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That Post - 2026 Golf Ball Testing

SuperStroke
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(No, I don't want to go do a ball fitting, doing this kind of stuff myself is part of the fun of golf for me)

So far, this is the running list of balls I plan on testing out.
  • Mizuno Pro X - (Already tested Data in post #3)
  • 2026 Chrome Tour X - (Already tested Data in post #2)
  • 2026 Taylormade TP5
  • 2026 Bridgestone Tour BX (Already tested Data in post #73)
  • Maxfli Tour X (Already tested Data in post #56)
  • Titleist Pro V1 X (Already tested Data in post #32)

I'm in the process of determining what ball I'm going to play in 2026. This thread is for me to keep my Trackman iO data in and have an easy place to dump my thoughts on each ball. I will also post that information in the respective ball thread but I like having this centralized location for that stuff too.

Unfortunately, it's going to be a few months before I'm able to do any on-course testing. But with the LM data, I will at least be able to narrow things down a bit and help determine what deserves an on-course test.

I'll start this thread by outlining the kinds of things I'm looking for in a golf ball.
  • Help with iron spin
  • Aggressive spin around the green
  • Good distance off the tee
  • Feels on the firmer side, but not a rock
  • Decent durability (I seem to spend a fair amount of time in bunkers)

My testing protocol is going to be
  • 5 shots at 50 yards
  • 5 Full shots with Pitching Wedge
  • 5 Full shots with 7 iron
  • 10 Full shots with Driver
I will take out the best and worst shot so I'm actually going to be hitting 2 extra with each.





Are there any I'm missing? Does anyone have any suggestions on something I should try?
 
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I tested 2026 Chrome Tour X first. Below are the results:

As mentioned earlier I had my simulator session this morning and used a 2026 Chrome Tour X for testing today. The testing protocol I used is:
  • 5 - 50y shots with a Cleveland RTZ 58º wedge
  • 5 - Full shots with a Mizuno 243 Pitching wedge
  • 5 - Full shots with a Mizuno 243 7 iron
  • 15 - Full shots with Cobra Adapt Max K driver (yes I know I hit more driver than planned I like hitting it, sue me haha)
Full disclosure I hit 2 extra shots with each set, so I could take out the best and worst of the set.

(Trackman IO so all spin is real, not estimates btw)

Ok, let's get into it.

Driver:

2026 Chrome Tour X - Driver.png



As mentioned earlier I didn't have an awesome driver swing day today. I cobbled it together. Usually, I don't see those right-side balls. I believe that contributed to the bump in spin. But 2300 is still a pretty good spot to be in. My usual driver spin is low, I'm lucky to hit 2k due to my path and shot shape. I don't mind this extra spin. And I also didn't mind seeing the ball fall right with the swing I had today. That's not necessarily repeatable all the time for me but I enjoy playing a higher spin fade when I have it.

The most impressive thing to me is that I was exploring the face and still getting pretty good ball speeds, near my usual on a bad driver swing day. It's not showing in the data I have displayed but I do have acces to the impact height and offset data and on average I was 3mm toe and 6mm high on the face. Another thing that impresses me is that despite the face exploration comittee meeting today the ball transferred energy really damn well 1.48 efficiency on a day like today shocks me. I can't remember who mentioned that in a reply to me the other day, but they mentioned they saw something similar with efficiency on less than optimal strikes. It was awesome to be able to see that in action.

TBH though I'm a dissapointed I didn't have a better ball striking day with driver, I want to #BeLikeBOV and see my ball speed jump.


7 iron:

2026 Chrome Tour X - 7 iron.png



Nothing super noteworthy here in the numbers. This is about what I usually see. Launch is right at my average. Spin is up around 200-250 rpms. Smash factor is up some. Balls speed is about the same as it always is for me. Carry consistency was great at 1.6 yards. No complaints with the numbers. The reason I picked my gamer ball is because of numbers like this.

What I will say is it feels very very good off the iron face. Compressing a ball with an iron is my favorite feeling in golf and the CTX ups the ante for me there a bit. I mentioned it in my 'brain dump' thoughts I was having at the time I was hitting it. It's on of the better feeling balls to compress. So so good. It's addictive.

I obviously like it for irons lets move on.

Pitching Wedge:

2026 Chrome Tour X - PW.png



Again it feels great off the face of the pitching wedge. I REEAAAAALLLY love the consistency numbers here, take a look:
Screenshot 2026-01-09 at 1.06.54 PM.png


This is very good for me and something I LOVE to see. The size of that dispersion circle is about as good as I can get. I love that the PW is coming in just a little lower at 90ft. I love the spin it's up 250-300 from what I typically see. All of this is very very solid.

50-yard shot:

2026 Chrome Tour X - 50y.png



Ok... this is where the ball is getting truly impressive for me. Don't pay attention to the 16 yard variance in carry and total distance, I don't. A ball with averages like this is going to hit, skip, and stop dead most likely. I'm keeping the launch flighted below 30º (optimal), spin on a quarter swing is near 7k (unfathomable), height in a window I like. I'm trying hard to pick a nit here and can't. I want to get this ball outside near a green ASAP.

Trajectory:
Screenshot 2026-02-02 at 5.55.29 PM.png



Summary:
There is so much to love about what I saw in my first test with the CTX. I'm going to keep testing some other 2026 offerings but here's the quick tldr:

  • Driver Forgiveness: Despite a sub-optimal "face exploration" day (averaging 3mm toe and 6mm high), the ball maintained an impressive 1.48 efficiency and a manageable 2300 RPM spin rate.
  • 7 iron delivered elite carry consistency with only a 1.6-yard variance, combined with a 200–250 RPM spin increase with an incredible feel.
  • Full pitching wedges showed a tighter dispersion circle, a preferred lower flight window (90ft), and a spin increase of 250–300 RPM.
  • The 50-yard shots were the highlight of the test for me 7000 RPM spin on quarter-swings while staying flighted below 30°, YES PLEASE.
  • This is the first 2026 release I've tested and it has immediately set an astronomically high bar for the rest of the 2026 balls I'll test.

 
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I tested Mizuno Pro X today. Below are the results:

The testing protocol I used is:
  • 5 - 50y shots with a Cleveland RTZ 58º wedge
  • 5 - Full shots with a Mizuno 243 Pitching wedge
  • 5 - Full shots with a Mizuno 243 7 iron
  • 10 - Full shots with Cobra Adapt Max K driver
Full disclosure, I hit 2 extra shots with each set, so I could take out the best and worst of the set.

(Trackman IO so all spin is real, not estimates btw)

Ok, let's get into it.

Driver:
1768418703576.png


Today was a squirrely driver day with a wider dispersion pattern than when I've tested previously. But I do feel like all of these balls would be 'playable,' and this is a fairly decent representation of how my driver swing can change day to day, so I'm good with using this dataset. I think I had a slight alignment issue to start, as the first five shots were all well right of target. I took some video, saw something, and adjusted, starting to hit it a little closer to the center line. However, I wasn't able to turn the ball over very well today. I struck it well, but wasn't getting my normal draw shape.

As a result of not closing the face as much as usual launch was a little higher than I typically see. Usually I am living in the 14-15* range. I swung the driver about 1mph slower than I have in previous tests, so that explains why I'm seeing the lower end of my ball speed averages. I'm usually hovering around 155-158. However, 154 isn't too shabby. And with launching it a bit higher, it still carried for my average (265y) I just saw a little higher land angle so maybe not as much roll. Overall, I'm pretty happy with most everything here. I think if I turn it over then launch would be at my normal 14* and I would see the flight flatten out and perhaps some bigger carry numbers.

Feel off the driver is pretty good. I'd call it firm and maybe a little dense to my feel.


7 iron:
1768419646740.png


I was MOVING it with the 7 iron today. Swing speed was at the top end of my range. I was compressing the life out of it, launching at the PGA tour average of 16-17*. Height was perfect, land angle was enough to hold most all greens. Spin was on the low end, but that's my life.

One of the reasons I like this ball as much as I do is because how it feels off irons. It just feels fast and like it explodes off the face. It has a nice 'snap' off the face, and I really enjoy compressing it. It would be nice to get a little more spin and I think I could with a tweak or two in my iron swing setup. In an ideal world, I'd like to deliver a slightly more open face, knock off a little yardage, but add some spin and land angle to get closer to 48-49*.

Pitching Wedge:
1768420121388.png


I had 4 out of 5 of these on a string today. Basically, landing them on top of each other. I love to see that. I did have my one big miss, but instead of it being long and left it was just left. It was likely a toe ball. I'm going to be honest, I don't love the spin here, it doesn't feel as 'in control' as it could be to me. The land angle at 50* is fine and will hold any green, but as a low-spin guy with a low-spin hook miss, the lower spin numbers get in my head.

Feel is the same as I described for 7 iron. This ball just EXPLODES off the face and that's verified for me with the ball speed numbers I see off irons with it. It's a full 1mph faster than some other balls at a similar swing speed and strike.


50-yard shot:
1768420628732.png


First things first, no I did not do a good job hitting the 50y number today. I'm not super happy about using these numbers and might give the 50y shot another try on Friday. (If I do I'll update this recap.) Launch is a little higher than I want to see which makes height a little higher than I'd like to see but spin is lower than I want. It's not awful or anything just not where I'd like to be.

You know what. I am going to redo this 50y section. I'll leave this here for now but it's probably not worth drawing a lot of conclusions from. 5 yards on average is a pretty substantial miss.


Summary:There is so much to love about what I saw in my test with the Mizuno Pro X. I’m going to keep testing some other 2026 offerings, but here is the quick tldr:

  • Driver Forgiveness: Despite swings of variying speed the ball stayed locked in at a 1.48 efficiency and a rock-solid 2300 RPM spin average. It’s a very high-launch, high-stability window. I would like to get launch down and back in my 14-16* window.
  • 7 Iron: Delivered a significant jump in carry distance to nearly 177 yards while maintaining a towering 97-foot apex and a green-holding 47° land angle. The height-to-distance ratio here is elite.
  • Full Pitching Wedges: Showed incredible efficiency with a 1.31 smash factor, leading to a dead-on 141-yard carry and a vertical 50.3° land angle for maximum stopping power.
  • The 50-Yard Shots: Redo time. I don't like that I couldn't dial in 50y and flew everything 5 yards further.
 
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Love this, gonna be a fun follow!
 
Time to test Mizuno Pro X this morning. I'll update Post #3 a little later today with a copy/paste of my thoughts when I post them in the MPX thread. Same format and testing protocol I did with CTX.
 
Following! You're doing a great job documenting thanks for the content
 
I think the ball stuff you mentioned is great, much appreciated...

but can I just take a moment to appreciate that virtually every dispersion chart I ever see is an elliptical low right and long left for right handers as pulls tend to be longer, fades shorter...and you are sitting there dead straight.

They say jealousy is an ugly trait...I suspect I could break some mirrors right now with my ugliness lol what a pattern.
 
That post said:
Time to test Mizuno Pro X this morning. I'll update Post #3 a little later today with a copy/paste of my thoughts when I post them in the MPX thread. Same format and testing protocol I did with CTX.
Click to expand...
Interested in seeing the results for this one. Not trying Z-Star out though?
 
Following
 
Raiderboost said:
Interested in seeing the results for this one. Not trying Z-Star out though?
Click to expand...
No I tried to play Z-star Diamond last year. Fell in love with it in a simulator. But then got it outside and it was an absolute dog with the worst durability I've ever played in a premium ball.
 
darthweasel said:
but can I just take a moment to appreciate that virtually every dispersion chart I ever see is an elliptical low right and long left for right handers as pulls tend to be longer, fades shorter...and you are sitting there dead straight.
Click to expand...
No, typically my dispersion chart is long left with the misses. For whatever reason today maybe it was an alignment issue. I was airing it ot more towards the right.
 
That post said:
No I tried to play Z-star Diamond last year. Fell in love with it in a simulator. But then got it outside and it was an absolute dog with the worst durability I've ever played in a premium ball.
Click to expand...
Hmm it’s never seemed to be that different from others for me.
 
Raiderboost said:
Hmm it’s never seemed to be that different from others for me.
Click to expand...
I wish I could say the same, but I have so many photos and posts in that thread proving otherwise. It was such a good ball in the simulator. It gave me the iron spin I needed. Felt great but getting it out on the course it would start to develop what I can only describe as snake skin type abrasions that would collect dirt down in them. It was so bad.
 
That post said:
I wish I could say the same, but I have so many photos and posts in that thread proving otherwise. It was such a good ball in the simulator. It gave me the iron spin I needed. Felt great but getting it out on the course it would start to develop what I can only describe as snake skin type abrasions that would collect dirt down in them. It was so bad.
Click to expand...
See down here the dirt is just so hard it can’t collect on the ball.
 
I look forward to following this.
 
I dumped the data from CTX and MPX into my AI coach, to get some analysis and had it create this quick table with a comparision. I thought it was a quick and easy way to see both side by side so wanted to drop it in here.

1768423140116.png
 
Another vote for ProV1X
 
That post said:
I dumped the data from CTX and MPX into my AI coach, to get some analysis and had it create this quick table with a comparision. I thought it was a quick and easy way to see both side by side so wanted to drop it in here.

View attachment 9404750
Click to expand...
Interesting in the with the Mizuno you got greater carry distance with every club but the driver.
 
@That post are you testing the new -prov1x or the standard prov1x?

Also, can you give an example of a rock out of a ball you have hit recently, just wondering where your good firm to rock cut off line is?
 
E.Appleton said:
PV1x probably suits your game more so that seems logical
Click to expand...

Dan.The.King said:
Another vote for ProV1X
Click to expand...
Peak height with V1x can get quite high in the past. But I've made some swing tweaks since testing it last year. Will be interesting to see where it falls for me.

I'll go ahead and throw the V1x into the testing protocol next though.
 
GolfSquatch said:
@That post are you testing the new -prov1x or the standard prov1x?

Also, can you give an example of a rock out of a ball you have hit recently, just wondering where your good firm to rock cut off line is?
Click to expand...
I don't have access to the left dash currently so I will be testing the standard PV1x.

In regards to the "rock" I'd say the hardest ball I've hit recently is Chrome Tour Triple D. Its not necessarily "offensively" hard to me but it's not my favorite feel wise and I much prefer the feel of the CTX in comparison.
 
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