Callaway Golf has enjoyed success with its Chrome Soft golf balls, taking them into a top-selling position in the marketplace. The ball, released in 2015, has soft feel that simultaneously comes off the driver with low spin, leading to a combination of great feel and distance. However, for higher swing speed players in particular, Chrome Soft posed some problems: namely not the best control around the greens.
And that's why Callaway Golf developed the Chrome Soft X.
The big changes in performance here are twofold. First, the ball is harder, coming in with a higher compression for a higher swing speed while not firming up the ball to lose its soft reputation. Second, the ball spins more for improved workability for a better player. Instead of just flying high and straight, the Chrome Soft X can be made to do things a better player would see fit with a more piercing trajectory. While that increase in spin costs a little bit of distance, the hiked swing speed of players that would prefer this ball over the Chrome Soft should more than make up for it.
Both balls are still four-piece construction with the now-popular dual-layer cover, with the urethane cover providing the feel with the mantle layer offering spin regulation. Then the two-piece Dual SoftFast Core handles the regulation of distance.
For 2017, the Callaway Chrome Soft X and Chrome Soft balls will be available in white and yellow color options. The Chrome Soft X isĀ available at retail starting Feb. 3, with the introductory price for both balls coming in at $40 per dozen.