OnCore ELIXR Golf Ball

[ddec]

Today, OnCore Golf has released their newest golf ball, ELIXR. ELIXR is a three-piece ball that is aimed to be comparable in performance to other high end golf balls. Below is the press release and some images. I know some on the forum got a chance test out both the Avant and Caliber balls last year.

OnCore Golf Debuts High Performance Tour Ball - ELIXR[SUP]TM[/SUP]

BUFFALO, NY – OnCore Golf, the Buffalo, New York-based golf ball company, today unveiled their first-ever Tour ball—the ELIXR[SUP]TM[/SUP]. Their most advanced ball release yet, the ELIXR™ upholds OnCore’s commitment to innovation and technology while diversifying the company’s portfolio of golf balls to meet the needs of all player performance levels.

Bringing together a one-of-a-kind mix of advanced materials, the ELIXR™’s tri-phase constructed technology features original chemistry blends with added advanced material elements to deliver a unique combination of distance, spin, control and feel off the face of the club.

“We entered into the market five years ago by literally making history with our hollow-metal core golf balls,” said OnCore Golf Co-Founder Bret Blakely. “However, we’ve never stopped innovating and exploring approaches to golf ball design and construction that would benefit golfers of all skill levels. By creating a top tier product and jumping into the professional golf scene head first with the ELIXR™, we are staying true to our vision of being innovators – from Core to Cover – and offering golfers an alternative to the status quo that has dominated the golf industry for the past century. And we’re just getting started!”

Available online and in select retailers as of March 1, 2017, the company is aggressively expanding marketing and promotional efforts and has added Brian McGahey – a former longtime Nike Golf representative with more than 35-years of industry experience and relationships across all four professional tours – as director of business and player development.

To unveil the ELIXR™ to an international audience, OnCore teamed up with high-end production firm dPost to create a groundbreaking commercial highlighting the ball company’s origins of product innovation through three-dimensional animation.

“Over the past several years, the team has worked tirelessly to perfect the quality and performance of our products, while maintaining the integrity and attitude of our brand,” said OnCore Golf President John Koelmel. “We offer something unmatched on the market, and now is the time to go vertical. There’s not a more perfect stage than Masters season to introduce golfers around the world to OnCore’s dynamic new tour ball.”

With an 85-compression rating and a 318-dimple pattern, the three-piece ELIXR™ combines a polybutadiene rubber core’s unique cross-linked polymer additives for exceptional ball speed; increased perimeter weighting due to a proprietary polymer mantle infused with high density particles for enhanced accuracy and control; and a cast urethane cover to deliver a soft and pure feel off the club face for ultimate greenside handling and durability.

Initial reviews of the ELIXR™ are overwhelmingly positive – spanning industry professionals at the 2017 PGA Merchandise Show to nearly two-dozen Tour professionals across the PGA, LPGA, Champions and Web.com Tours who have played the product.

“The Tour player’s reaction to the ELIXR™ has blown us away,” said McGahey. “The feedback is consistently positive across all four Tours – maximized distance, greater control, increased stability in wind and crosswind and a superior feel.”

The technology behind the new ELIXR™ Tour ball, along with OnCore’s other highly-regarded golf balls, the AVANT and the CALIBER, can be seen at www.OnCoreGolf.com.

 

[JB]

Where is the metal?

 

[ddec]

Where is the metal?

this one is clang free.
The whole perimeter weighting talk of this one interests me, as I thought the caliber was a really good ball to putt with. I do think they are making a mistake though with the price being at $40 on their website. That price point puts you in direct competition with Srixon, Callaway, Bridgestone who are all sitting at $39.99. It makes it more than Vice and Snell, which from the outside looking in, have done a good job at sales. We talked about these smaller ball companies on a podcast last year, and I think hitting this price point takes them from being a small ball company to something bigger and I am really not sure they are ready for that.

 

[JB]

OnCore ELIXR Golf Ball

That is chasing a margin in my opinion and one that is going to be hard to do with so many major R&D based companies coming in lower right now.

 

[ddec]

That is chasing a margin in my opinion and one that is going to be hard to do with so many major R&D based companies coming in lower right now.

that's how I read it too. Perhaps that's the cost of doing business in NY(half joking, half not). I liked the balls last year, Avant was a good two-piece distance ball, nothing special, but solid. I'm curious on these because that price point dictates in the consumer mind where this ball should rank. I think that alone makes the hill a steeper climb for them.

 

[Jman]

this one is clang free.
The whole perimeter weighting talk of this one interests me, as I thought the caliber was a really good ball to putt with. I do think they are making a mistake though with the price being at $40 on their website. That price point puts you in direct competition with Srixon, Callaway, Bridgestone who are all sitting at $39.99. It makes it more than Vice and Snell, which from the outside looking in, have done a good job at sales. We talked about these smaller ball companies on a podcast last year, and I think hitting this price point takes them from being a small ball company to something bigger and I am really not sure they are ready for that.

Clang free makes me chuckle.

I'm leary of the price point as well, particularly with, as you mentioned, multiple major manufacturers hitting that price point right now.

Its interesting. Also, I'm kinda eh on the name.

 

[mpeterson]

this one is clang free.
The whole perimeter weighting talk of this one interests me, as I thought the caliber was a really good ball to putt with. I do think they are making a mistake though with the price being at $40 on their website. That price point puts you in direct competition with Srixon, Callaway, Bridgestone who are all sitting at $39.99. It makes it more than Vice and Snell, which from the outside looking in, have done a good job at sales. We talked about these smaller ball companies on a podcast last year, and I think hitting this price point takes them from being a small ball company to something bigger and I am really not sure they are ready for that.

The Caliber plus the F6+ was a sound to behold.

Along with the other balls you mentioned, the Q Star Tour coming in at $30 is another one that's probably going to directly compete as well.

 

[ddec]

The Caliber plus the F6+ was a sound to behold.

Along with the other balls you mentioned, the Q Star Tour coming in at $30 is another one that's probably going to directly compete as well.

Sound to behold = painful

 

[kevin81002]

Yeah I agree. At that price point, they might have ordered a problem.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

 

[greg19]

I love the Avant but was not a fan of either of their metal core balls (Caliber and MA 1.0). I find the Avant has been my go to ball the past few seasons.

 

[JohnSinVA]

I'm confess that I'm a bit of a ball junkie and tend to jump around between makes/models. I would certainly give this one a try but the $40 price point is a bit hard to swallow for an unknown/unproven item. Is this a situation where the "low price = poor quality/performance" trap has influenced pricing to some degree? I would think they would at least try to hit low $30 to be in Snell territory.

ETA: Does it have a seam?

 

[CBaker]

I think the Avant was a really good ball for that price point and one I had no problems playing while testing last year. Still use the ones I have left as cold weather balls. I didn't however like the caliber, at all really.

This one being a true 3 piece (non-metal) and having a urethane cover make me interested to try them.

 

[russtopher]

That's an awfully crowded market to be in. At that price point your performance/quality had better be there.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SquirrelyDave]

That price point doe.

I tested both of their models last year and the caliber was decent, I wasn't a huge fan of the Avant. It was just ok.

I think they may have priced themselves in trouble with this one.

 

[KEV]

this one is clang free.
The whole perimeter weighting talk of this one interests me, as I thought the caliber was a really good ball to putt with. I do think they are making a mistake though with the price being at $40 on their website. That price point puts you in direct competition with Srixon, Callaway, Bridgestone who are all sitting at $39.99. It makes it more than Vice and Snell, which from the outside looking in, have done a good job at sales. We talked about these smaller ball companies on a podcast last year, and I think hitting this price point takes them from being a small ball company to something bigger and I am really not sure they are ready for that.

I also think this price point is a mistake. If someone has the option of buying a household name vs. what is basically an unknown brand at the same price, household is going to win.

 

[McLovin]

Yeah I agree. At that price point, they might have ordered a problem.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

i foresee deep discounts and flash sale sites on the near horizon. probably wrecks the profit margin and they would have been better off to start at $29.99

 

[obedt]

i foresee deep discounts and flash sale sites on the near horizon. probably wrecks the profit margin and they would have been better off to start at $29.99

I agree. The price point will scare off some potential customers (myself included).

I remember a THP radio episode and there was a ton of excitement surrounding this release. Not sure if that can carry over to consumers at this price.

Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk

 

[CBaker]

i foresee deep discounts and flash sale sites on the near horizon. probably wrecks the profit margin and they would have been better off to start at $29.99

I think the problem with that, is the Caliber was already $30 if my memory serves correctly. Hard to market a "tour level ball" that is supposed to be your best at the same price point as a weird metal core ball.

 

[ddec]

when they first announced this ball, I thought the target price was 35, which oddly enough sounds a lot better than 40. But it also slots better against some of the other off brands.

 

[mpeterson]

when they first announced this ball, I thought the target price was 35, which oddly enough sounds a lot better than 40. But it also slots better against some of the other off brands.

It's funny you say that. I know it's not a lot, but $35 sounds way better to me.

 

[McLovin]

I think the problem with that, is the Caliber was already $30 if my memory serves correctly. Hard to market a "tour level ball" that is supposed to be your best at the same price point as a weird metal core ball.

very good point. i just don't see it moving at that price.

 

[CBaker]

very good point. i just don't see it moving at that price.

Oh me either, but I think their pricing was already wrong going into this one. Essentially - this isn't the one that ruined their pricing model.

 

[musicmaster6921]

I actually like the sounds of this ball! The price not so much.....But might try a dozen out anyways.

 

[JohnSinVA]

I think the problem with that, is the Caliber was already $30 if my memory serves correctly. Hard to market a "tour level ball" that is supposed to be your best at the same price point as a weird metal core ball.

Is it though? It seems to me the Caliber and the Elixr are targeted at different player types. Suppose we declare them to be "game improvement" vs. "skilled player" balls, somewhat analogous to iron categories. In this case, "best" would be how your marketing defines it.

Callaway sells the BB OS irons and the Apex Pro 16 irons for roughly the same money, though are obviously intended for different player types. Can this not be done for balls as well? As was stressed several times in the KSig thread, a player should play the ball that best fits their game. If a player consistently plays several strokes better with a Caliber as opposed to an Elixr are they going to switch because the Elixr is "tour level"? Granted, it would take a bit of a sea change in the way the typical player thinks about the ball and perceived value, but it could be done.

 

[CBaker]

Is it though? It seems to me the Caliber and the Elixr are targeted at different player types. Suppose we declare them to be "game improvement" vs. "skilled player" balls, somewhat analogous to iron categories. In this case, "best" would be how your marketing defines it.

Callaway sells the BB OS irons and the Apex Pro 16 irons for roughly the same money, though are obviously intended for different player types. Can this not be done for balls as well? As was stressed several times in the KSig thread, a player should play the ball that best fits their game. If a player consistently plays several strokes better with a Caliber as opposed to an Elixr are they going to switch because the Elixr is "tour level"? Granted, it would take a bit of a sea change in the way the typical player thinks about the ball and perceived value, but it could be done.

100% absolutely for golf balls. For the same reason Titleist will never release the ProV1 for the same price as the NXT tour.