Really loving the RB Tour ball so far. Plenty of spin in the short game and plenty of yardage off the driver. Really enjoy the feel of it too and doesn't get any better than the Mizuno logo. More to come later...
Mizuno RB Tour and RB Tour X Golf Ball Review Thread
I played 18 holes last weekend, alternating between Mizuno RB Tour and Mizuno RB Max. The RB Tour is pleasingly soft without being too soft, whereas the RB Max definitely feels firm with a slight "click" to it. I was getting a little more driving distance that day from the RB Max. Both felt good to me around the green. My regret that round is that I went for the hero shot from a hard lie over the pond....as I topped the RB Max into the water it seemed to look back at me with a "C'mon, really dude?" look. Next shot with the RB Tour was crushed long around the safe side.
I played 9 on Thursday evening with the RB Tour and there's just no drama with this ball. It flies true off the face of the club, I got great distance with the driver and good height on the approach shots and overall it's a very comfortable ball for me. I'll pick up some more RB Max this weekend and continue the side by side testing.
Bonus...as we finished our round late Thursday evening the Titleist Pro-V1 U-2 spy plane made a couple low level passes over us; obviously gathering some intel on these Mizuno balls
I played 9 on Thursday evening with the RB Tour and there's just no drama with this ball. It flies true off the face of the club, I got great distance with the driver and good height on the approach shots and overall it's a very comfortable ball for me. I'll pick up some more RB Max this weekend and continue the side by side testing.
Bonus...as we finished our round late Thursday evening the Titleist Pro-V1 U-2 spy plane made a couple low level passes over us; obviously gathering some intel on these Mizuno balls
Still seeing so much consistency in this golf ball. Played my best tournament round of the year last week shooting +2. The consistency off the irons has been so welcoming. I keep seeing a bit more penetrating flight compared to my PV1X and it's really helping with control and little added spin.
This RB Tour X continues to be great for me.
This RB Tour X continues to be great for me.
You know I keep seeing this thread and still have some Tour X from earlier this season. Might need to play with them again
(Previously posted this in another Mizuno ball thread - I think this thread is more current so reposting)
Started some ball testing yesterday in preparation for the Victory Cup. I used the RB Tour X on the front, and RB Tour on the back.
I had a terrible driving day - not blaming the balls, but the X had more spin/fade (slice
) than the Tour. That’s something I want to keep an eye on.
I liked both with irons, wedges and putter. No discernible difference between the 2. I enjoyed the feel, spin and height of both; and putted lights out.
Durability was great. Excited to test it further.
Started some ball testing yesterday in preparation for the Victory Cup. I used the RB Tour X on the front, and RB Tour on the back.
I had a terrible driving day - not blaming the balls, but the X had more spin/fade (slice
) than the Tour. That’s something I want to keep an eye on.I liked both with irons, wedges and putter. No discernible difference between the 2. I enjoyed the feel, spin and height of both; and putted lights out.
Durability was great. Excited to test it further.
I played 18 holes yesterday with the RB Tour on the front 9 and RB Max on the back 9. I'll give a slight edge to the RB Max for me as it seemed to work better on my drives than the RB Tour. Definitely straighter with a bit more distance off the tee with the RB Max. I'm heading up to the mountains next weekend with a bunch of friends for our annual golf trip, excited to see how both balls perform at altitude.
I may be making a change here. I’m going to try a ball change first before I look at going to stock lofts from 2* weak. I’m seeing very high ball flights and a lot of spin. My 6i has been stopping next to its pitch mark. It’s fun but wind can really affect my shots. Short game shots need me to be more aggressive than I’m comfortable with.
But for as many trees and cart paths as I hit today I finished up with the same ball. It was a borderline call to replace because of a light scuff. I didn’t see any noticeable effects from the scuff so I kept playing it for the last 2 holes. It was probably more dirt and discoloration than physical.
But for as many trees and cart paths as I hit today I finished up with the same ball. It was a borderline call to replace because of a light scuff. I didn’t see any noticeable effects from the scuff so I kept playing it for the last 2 holes. It was probably more dirt and discoloration than physical.
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RB Tour was a rock solid performer in the tech studio for me as I work with both the Tour and X a bit.
The X is fast, and spinny. The Tour seems to find that that middle ground that I like with killing a bit of spin off the long game and having plenty with irons and around the green.
The X is fast, and spinny. The Tour seems to find that that middle ground that I like with killing a bit of spin off the long game and having plenty with irons and around the green.
I’ve always played the ProV1 and have recently been playing more spinny balls like the Pro V1x, TPX5, and after reading a few comparison reviews, the Tour RB X. With low spinning clubs and driver, I find my ball doesn’t spin enough. The RB X tested off the charts good for me! Just ordered three dozen off a website on a deal that seems too good to be true. Anyone buy from greatgolfdeals.com? Hoping I didn’t waste $110!
Great news. Got email confirmation that my order has shipped!
Glad the RB X worked so well for you! I've been loving it since I tested it
My irons have been launching high and coming up short. I figured a ball change might mitigate some of that. I switched from the RB Tour X to the RB Tour. Based on the playing differences between the balls using my last set of irons I figured this could be a good fit.
The RB Tour visually launches lower and has a flatter ball flight. My last set made that a liability. My current set of irons are 2* weak and the change gave me my familiar ball flight. Iron and wedge shots behaved a little more like I’m used to. Slightly more roll out but the wet turf may have took some spin off at contact.
Short game spin was again, familiar. My previous gamer was the Chrome Soft X. The ball checked a little, even in the wetter conditions, but didn’t bite hard and make me adjust my game to the ball. The most telling short game shot was a downhill lie chip that flew to my mark, bit, and rolled out past the hole. It left a 4 footer for par. I think in dry conditions it’ll offer more spin and control. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens during my next dry round.
The RB Tour visually launches lower and has a flatter ball flight. My last set made that a liability. My current set of irons are 2* weak and the change gave me my familiar ball flight. Iron and wedge shots behaved a little more like I’m used to. Slightly more roll out but the wet turf may have took some spin off at contact.
Short game spin was again, familiar. My previous gamer was the Chrome Soft X. The ball checked a little, even in the wetter conditions, but didn’t bite hard and make me adjust my game to the ball. The most telling short game shot was a downhill lie chip that flew to my mark, bit, and rolled out past the hole. It left a 4 footer for par. I think in dry conditions it’ll offer more spin and control. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens during my next dry round.
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I played in windy conditions today. While I started with the X for the first 2 holes, it was getting punished with in the face/left to right wind, and I switched to the Tour for the rest of the round. It’s not as spinny off the driver and it really helped combat the wind.
I am still going to give the X a fair shake while I continue testing. Coming from a ProV1x, my expectation was to fit into the X, but jury is still out.
The Tour had a nice mid flight that I like, while still able to hold the greens. It passes the durability test for sure. Solid ball that folks should keep an eye on.
I am still going to give the X a fair shake while I continue testing. Coming from a ProV1x, my expectation was to fit into the X, but jury is still out.
The Tour had a nice mid flight that I like, while still able to hold the greens. It passes the durability test for sure. Solid ball that folks should keep an eye on.
How did you think it did off the rest of the clubs? I felt like I had less spin off every club but it played controlled around the greens.
It really was windy, so I played a lot of lower flighted shots when given a choice. It performed as I would have hoped - a lot of hops, check, little roll out. I only recall 1 approach shot where I had to go high. That green is pretty firm and slopes front to back, (and I was coming out of rough) so I wasn’t expecting any sort of zip - the ball landed middle and made it to the back of the green where the pin was. I would say it responded as I would have expected- no surprises.
Great report and glad to hear about the Tours performance. I ordered three dozen of the X and my package arrived yesterday. I received three dozen of the Tour! Instead of sending them back, I’m going to give them a go. The packaging compares the two models and says the Tour has a more “penetrating“ ball flight and otherwise has similar spin off most shots. Time to find out!
Great weekend playing the RB TOUR. Quick thoughts… distance, feel, ball flight, and workability are all there. Lining up putts with the lettering is really easy. Unlike my TM balls, the Mizuno writing seems to be straighter. Ball feels soft and responsive off putter strikes. Putts were true to the hole.
Very noticeable was the spin with wedges, especially shots around the green. I hit several short-to-mid irons that also stopped on a dime. Very impressive! Durability might be an issue. I did notice scuff bruising developing after about 5 or 6 holes. I’ll have to play another ball and take closer notice to see if this is a Mizuno ball thing or not. Otherwise, I give them
.
Very noticeable was the spin with wedges, especially shots around the green. I hit several short-to-mid irons that also stopped on a dime. Very impressive! Durability might be an issue. I did notice scuff bruising developing after about 5 or 6 holes. I’ll have to play another ball and take closer notice to see if this is a Mizuno ball thing or not. Otherwise, I give them
.
I’m surprised about the scuffs! I hadn’t seen much of that and have had balls last full rounds a few times.Great weekend playing the RB TOUR. Quick thoughts… distance, feel, ball flight, and workability are all there. Lining up putts with the lettering is really easy. Unlike my TM balls, the Mizuno writing seems to be straighter. Ball feels soft and responsive off putter strikes. Putts were true to the hole.
Very noticeable was the spin with wedges, especially shots around the green. I hit several short-to-mid irons that also stopped on a dime. Very impressive! Durability might be an issue. I did notice scuff bruising developing after about 5 or 6 holes. I’ll have to play another ball and take closer notice to see if this is a Mizuno ball thing or not. Otherwise, I give them
Mizuno RB Tour X – Mid Season Review
After I was selected to be a member of the Victory Cup, I wanted to try as many Mizuno products as I could. The golf ball was the easiest way to start that process. It’s cost effective compared to clubs and I had a variety of ways I could try it and put it through its paces without having to sacrifice my “gamer ball”, which at the time was the ProV1X. I play in a decent amount of AM tournaments every year, and I want to make sure I’m playing the best equipment for my game.
I want to take you through some of my thoughts and feelings as I was trying this ball out. I will link my reviews that accompany each part, but felt it was important to revisit.
From the get-go, I was skeptical. I’ll be honest when you mention golf balls Mizuno are not the first few options that come to mind. Whether you think that’s a fair assessment or not is up to you, but truth be told I wouldn’t have tried it previously. I was comfy with my PV1X gamer and there are other brands or options that would be picked first if I needed to change. I knew we would be playing their balls at the Victory Cup and thought “well at least I’ll have some experience with it going in”.
I picked up a couple dozen of the RB Tour X thinking those were the best fit based on what I play now and what I like to see out of a golf ball. I like to start putting and work my way towards the tee with a golf ball. The short game and approaches are much more important to me than the performance of the driver. From first visuals, impressions and putting I was extremely impressed. I enjoyed the soft feel I was getting off the flatstick and even though the drastic change in dimples was noticeable, I didn’t mind it. I am a sucker for the running bird logo and blue numbers as well. You can read my first review here: REVIEW 1
From there I was able to capture data with my Bushnell Launch Pro and see how the 2 balls acted side by side with a standard pitch shot. I had hit a few without it and it felt pretty similar, but I wanted data to back it up. There were some small differences in data, but the biggest thing I saw was the difference in feel. Much like the putter, the feel off the wedge was slightly more “responsive” to me. At this point I was already impressed. A ball I would’ve never thought possible to make any run at being the “regular” in my bag was keeping up with one of the biggest balls in golf. My chipping data review is here: REVIEW 2
We were now ready to move to the course and get some full swing data. If you’d like my inside thoughts at this point it would’ve been something like “Okay, this ball was fine and dandy when it came to short shots and feel, but there’s no way this thing can hold the same ball speed off full shots, or something crazy is going to happen spin wise”
I got the chance to get to the course and be able to capture data with my Bushnell Launch Pro while playing. It’s one thing to get data in a controlled environment, but even better to capture it while getting live reps in.
This ball then did what I thought wasn’t going to be possible. It really showed up and dominated in some big categories. It excelled off the driver with ball speed, it added some needed spin to my approach shots and overall felt fantastic coming off the club. I remember having a few shots where I knew it before I looked at the data knowing how it was excelling. It was a really fun evening of data and you can read the whole write up here: REVIEW 3
Now we jump into some new thoughts from me. From that day on the Mizuno RB Tour X became my new gamer ball for all golf, unless I was testing something for THP. I’ve played a handful of tournament rounds since then, and I’ve never lost confidence in this ball.
A little recency bias, but an example of my confidence with this ball happened yesterday. I was playing a casual round with a friend and had a pretty comfy wedge number in. I hit a solid shot and before it was even halfway there claimed out loud, “oh this is going to be really close”. Sure enough it hit, jumped one bounce and spun back to 5 feet. Knowing how the ball is going to react for every situation instead of being worried it might spin or might not is so important.
Off the tee is probably where I stay most impressed with this ball. It’s fast, like really fast. I thought when testing that this is where this ball would fail, but it flies off the face, and the responsive feeling I get lets me have instant feedback. And I’ve never had times where it spins out of control for no reason. If I mis-hit it of course crazy stuff can happen, but it’s consistent on the good hits.
Do I still get weird looks in state tournaments when I say “Mizuno” on the first tee as my ball? Sure, I live in Titleist land in the Northeast and no one is venturing very far from it. What’s most important to me though is the way it performs once it’s hit.
I have more important golf coming up and I know this part of my bag will be reliable every round.
I mentioned it in my earlier reviews. ProV1X is a good ball, heck it’s a great ball. But, if you’re not trying Mizuno out when finding the ball that’s best for you I think you’re possibly leaving something on the table. It’s not the best for everyone, but it’s probably the best for more people who haven’t tried it.
I found a couple sleeves of the RB Tour X hidden in my bag and decided to put them back into play as I've been using my stash of Z Stars. I'm not the best at describing feel but this one falls in the sweet spot for me in that it's firm but not clicky. Off the driver it launches high but still has a penetrating flight with lower spin. I don't think it was a coincidence that I had a few really great drives when I made good swings that had the launch, carry, and distance that I want to see.
With the irons and wedges the launch and spin is up there which for a player that tends to hit it lower is needed. Saturday I had a couple of full wedge shots that sat where they landed and had a couple of 60-70 yards flop shots (one from the rough and one from the fairway) that it performed really well. The first was from about 70 to an elevated green and downwind. It landed abound pin high and released a little to leave me about 15 ft down hill. I was honestly thinking it may have gone long onto the fringe or into the rough. The next was about 60 yards from the fairway to a front pin with a false front which was also downhill. I landed this one about pin high and it stopped quickly leaving me about 6-7 ft downhill.
I had about 2-3 others shots from about 20-30 yards that checked up nicely but I I just hit a little hard. The still gave me decent downhill looks. With another shot out of a greenside bunker I carried it about 15 ft too long but it bit hard and stopped within about 2 ft. If I don't get that bite then it catches a slope and rolls of the side of the green instead of me putting. The spin from this one on those short shots saved me 3-4 stokes.
Lastly, I'm really impressed by the durability of the cover. We have lots of hardpan fairways and tree that I tend to find. I have noticed some visible marks on the cover but not any scuffs or tears.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy these over one of the competitor balls even at the same price. With these being a little less right now then these would be a great value to someone who's looking to save a little bit.
With the irons and wedges the launch and spin is up there which for a player that tends to hit it lower is needed. Saturday I had a couple of full wedge shots that sat where they landed and had a couple of 60-70 yards flop shots (one from the rough and one from the fairway) that it performed really well. The first was from about 70 to an elevated green and downwind. It landed abound pin high and released a little to leave me about 15 ft down hill. I was honestly thinking it may have gone long onto the fringe or into the rough. The next was about 60 yards from the fairway to a front pin with a false front which was also downhill. I landed this one about pin high and it stopped quickly leaving me about 6-7 ft downhill.
I had about 2-3 others shots from about 20-30 yards that checked up nicely but I I just hit a little hard. The still gave me decent downhill looks. With another shot out of a greenside bunker I carried it about 15 ft too long but it bit hard and stopped within about 2 ft. If I don't get that bite then it catches a slope and rolls of the side of the green instead of me putting. The spin from this one on those short shots saved me 3-4 stokes.
Lastly, I'm really impressed by the durability of the cover. We have lots of hardpan fairways and tree that I tend to find. I have noticed some visible marks on the cover but not any scuffs or tears.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy these over one of the competitor balls even at the same price. With these being a little less right now then these would be a great value to someone who's looking to save a little bit.
I played Tour today exclusively. I love it off the tee. No big benders - just nice mid-high flight, with plenty of distance. Plenty of spin/grab on approach shots.
I still have a few sleeves of Tour X to test but the Tour is the front runner for me.
I still have a few sleeves of Tour X to test but the Tour is the front runner for me.
Didn't get this submitted in time for the contest, buy wanted to post it anyway.
Appearance
Is there a better logo in golf than Mizuno's running bird? For my money, the answer is a definitive no, and the simple, understated graphics on these are perfect to my eye.
I took a comparison pic with summer other popular balls so you can compare the color and simpler patterns. To me, it's a more dull white than ZStars, butt brighter than a ProV1. Similar color to the premium Callaway balls I would say.
Some might prefer a more distinct alignment aid, but I use a Sharpie line, so it's irrelevant to me.
Tech
Like most premium balls, Mizuno too makes the regular and X versions, with the X being a higher spin version (over simplification probably).
On the box, Mizuno specifies:
"Our most tested Tour Performance balls ever. After 99 prototypes and the most exhaustive testing we've put a Mizuno ball through, we created the perfect duo for our next generation of tour players. Both the RB Tour and RB Tour X feel sensationally soft at impact, as you would expect from Mizuno. Both lower spinning and efficient from the driver. With an AXIALFLOW dimple that creates a high launch from the driver (compared to other tour-type balls) and a flatter flight from the short irons (compared to other tour-type balls)."
Feel
The only thing that comes to mind when I think about this ball is "soft". Off all clubs really. When chipping/putting the sounds is muted and three opposite of clicky. Feels soft and has a similar muted sounds off woods and irons too. I realty love the feel of this ball, especially off Mr Edel F-3!
Spin
I'm a low spin player in general, and our course is currently rock hard, so getting a feel for the spin off irons was a little tricky, but they were definitely rolling out more than I would prefer. I generally play there X version of balls, so this want surprising. They launch liked I would expect off my irons. Short game I could get them to check like I'm accustomed too considering how hard the greens are. Side spin off driver we great. I didn't have anything big benders even on a couple days I was struggling with the driver.
Durability
This is after 27 holes with this ball:
Looks almost like a brand new ball, just a couple very small scuffs. To be fair, I'm a very low spin player and don't really abuse balls as a result. That said, I'd rate the durability off these as very good.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this ball, and will gladly use the rest I've got, but I think the X version will ultimately be a better fit for me as I need all the launch and spin I can get.
Mizuno RB Tour Ball
Appearance
Is there a better logo in golf than Mizuno's running bird? For my money, the answer is a definitive no, and the simple, understated graphics on these are perfect to my eye.
I took a comparison pic with summer other popular balls so you can compare the color and simpler patterns. To me, it's a more dull white than ZStars, butt brighter than a ProV1. Similar color to the premium Callaway balls I would say.
Some might prefer a more distinct alignment aid, but I use a Sharpie line, so it's irrelevant to me.
Tech
Like most premium balls, Mizuno too makes the regular and X versions, with the X being a higher spin version (over simplification probably).
On the box, Mizuno specifies:
- Ultra soft urethane cover with increased durability
- High speed ionomer mantle layer
- High energy study butadiene rubber core
- AXIALFLOW DIMPLE for faster flight
"Our most tested Tour Performance balls ever. After 99 prototypes and the most exhaustive testing we've put a Mizuno ball through, we created the perfect duo for our next generation of tour players. Both the RB Tour and RB Tour X feel sensationally soft at impact, as you would expect from Mizuno. Both lower spinning and efficient from the driver. With an AXIALFLOW dimple that creates a high launch from the driver (compared to other tour-type balls) and a flatter flight from the short irons (compared to other tour-type balls)."
Feel
The only thing that comes to mind when I think about this ball is "soft". Off all clubs really. When chipping/putting the sounds is muted and three opposite of clicky. Feels soft and has a similar muted sounds off woods and irons too. I realty love the feel of this ball, especially off Mr Edel F-3!
Spin
I'm a low spin player in general, and our course is currently rock hard, so getting a feel for the spin off irons was a little tricky, but they were definitely rolling out more than I would prefer. I generally play there X version of balls, so this want surprising. They launch liked I would expect off my irons. Short game I could get them to check like I'm accustomed too considering how hard the greens are. Side spin off driver we great. I didn't have anything big benders even on a couple days I was struggling with the driver.
Durability
This is after 27 holes with this ball:
Looks almost like a brand new ball, just a couple very small scuffs. To be fair, I'm a very low spin player and don't really abuse balls as a result. That said, I'd rate the durability off these as very good.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this ball, and will gladly use the rest I've got, but I think the X version will ultimately be a better fit for me as I need all the launch and spin I can get.
Louis_Posture
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If anyone has a Mizuno golf ball box handy, in which country are the ball (s) produced?
