Pitchmarks Verdict
The Malbon Tour M is a premium three-piece golf ball that offers a soft feel, low spin off the tee, and high spin around the greens. With its durable cover and tour-level performance, it excels in feel, distance, and control, making it a strong contender in the premium golf ball market. Ideal for players seeking to improve their game with a high-quality ball.
Check Price at MalbonMalbon Golf is on a meteoric rise.
Known for its high-profile collaborations with giants like New Balance and FootJoy, the California brand has now ventured into the competitive golf ball market.
The Malbon Tour M is a premium three-piece golf ball that promises soft feel, low spin off the tee, and high spin around the greens.
After 18 months of development, is it a genuine premium golf ball contender?
Let’s put the Malbon Tour M Golf Ball to the test!
About the Malbon Tour M
The Malbon Tour M is a three-piece golf ball. It has an elastic rubber core, and rubber mantle layer for optimal spin, and a soft cast urethane cover.
Aesthetically, the ball looks fantastic. The Malbon and Tour M logos add a classic and premium touch, and the ball is available with four character design options: Dancing Buckets, Martian Buckets, Tiger Buckets, and Wiz Buckets.
On the performance side, the USGA-approved Tour M is designed to deliver “tour-level performance” by excelling in numerous areas on the course. Notably, the ball intends to deliver soft feel, distance off the tee, and responsive control.
| Feel | Soft |
| Flight | High |
| Long Game Spin | Low |
| Iron Spin | Mid |
| Short Game Spin | High |
Feel
Featuring a soft urethane cover, the Tour M feels like a premium golf ball.
They have a great feel off the tee, much like a TP5 or ProV1. Around the greens, the soft cover gives you the confidence to generate plenty of check spin.
Despite the soft feel, the cover is very durable. I used the same ball for a round and a half, and the cover remained in top condition with very few scuff marks.
Performance
Long Game
One area of my game that I’ve been struggling with recently is slicing my driver.
However, due to the low-spin properties of the Tour M, I found my tee shots flying dead straight throughout testing with very minimal side spin. This has such an impact on my scoring that I shot my record round using a Tour M golf ball!
Malbon states that the Tour M has a high launch, but I found the ball didn’t launch particularly high. This is a positive, as I prefer a lower, penetrating ball flight that won’t get caught up in the wind. Of course, driver loft settings play a big part.
Irons
Malbon states that the Tour M delivers medium levels of spin with irons, striking a balance between distance and the ability to hold greens on approach shots.
I found this to be true — all my iron shots felt crisp off the face and traveled the expected distance, with a good penetrative ball flight.
Short Game
As for the short game, the Tour M delivered plenty of spin with a wedge in hand.
Despite testing the ball in winter course conditions, the Tour M would noticeably check up on the green. This gives you plenty of confidence to attack the pin.
Also, the ball feels just like a premium TP5 or ProV1 off the putter face. Although there isn’t a line on the ball, so you’ll have to draw your own if you prefer that.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Malbon Tour M is a very impressive golf ball. It delivers low spin off the tee, which is ideal for players who tend to hook or slice the ball.
At $60 per dozen, it’s not a cheap golf ball. However, if you’re in the market for a premium golf ball that delivers in every area, consider the Tour M.
