The Callaway Chrome Soft has been an
interesting ball for me. I had played the major brands
in college, but never really thought about trying a
Callaway ball. I tried as soon as it came out. At first,
it was a dream; durable, long, soft, control around
the greens, great trajectory on approach shots. But as
I kept using it, the distance control with wedges got a
bit difficult. I kept hitting it way longer than I meant
to. I thought for the longest time I was just getting
flyers and my wedge needed to be changed. I've since
adjusted to the increased distance by dialing it down a
bit on full wedge shots. The wedge distance could be
just me -- I have played with numerous people that
have not seen that issue and love “the ball
that changed the ball.”
Durability: Many are comparing
it -- feel wise -- to the old Tour Balata of the
90’s, but the Chrome Soft doesn’t need
to be changed out every four holes like the Balata.
The Chromesoft is extremely durable. I could use the
same ball for 3-4 rounds without any problem.
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Decision Time: When you are
deciding whether or not to play the Chrome Soft, try
what I like to call the "wedge test.” If
you can, juggle the ball you play versus the Chrome
Soft. I guarantee any Tour ball sounds like a marble
compared to the Chrome Soft. If you can’t
juggle, learn how! I’m just kidding; you can
get the same effect if you just tap the ball to the face
of a wedge and listen for the difference.
Price: The cost of a dozen Chrome Soft
balls is more competitive than other Tour balls - about
37 dollars compared to $40 to $50 a dozen, which will
leave a few bucks in your pocket. I'm not sure why it
costs less, but the story is that the Tour success
contained more than a bit of luck for Callaway. They
were attempting to create a good amateur ball, but it
was also received extremely well by Callaway Tour
players; most notably Phil Mickelson who put the ball
in the bag after a week.
Options: The Chrome Soft also
comes in two different colors; white and yellow. They
perform the same, but the yellow version is a little bit
easier to see.