Callaway Superhot Magna

[erock9174]

Supersoft Magna

From Golf Digest: The Supersoft Magna is an oversized golf ball aimed at everyday players looking for a ball that might improve launch and solid contact. The oversized Magna franchise was introduced a quarter century ago with the idea of straighter flight and forgiveness, and this iteration brings the soft feel, low-spin, low-compression benefits of Supersoft with the visual benefits of a larger ball. The original Magna was 1.72 inches in diameter, vs. most standard golf balls which are 1.68 inches in diameter. (There is no rule on the maximum size of a golf ball; it simply cannot be smaller than 1.68 inches.) The Supersoft Magna is 1.732 inches in diameter.

 

A larger ball means the ball's center of gravity would be higher than a standard ball, approximately .0TK inches in the case of a Magna. The more the center of gravity of the club at impact is below the center of gravity of the ball, the more backspin will be reduced. Less backspin means more of the ball's energy is directed toward moving forward than spinning. In a word, more distance. A lower center of gravity also can help the ball launch higher. Of course, it also means there are different aerodynamic challenges for Callaway's patented hexagonal-shaped dimples in terms of size and pattern, Bartels said.

"Cross-sectional area being bigger it creates more drag so on the technical side we really spent some time developing the HEX aerodynamics to really mitigate and reduce as much as possible that extra drag," he said.

 

The Supersoft Magna is designed to be average-golfer, slower-swinger friendly with its soft compression.

“It’s built on the same chassis as Supersoft, with extremely low compression,” Bartels said. “The cover is a little bit thicker on Magna to make up for the extra size and what both of those things do in combination is they help the ball launch higher and with very low spin.”

Bartels said the appeal is that the oversized ball looks almost like it’s teed up in the fairway, which inspires confidence in average golfers.

“We were seeing the quality of the shot was better,” he said. “Some golfers who don’t generally have solid contact are gaining the ball speed and better launch conditions by making better contact off the center of the club face.”

 

Supersoft Magna ($23) will be in stores Feb. 8.

[erock9174]

[kiddoc]

I recall the TopFlight Magna

 

Looks like they are using some patents.

[tbowles411]

I do too. It should (hopefully) be softer than the original was.

[storm3]

I recall the TopFlight Magna

 

Looks like they are using some patents.

 

Yep. Callaway acquired Spalding's golf operations/IP when they filed bankruptcy in 2003 which they used to shape the Callaway ball line and later sold off the Top Flite brand name only to Dick's in 2012.

 

Very interesting that they would reintroduce this idea as I can't imagine there being a large demographic of slow swingers and beginners willing to pay more for this vs the cheapest ball that they can find. This is destined to be a flop just as the original was in the 90's and in this time they made it even bigger!

[Jungleland]

Played a sleeve this weekend - there was nothing about this ball I liked. I launch high and I could get another on this ball off the tee, just seemed to fall out of the air. Didn’t care for the feel and I don’t see this as a super soft replacement - took a mediocre ball and made it worse.

[hef63303]

Don't know about failure in the 90's. My store sold 80-100 dozen a month. Pretty successful for us. Great ball for average players that needed help getting the ball in the air. Haven't tried the new one yet as it really is not designed for me. Certainly will not be the ball for all of the 300+ yard drivers we have here.

[elwhippy]

Nothing new here. Lynx offered oversized ammo back in the 1970s. Not sure why they have launched what I see as a gimmick ball when the rest of their range is superb.

[Maximilian]

I’ll probably get some for my seven year old daughter. She’s good off the tee but struggles a bit without a tee. Hope they come in a few colors.

[monks66]

Supersoft Magna

From Golf Digest: The Supersoft Magna is an oversized golf ball aimed at everyday players looking for a ball that might improve launch and solid contact. The oversized Magna franchise was introduced a quarter century ago with the idea of straighter flight and forgiveness, and this iteration brings the soft feel, low-spin, low-compression benefits of Supersoft with the visual benefits of a larger ball. The original Magna was 1.72 inches in diameter, vs. most standard golf balls which are 1.68 inches in diameter. (There is no rule on the maximum size of a golf ball; it simply cannot be smaller than 1.68 inches.) The Supersoft Magna is 1.732 inches in diameter.

 

A larger ball means the ball's center of gravity would be higher than a standard ball, approximately .0TK inches in the case of a Magna. The more the center of gravity of the club at impact is below the center of gravity of the ball, the more backspin will be reduced. Less backspin means more of the ball's energy is directed toward moving forward than spinning. In a word, more distance. A lower center of gravity also can help the ball launch higher. Of course, it also means there are different aerodynamic challenges for Callaway's patented hexagonal-shaped dimples in terms of size and pattern, Bartels said.

"Cross-sectional area being bigger it creates more drag so on the technical side we really spent some time developing the HEX aerodynamics to really mitigate and reduce as much as possible that extra drag," he said.

 

The Supersoft Magna is designed to be average-golfer, slower-swinger friendly with its soft compression.

“It’s built on the same chassis as Supersoft, with extremely low compression,” Bartels said. “The cover is a little bit thicker on Magna to make up for the extra size and what both of those things do in combination is they help the ball launch higher and with very low spin.”

Bartels said the appeal is that the oversized ball looks almost like it’s teed up in the fairway, which inspires confidence in average golfers.

“We were seeing the quality of the shot was better,” he said. “Some golfers who don’t generally have solid contact are gaining the ball speed and better launch conditions by making better contact off the center of the club face.”

 

Supersoft Magna ($23) will be in stores Feb. 8.

 

For those older golfers, I am sure you remember the Topflite Magna and Pinnacle also made an oversized , I know my father loved the Magna.

[Tanner25]

Played the original, the only thing I remembered, it did not affect slices and hooks as much as it was advertised.

 

Any idea on the compression? Perhaps, a good winter ball?

[Jagpilotohio]

Hummmmmm. I sense some marketing jumbo jumbo. If it’s bigger, I don’t care what they do to the dimples, how can it not create more drag and be shorter?

 

The idea seems to be the exact opposite of why smaller balls are non conforming and not allowed....they go too far and are less affected by the wind.

 

My horse poop meter is going off. I smell something unpleasant.

 

 

[arbeck]

Hummmmmm. I sense some marketing jumbo jumbo. If it’s bigger, I don’t care what they do to the dimples, how can it not create more drag and be shorter?

 

The idea seems to be the exact opposite of why smaller balls are non conforming and not allowed....they go too far and are less affected by the wind.

 

My horse poop meter is going off. I smell something unpleasant.

 

On two equivalent strikes, yes the bigger ball would be shorter due to aerodynamic effects. By the same rule a 300cc driver will move faster than a 460cc driver. In both these cases what matters is making it easier to hit a portion of the object near it's CG. If you can't hit near the CG it doesn't matter how it moves through the air. This ball will raise the CG higher off the ground and should make it easier to hit. The distance lost by being bigger should be made up for by better strikes. Better strikes should make the game more enjoyable. It remains to be seen how much help this ball could give, but my guess is no one posting here should need it.

[Tanner25]

Nice vid.....

 

[wfrogge1]

Who has big balls? Callaway has big balls....

[augustgolf]

Who has big balls? Callaway has big balls....

Nice AC/DC reference

 

Swinging to the left & to the right

[just plain bill]

i loved the top flite magna. and i wasnt a senior, either, lol...i could crush it off the tee, and didnt mind the chipping/putting either...where it shined for me was the fact it definitely sat up higher in the fairway, which made it easier for me to make solid contact at the time.

think of it like this: could you make solid contact if the ball was the size of a pea? or as big as a tennis ball? yeah, most of us here can reliably make good contact with today's ball, and certainly my 2nd and 3rd shots have improved, mainly because i'm not trying to murder the ball, but i will give this new version of magna a try for sure, and we'll see how it goes. my daughter liked em as well, as i recall. it just makes it easier to make great contact from the fwy or rough cuz it's sitting higher.

i did shoot a 73 with it at hillcrest in sun city west back in the day. i may have shot another 73 with it in phx, but not sure which ball iused that day, mainly because they stopped selling the magna, and i moved to a nike 2-piece just to feel a connection to a certain golfer (not that he uses a 2-piece, of course) but you know how it is. isnt that why we buy certain apparel, and clubs, and bags, etc? we wanna be like mike (or tiger. but not charles)

[ChaosTheory]

They probably have enough core technology to overcome the drag disadvantage of the larger ball.

I wrote something up on another forum today, a story about my friend Scoopy Picker. One day last season he played one of those old Magnas, and it was the best ball striking any of us had seen from him in maybe forever.

 

Because his low spot is way behind the ball, he has to catch the ball on the upswing. So he hits a lot of terrible shots. The thinner the lie, the worse the trouble for him. This day with the Magna, it was remarkable for him. We didn't know what it was. At one point he said something like, "this ball looks bigger". That's when I took a look and figured out why he was doing so much better with it. It's not much bigger, but he has finely honed his scoop to still catch the ball, and having it just a smidge bigger really did help.

 

I just sent him a link to an article about the new one. He's on board!

[Tanner25]

They probably have enough core technology to overcome the drag disadvantage of the larger ball.

I wrote something up on another forum today, a story about my friend Scoopy Picker. One day last season he played one of those old Magnas, and it was the best ball striking any of us had seen from him in maybe forever.

 

Because his low spot is way behind the ball, he has to catch the ball on the upswing. So he hits a lot of terrible shots. The thinner the lie, the worse the trouble for him. This day with the Magna, it was remarkable for him. We didn't know what it was. At one point he said something like, "this ball looks bigger". That's when I took a look and figured out why he was doing so much better with it. It's not much bigger, but he has finely honed his scoop to still catch the ball, and having it just a smidge bigger really did help.

 

I just sent him a link to an article about the new one. He's on board!

 

Sounds like me, fat, scoop and flip. Might have to try the Magna with the Count Yogi method, lol

[erock9174]

Every time I read Magna I think of Dr Evil saying liquid hot Magma.

[just plain bill]

Every time I read Magna I think of Dr Evil saying liquid hot Magma.

Every time I click on 'my content' I think of "...my contentment..." from white room by cream. Good lord, I thought I was losing my mind!

[Hertsjoatmon]

Looking forward to giving this ago. According to my Game Golf data, most of my shots lost are on my second shot. This should help greatly with that.

[just plain bill]

Exactly! Plus they worked on the aerodynamics to limit any distance loss. I won two tournament driving contest holes with it back in the day. When I was young. And strong. Etc. But the way it sits up makes a big difference. Almost like it's on a tee. That 2nd shot always was my downfall as well. Magna helped make better contact.

[ChronicSlicer]

Who has big balls? Callaway has big balls....

Nice AC/DC reference

 

Swinging to the left & to the right

 

Bouncing, bouncing to the left and to the right.

[Tanner25]

Who has big balls? Callaway has big balls....

Nice AC/DC reference

 

Swinging to the left & to the right

 

Bouncing, bouncing to the left and to the right.

 

Anyone get their hands on these early? 2-8 avx in stores.

[just plain bill]

this ball is gonna be the ball that changed the baller!

[Ghostwedge]

Two things .... the mid to high handicapper only hits 20% of his GIR from 150-200 yds, even if itʻs just good vibes from sittin up a smidge in the fairway. Thats a good thing.

Iʻm starting to get comfortable leaving the flagstik in on short putts, less room with a larger ball, bad vibes ?

[just plain bill]

i was thinking about that last night. if the ball was the size of a pea, it would fall less often. that tiny amount of ball touching the surface would require a really tight putt if it greases the edges. the larger ball, with more ball touching the putting surface, would have a greater opportunity to fall off the cliff into the hole.

i never had an issue putting with the old magna, but we pulled pins. funny, but the magna will sit up better, even though it's not much bigger than a standard ball. it's gonna be a winner, i'm betting.

 

as for 20% from 150-200...i dont keep stats, except putting. if i'm 150 out and i'm not on the green, i'm gonna be close. the pw will get me close to the hole. and i can 1-putt from there. anything else, like actually getting on the green (sometimes) is gravy to me.

 

now, if i'm 170 par 3, i'm swinging the sweet 16 and getting on the green about 40%. 60% i'm just off to the left, but middle of the green high. i rarely bogie that hole. it's the club, believe me.

[just plain bill]

magna in yellow! i'm an owner!

[Tanner25]

magna in yellow! i'm an owner!

 

+1 and pink for the wife, lol. Any reps or retailers play the ball? Is it likely to come out before the official release date?