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Ball Lab – OnCore ELIXR Golf Ball Review
MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of the golf balls on the market to help you find the best ball for your money. Today, we’re taking a look at the OnCore ELIXR. An overview of the equipment we use can be found here. To learn more about our test process, how we define “bad” balls and our True Price metric, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.
The ELIXR is the first urethane-covered ball from Buffalo, N.Y.-based OnCore. The company is perhaps still best known for its original metal core MA-1 golf ball. OnCore has since expanded to a full-line ball company (offering both urethane and Surlyn models) but its eyes are trained on the future. Development of its Genius Smart Golf ball is ongoing as are plans to open a large-scale sports complex in Buffalo.
While we wait for those plans to come together, let’s take a closer look at the ELIXR.
About the OnCore ELIXR
The OnCore ELXIR is a three-piece urethane offering. Based on the results of last year’s ball test, we’d classify it as mid-launch and mid-spin.
The ELIXR is produced in Taiwan by Foremost. As we’ve mentioned before, the same factory produces balls for Wilson, Vice and MaxFli. It also manufactures some of the inner layers for the current generation of TaylorMade TP5 offerings.
The ELIXR leverages Foremost’s reliable 318-dimple cover which you’ll find on numerous balls sourced from the factory.
Quality from Foremost is generally pretty good (and diameter consistency tends to be a strength), though we have encountered a batch or two of Foremost-made balls where consistency hasn’t been what it should be.
OnCore ELIXR – Compression
On our gauge, the average compression of the OnCore ELIXR is 78. Across the market as a whole, that qualifies as medium, though it’s fair to describe the OnCore ELIXR as soft by urethane standards. Given its comparably low compression, we wouldn’t put it in the “Tour ball” category as faster-swinging players will likely pay a speed penalty. Rightfully, the ELIXR should be categorized alongside balls like the Callaway Chrome Soft, Bridgestone Tour B RX and, perhaps ironically, the Titleist Tour Speed.
OnCore ELIXR – Weight and Diameter
In general, there’s nothing negative to say here. The only knock – and it’s a small one – is that the ELIXR runs a bit light, though I suspect you’re unlikely to notice.
OnCore ELIXR – Inspection
Centeredness and Concentricity
We do occasionally find issues with layer concentricity in Foremost-made balls and, to a moderate extent, that was the case here.
We flagged 14 percent of our sample as bad due to concentricity issues. The majority of those were appreciable thickness differences in the cover from one side of the ball to another.
Additionally, we noted minor defects in 42 percent of the sample. Predominantly, these were small but visible differences in cover thickness and, in some cases, the mantle layer.
Core Consistency
While we can’t point to it as specifically problematic, within our sample set we observed two distinct core compositions. The slight majority features a darker material with pronounced regrind (as shown in the photo above). The second variation was lighter with minimal regrind. While it’s not uncommon to find some variation between production runs (and factories often use color as a method of tracking individual batches), it’s a bit more uncommon to find variations mixed within a box.
It could help to explain some of the inconsistencies in compression discussed below.
Cover
The covers of the OnCore ELIXR balls in our sample were generally clean and free from defect. We typically don’t find many issues with Foremost-made covers.
General Observations
The ELIXR’s cover is moderately thin. Newer Foremost balls (like the OnCore VERO X1 and new Vice Pro series) feature a thinner cover which should produce a bit more greenside spin.
OnCore ELIXR Consistency
In this section, we detail the consistency of the OnCore ELIXR. It’s a measure of how similar the balls in our sample were to one another, relative to all of the models we’ve tested to date.
Weight Consistency
Consistency (of weight) across the OnCore ELIXR sample was within the high average range. Weight variation between the heaviest and lightest ball in the sample was well within reasonable limits.Diameter Consistency
Diameter consistency relative to the other balls in our database is good (above average). As noted, diameter consistency appears to be a strength of the factory that manufactures the OnCore ELIXR.Compression Consistency
In general, compression consistency of the OnCore ELIXR fell within the low average range. While the average of the three points measured on each ball (what we call the ICBR) was solidly average, the compression delta across the entire sample was nearly 14 compression points. That’s a bit more than we like to see (for context, the best balls we’ve tested have less than a five-point compression difference across the entire sample) and we did flag one ball as bad for being significantly softer than the median ball in our sample.
True Price
True Price is how we quantify the quality of a golf ball. It's a projection of what you'd have to spend to ensure you get 12 good balls.
The True Price will always be equal to or greater than the retail price. The greater the difference between the retail price and the True Price, the more you should be concerned about the quality of the ball.
OnCore ELIXR – Summary Report
To learn more about our test process, how we define “bad” balls and our True Price metric, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.
The Good
The OnCore ELIXR is on the high end of our table for both weight and diameter consistency.
The Bad
Layer concentricity can be an issue as is compression consistency. The former will likely cause appreciable differences in spin depending on where the ball is struck while compression differences correlate with ball speed consistency (or lack thereof).
True Price
The True Price of OnCore ELIXR is $42.00. That represents a 20-percent increase over MSRP. While that’s not the best deal going, the ELIXR still represents a reasonable value proposition for golfers, especially those looking for a softer-feeling ball that produces moderate spin rates throughout the bag.
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