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New OnCore ELIXR Golf Ball (2022 Model)
Direct-to-consumer brand OnCore Golf has announced the 2022 ELIXR, the second generation of its most popular urethane-covered offering. I’m not suggesting the ELIXR is a market leader but it is a golf ball that a lot of you like and some of you love. Pressed to explain why, my guess is that it’s because the original ELIXR brings a lot of balance to the table.
The OnCore ELIXR isn’t the softest ball on the market but it’s soft enough to appeal to feel-driven golfers—at least those shopping the urethane category. With compression a bit below 80, the ELIXR isn’t the fastest ball on the market but average swing speed golfers won’t pay much of a penalty. It’s not the lowest spinning off the driver but it can offer some straight flight benefits without giving up too much around the green.
Finally, and this is no little thing, at less than $30 a dozen, the ELIXR is $20 a dozen less than most premium offerings. All of that and with the original coming out of the Foremost factory in Taiwan, quality and consistency were pretty good too.
Is a new ELIXR a better ELIXR?
So with all of that in the back of your head, the question to be answered is this:
With the 2022 ELIXR, has OnCore messed up a good thing?
The summary overview of the changes to the new ball include a new 350-dimple cover, a new polybutadiene core (an odd flex considering that’s what most cores are made from) and a compression value in the mid-80s.
Depending on the quality of your chemists, your core formulation can give you a little extra speed or cost you some but compression invariably closely correlates with ball speed. We haven’t measure it yet but “mid-80s” would suggest a new ELIXR that’s a bit firmer and, therefore, a bit faster off the driver.
If the numbers hold true (and most OEM measurements are typically close to ours), it would bring ELIXR to what I’d classify as a true Tour-spec’ed offering.
Painting with a brush broad enough to cover most of the “mid-80s”, the competitive set includes the MaxFli Tour CG, Bridgestone Tour B XS, TaylorMade TP5, Vice Pro and possibly the Titleist Pro V1. To be clear, that’s a compression comparison only and we expect plenty of variation in trajectory and spin performance.
“Mid-80s” still isn’t a bad spot to be if you’re trying to appeal to the mass market. It would likely be fast enough that speed loss off the driver is only a concern for the fastest swingers but still soft enough that many feel-driven consumers won’t be put-off by an overly clicky ball.
Perhaps not as well balanced as the original but still hovering comfortably in the middle.
OnCore ELIXR Features
The ELIXR’s claim to fame is what OnCore describes as “perimeter weighting.” The idea is that by putting a bit of extra mass in the three-piece ELIXR’s mantle layer, OnCore engineers can deliver a more stable flight. The new ELIXR is also described as offering low driver spin which is probably the best predictor of straight flight off the tee. I’m certainly interested to see how the spin profile on the new ball shakes out.
Big Changes?
What caught my attention, however, was a new 350-dimple cover. That suggests two things. The first is that the new ELIXR will likely fly differently. Trajectory is driven almost entirely by the cover so a new dimple pattern likely means a different flight.
Secondly, when a direct-to-consumer company pairs a new cover design with a new core composition (as OnCore has), it hints that there might be a new factory producing the 2022 OnCore ELIXR.
As we’ve discussed, dimple patterns are exceptionally complex. They take years to develop and when companies find one that works, they tend to use them over and over (and over and over) again. The previous ELIXR leveraged a 318-dimple cover. It’s Foremost’s go-to pattern. It has covered literally dozens of balls over the years.
While Foremost does have a 336-dimple pattern, a 350-dimple pattern isn’t in the catalog—at least not that we’re aware of. My suspicion is that the new ELIXR is being manufactured elsewhere.
Citing confidentiality agreements, OnCore wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the factory producing the 2022 ELIXR. I have my suspicions. We should be able to confirm shortly.
Foremost-made products typically rate among the highest in our Ball Lab tests so a change in factory will certainly warrant a closer look at the consistency of the product.
OnCore ELIXR – Tell Us What You Think
That’s all TBD. What we know right now is that OnCore has a new version of the ELIXR—a ball that gained some loyal followers, especially among value-conscious consumers. At only $29.99 a dozen (with additional discounts for bulk purchases), it should still prove to be one of the best values on the urethane market.
I have no doubt that many of you will be trying the new OnCore ELIXR. When you do, be sure to come back and let us know what you think.
For more information, visit OnCore.com.
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