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Maxfli Tour and Tour X Golf Balls
Maxfli Tour and Tour X are the second generation of Maxfli’s surprisingly good “Tour-level” balls. I say “surprisingly” because at the start of our 2019 ball test, we had low expectations for the DICK’S house brand. However, during testing, the Maxfli offerings flew longer and straighter than several mainstream offerings.
Subsequent MyGolfSpy Ball Lab testing placed their prior-gen Tour ball near the top of our rankings table and, while we had some issues with the Tour X, they were largely confined to a single bad box. Not that it should ever happen but this time around should be better.
About the Maxfli Tour Golf Ball Lineup
The Maxfli Tour and Tour X are manufactured by Foremost in Taiwan. If you’ve been keeping up with Ball Lab, you know that Foremost is among the most reputable of the Asian factories. In addition to Maxfli, Foremost produces balls for Vice, Wilson and OnCore. It’s also responsible for the majority of TaylorMade’s TP5 core production. While Foremost quality was already pretty good, increased business from TaylorMade is driving QC improvements which ultimately benefit its other customers as well.
While Foremost makes the Maxfli Tour balls, a good bit of technology contained within in the new balls is unique to Maxfli. The core formulation is exclusive to Maxfli as is the new high flexural modulus mantle. That’s the technical way of saying it’s stiffer, which allows it to support a softer core without giving up speed. The cover is softer than last time around too but, otherwise, it’s the same 318 dimple pattern found on a number of Foremost balls including the Vice Pro and OnCore’s ELIXR and Vero X1.
Dimple patterns are extremely complex to design and tooling is expensive so when factories have one that works, it’s rare to see big changes outside of OEM-owned factories.
The covers on the Maxfli Tour and Maxfli Tour X are made from cast urethane. It’s the same technology used by Titleist, TaylorMade and Snell. As you’d expect, cast urethane guys will tell you their technology is superior while injected urethane guys will make the same argument from the other side.
Maxfli’s position is that cast urethane yields a more durable product and, while anecdotal, all other things being equal, cast feels better, too.
CG Balancing Technology
Both the Maxfli Tour and Tour X feature proprietary CG balancing technology. The process is a nod to the reality that almost no ball is 100-percent perfectly balanced. As a safeguard, each ball passes through what amounts to an industrial-grade Check Go Pro to identify the axis along which the ball is perfectly balanced. The side stamp is marked on that line. The idea is that golfers can point the stamp down the fairway and benefit from straighter drives.
CG-balancing technology along with an enhanced alignment stamp can help you off the tee and on the green. In between you’re on your own, which is why it’s worth mentioning that CG balancing isn’t meant to be a crutch for a poorly made ball. The idea is to take what Maxfli says (and our testing suggests) is already a really good ball and bundle it with a little something extra to help golfers.
Both Maxfli Tour models fall on the higher end of the compression spectrum. As isn’t uncommon in the ball world, the two models largely mirror the Pro V1 and Pro V1x. The measured compression of the three-piece Maxfli Tour is in the high 80s while the four-piece Maxfli Tour X registers in the high 90s.
Maxfli describes the changes to the balls as “Pro V1-like incremental improvement.” With the exception of the side stamp, all of those changes are under the hood which means you won’t find any of the visible tech like you see with the Bridgestone e12 Contact dimple but that shouldn’t suggest not much has changed.
Maxfli Tour Updates
With the Maxfli Tour, the most notable change is at the literal core. In addition to the new softer composition, the core is a bit larger than the last time around. A larger core is a faster core so with the stiffer mantle keeping things from getting mushy, you should expect just a bit more speed with the new ball.
Creating speed without increasing compression was one of the objectives of the new design.
Maxfli Tour X Updates
With the new Maxfli Tour X, the changes are a bit more dramatic. It’s still a four-piece ball but Maxfli has moved away from dual-core construction (similar to the Pro V1x or Srixon Z-Star XV) in favor of a dual mantle design (similar to Chrome Soft X).
The change boils down to eliminating complexity in favor of consistency. Dual mantle construction is less challenging than dual core. For Maxfli, that ultimately yields a more consistent product.
Side-By-Side Comparison
With the compression gap between models increased for the new version, golfers should see a bit more separation in performance between the two balls.
The lower compression Maxfli Tour is a bit softer while the four-piece Tour X will be faster and should produce a bit more iron spin.
Because the ball space is no place for nuance, Maxfli’s charts list both models as producing low driver spin and high greenside spin. Allowing for finer points, you can expect the Tour X to produce some additional spin off the driver and on partial wedge shots.
As is industry standard practice, Maxfli has data from Golf Labs testing that suggests performance is as good or better than leading balls on the market. The home team never loses but the larger point is that the biggest differentiator between Maxlfi and the big boys isn’t the performance specification. It’s the price.
Maxfli Tour Pricing
The Maxfli Tour and Tour X sell for $34.99 a dozen and frequently go on sale for less (as I’m banging away on my keyboard, they’re two for $60).
DICK’S Sporting Goods’ Maxfli Tour and Tour X golf balls are available in white, matte white and yellow. Personalization is available at no additional charge.
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