - I'd likely just pony up the dough for Pro V1x and the exceptional quality that comes out of Ball Plant 3.  That said on the 3 pc front, the Vice Pro Ball lab report does give me some caution.  The 2016 ball was really bad and the 2020 ball seemed to improve but not enough to make it an example of above average quality.  Is the 2020 ball the current offering from Vice or has it been updated since?

I'll likely stick with the Maxfli Tour - but having the Vice Pro as an option would be nice.

Thanks in advance. 

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