This pro is going the free agent route, except for this one piece

Ben Griffin wouldn’t call himself a gear nerd and he doesn’t like to play with his setup, but he does like to experiment.

“I’m friends with a lot of the repeaters here on Tour, and I like to get in the trucks and talk to them and learn about their new equipment,” Griffin told GOLF earlier this month. “I am more open than other players to hit the products of different companies, maybe to give them feedback or whatever.

“I’m not really trying to change anything, but I’m checking for fun,” he continued. “Just seeing what’s out there. And if there’s something better, I’m not afraid to flip that switch.”

That’s what he was doing on Monday at this year’s WM Phoenix Open, testing Ping’s new G440 K driver with different shafts, seeing if anything could beat his player. At the end of that session, despite apparently still having the new 440 K, he seemed inclined to keep his old G430 Max 10K in the bag. That club led him to the best season of his career in 2025, winning his first three PGA Tour titles.

Three days later, on Thursday, he reversed course and the new 440 K was in the bag.

That’s the freedom Griffin has now, as a free agent after previous contracts with Mizuno and UST Mamiya golf shafts at the end of last season. The world number 11 player can play for any club he likes this year.

But there is one place in the bag where Griffin is locked in and the piece of gear he believes is the most important to the game: his golf ball.

Earlier this season, Griffin signed a three-year extension with Maxfli, now part of Dick’s Sporting Goods, as the company’s sole golf ball supplier to the PGA Tour.

“It’s one product that I believe in a lot,” Griffin said. “Ever since I started using the Maxfli product, it’s been like a great natural fit. It’s also become part of my brand here on Tour. Everyone talks about me as the guy who plays Maxfli.”

Griffin first thought about using a Maxfli golf ball two years ago when he saw Lexi Thompson becoming Maxfli’s sole LPGA sponsor in 2024. He signed with the company later that spring.

From there, he gradually rose from a scrappy young tour pro who was taking a break from competitive play to become a loaner to a member of the US Ryder Cup team and one of the best players on the PGA Tour.

It was unthinkable that Griffin, then a second-year PGA Tour pro when he signed with the company, was only in it for the money. But he said the decision was based on both the performance of the ball and how the brand aligned with his values.

“I’m not just trying to cooperate with this person because he pays me X amount of money or I’m trying to sell a place in my wallet because I opened it,” he said. “I want to cooperate with companies that I believe in and companies that I can associate with and use their products, and Maxfli fits well with that.

“It’s funny that when you start on the Tour you almost need sponsors. Now I’m at a level where I have a lot of options in front of me, and it doesn’t come in money.”

In some ways, Maxfli’s story of getting back into professional golf with Thompson and PGA Tour Champions Fred Funk mirrors Griffin’s comeback story before he earned his PGA Tour card on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022.

That is not lost on him.

“It’s a great product that was lost a little bit over time because of the way the economy worked with the company from the 1990s,” he said. “Now with what Dick is doing, they’re really trying to push and come back, and it resonates well with me and my story of getting back into professional golf.”

Working with Maxfli and not a brand with a full line of clubs allows him the freedom and flexibility he wouldn’t have if he were locked into an 8-, 10- or 14-club contract.

“I have six categories in mind (driver, fairway woods, irons, wedges, putter, and golf ball) and I believe in the Maxfli ball more than any other product, so I’m already locked in,” he said. “That will never change.”

It also allowed him to tailor a ball to his specific needs, which the company has done with the new Maxfli Tour X-LS golf ball. The new model maintains the same feel and top speed that Griffin loves from the Tour X, but reduces the throw at the end of the bag, giving Griffin the freedom to swing and not worry about getting out of control.

If the golf ball is the most important part of the bag, Griffin does exactly what he wants it to do and, from there, he can select 14 clubs that best complement it.

Maxfli Tour X golf balls

Great for golfers who want more spin and speed with a higher launch, from every club in their bag.

His bag this season remains unchanged, and what has changed, he simply describes as updating a new model, as he does with his driver. He still has TaylorMade Qi10 fairway woods and still plays Mizuno Pro S-3 irons, though his 3 and 4 irons are the new and more forgiving M-13, recent additions for this season. He finally switched from a Scotty Cameron blade putter to a TaylorMade Spider at the end of last season, but he also won with that.