Maxfli Noodle Ice Golf Balls – Performance and Appearance

To be sure, the appearance of Maxfli Noodle Ice golf balls is striking. Not many other balls come close to resembling them. But, is the performance just as striking?

A few months before they were discontinued, I bought a dozen and tried them out on my home course. I chose white, but I could have purchased an "assortment" dozen that contained three balls in lemon (yellow), three lime (green), three tangerine (orange) and three raspberry (looked more pink to me). The assortment dozen was a bit too "cutesy" for me. I may be a woman, but I take my golf very seriously. And, I don't know many men who play with colored golf balls of any brand - most of them wouldn't be caught dead. That's one of the reasons Maxfli Noodle Ice golf balls were targeted primarily at women.

I normally play white balls, so naturally that was my choice when I bought these balls. I realized I was missing out on some of the novelty of the balls' unique appearance, but I just couldn't bring myself to play with a green or orange ball, and pink and yellow seemed only marginally better. Some people might call me a traditionalist when it comes to ball colors - or even worse, a bit stodgy. After all, a lot of women do like to play with colored balls. But I prefer to think of myself as being a purist. And that brings me to my first thought on these golf balls. The colors are vivid, especially on the tee. If you want to buy them, it's important that you feel comfortable playing colored balls. Either that, or do what I did and buy white.

Maxfli Noodle Ice golf balls are two-piece distance balls designed for the slower swing speeds (and color tastes!) of many women golfers. The low compression rating of the core makes it easier for a slow swinger to generate higher ball velocity while producing less sidespin off the driver. That translates into longer, straighter hits. The dimple pattern promotes a higher trajectory, helping slower swingers get the ball up in the air for longer carries.

The resilient core and Surlyn cover give Maxfli Noodle Ice golf balls a good feel on and around the green. Unfortunately, they won't land, bite and stick on the green anywhere near as well as tour-caliber balls like the Titleist Pro V1, for example. Of course, the Noodle's price tag is also quite a bit lower.

You can't have everything when you're paying less than $20 per dozen, but the Noodle Ice does deliver nice overall performance for slow swingers. It's somewhat similar to the Precept Lady S III, except the Noodle feels a bit firmer to me.I hate to harp, but let's go back to color for a minute. After all, their color is a distinctive aspect of the Maxfli Noodle Ice golf balls. The ball takes its name from the way its transparent Surlyn cover is said to resemble a layer of ice coating the low-compression core, which is visible through the cover. In theory, the visible, brightly-colored core makes the colored versions of this ball easier to follow in the air and easier to find in the rough. Some say it also makes it easier to focus on the ball while you're on the tee. I disagree. I think the color is not only distracting, but actually harder to follow in the air or find in the rough. White simply works better, at least for me.

The Bottom Line: If you're a high-handicap lady golfer who likes to make a fashion statement while playing a round of golf, Maxfli Noodle Ice golf balls might be a perfect choice. Performance-wise, they'll give you good distance and a softer feel than many other distance balls. Appearance-wise, they come in white, yellow, green, orange and raspberry-pink. The colors aren't for me, but many women appreciate the ball's distinct appearance. Some even match their outfits to the color of the ball they're playing that day. For me, though, Maxfli Noodle Ice golf balls are too gimmicky (although not nearly as gimmicky as Chromax "Metallic" golf balls). In this category of ball, I'd rather play the Noodle+ Long and Soft.

These balls have been discontinued, but you can still buy high quality used/recycled Maxfli Noodle Ice golf balls at a number of locations online, including amazon.com and ebay.com, among others.

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