Callaway Golf Announces New Chrome Soft Golf Ball

[dkolo]

Has anyone had a chance to try this ball yet?

I was at Target earlier and saw they had it. This is wildly unscientific but I took one out and did a drop test. It didn't have that surreal feeling the Supersoft had where it bounced and sounded like one of those super balls you'd get from the vending machine at the supermarket as a kid, but it was much less clicky than most other balls would sound. So that's a paragraph of nothing much, haha. I'm fascinated to actually try it on the course though once these glaciers subside or I hit my golf vacation, whichever comes first.

[Golfingdad]

Has anyone had a chance to try this ball yet?

Yes, and I like them. I will be using them for at least one more round this coming weekend and then writing a review.

[MBGLvr13]

Has anyone had a chance to try this ball yet?

Had the pleasure of receiving these as a gift from an online retailer as a thank you for ordering so much stuff from them and couldn't wait to put them in play. I waited for the first 40* degree day and took one out to one of my normal couses and it was still surprisingly soft, reminded me of the first Wilson FG Tour. I could actually feel myself compress the ball off the driver. It has a very solid feel and sound off of the irons as well. Distances stayed the same through out the bag and with good stopping power on the green. I was very pleased with it off the putter too. It doesn't have that clicky sound that you hear with the HEX BLACK or Pro 1x. I noticed that it had higher ball flight than my usual B330 RXS but not in a ballooning sort of way. I guess this will be the new thing in golf since the new ProV 1 is only a 3 piece ball.

[T-MAC]

I hit these last weekend and was very impressed.  I usually play either the ProV1 or B330S in the summer when it's warm and I'll switch to the B330RX or RXS when it's cooler.  I also bought some Wilson Tours and DUO's for the winter because they are so soft and easy to compress when it's cold.

I'm in Hilton Head SC and it was close to 70 deg last weekend, so it wasn't exactly "cool" but it wasn't what I would call hot either (not when it gets to 100 deg here in the summers).  The first thing I noticed about the Chrome Soft was...............how soft it was.  I don't think it's quite a soft as the Wilson balls but felt a bit softer to me than the B330RX's and definitely softer than the ProV1.  Ball flight was about the same as the B330RX's and a little higher than the ProV1, and distance may have been slightly longer for me than both the Bridgestones and the Titleist balls with the driver but pretty close as the same distances with my irons (about 160-165 7-iron).  I used the same ball all day and when I was done it was still in very good condition, so I'd say durability is on par with the Bridgestone and better than the ProV's.

I'm used to playing a softer ball, even in the summer (I wouldn't call the B330S "hard" but I DO think the ProV1x is firm feeling) so it wasn't that big of a deal for me to adjust to the Chrome Soft.  It did feel slightly softer to me than the B330RXS though and it took me a few putts to get the distance down.  Same thing happened to me when I switched to the Wilsons earlier this winter because they felt like mash mellows to me.

Spin off the driver seemed fine.  I usually play a slight draw and I didn't notice any difference in my right to left movement, where I do sometimes see more spin with the RXS (one reason I like the RX a little better than the RXS).  Spin on my irons and wedges was very good with the Chrome Soft - at least as good as the RXS and the ProV1, and I'd say a little better than the Wilson balls and the RX.

At the end of the day I REALLY liked the Chrome Soft golf ball.  I haven't played a Callaway ball (consistently) since the 1990's when they came out with the BLUE and the RED balls (which were soft and I think ahead of their time).

I know I probably give up a little distance on my drives by playing a soft ball but the feel and control around and on the greens is worth it to me.  When the Bridgestone B330RX's came out, I made up a little ground distance-wise on my buddies (who for the most part use the ProV1x and the B330) off the tee.  With the Callaway Chrome Soft I think I may have just made up a little more distance because it truly IS soft AND long.  I was right next to my buddy who is usually a couple yards longer on average off the tee, all day and I was out driving the guys that I'm usually even with.  What will be interesting to see (at least for me) is how these Callaway's react when it gets hot.  To me, the B330RX and RXS get a little too squishy in the hot summers here (and the Wilson's are just mush) and I feel I get more distance switching to the B330S once temps get in the mid to upper 80's (the regular B330 is still to hard for me).  If these Callaway's stay long in the summer, I may have just found a ball I can use year round.

[dkolo]

I was at Golfsmith today demoing the new XR range, and I got a free two pack of the Chrome Softs (that offer was actually the reason I decided to go try the clubs). The ground outside is covered in snow, so I'm stuck in the basement, but since I have about 60 feet of firm carpet to work with, it's a nice test. Right off the bat, the cover is super soft. Bite it and it has that great soft urethane give. More than normal, actually. I use my 60° and hit floppy type shots for the most part, and after about 50 or so hits, I have to say, I'm not crazy about the Chrome Soft. It's definitely better than the Supersoft, which jumped off the clubface like a rubber superball. The Chrome Soft has a bit of clickiness to give a little feedback, and that helps. The Supersoft just gives you no feedback. I can't tell I hit it. This one, I can at least tell I made impact as opposed to hitting a bit chunky, which happens. I think it'd be fascinating to hit off of driver and irons, but so far, on chippy shots, it's kind of frustrating. I A/Bed it with ProV1s and NXT Tours (I usually game the even firmer ProV1x, so I was trying to give it a closer comparison). I just really like the slightly deader feel of the Titleists. The cover of the Chrome Soft is just too soft for touch shots and I just don't like the feedback I get. And I'm not a Titleist snob by any means. I also liked the RBZ Urethanes / Pentas and Callaway's previous Tour (i) range balls, and think the compare nicely against Titleist ProV1/x (though the Tour (i) balls are really clicky and the covers tore too easily, but that's another story). So I think my biggest issue with the Chrome Soft (and probably the Supersoft) is acoustics. It comes off the face a bit hotter than other urethane balls, but doesn't give that auditory feedback of being hotter, so there's a mismatch between what you "feel" (read: hear) and what you see. I'm definitely interested to actually play the ball with full swings though.

[Hammer 4]

I think I may have hit one of those Super soft balls at the range...It did feel just like a super ball.

I played a round with my Son today, I let him try the Chrome Soft as well. Both of us liked the ball, especially around the greens. I couldn't seem to hit a green to save my life, so I had a bunch of short pitches, and chips, imho, the ball felt really good.

I'll get a review up, by Monday on the Chrome Soft, as a preview, i liked it.

[jdmatthew]

How does this ball compare to the Wilson Staff Duo?

[Hammer 4]

How does this ball compare to the Wilson Staff Duo?

I thought it felt a wee bit softer than the Duo around the greens. With regards to irons and driver, It went a bit further. Also I played the Sirxon Z star, before trying the Callaway Chrome Soft. If you liked the Duo, I suggest you try the Chrome Soft.

[T-MAC]

How does this ball compare to the Wilson Staff Duo?

To me, the Wilson DUO is a great ball for the money but it doesn't compare to either the Bridgestone B330RX/RXS or the Callaway Chrome Soft.  I think the Bridgestone's and the Callaway's truly are Tour Level balls and the DUO is more of a good, inexpensive recreational ball comparable to the Precept Laddie or the Bridgestone e-series.  The Wilson FG Tour would be a better comparison, IMHO.  I think the spin and feel of the FG Tour is better than with the DUO, but you pay more for that (just like you pay more for the Bridgestone B-series and the Callaway Chrome Soft).

If you like the feel and greenside control you get with a softer/low compression golf ball, then you definitely need to give the Chrome Soft a try.  I've used it the past 2 weekends and I feel that it has great control/spin around the greens and is slightly longer off the tee than the Bridgestone B330RX/RXS and much longer than the regular ProV1, and just as long as the ProV1x - but with MUCH better feel.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the Callaway performs when it gets warm outside.  To me, when it gets in the 80's and hotter in the summer months, the B330RX/RXS feel a little too squishy and I switch over to the B330S.  I'm hoping that doesn't happen with the Callaways because I really like this ball so far.

[1badbadger]

Wow!  I  really thought compression 65 was for the ladies, or super seniors. Surprised to read such positive comments on this ball.

Not necessarily.  Keep in mind that golf balls are made differently than they used to be, and you can't compare the compression ratings of modern balls to the old "90s and 100s" from 20 or 30 years ago.  Some of the current balls on the market have compression ratings in the 40s and even lower!  Yes, they are soft, but probably not as soft as what you're imagining.  Compression ratings can be used to give players an idea of how a soft or firm a ball might feel compared to other modern solid core balls, but it doesn't translate to the old wound balls.

[Golfingdad]

http://thesandtrap.com/products/callaway-chrome-soft-golf-balls/reviews/4998

TL:DR ... I liked 'em.  I'll keep playing with them until I lose the rest of these.  If they're still $39 when I need to buy more balls, they will be considered.

[jsgolfer]

Was given a sleeve of these for our opening day scramble.  They were OK, lost a little distance and didn't like their reaction around the green as compared to the Pro V1x.  Someday I will find a ball that is close to the Pro-V1x and doesn't cost $50.

[Mr. Desmond]

Was given a sleeve of these for our opening day scramble.  They were OK, lost a little distance and didn't like their reaction around the green as compared to the Pro V1x.  Someday I will find a ball that is close to the Pro-V1x and doesn't cost $50.

Well, Titleist does have the buy 3, get one free deal for another week ...

Back on topic. I've heard these do not stop as quickly on the greens, maybe for Phil, but for mere mortals... in that case, I'd suggest the Callaway SR1 or SR2 which you can find on eBay for low to mid 30's or online discounts at 41.

[T-MAC]

I haven't had any problems getting the ball to stop on the greens.  To me, the Chrome Soft has better feel / spin than the ProV1x, and I would say that it is equal in spin / greenside control to the ProV1, but longer and more durable.

If you are someone looking for more spin and like the feel of a softer ball, I would suggest trying the Bridgestone B330RXS.

If you are someone looking for the distance of a ProV1x but a softer feel and more spin around the greens, give the Bridgestone B330S a try.

To me, the Callaway Chrome Soft has a good combination of a nice soft feel, decent spin / greenside control, and good distance off the tee.

Once it gets warmer this summer, I'm going to try it with my favorite summer ball (B330S) and see how it stacks up.

[dkolo]

Was given a sleeve of these for our opening day scramble.  They were OK, lost a little distance and didn't like their reaction around the green as compared to the Pro V1x.  Someday I will find a ball that is close to the Pro-V1x and doesn't cost $50.

Last year's ProV1x is $39.99, haha. And as the other poster said, you can stock up with their 4 for 3 sale. Or you can do what I do and go hunting in bushes and tree haha. Can't beat that price!

[Golfingdad]

Back on topic. I've heard these do not stop as quickly on the greens, maybe for Phil, but for mere mortals...

This has not been my experience.  They stop just fine on the greens and felt great.  I dug in my bag Saturday morning and was dissappointed to find that I'd run out of them and had to "settle" for my Kick X and B330-S for the round.

[dkolo]

This has not been my experience.  They stop just fine on the greens and felt great.  I dug in my bag Saturday morning and was dissappointed to find that I'd run out of them and had to "settle" for my Kick X and B330-S for the round.

The struggle is real, haha.

[Club Rat]

Free dozen of Chrome Soft with purchase of Ashworth shoes.

Just found this deal for those interested.

Buy a Pair of Ashworth Shoes, Get 1doz Callaway Balls Free | $167.50 value for only $59.99!

http://offpricegolf.com/collections/vendors?q=Ashworth

Club Rat