MG Tour C4 in 2021

[northstar33]

Is anyone playing this ball in 2021? Does it still rank among the better balls out there? I see a lot of posts from 5-10 years ago but not much recently. Curious if it's worth trying them out in 2021.

 

As a bad weekend golfer I'm on a quest to find the best budget urethane ball that performs similar to the big names, but that I won't feel bad about losing a bunch of. I don't mind if it doesnt go quite as far or feel/spin quite as good... as long as the value is there and they aren't lemons.

 

Previously I've tried Cut Blue (bad durability), Spalding SD Tour / SD Tour X (not sure if it feels right, need to play a few more rounds with it), and Kirkland 3 piece 2.0 (probably my favorite out of these right now).

[Warrior42111]

Having played this ball if like you I can spray them around at times. I know this will sound like sacrilege here, but I usually go for  4 to 5A used balls (NOT REFURBISHED). Can usually find a good website with a deal and can get premium balls at 15-25 a dz at least here in the states. Also a great way to try out a few different brands to see what you like best.

[c50sooner]

I love MG and use their gloves exclusively.  That said I think you can probably do better than the C4.  The ball data they show are against some unknown way prior generation Pro V1.  I have no basis to say this but I assume the last couple revisions of Pro V1 would now well surpass the C4 data shown.  Since you said you're just looking for the best budget urethane tour ball, it's awfully hard to beat the 6th generation Srixon Z-Star performance packs, which are $10 for 6 balls right now. Another good option if you don't mind "Practice" being stamped on the side would be the prior generation TP5 (or TP5X), also available for $20/dozen. 

[Tanner25]

Plus 1, here are the practice balls

 

https://www.golfdiscount.com/taylormade-tp5-practice-bagged-golf-balls?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoomRrp-V7wIVqjizAB10fAoEEAQYBiABEgLsz_D_BwE

[northstar33]

5 hours ago, c50sooner said:

I love MG and use their gloves exclusively.  That said I think you can probably do better than the C4.  The ball data they show are against some unknown way prior generation Pro V1.  I have no basis to say this but I assume the last couple revisions of Pro V1 would now well surpass the C4 data shown.  Since you said you're just looking for the best budget urethane tour ball, it's awfully hard to beat the 6th generation Srixon Z-Star performance packs, which are $10 for 6 balls right now. Another good option if you don't mind "Practice" being stamped on the side would be the prior generation TP5 (or TP5X), also available for $20/dozen. 

Hey thanks for the Srixon recommendation. I was looking into these and found several people claiming that these balls are actually Srixons that weren't quite up to par in the manufacturing process, minor defects, etc. Do you know if there is any truth to that?

[rstlne]

I have a playing partner who still plays the MG ball.  He prefers the feel of the MG ball, and it still seems to feel the same to him.  I'll play the MG ball a round or two here and there too, a few rounds per year.  Side stamping is a bit different from the old iterations.  Still a durable good all around $20 ball, the OG original $20/dozen DTC ball.  

 

Personally, i have gone away to other balls as my preference is more towards a higher compression, more clicky ball off the putter now.  Still trying to dwindle down my ball ho stash from all the pre-covid golf ball sales.  This year may be the year i'll stock up again.  Although, with that said, I still buy at least a dozen C4 balls a year along with the gloves I order from them.  MG Dynagrip Elite gloves are the only gloves i've used for the last 3-5 years.  Order 5 pairs of gloves, throw in a dozen ball to try out, and if the balls don't work out, $20 for the dozen wont break the bank.  I think MG's shipping cost are fairly low as well so I'd say worth a shot to try 'em out.

[c50sooner]

@northstar33 Interesting, I had not ever heard any insinuation that the performance packs were factory seconds.  I've never understood why they were so cheap though, maybe there is something to that.

[dfreshley]

Just ordered some gloves and added 2 doz. Tour C4's for a testing-

Played 1 for a complete round earlier this week- here's my review FWIW-

I have played a TM TP5 for the past 4+ years approx. and this ball overall performs very similar. TP5 choice vs. TP5X is for spin reduction; I can add spin to wedge shots and pitches when I want to, C4 was no different.

I felt in this round it was very similar in feel and performance to the TP5 when putting.

Driver/ Fairway metal from tee was what I felt like an absolute dead heat as far as spin, backspin or sidespin and shot shape. It drew when I tried, it faded when I tried and it even worked well with the (3) SIM UDI 3 irons I trapped/ stinger'd off of a few tees.

Iron performance was great, just like the TP5- I did have a 154yd 9 iron into a light breeze that I felt like may have over-spun, but in fairness, that was probably operator error more than fault of C4. 

Overall- for $19.99 a dozen, unless you NEED more spin and don't know how to create it in shots, you can't got wrong with this choice. It's a true tour performance ball with good feel, spin & distance for $20.00- Stock up, you wont be sorry 

[wantacigar]

On 3/3/2021 at 4:42 PM, northstar33 said:

Is anyone playing this ball in 2021? Does it still rank among the better balls out there? I see a lot of posts from 5-10 years ago but not much recently. Curious if it's worth trying them out in 2021.

 

As a bad weekend golfer I'm on a quest to find the best budget urethane ball that performs similar to the big names, but that I won't feel bad about losing a bunch of. I don't mind if it doesnt go quite as far or feel/spin quite as good... as long as the value is there and they aren't lemons.

 

Previously I've tried Cut Blue (bad durability), Spalding SD Tour / SD Tour X (not sure if it feels right, need to play a few more rounds with it), and Kirkland 3 piece 2.0 (probably my favorite out of these right now).

I've been playing the Kirkland Ksig 3.2.  They feel and perform just like a PV-1, for me at least.  My current gamer.  I don't really feel the need to use any other ball right now.  I'm actually going to play a few rounds with some 3 pc surlyn/ionomer covers.  See if distance and performance are any different in scoring. (have a few dozen Diablo Tour and TF Gamer.)  I may even make a Vice Tour purchase as well as they seen to perform the best.  Never tried the MG ball but I may give them a try as well.

[ltom]

What's the compression rating on the C4?

[cardigan]

They don't list compression on their site and it likely wouldn't matter if they did since companies measure compression in different ways.  Your best bet is probably to look at something like the 2019 mgs golf ball test to see how they compare to the other balls since they used the same methodology to measure the compression of all of the balls.  Still may not be that helpful unless you're familiar with the versions of the balls used in any individual test.

[northstar33]

Itom to answer your question, compression rating as given by any company is almost completely meaningless except when comparing it to other balls using the same exact methodology. For example MG could tell you the compression rating of the C4 is 60. That would sound really damn soft until they tell you that they rate the TP5x as 62. Now it sounds pretty firm. Obviously that's just a hypothetical example. Companies will measure compression and give a rating based on their own metrics and those numbers again are meaningless unless you can compare it to another ball.

 

That's why the MGS test was useful because it was one company using one methodology to measure a variety of balls. For reference in that test, the MG had a compression rating of 99.2. Pro V1 - 104.2, Pro V1x - 111, Z Star - 100.8, Chrome Soft X - 100, TP5 - 100.1

 

So a little softer than a Pro V1, in line with some of the other non x tour balls.

Edited May 5, 2021 by northstar33
Elaboration

[mitts7]

rstlne said it best, these were the OG DTC balls 😀.

 

I played them exclusively for a few summers before all the other DTC balls hit the market and they performed admirably. Played them side by side with the ProV1 option at the time and didn’t notice much difference other than a little less spin which I actually preferred. Once the new DTC balls came out, I switched just based on appearance. The MG’s always looked a little “cheap” to me because of the logo. I think they could do better in that aspect, but just my opinion.

 

You won’t be mad with the performance at $20/dozen. If you like the looks of them, give them a go!!!

 

I do still buy the MG gloves. You won’t find a better glove for the price. They are a steal!

[EddieEdwards]

I play them.  Imo they are comparable to the big brands.

[Dave0309]

On 5/11/2021 at 6:09 PM, EddieEdwards said:

I live on a golf course,  so I play primarily with ProV or ProVx since those are the balls most people hit into the woods or back yards.  My neighbors collect them and give them to me also.  When I want to play with the same exact ball,  I’ll use the C4.  It as very good ball and seem to hold up a little better then a ProV.  I am not good enough to tell if it’s as good or better.  To me it feels great, spins good enough and is long enough.  I did find a MG senior ball and hated it; it was loud and clicky and didn’t feel great.  

 

[PhilsFanDrew]

It's been a number of years since I played these and found the distance and spin to be comparable to your bigger name balls (Srixon Z Star, ProV1, etc) but to me what I remember most is that it didn't feel as good as the name brand premium urethane balls especially off wedges and putting.  I also remember the time I tried the C4 ball I also found that deal on Budget Golf for the cosmetic blemish Wilson Staff FG Tour balls.  They were around the same price and to me performed like a clone of the ProV1 in both feel and performance so I rode with those until they stopped selling them. 

[DC3]

Mg tour C4 just got discontinued! I made an order a few days ago, and got a "discontinued" email yesterday. Not available on their website any longer. Bummer, I liked their ball! 

[deepred]

Holy Crap

Maybe a new ball from Foremost, hopefully in yellow, will debut. 
The original C4 was a Hogan Tour Deep which was a great ball. This recent version looked very generic to me but most urethane balls perform to a level most of us rarely can utilize. 
 

[cardigan]

Very odd.  No C4 and no prior model urethane Callaway balls.  Just the senior ball and Warbird 2.0 balls on their site.