Oversized golf balls

[Captain_Black.]

I found 2x Callaway Magna golf balls out on the course the other day.
On my trolley I have a golf ball holder, then I went to put these balls in the holder, they wouldn't fit.
I looked at them & compared them to my usual ball & they are bigger!!
I Googled them & apparently they are legal?
Has anyone seen them or used them?
I haven't hit one of them yet, but I'm curious how they will perform.
Next time I go out to practice I will do a comparison.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Good luck holing putts with the flag left in ?

 

[Fabia999]

I haven't used Callaway Magna, nor have I heard of them but I have used Callaway Max golf balls, which are 8% (i think) bigger than a standard golf ball.

Yes, they're legal. I presume companies have slight wiggle room when making golf balls.

The whole idea of them is that the sweet spot on the ball will be slightly easier to hit with it being bigger/sitting up a little better. I bought a box out of curiosity. They we're okay imo, nothing special and I went back to my chromesofts. I think they would help someone who struggles to get the ball in the air, even if its just mentally helping.

 

[Orikoru]

My mate used them for a while. He reckoned they sliced less. However, I think they were awful in the wind - could have been my imagination but it seemed like due to the slightly bigger size they got caught in the wind more.

I also wondered, are they more or less likely to go in the hole when putting? Like if you imagined trying to a putt a tennis ball into the whole, that'd be less likely to go in wouldn't in?

 

[Rlburnside]

Yes my son got some Calloway balls and when you compare them with other balls they are slightly bigger, I’ve never used them so can’t say what they perform like

 

[Orikoru]

I haven't used Callaway Magna, nor have I heard of them but I have used Callaway Max golf balls, which are 8% (i think) bigger than a standard golf ball.

It's the same ball they just changed the name for some reason.

 

[rulefan]

Yes, they're legal. I presume companies have slight wiggle room when making golf balls.

The only constraint on size is that the diameter of the ball must not be less than 1.680 inches

 

[Orikoru]

The only constraint on size is that the diameter of the ball must not be less than 1.680 inches

The fact that they've not stated a maximum size kind of suggests that there's no benefit to having a bigger size.

 

[Backsticks]

And when we switched from the 1.62 ball, the increased wind influence on 1.68 was discussed a lot, but I dont remember holing putts in that discussion. Or that it was easier to hole putts with a 1.62.

 

[Jason.H]

A regular playing partner off 16 index went round in 7 over gross in a medal a few weeks ago using a callaway max he found.

 

[nickjdavis]

I used the Magna briefly when it was first introduced (as the Magna) two years ago or so.

Tried it at a time when I was struggling (h'cap increased from 8 to 13 over a couple of years)....if memory serves me right there might have been a perceptible increase in launch (I hit the ball low, but this didnt suddenly see me hitting moon balls) but there was definitely an issue with distance...especially in wind.

The experiment didn't last long.

 

[Crow]

The ball must be larger than 1.68" but no heavier than 1.62 ounces.
That means that the Magna (which must be 1.62 oz max) won't go as far as a standard size ball, it will also be more effected by spin, other than that they're fine.

 

[jim8flog]

There have been various oversize balls through the years. Topflite Magna comes to mind.
My mate used to play one such ball all the time (Maxfli Noodle + ) and was very annoyed when it was discontinued.
They are supposedly easier to hit and get airborne but (similarly comparing 1.62 ball to 1.68 balls back in the day) they do not perform as well in the wind.