PLAYING WITH … CALLAWAY MAGNA BALLS
Cost: $37.99 (dozen). Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Writer (GA Handicap 9.4)
This ball is noticeably larger than your average golf ball, writes Jimmy Emanuel.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Around three percent bigger than the standard Supersoft in diameter, the Supersoft Magna is noticeably larger in the hand compared to a normal golf ball and certainly when addressing the ball.
The benefits of the larger size is added forgiveness, accuracy and launch, and all three were apparent right away for me.
From a feel perspective the Magna is very similar to the standard Supersoft, with an extremely soft feel off the face from putter all the way to driver. HOW IT PERFORMED: Oversized golf balls are not a new idea, with no limit in the Rules of Golf on how big a golf ball can be. But the Supersoft Magna brings the softest feel to an enlarged golf ball that I have ever tried, as well as the performance benefits of the standard model.
The concept of an oversized golf ball is based on the theory that it is easier to hit the centre of the clubface and with the centre of gravity (CG) positioned higher, getting the ball in the air will also be more easily achieved. These are certainly true of the Magna, which possesses a high, low spin flight and is extremely straight all the way through the bag.
The low spin in the long clubs combined with the larger size of the ball meant that the Magna was extremely forgiving and rarely left the fairway, even for a sometimes inaccurate driver like myself. These benefits did come at a cost of distance of around 10 metres compared to a Tour model ball with driver due to my fairly high swing speed, however, lower swing speed players will see a less dramatic drop off, if any.
The straightness of the flight really impressed me, in fact playing a tight course with heavy rough and trees with the Magna, it took a very bad swing to actually loose a ball. This of course means that attempting to work the ball either way is difficult with the Magna, but for the players this ball will suit that shouldn’t pose a major issue.
The distance difference between a premium model and the Magna reversed with my irons due to the oversized ball’s low compression and low spin. Despite launching higher in the air (and feeling as if it was almost teed up on the fairway due to the size) the Magna actually travelled further. This could diminish the Magna’s ability to hold greens, however the added flight meant I didn’t noticeably struggle with this. Around the greens was where I had concerns in terms of performance, but yet again the Magna was very solid. Not spinning quite as much as the standard Supersoft and noticeably less than a Tour ball, again it was the added height that helped the Magna pull up quickly.
The larger size of the Magna definitely gives a confidence boost when standing over the ball. As Callaway suggests, the higher CG helped launch the ball higher, while the straight flight on the majority of shots I hit was by far and away its most impressive feature.
Although I am not the target golfer for this model and did lose some distance with the longer clubs, I would have no issue recommending the larger Magna to lower swing speed players or those who struggle to find the centre of clubface consistently.
The combination of soft feel and consistent short game control was impressive and I was more than happy to continually find my drives barely moving off line and finding the fairway.