Callaway Chrome - pleasantly suprised!

[CaddyshackD]

Has anyone gamed the Callaway Chromes recently?  I actually caught them on sale for $30 last week at Dick's, so I decided to get a dozen and check them out and man - I'm glad I did!  I usually play with the ProV1X, but wanted to see if the Chromes could "compete" with them.  At first, I definitely had my doubts - not necessarily about distance, but more so control around the green.  Here is a quick showing of what I felt by the end of the day:

Driver: distance was about the same, but the Chrome seemed to stay on it's line a little longer than the ProV1X.  Don't get me wrong - you can still work the ball left or right, but it almost seemed like the Chrome was about to "cut" through the wind a little better without ballooning.

Irons: similar findings for both - the ProV1X seems to bite just a TAD bit more with approach shots of 125-190 (even hit a hybrid into the green from 215, and the ball mark was about 6" in front of the resting ball).  Very slight difference.

Wedges:  this is what I was most worried about, and also what may have changed my ball choice from here on - almost zero difference on greenside chips, and on half wedges the Chrome actually spun MORE than the ProV1X.  I usually play aggressive around the greens - 9 times out of 10  I chip with my 60* wedge, and try to play a bump, bump, stop style.  These Chromes reacted perfectly, which led to a couple of birdies and some par saves.

Putting:  the ball feels soft, but not "mushy" and very good off of the putter - not clicky either.

Durability:  this was another concern for me, as Callaway balls in the past have seemed to be a little fragile.  I played one ball through the first 16 holes, and after washing it you could barely tell I was playing with it.  On 17, my ball got a little thirsty and decided to take a trip into the drink...

All in all, I think I have found a new ball to game.  It may not be the case for everyone, but I figured I'd at least share my thoughts for anyone that has been thinking about trying them out.

FYI - my driver SS is around 98-105 on average, so that's why I opted for the Chromes over the Chrome + (for higher SS)

[Mr. Desmond]

I've played them for a year now - good ball for the reasons you stated. I've found it also launches higher with more spin, so at my SS, I get more carry. Some playing partners have noticed how well it stops on greens, and I've thrown them a ball to test.

[CaddyshackD]

It's great to hear the same feedback...makes me even more confident in them since you've been gaming it for a year.

[saevel25]

Callaway chrome are one of the lower spinning golf balls off the driver, and still have a good spin for wedges. They should spin very similar to the Pro-V's, but you should see less spin off the driver between the two.

I honestly think its the best ball for the price, for me. I have a high swing speed so I need a low spin ball off the driver.

For those who need more spin, and still want high end wedge spin in a non premium golf ball, check out the Bridgestone E5 and Taylormade Rocketbladze Urethane.

The only other one close that is cheaper than a premium golf ball is the NXT Tour S, but your still loosing significant wedge spin compared to these 3 other options above.

For people with low swing speed, want some serious spin off the driver and wedge. Maxfli U/2.  Overall this ball will spin on any club.

[Mr. Desmond]

Callaway chrome are one of the lower spinning golf balls off the driver, and still have a good spin for wedges. They should spin very similar to the Pro-V's, but you should see less spin off the driver between the two.

I honestly think its the best ball for the price, for me. I have a high swing speed so I need a low spin ball off the driver.

For those who need more spin, and still want high end wedge spin in a non premium golf ball, check out the Bridgestone E5 and Taylormade Rocketbladze Urethane.

The only other one close that is cheaper than a premium golf ball is the NXT Tour S, but your still loosing significant wedge spin compared to these 3 other options above.

For people with low swing speed, want some serious spin off the driver and wedge. Maxfli U/2.  Overall this ball will spin on any club.

I'm not exactly a low spin guy, lol, with an 90mph SS and a positive AOA, but the Chrome go high with the correct loft - in my case, 12-12.5 degrees in my last 2 drivers. Off the irons, it gets up higher than the RBZ Urethane for me and stops.

It all depends on your fit - club, loft, shaft, and swing.

In fact, I'm working between the RBZ U and Chrome these days - both are excellent balls for the money.

[saevel25]

True enough, if your talking about overall shot height then yes overall spin is not the only factor.

[Mr. Desmond]

Are you sure you're not referring to the chrome + that professional players like Gary Woodland use for lower spin

[saevel25]

I play the Chrome +

[Mr. Desmond]

I play the Chrome +

I see your point now -- that is the ball Phil played to win the Open.

HEX Chrome - a ball for the rest of us

HEX Chrome +  is a ball for higher speed players.

[CaddyshackD]

I play the regular Chrome - still loving them!  As I mentioned I don't have a crazy high swing speed, and these Chromes fit my game perfectly.  Someone tossed me a sleeve of Chrome + last weekend, so I'm going to try them out as well.

[saevel25]

I usually make my short list of golf balls I want to try by looking at Golf Digest's hot list. They usually come out with a chart of Wedge Spin versus Driver Spin. Given the rates are for 95 mph club head speed. I would assume that the golf balls meant for higher swing speeds would engage differently on that chart. For example, the chart has very little difference between Chrome and Chrome +. I think at a higher swing speed, the Chrome would have a much higher driver spin rate differential compared to a Chrome +. I don't think the 95 mph club head speed can engage the multiple layers of the Chrome +. That could explain the big grouping of premium golf balls in a small area on the chart. I suspect a wider variance for higher swing speeds.

This brings another point up. For slower swing speeds, there is probably very little difference between any of the premium golf balls. For higher swing speeds, I think players need to be careful in what they choose.

[Al B Tross]

I've played the Chrome this season in my search for a new go-to ball and liked them. Thought they had good feel off the driver and irons (definitely held their line more off the driver than other balls I tried and "peeled off" less aggressively) and were reliable off the irons. I'm not much of a "work the ball" player yet - have more of a higher trajectory landing the ball with more of a skip/stop or slight release so I can't comment on the short iron or wedge spin. It did hold greens for me better than others and felt soft yet solid off the putter. Durability was fine for me - I hit my share of cart paths and tree branches throughout a round and they hold up fine. Can't say, though, that they'll last a full round as they don't float so I've never had the chance to get a full round out of one. Maybe that's the one downside. I've dabbled with some Bridgestones (B330, E6), Nikes (20xi), and Srixons (q-Star, Trispeed Tour) but keep coming back to the Callaways (currently testing out the Hex Hot Pro which I also like). I do like the Pro-V line but can't rationalize the price tag for my current game especially when the Callaway line works well for me at more than half the cost. Your mileage may vary. Hit 'em well either way.