MaxFli’s Noodle isn’t so much a golf ball as it is a series. There are currently four versions, and all of them made Golf Digest’s 2006 Hot List in the Value Performance category.

The four Noodles are: Long and Soft, Softest, Longest, and Noodle Ice.

I like the Noodle and have gone through stretches where I’ve played it, but for some reason, I sometimes have a hard time finding it on the shelves. In the best case scenario for MaxFli, that could be a sign that it sells out quickly. I’ve had an easier time getting the MaxFli Revolution balls.

The Long and Soft version is just that: Long and Soft. For me, it goes just as far as the premium balls, and has a nice soft feel around the greens and with a putter. And you can’t beat the price.

Maxfli Noodle Lively Core Distance Golf Balls

Maxfli Noodle Golf Balls Logn and Soft - 15Pk

Maxfli Noodle Ice Golf Balls

I have liked all of the incarnations of the NXT ball over the last couple of years. And this year’s model is the Golf Digest 2006 Hot List Editor’s Choice for a value performance ball. They call it the “working man’s” Pro V1.

I’ve generally liked the NXT, and have played it during various stretches. But I typically prefer a softer feel, and when I play a Titleist, it usually the DT So/Lo. I probably am a little longer off the tee with the NXT, but I feel more comfortable with a softer ball around the greens.

For me, the best thing about all of the Titleist balls is their toughness. You can pop them off trees, skip them up cart paths, and richochet them off sprinkler heads and they stilll are playable. I have yet to see another ball that can survive as many rounds as a Titleist.

TITLEIST NXT Tour

Titleist’s Pro V-1 ball seems to have a permanent place on everyone’s list of best premium ball. This year, it’s one again Golf Digest’s Editors Choice for Tour Performance ball. It’s also the market leader, and the one played by most of the pros.

I’ve played these balls, but I have to say that, in spite of the hype, they just don’t seem to do enough for my game to justify $45 a dozen. I think that it probably has to do with my slower swing speed.

Titleist Pro V-1 New Longer Distance Golf Balls

I doubt that there’s a golfer out there who hasn’t played Top Flite balls at one time or another. They’ve always been a good value for the money—although they have suffered from their reputation as “Top Rocks.”

Top Flite balls were the first I played. And—like many, I suspect—I stopped playing them because I wanted a softer feeling ball.

The XL Extreme Distance is Top Flite’s latest offering. With two piece construction, it’s billed as a soft ball with distance. The new 332 seamless dimple pattern is supposed to present better aerodynamics for more consistent shots.

TOP FLITE XL Extreme Distance

NanoDynamics’ NDMX Golf ball has been approved for use by the USGA.

The ball features a hollow metal core and a cover that corrects its flight. How much apparently depends upon the golfer:

“It depends entirely on how good or bad the golfer is. If a recurring problem is either hooking or slicing the ball off the tee, the NDMX ball will make a significant difference according to many of our beta testers,” said Keith Blakely, CEO of NanoDynamics. “Similarly, the ball appears to offer an advantage on the putting green that just might make the difference between an ‘almost’ and an ‘in the cup’ putt.”

In flight ball correction doesn’t come cheap, though. A dozen is expect to cost $60.

I’d like to give them a try. They might help my hook.

Callaway has filed suit againt Acushnet, alleging that the Titleist Pro V1 ball violates four or more of Callaway’s patents.

The lawsuit, says Callaway spokesman Larry Dorman, was filed “only after repeated attempts to negotiate a settlement failed.” He would not specify how long the companies were negotiating, other than to say “quite a while.” According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, the two companies had been involved in discussions over golf-ball intellectual property since at least last summer.

Callaway says that it acquired the patents in 2003, when it bought Top Flite. The patents apparently have to do with the construction of multilayerballs with solid cores and polyurethane covers.

Interestingly, this is the second suit filed over golf balls against Acushnet in less than a year. In March of 2005, Bridgestone filed suit alleging that ten of its patents were violated.

The suits have the potential to be ground shaking. The Pro V1 has generated a billion dollars in sales, and is the number one ball on tour.

The Maxfli Revolution EXT Distance is a good distance ball with a nice, soft, feel. I played it quite a bit this last fall, and grew to like it. Golfsmith currently has it on sale for $11.99 a dozen, and at that price, I don’t think that you can go wrong.

MAXFLI Maxfli Revolution EXT Distance