Callaway Chrome Soft Review (2020 Model)

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Callaway Chrome Soft

Callaway’s competitor in the premium ball field favors soft feel and control but is no slouch in distance either.

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Compression 65 | Three-Piece | Low Compression

The Callaway Chrome Soft has an extremely soft feel off the clubface. The three-piece ball has a Soft Fast Core with a DuraSpin cover, that will give you the touch and feel around the green you want.

The ball has also been designed to give you lower spin on your longer shots, resulting in longer distance shots. The ball will provide you the higher spin approach shots and touch around the green that you crave.

So let’s take a look at what I found when testing the Callaway Chrome Soft golf ball for this review so that you may make the best choice for your game.

The Chrome Soft also made our list of the Best Golf Balls.

Pros

Soft off the clubface and putter
Very durable
Great distance off the tee

Cons

Some players may not like the low compression design
May not have as much workability as other premium models
Tour level quality brings a tour-level price tag

Feel

The Callaway Chrome Soft is a ball that has two materials in its outer core, which was created to supplement both the slower swing speed player and the higher swing speed player.

Callaway’s patented Dual SoftFast Core features an incredibly soft inner core surrounded by a firmer outer core. The soft inner core leads to faster ball speeds and longer distances. If you are a golfer with slower swing speed, you definitely will enjoy the soft inner core.

If you are a player with faster swing speed, don’t worry, the firm outer core provides more control for you. Remember, this is a ball used by Phil Mickelson, and he can bomb it.

The Four Layer construction that Callaway used in the Chrome Soft ball allows a thin mantle layer to cover the two inner layers of the “Dual SoftFast Core” technology. On the outside of the ball, you will find a soft urethane cover that gives the Chrome Soft its ideal grip and feel off the clubface.

The Chrome Soft ball is a tour-level golf ball, with a tremendously soft feel. We can argue that it may be the softest tour-level golf ball on the market today. When using your putter with the Chrome Soft, you will notice a major difference from other major golf ball brands. The sound and feel of the Chrome Soft is super low-pitched and feels very soft off the clubface. Even the Titleist Pro V1 isn’t as quiet and soft as the Chrome Soft is. 

Around the greens, the Chrome Soft has a soft-buttery feel making wedge shots and approach shots easier to control and make stop on the green. From 100 yards and in, the Chrome Soft was designed to make the ball easier to feel off the clubface and more grip to make the ball stop hard on the green. 

Driving and Long Shots

Callaway stated that the Chrome Soft was much easier to compress off the clubface. What this means for you, is that off-center hits will maintain more power and distance even though it was not a pure strike. 

Regarding spin off the clubface, the Chrome Soft measures up to its competition with other tour-level golf balls. The Chrome Soft has shown that it provides lower spin than its partner model the Chrome Soft X.

Depending on if you are a high spin or low spin player, this is significant information to consider when determining the correct golf ball to supplement your swing. Using Chrome Soft’s Hex dimple design, you will notice the ball can cut through the air with more intent, giving you the crisp shots you are looking for. 

With long irons, the Chrome Soft also showed that it would spin lower than its partner Chrome Soft X. Callaway claims that the Chrome Soft was developed to eliminate heavy shot shapes and misses.

The Chrome Soft X was created to provide more workable shots and curves. If you are a player looking for a straighter shot and are tired of going to the woods looking for your ball, the Chrome Soft can help with that. While your swing needs to have consistent performance, the Chrome Soft will supplement your swing, giving you more consistent play on the course.

The key stand out feature of the Chrome Soft is the urethane cover and the soft feel around the green that will make you have shorter putts for birdie. 

Approach Shots and Short Game

If you are looking for a golf ball that can help you get closer to the hole and have better feel off the clubface, the Chrome Soft produces these needs. Testing done on the Chrome Soft showed that on any length approach shot from full, half or chip, the amount of spin was as high as any other tour ball out there. 

The ample amount of spin provided by the Chrome Soft golf ball gives even the average golfer more ball stop control around the green. The Chrome Soft will give you the added backspin you have been looking for to help reduce those long birdie and par putts. The soft cover on the Chrome Soft will give you the feel you need on chips and even putts.

Using the Chrome Soft will give you a much softer feel off the clubface and you will notice the ball checking up nicely on the green. Similar to the feel of a soft green, when rolling the Chrome Soft off your putter face, you will notice the ball is slower and easier to control.

While you can count on the Chrome Soft to give you the distance you want off the tee with lower spin, you can definitely expect the Chrome Soft to level up your spin for approach shots and chips around the green. 

Even Phil Mickelson, one of the best around the greens, claims the Chrome Soft improved his game around the green. If you like to really “feel” putts, chips, and pitches, you should look into testing the Chrome Soft or purchase for use immediately.

Looks

From the 2016 to the 2018 model of the Chrome Soft, one slightly different feature is the logo and ball number are bigger on the 2018 model. This will make the ball more appealing to your eye. Speaking of making the ball more appealing to your eye, Callaway has the Truvis models of their Chrome Soft ball.

The Truvis model is extremely popular and has a whole range of colors and styles to fit your needs. The Truvis model appears to look similar to a soccer ball, or football depending on your view of the sport.

The goal of the Truvis model was to give a “true vision of movement and depth perception of the movement of a golf ball by application of symmetrical patterns”. In other words, it is more appealing to the eye and should bring an enhanced focus on the unique look of the ball. The design was also hinted to make the ball look bigger, and thus provide you more confidence in making a good strike. 

Other benefits of the Truvis model provide you the ability to pick up the ball in the air easier. Also, if multiple members of your group are playing a Chrome Soft golf ball, you will be able to differentiate yours from the others.

According to Callaway’s Director of Golf Balls, Jason Finley, he stated the ball is “easier to align” and that the “brighter, bolder colors stood out a lot more to the golfer”. Another cool feature is the unique look of the Truvis allows you to actually see the balls spin more clearly in the air, giving you the confidence that you are making the shots you want. Some of the colors available include the original red and white launch model to match the packaging.

There are many different color options including yellow and black, USA colors, St. Patrick’s Day theme and many other special release themes. 

Durability

The durability of the Chrome Soft was measured up against the Titleist Pro V1 over a round of golf. At the end of the round, the Pro V1 showed much more wear than the Chrome Soft. All of the test variables were the same including the number of strikes and the number of each golf ball used.

If durability is a deciding factor for you when it comes to a golf ball, be sure to take into consideration the ability of the Chrome Soft to stand up against the elements. Even though the ball is soft, the Chrome Soft is more likely to get lost in the woods or water, rather than encounter a technical defect. 

Who Should Use The Callaway Chrome Soft Golf Ball?

One thing is for certain, golfers love the Chrome Soft ball and you will too. Callaway created a Chrome Soft X model, which is a harder golf ball ideally used for faster swing speeds. The tighter wound core is ideal for you if you’re wanting more control of moving the golf ball in flight without losing distance. Generally, golf ball designers create “X” model golf balls so that you can swing faster than 100+ MPH (230+ yards off the tee). 

However, if your swing speed is not on the faster end, which is fine, you will want to look at the original Chrome Soft model. The average weekend warrior player will see the best results with the lower compressed, lower spin results of the Chrome Soft model golf ball.

Regardless of which model you choose, you can be confident knowing that you have selected one of the softest balls that rivals any competitor for distance and spin control.

You probably have thought at some point in this review that the harder a golf ball is, the farther it flies. Believe it or not, like many other characteristics of golf, the opposite is the case. A slow and easy swing will get you a better result than the muscle shot every time. Therefore, you can feel comfort in the fact that the Chrome Soft flies far, and that the logo on the side is backing its reputation, Callaway Golf. 

The Chrome Soft will give you unmatched Tour-level performance and feel, in addition to high-level distance. If you are any level of handicapper, you can find benefits from the Chrome Soft golf ball. Remember the key features that the Chrome Soft provides including, the new Graphene Dual Soft Fast core that gives increased and forgiveness while adding more feel.

Simply put, this technology gives you more distance with your driver and longer clubs, while providing you with enhanced control with your scoring clubs. When you are around the green, Callaway Chrome Soft’s urethane cover provides enhanced greenside control. Off the tee, Chrome Soft’s technology provides you with a higher launch and lower spin, which results in a straighter and longer ball flight.

Callaway found a way to lower the compression in the Chrome Soft golf ball by combining a fast SubMantle and a soft Tour Urethane Cover. The soft feel you will encounter on all shots from tee to green is a result of the combination of the two technologies. For you, the lower compression allows you to recover from mishits. The lower compression makes it so the hits that are not dead in the center of the face, still fly long and straight without much slice or hook. 

In summary, the Chrome Soft golf ball is great for mid-to-low handicappers. The combination of high launch and low spin provides more accurate shots while maximizing distance. On top of that, the low compression provides a soft feel and touch on all shots. If you are a golfer looking for an amazing tour-level golf ball, the Chrome Soft is your answer.

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Author
John Hoover
Jack is a golfer that loves to play for skins around Austin, TX. He started golfing as a child and started ramping up his game by taking lessons 3 years ago. Some of his favorite local courses are River Place and Wolfdancer. He now works in digital marketing for a tech company.