[PHOTO: Dylan Buell]
Ben Griffin is on a tear. The third-year PGA Tour pro has two wins this season and seven top-10 finishes in 19 starts, including an eighth-place showing at the PGA Championship. With more than $US7 million in earnings to date in 2025, Griffin ranks fifth on the moneylist, fifth on the FedEx Cup points list and 15th on the world ranking. As he prepares to make his US Open debut at Oakmont Country Club, Griffin spoke with Golf Digest equipment editor E. Michael Johnson about how he came to use (and the benefits of) a ball brand that hadn’t won the on the PGA Tour in two decades, why he feels the winning score at the US Open will be over par and the one mistake amateurs make with their golf-ball selection.
Golf Digest: Obviously you could play any golf ball you want. How long have you been playing the Maxfli Tour X ball and, how did you start looking at the Maxfli brand?
Ben Griffin: At the beginning of last year, I was not signed with any company to use a golf ball. I was testing a bunch of different golf balls, pretty much all brands, and my caddie had a relationship with the Lexi Thompson’s family (Thompson uses Maxfli). He used to caddie for Curtis Thompson and so he reached out to them. I was just curious about the general market. A lot has changed in the past five years. I think there used to be kind of more superior brands and in the past five years there’s been less separation.
What were the first impressions?
I would say at first, I was very hesitant about Maxfli just because it hadn’t been around tour in a long time. I just didn’t have very high expectations, probably the lowest expectation out of all of the brands. Yet after testing it, I came to realise that not only was it the longest ball, but it had most similar spin profile to what I had been playing. I played a bunch of rounds with it. I noticed immediately off the tee it was flying straighter, too.
You probably got a few quizzical looks at first from other players, no?
Oh yeah. There were a lot of questions from the other guys – like, ‘Why are you doing this? You know, the golf ball is the most important piece of equipment in your bag. You’re using it on every single shot. How are you going to take that risk? You’re top 60 on the FedEx Cup. This is a big risk you’re taking.’ And I was like, ‘Trust me, it’s a calculated risk. I’ve done my due diligence, and I know this is going to be best for my golf game and I immediately had success with it and that’s gotten even better this year.’
What was the biggest difference you saw from the 2023 model to the new model?
I started playing the 2023 model, loved it, and pretty much immediately switched to the 2025 model because every single part of the golf ball was pretty much the same except it was a touch longer for me. I gained an additional 0.5 to a mile per hour ball speed by switching to the new 2025 model. Once it was USGA conforming in December of last year, I was ready for it.
When you’re testing golf balls, do you rely almost exclusively on launch monitor data, or is it a healthy mix of that along with what you see and feel on the golf course?
Photo: Emilee Chinn
A healthy mix for sure. It’s important to use the technology nowadays. It’s something we all have access to on tour, but the feel on the course definitely matters as well, especially chipping. You can’t rely on a launch monitor for how a ball is going to perform and feel on chips and putts. Every golf ball has a little different feel, a little different sound, so it’s vital to get a feel and sound you’re comfortable with.
You’ll be playing in your first US Open coming off an impressive showing at the PGA. Have you been to Oakmont, and if so, what are your impressions of it?
I played it after the Memorial, and it’s probably the hardest golf course I’ve ever played. They’ve made some changes apparently from the last time it was held there, made some green complexes a little bit bigger. From a hole location standpoint, there’s some that are going to be extremely, extremely difficult. Course management is going to be key. Some of the fairways you can land it in what seems like a perfect spot and still end up in the rough, so it’s going to be a difficult test. There were a number of PGA Tour players out there when I played and no one broke par so I think the winning score will be over par unless some weather comes in to make it easier. It’s going to be a grind.
Maxfli is owned by Dick’s Sporting Goods. Has the irony hit you that you’ll be playing your first US Open in the backyard of its headquarters?
I actually hadn’t thought about that. I guess it’s meant to be. It’s going to be really cool to have the support from Dick’s and Maxfli and all their vertical brands out there to come out and watch and, you know, hopefully I can play really well and, continue this run that I’m on.
Speaking of that run, it’s brought you well into the Ryder Cup conversation. What would it mean to play on the Ryder Cup, especially with the expected atmosphere at Bethpage?
What can you say? It’s the Ryder Cup. It’s one of the best events, if not the best event, in all of professional golf. To earn a spot on that team means I’ve been playing some really good golf but I’ve tried not to think too much about it. I’m focused more on each individual event. Making the Ryder Cup is just a byproduct of finishing really well and playing really well on tour and in the majors, so I’ve just got to continue to play really well and, you know, hopefully I’ll be able to represent the United States.
A couple of quick ones to close. Ever come close to running out of ammo on the golf course?
No, never have. Well, unless I gave away too many to kids, which actually, I kind of have, but I’ve I always have enough to work fine.
You play a lot of pro-ams. What’s the biggest mistake you see everyday players make with their golf ball choice?
I don’t think enough amateurs get fit for golf balls. Most of the time they’re using either whatever is handed to them for free when they go to an event or a ball they believe to be the best for them without ever testing it. That’s a mistake. There are all these different brands and even each individual brand has different models of golf balls that are going to be different for each player or create different things that could be beneficial for your game. I’ve seen plenty of low ball-hitters and high ball-hitters using the same ball and it just doesn’t make any sense. I just don’t think enough players are doing their due diligence on golf balls and actually trying to use a ball that fits them the best because everyone’s all in on golf club and shaft testing and they forget the ball is every bit as important. It plays a lot bigger role on a lot of shots than people think.
Last one. What’s the last piece of golf gear you bought with your own money?
I actually went to Dick’s and bought Maxfli winter gloves to keep my hands warm. I bought one of their thermal undershirts as well. It was about a month ago and it was just colder than I anticipated and didn’t have the cold gear packed. I won’t make that mistake again.