Maxfli Tour vs. Snyder Tour: DTC Budget Ball Showdown

Just because you’re a better player with the speed to warrant a urethane-covered, tour-caliber ball, doesn’t mean you should spend $58 on a dozen golf balls.

Maxfli Tour and Snyder Tour provide two compelling alternatives, and when you buy them in bulk, they only set you back around $30 per dozen.

Maxfli has been a front-runner in the direct-to-consumer ball category in recent years, even adding a couple PGA Tour wins and a Ryder Cup appearance to its resume thanks to Ben Griffin’s use of the Maxfli Tour X.

Meanwhile, Snyder is an up-and-coming DTC option, offering six balls, from 2-piece distance to five-piece tour-caliber options at affordable prices.

So, how do these budget balls compare to each other, and more importantly, to the premium-priced tour-issue alternatives?

We put them to the test to find out.

Sometimes we compare two balls with completely different makeups, so you can see just how much of a performance difference can be baked into a ball’s DNA. Other times we compare balls with nearly identical construction, so you can see which one performs better in the areas you prioritize most.

This comparison between Maxfli Tour and Snyder Tour is the latter. Both are 3-piece, urethane-covered balls priced well below tour-issue balls with the same construction.

Maxfli Tour won the distance-off-the-tee battle. Faster ball speeds, slightly less spin, and a slightly higher launch helped it carry and roll farther than Snyder Tour – and just about every other ball – in our driver test.

With an average total distance of 242 yards in our driver test, Snyder Tour also proved to be better than average among the nearly two dozen golf balls we’ve tested so far, validating its status as a high-performing ball off the tee at a budget price.

Snyder Tour showed more spin in our 7-iron test, but launched and peaked lower, creating a flatter descent angle and a little more roll out than Maxfli Tour.

The two-degree difference between the two should be the biggest takeaway from this test. If you prefer a lower flight, or want to bring your current flight down, Snyder is a better fit for you. 

On the other hand, if you want to launch it a little higher with your irons, Maxfli Tour will fit your game better.

Also noteworthy, Maxfli Tour’s apex and descent angles are narrowly below the average mark. While you may notice a performance dropoff when compared to the elite balls in this category (Titleist Pro V1), you’re unlikely to see a dip compared to the majority of alternatives.

Maxfli Tour and Snyder Tour were nearly identical from a distance perspective in our 7-iron test. Separated by about a foot in both carry and total distance, there is no meaningful difference in that category between the two balls, and both churned out above average 7-iron distances overall.

Comparatively, our 50-yard test showed a similar result to our 7-iron test. The Snyder Tour launched lower with more spin and a lower apex than Maxfli Tour. Roll, meanwhile, was virtually identical between the two balls. 

Unlike our 7-iron test, however, both the Snyder and Maxfli Tour balls were near or above the overall average from 50-yards. 

We’ll count that as another with for the DTC category.