Maxfli Tour with Max Align Technology Golf Balls! - 2024 Forum Review

[tdc1]

Had a chance for another 9 holes today.  Stopped on one of the practice greens to take a few pictures with the Max Align and a few other random balls from my bag.  You'll be able to tell what they are from this first photo staged as if on a tee or ready to putt.

 

I know that some (many?) folks don't like visible alignment aids for shots from fairway/rough because the alignment aid might be distracting if not directly parallel  to the intended line of play so the next couple of pictures are just to see how the alignment aids might look when randomly placed.  (Line of play in both would be toward the top of the photo.)

 

This shows the balls as dropped one-by-one from waist height.

 

The last shows all the balls tossed up above head height at the same time.

 

Because of the nature of the printing on the TP5 ball I'm not sure that there a clearly "parallel" alignment for this ball.  The Titleist and the Maxfli have a good chance of having their alignment aids out of sight while the Callaway 360 and Srixon Divide are more likely to be "off parallel."  (Props to the Srixon in the last photo for doing its best to show the way.)

Not sure exactly what this little experiment proves.  Having multiple alignment styles in the same frame, however, seems to allow for easier comparison.

Also, an early impression for me is that the Maxfli Tour with Max Align feels less intrusive/distracting on second shots than my earlier photo might suggest.

Oh, if you haven't seen the A&M 9000 tester that @EnderinAZ has devised to test the Maxfli Tour X ball be sure to check it out!

[VernL4]

My balls arrived on Friday night! The weekend was incredibly busy with my grandma being in the hospital. Good news is that she was able to go home on Saturday afternoon. I've updated my main post with first impressions. It's a good-looking ball. It was also a pleasant surprise to receive two dozen balls. (All involved deserve a huge THANK YOU for that!) The weather is looking excellent for early March in Indiana, so I'm planning on playing a round this afternoon.

Edited March 4 by VernL4

[tw1ns]

First Impressions and Unboxing update added.  Product shots and 'sound' test. 

 

 

[Rob Person]

Great intros! Excited to see the tests and the playability!

[VernL4]

So I played my first full round with the Maxfli yesterday afternoon. There are some huge pros and a minor con (I guess it could be major, though). I'm not going to get into right now. I'll wait for the final verdict until I've played more with the ball. I really do like the flight of the ball. It seemed to be able to straighten itself out in flight! The guy I was playing with noticed it as well. I gave him one to use and he agreed that it seemed to straighten out balls that were mis-hit slightly.

[ScramblinMan]

Unboxing/First Impressions have been posted in my introduction...

[tdc1]

Too cold and wet to play on the course today so I hit some shots inside on a simulator to compare Maxfli Tour with Max Align to some balls that, I think, fall into the same category.  I'm a newbie to using simulator so I'm not sure what the data means. 

I used my Ping Glide 3.0 SW (54°/12°) with Nippon Z-Z115 steel shaft (I was fit for this club in March 2019). 

Balls:  TaylorMade Tour Response, Titleist Tour Speed, Srixon Q-Star Tour, Maxfli Tour, and Wilson Triad. 

Simulator is Uneekor but I don't know the model.

After a brief warmup I hit each ball 6-8 times using the lowest (1/4") Birtee.  After deleting obvious outliers (chunks/tops), the 5 best shots were included in the data set.

Below are some numbers from today's session. 

I am not sure what all this data shows or if this is even the data I should be looking at.  My initial reaction (without looking at numbers) was that there was little difference in feel or sound between the five balls (although the Triad felt marginally less pleasant than the others).

I plan to run similar comparisons with PW, 8 iron, and 18° Hy-Wood indoors (I am simply incapable of consistently swinging a driver indoors but that's another thread entirely).

Any suggestions as to how to interpret or other data points to collect would be greatly appreciated.

Edited March 7 by tdc1
Corrected club used for collecting data

[tw1ns]

Took my tests to a simulator yesterday....crunched for time, I only hit my driver and tested My Gamer, The Vice Pro....ProV1x and the Maxfli Tour - was a little frustrated that the facility wasn't reading spin.  I hit 10 shots with each ball, throwing out any that weren't my usual swing....

Looking at the numbers (Vice, ProV1x, Maxfli Tour) is there any difference?!? There might be a little better dispersion with the Maxfli, but I am not sure if that justifies me playing it considering the cost.  I have always felt that I spray ProV's a little more and the chart shows it.  

As I have mentioned this test is going to come down to how it performs putting....if the alignment aid truly does get me a stroke or two.  I am off to Jacksonville, FL with the local junior college golf team for spring break and will be playing 4 days in a row starting on Monday.  Bring on the warm weather!  

[tdc1]

Cold and rain today so I hit some more shots inside on a simulator to compare Maxfli Tour with Max Align to some other balls I think are comparable.

Club:  Cleveland Launcher XL PW (43°) with Project X Cypher Sixty 5.5•R graphite shaft. 

Balls:  TaylorMade Tour Response, Titleist Tour Speed, Srixon Q-Star Tour, Maxfli Tour, and Wilson Triad. 

Simulator:  Uneekor UI don't know the model).

As with the SW earlier this week, I hit each ball multiple times using the lowest (1/4") Birtee.  After deleting obvious outliers (chunks/tops), 5 shots were included in the data set.

Below are some numbers from today's session. 

As with the SW, the Q-Star Tour and Maxfli Tour were the two "best" performing in terms of carry and total, but today the Maxfli Tour turned in the lowest numbers Landing Angle and Backspin.  All the balls felt/sounded good to me including the Triad which I was not as pleased with of the SW.

Still trying to get decent video of the alignment aid in action (multiple failures to date but working on it!).  I will say this about the alignment aid:  (1) it is not nearly as obtrusive on the tee/green as it may appear in photos, and (2) the visual feedback on putts is not as as strong as Tour Response Stripe, Q-Star Divide or Callaway 360.  Of course, YMMV.

 

Edited March 10 by tdc1
Correct data

[Peejer]

I took the Maxfli Tour with MAX ALIGN technology out for their first 18 hole round.

Opening hole was a Par-5, sitting on the green in regulation, I had an 9' putt, slight right to left break.  I lined up the putt about a 1/2 ball outside the hole and it drops for a birdie!!  I have to say, I was a little skeptical about the lines on the ball, but I quickly got used to them.

The wear on the ball was pretty good, also - though I didn't have any cart paths or trees hit today.  But, a few bunker for sure.  Taking it out for round two in the morning, but I have to say the playability and align technology suits my game so far.

[tdc1]

Snow (!) last night so did some time in the simulator today with the 8 iron.

Club:  Cleveland Launcher XL 8i (33°) with Project X Cypher Sixty 5.5•R graphite shaft. 

Balls:  TaylorMade Tour Response, Titleist Tour Speed, Srixon Q-Star Tour, Maxfli Tour, and Wilson Triad. 

Simulator:  Uneekor UI don't know the model).

As with the SW and PW earlier, I hit each ball multiple times using the lowest (1/4") Birtee.  After deleting obvious outliers (chunks/tops), 5 shots were included in the data set.

Below are some numbers from today's session. 

Struggled to find the clubface with the Triad -- I was getting a little pooped.

Trend after SW, PW and 8i:  Maxfli Tour spins less, launches lower, and has a lower landing angle in indoor testing compared to the other ball sin the test pool.  Still need to get Hy-Wood numbers indoors as well as get back outdoors.

[Peejer]

18 hours ago, Peejer said:

I took the Maxfli Tour with MAX ALIGN technology out for their first 18 hole round.

Opening hole was a Par-5, sitting on the green in regulation, I had an 9' putt, slight right to left break.  I lined up the putt about a 1/2 ball outside the hole and it drops for a birdie!!  I have to say, I was a little skeptical about the lines on the ball, but I quickly got used to them.

The wear on the ball was pretty good, also - though I didn't have any cart paths or trees hit today.  But, a few bunker for sure.  Taking it out for round two in the morning, but I have to say the playability and align technology suits my game so far.

Round two was much of the same.  I've really gotten used to the alignment arrows and actually like them a lot.  Shot 79 yesterday with 33 putts, 78 today with 31 putts (2 birdies).  I'm really happy  with the way this ball is performing.  I'll get it on the simulator this week to run some comparison numbers.

[GolferXY]

26 minutes ago, Peejer said:

Round two was much of the same.  I've really gotten used to the alignment arrows and actually like them a lot.  Shot 79 yesterday with 33 putts, 78 today with 31 putts (2 birdies).  I'm really happy  with the way this ball is performing.  I'll get it on the simulator this week to run some comparison numbers.

Will you be using the same ball to test durability?  If not, how will you determine that.  Some throw a ball in the bunker and hit it a few times.  I am curious about that.  Also, what kind of spin are you seeing on your driver, mids and short irons?

[VernL4]

I've got a 2:30 tee time with a friend today! I've not played this course since July of 2014, so I don't know what to expect. Weather looks good, and I'm going with the 2nd phase of my testing plan. I'll have an update tomorrow.

[Peejer]

22 hours ago, GolferXY said:

Will you be using the same ball to test durability?  If not, how will you determine that.  Some throw a ball in the bunker and hit it a few times.  I am curious about that.  Also, what kind of spin are you seeing on your driver, mids and short irons?

I used a new ball on both rounds, and fortunately, did not lose either one!  I'll have pics in my final review to show what the wear does/doesn't look like.  Since I have two to compare from, I'll put one of the "1-round" balls in play so we can see what it looks like after 2-rounds.  That's assuming the golf gods don't punish me for thinking I won't lose it!!

-- Peejer

[LeakyValve]

On 3/3/2024 at 4:53 PM, tdc1 said:

Had a chance for another 9 holes today.  Stopped on one of the practice greens to take a few pictures with the Max Align and a few other random balls from my bag.  You'll be able to tell what they are from this first photo staged as if on a tee or ready to putt.

 

I know that some (many?) folks don't like visible alignment aids for shots from fairway/rough because the alignment aid might be distracting if not directly parallel  to the intended line of play so the next couple of pictures are just to see how the alignment aids might look when randomly placed.  (Line of play in both would be toward the top of the photo.)

 

This shows the balls as dropped one-by-one from waist height.

 

The last shows all the balls tossed up above head height at the same time.

 

Because of the nature of the printing on the TP5 ball I'm not sure that there a clearly "parallel" alignment for this ball.  The Titleist and the Maxfli have a good chance of having their alignment aids out of sight while the Callaway 360 and Srixon Divide are more likely to be "off parallel."  (Props to the Srixon in the last photo for doing its best to show the way.)

Not sure exactly what this little experiment proves.  Having multiple alignment styles in the same frame, however, seems to allow for easier comparison.

Also, an early impression for me is that the Maxfli Tour with Max Align feels less intrusive/distracting on second shots than my earlier photo might suggest.

Oh, if you haven't seen the A&M 9000 tester that @EnderinAZ has devised to test the Maxfli Tour X ball be sure to check it out!

I think for the Taylormades they are the same as the “TruTrack” from callaway. If you use the tp5 logo to line up your put and hit it square, the “pix” create a nice parellel looking straight line when the ball rolls. It’s this way with the trutracks

[VernL4]

I played a round yesterday. I used my three different models of ball for 6 holes each. Here's my spreadsheet showing distances per club and putts. I feel like putts specifically pertain to this thread due to the Max Align feature on the Maxfli. I love numbers, so there are a few things that grab my attention with this data. Callaway gave me the best average drive. Maxfli was a very close 2nd and had the drive of the round of 209. Vice performed best with the 3 wood and the putter. Vice also came back the best with 1.83 shots over par per hole. Take a look and let me know if anything stands out to you.

Edited March 12 by VernL4

[ScramblinMan]

New England weather has been quite annoying the past 10 days. To top it off, I contracted the Flu 5 days ago and feel like I got run over!

Weather permitting, I should be able to post some videos and putting data within next few days

Edited March 12 by ScramblinMan

[Peejer]

7 hours ago, VernL4 said:

I played a round yesterday. I used my three different models of ball for 6 holes each. Here's my spreadsheet showing distances per club and putts. I feel like putts specifically pertain to this thread due to the Max Align feature on the Maxfli. I love numbers, so there are a few things that grab my attention with this data. Callaway gave me the best average drive. Maxfli was a very close 2nd and had the drive of the round of 209. Vice performed best with the 3 wood and the putter. Vice also came back the best with 1.83 shots over par per hole. Take a look and let me know if anything stands out to you.

I'm not sure I understand what your data represents, unless - you're saying you hit your 3W 67 yards on #1?, then 64 yards on #3?  and 3 times on #11?  Am I reading this correctly?  Calculate it like you wish, but looking at the 3W data alone - if I'm reading it right, shouldn't you remove the obviously bad strikes that has nothing to do with the balls performance?  Your worst 3W shot with the Vice Pro was 98 yards, which is only a few yards short of your average shot with the Maxfli's.  The mis-hits are skewing numbers in these calculations.

[tdc1]

Last of the (planned) indoor sessions.

Club:  Cleveland Halo XL Hy-Wood (18°) with Project X Cypher Forty 5.5•R graphite shaft. 

Balls:  TaylorMade Tour Response, Titleist Tour Speed, Srixon Q-Star Tour, Maxfli Tour, and Wilson Triad. 

Simulator:  Uneekor UI don't know the model).

I hit each ball multiple times but unlike previous indoor test I hit directly off the mat (somehow lost the 1/4" Birtee I used with SW, PW and 8i).  After deleting obvious outliers (chunks/tops), 5 shots were included in the data set.

Below are some numbers from today's session. 

Very good (for me) total distance with Maxfli Tour no doubt helped by lower launch and landing angle, and higher ball speed.

Dispersion, across the board, not nearly as tight as earlier tests.

Again, I really liked the feel of all 5 balls.

Still trying to get some decent video.  I'll post some raw stuff to YouTube (files too big for here) and will jump back over to give the link.

Back with a link (I hope):  https://youtube.com/shorts/NQWiC3mErEc?feature=share

 

Edited March 13 by tdc1
Added YouTube link

[VernL4]

3 hours ago, Peejer said:

I'm not sure I understand what your data represents, unless - you're saying you hit your 3W 67 yards on #1?, then 64 yards on #3?  and 3 times on #11?  Am I reading this correctly?  Calculate it like you wish, but looking at the 3W data alone - if I'm reading it right, shouldn't you remove the obviously bad strikes that has nothing to do with the balls performance?  Your worst 3W shot with the Vice Pro was 98 yards, which is only a few yards short of your average shot with the Maxfli's.  The mis-hits are skewing numbers in these calculations.

Yep, sadly, those were multiple shots with the 3W. I totally see what you are saying. I'm going to look at the spreadsheet again on Thursday. I had thought about ignoring some shots, but the dilemma I had was which shots to exclude.

[Peejer]

We got bombed with 24" of snow in 36 hours, so it was simulator golf for me today!

I had a buddy come over and joined me for 18 holes.  I showed him the new Maxfli Tour balls with MAX ALIGN technology and he said he hadn't seen them yet, but really liked the look of it.  I talked a bit about not only how I lined up my putt with the arrows, but also on tee shots to ensure my alignment is set up properly.

When I first looked at the arrows in person, they're bigger than I expected, and to be honest, I wasn't a fan.  But I've quickly gotten used to them and actually like them a lot now!!

[ScramblinMan]

Wet depressing weather here in Boston. Finally recovering from Flu and decided to roll a few putts on my putting green. My initial impression of the Max Align Technology was one of  trepidation. I’ve been gaming the Maxfli Tour ball since mid-summer last year and love the way it performs. I was concerned that the new graphics on the latest model would be a distraction. I was pleasantly surprised by the feedback of online putts and quickly realized it is a beneficial assessment of putter contact/path. I will post some videos shortly…

[tdc1]

Weather seems to be a recurring theme:  it tried to snow here in mid-Michigan today — little snow pellets but no accumulation.  That said, it may be a full week before we can get back on the course due to cold and rain.

I guess hot-chocolate-with-Fluff-marshmallow season isn’t quite over.

[tw1ns]

I got a few days of golf away from Iowa.  Golfed for 4 days in sunny Jacksonville, Florida. I chaperoned for a local community college golf team and got to attend a practice round at TPC Sawgrass, pictured below at the 17th with coach.  Pretty cool to see in person and then watch the tourney this weekend.  

The first day I played my gamer, the Vice Pro and the second day I played The Maxfli Tour, third day back to my gamer and the last day the Maxfli Tour again. 

We played some pretty nice courses and my game isn't at its peak at the moment, but I managed to keep it in the 80s for the 4 days.  

I tracked my putts over the 4 days.  The first day at Eagles Landing I had 33 putts with my gamer.  Day 2 at South Hampton, with the Maxfli, I had 31 putts.  Day 3 at Queens Harbour, with my gamer, again I had 33 putts, and the final day at St. Johns, with the Maxfli, I had 32 putts.  My best scoring day was day 2 with an 81.  My problem was not hitting GIR.  Over the 4 days.  I averaged 5 1/2 GIR.  Terrible.  The last day I chipped in twice for birdies.  So, at quick glance I didn't really see much benefit from the alignment aid with the Maxfli Tour.  

As you can see when I putt, I got a lot going on.  With my Odyssey Versa, I already have two lines in the back, some dots and all the stuff.  I admit, that when I putt, I do not use any lines on the ball, mostly the lines on the back of the putter.  It works for Scotty Scheffler, why not for me!  

On the days that I used the Maxfli, I lined up every putt with the arrows.  I felt more comfortable over long putts lining up the arrows, than I did on shorter putts within 5 feet.  My brain started thinking too much if I was lined up correctly or not, looking at the arrows and the back of my putter.  

I am going to try to get out to the putting green and do some distance testing and see what numbers come from that.  Stay tuned!  

 

Edited March 18 by tw1ns
removed pics

[tony@CIC]

To all of the testers: 

Is the only difference between last years Tour and the 2024 the "Align Technology", which just looks like a wider ball mark? Is performance the same?  I just bought 2 doz 2023 Tour in Yellow, because Vice was out of stock in the Pro series Neon Green.  The ball appears to have similar flight characteristics to the Pro, but I was disappointed when I found a 'nick' in the cover after about 9 holes. That ball was always on the fairway or green - never hit a cartpath, tree, etc. 

I'm looking for a temporary substitute for the Pro, however, just having the alignment mark isn't enough for me to convert. 

[ScramblinMan]

5 minutes ago, tony@CIC said:

To all of the testers: 

Is the only difference between last years Tour and the 2024 the "Align Technology", which just looks like a wider ball mark? Is performance the same?  I just bought 2 doz 2023 Tour in Yellow, because Vice was out of stock in the Pro series Neon Green.  The ball appears to have similar flight characteristics to the Pro, but I was disappointed when I found a 'nick' in the cover after about 9 holes. That ball was always on the fairway or green - never hit a cartpath, tree, etc. 

I'm looking for a temporary substitute for the Pro, however, just having the alignment mark isn't enough for me to convert. 

According to Maxfli, the only difference is the graphics on the Max Align Technology. I’ve played the Vice Pro series and find that the Maxfli (2023) edition had better characteristics for me. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to test the 2024 Maxfli tour balls (other than putting with them) yet due to weather issues. 

[tdc1]

41 minutes ago, tony@CIC said:

To all of the testers: 

Is the only difference between last years Tour and the 2024 the "Align Technology", which just looks like a wider ball mark? Is performance the same? 

I would agree with @ScramblinMan — the only difference I can discern is the alignment aid.  It is wider and close to 360° but, in my experience, not as obtrusive when looking down at the ball as still photos make it appear.

[Peejer]

1 hour ago, tony@CIC said:

To all of the testers: 

Is the only difference between last years Tour and the 2024 the "Align Technology", which just looks like a wider ball mark? Is performance the same?  I just bought 2 doz 2023 Tour in Yellow, because Vice was out of stock in the Pro series Neon Green.  The ball appears to have similar flight characteristics to the Pro, but I was disappointed when I found a 'nick' in the cover after about 9 holes. That ball was always on the fairway or green - never hit a cartpath, tree, etc. 

I'm looking for a temporary substitute for the Pro, however, just having the alignment mark isn't enough for me to convert. 

I think Maxfli went with the 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach.  The characteristics of the ball are the same high performing ball they released last year - that hasn't changed.  In keeping with the new philosophy of putting alignment aids in the ball, much like Titleist Tour Response (Stripe), Srixon Divide, and Callaway Triple-Track balls.  Heck, you can even order Titleist ProV1's now with Alignment logo's on them (https://www.titleist.com/golf-balls/custom-golf-balls/alignment-aid/).  Maxfli has added this alignment aid, as well.  At first, I thought it was too big and a bit gawdy - but I have to tell you after only two rounds with - I really like it.  I line it up on putts and tee shots.  My buddies comment on seeing how the arrow rolls when I putt.

The original poster said they had wear issues, I can tell you I've played two rounds with two different Maxfli Tour balls (w/MAX ALIGN) and there is virtually no wear marks on it.  Granted, I didn't hit any trees or cart paths, but there were a few bunkers.  I'll grab some pics and post here...

-- Peejer

[tw1ns]

13 hours ago, Peejer said:

I think Maxfli went with the 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach.  The characteristics of the ball are the same high performing ball they released last year - that hasn't changed.  In keeping with the new philosophy of putting alignment aids in the ball, much like Titleist Tour Response (Stripe), Srixon Divide, and Callaway Triple-Track balls.  Heck, you can even order Titleist ProV1's now with Alignment logo's on them (https://www.titleist.com/golf-balls/custom-golf-balls/alignment-aid/).  Maxfli has added this alignment aid, as well.  At first, I thought it was too big and a bit gawdy - but I have to tell you after only two rounds with - I really like it.  I line it up on putts and tee shots.  My buddies comment on seeing how the arrow rolls when I putt.

The original poster said they had wear issues, I can tell you I've played two rounds with two different Maxfli Tour balls (w/MAX ALIGN) and there is virtually no wear marks on it.  Granted, I didn't hit any trees or cart paths, but there were a few bunkers.  I'll grab some pics and post here...

-- Peejer

After two rounds with the Maxfli Tour - I did NOT have any wear issues - and I had plenty of bunker shots with it out of varying coarseness of sand.  They hold up just fine.