Callaway Chrome Soft Review: Callaway Chrome Soft vs. Callaway Chrome Soft X

The majority of golf ball manufacturers have a two-year product cycle. Callaway's Chrome Soft golf balls should have had a down year in 2022, but the company didn't want to rest on their laurels. Instead, they spent $50 million to improve their ball manufacturing, ensuring 1/1,000th-inch specifications. As a result, a new series of Chrome Soft golf balls has been developed that is more consistent than ever before.

Callaway describes the Chrome Soft as "Softer" than the previous version, while the Chrome Soft X and Chrome Soft X LS are rated as "Soft." This blurs a minor but visible difference between the X and the X LS in experts opinion. The Chrome Soft is the most delicate of the three. It's the softest Tour ball available for golfers.  It makes a quiet "thud" when struck with a putter without any click or hit. Although the Chrome Soft X is stronger and noisier than the Chrome Soft, it is still softer than most Tour balls in my opinion. With a feel similar to most Tour balls, Chrome Soft X LS is the firmest and loudest of the three. The ball seems like it's being hit rather than dissolving into the putter face with the latter two, and there's a bit more "click" at contact.

The Chrome Soft remains distinct from the X and X LS when you get to wedges and irons. Impact is lower pitched and quieter, with a gentler, low compression feel. With wedges and irons, the Chrome Soft X and X LS feel very similar – just a little softer than your usual Tour ball.

 

All for a quick game

Most golfers believe that the softest ball, the Chrome Soft, will spin the fastest in the short game, but this is not the case. The Chrome Soft X offers the highest spin on full wedge shots and greenside shots, according to both Callaway golf balls and my testing. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons why it is Callaway's most popular ball on Tour.

All of the Chrome Soft balls have a spin range that is typical of a Tour ball. The difference between the Chrome Soft X and the other models was consistent, although not huge. People have noticed that the Chrome Soft had somewhat more spin than the Chrome Soft X LS. On full wedge strokes, both are the same, according to Callaway, but Chrome Soft spins more greenside. To see the differences on the course, your short game, you need to be incredibly consistent and fine-tuned. If you want the most spin, though, Chrome Soft X is the way to go.

 

The Long Game 

One of the major takeaways from Callaway's in-depth comparison table is that the Chrome Soft X and Chrome Soft X LS are rated as being faster off the driver than the Chrome Soft. This level of candour is uncommon, and expert golfers recommend Callaway for it. They have also warned players not to get too worked up over it. The Chrome Soft X and Chrome Soft X LS had the fastest ball speeds in their testing. However, the Chrome Soft was just roughly 1 MPH slower on average. Even though speed is important, 1 MPH may not be worth compromising other priorities.

The Chrome Soft X is the highest spinning Callaway Tour ball, just like in the short game. It's not a particularly high-spin ball, but it regularly outperformed the other two in my tests. Callaway rated the Chrome Soft X as "Workable" rather than "Straight" due to the greater spin. With the driver and irons, it also launched slightly lower.

With the driver and irons, both Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X LS spin less. The difference in RPM was never more than a few hundred for a low spin player. Higher-spin players may notice a larger difference. The Chrome Soft flies significantly higher than the Chrome Soft X LS at launch, separating the two slightly.

With its higher launch and lesser spin, they believe Chrome Soft will be the best option for the majority of players. In terms of ball speed, it's also rather consistent. The X and X LS may provide additional ball speed for faster players. Then it's a matter of determining whether you want a bag with a higher or lesser spin throughout.

 

Conclusion

Callaway's Chrome Soft comes in three types, giving golfers plenty of options. The decisions, however, do not end with model selection. Standard white, white with Triple Track alignment, and yellow with Triple Track are available in all three versions. Truvis White/Red and Truvis Yellow/Black are also available in Chrome Soft. Whatever you choose, you can rest assured that your ball will perform as it should on every swing.