A few months ago, a group of forum members got a chance to head to California and more specifically Callaway Golf HQ for a trip of a lifetime. During that visit, they learned about the new Chrome Soft line of golf balls and immediately put them into play. Since that time the reviews have been posted on the THP Forum and you can read all of those here.
The Chrome Soft hits retail today and we wanted to dive in a little deeper to not only the technology that makes them different, but also what golfers should expect to see on the golf course. We chatted with Jason Finley, Director of Brand and Product Management about the specs, the story and most importantly the expectations of performance.
THP: Chrome Soft has been a huge success over the last few years for Callaway. 2020 is a fairly large change to the product, can you summarize some of the biggest differences people will see over the previous generation?
Jason Finley: What is so exciting with the new Chrome Soft in particular is that we have taken a product that golfers love and made everything about it better. We have taken all that everyone loves and improved upon it by making it longer, more consistent and higher quality. The big key to this that made it all possible is the investment we have made in our Chicopee ball plant. We would not be able to make the balls we are in 2020 without the improvements we have done in Chicopee.
THP: Both core and mantle have been redesigned, but for a lot of golfers, those changes are going to be seen rather than heard. What will they see from the new core and mantle while playing?
Jason Finley: The biggest key is that both balls will be faster but also each of the balls is designed to fit different types of golfers with more differentiation between our two balls than we have ever had. The different construction of having the mantle and core working together is what is going to drive not only the ball speed gains but also the total performance the two balls are providing.
THP: More spin around the green and less spin on full shots is the unicorn in some ways. Early testing by forum members says that Callaway has in fact nailed this. How different is it than previous offerings?
Jason Finley: This is all part of the optimization process that we are going through. Certain variables are so important to this – like the Larger inner core in the CS golf ball which is really helpful for that player type and the Dual Mantle working with the large single core in the CSX. It is also a part of our design philosophy for the Chrome Soft family of golf balls where we take more of an approach of stroked gain and how golfers who play each ball actually play the game and what they are looking for out of a golf ball.
THP: Recently a documentary aired on Callaway Golf and the Golf Channel talking bout the Chiopee plant. Learning about the investment being made over the last few years (yes years) has been staggering. How will this bring innovation and quality that is different than before?
Jason Finley: As we talked about before, all of these changes are not only allowing us to make a ball we have never been able to make before, but also dramatically improves the quality and consistency we are able to deliver in our golf balls.
THP: Callaway offers a lot of golf balls. Who do you think the Chrome Soft is best for?
Jason Finley: The vast majority of those who are BUYING golf balls are going to benefit most from Chrome Soft. It is going to be longer all around the golf course and provide tremendous spin and control around the green. The Chrome Soft and its lower compression will also be a more forgiving golf ball which will help to be longer around the golf course as a result of losing less speed on mishits.
THP: Triple Track, Truvis, White. How many choices exist for our readers?
Jason Finley: Depending on the ball, there are a lot of choices and we think that is good for golfers. Leading the way is Triple Track which is rooted in the science of Hyper Acuity and how our eyes work. This is aimed for the player to look for help with improving alignment. Truvis provides a unique visual alignment option for players looking for better focus and visibility and also some unique color combinations.
The new Callaway Chrome Soft hits retail stores today. Pricing is $47.99 per dozen. Are you going to try them? Have you tried them? Drop a note in the comments below and let us know your thoughts.
Increased QC on a ball I thoroughly enjoyed these past few years will be interesting to see for myself!
The Truvis and Triple Track technologies are not new this year but they certainly make a great ball even better. Watching the Truvis spin on 20 yard shots then hit the green and change direction is fun and educational. I am a believer in the Triple Track when putting and also on full shots. Knowing that I am aligned without any doubt breeds confidence when standing over the ball.
Durability seems similar to me so far, but I have to say they were darn durable before too.
Me, Too!
Have any of you lucky enough to have already played the 2020 CS also played the ERC Soft? If so, could you provide a comparison? I’ve had great success with the ERC but @JasonFinleyCG was also high on the ERC but indicated he is making the switch to the 2020 CS.
My opinion only, but I couldn’t get enough spin with the ERC Soft. I think the distance of the new ball is even with or longer than the ERC ball.
I’ll echo what @Snickerdog said. @McLovin sent me a few sleeves of the ERC soft last season to try out the Triple Track. I feel like it launched a bit higher for me. Felt denser if that makes sense. I was fine with it’s performance off the tee and on full iron shots. It seemed to launch high enough that the lower spin didn’t really matter as it still stopped. But, once I got around the green, it just didn’t perform as I would like. But, not having a urethane cover, it wasn’t too surprising. The shot that sealed the deal for me was a 40 yard pitch shot. I like to hit this low shot with my 52 degree wedge that hits on the front of the green, hits the breaks and then releases. I hit that shot with the ERC Soft and caught it so crisp. It hit the green, and screamed off the back. At that point, I knew it wasn’t meant to be for my game.
Thanks!!
Maybe because I am a high ball hitter I’ve had no issue with spin with the ERC and I’ve put enough spin on full shots with even 8i on up, even downwind at times, where the ball rolls out no more than a yard or so. Now, for chipping and pitching I’ve never played a high spin, check and stop type of game so I can usually adapt pretty well to roll out around the green on those shots.
Thanks for the feedback! I know the 2020 CS would add spin in comparison, but being "distance challenged" my concern is/was any kind of loss of distance off the driver or full shots with the irons.
for me, the only distance loss i saw was in launch angle. with cs, the ball seemed to launch too low and i wasn’t imparting enough full swing spin to achieve an optimal peak height. with erc soft i saw ideal initial launch and therefore good distance.
Honestly, I didn’t find the ERC Soft to be any longer for me. But, I didn’t do any extensive testing. I wasn’t taking less club or blowing it over the greens.
What major differences did you see aside from feel?
In terms of ball flight, not much. I was seeing my typical launch window. But, I have never really played a tour ball that stood out to me as drastically different in terms of flight either. A lot more stopping power on the greens though. I have only played them at the Hideaway over 3 months ago, so it’s not fresh on my mind. But, I spun the ball back like mad. With that said, for the amount of spin you get with wedges, they are incredibly durable.
Check Budget Golf. Close to you and might even be able to use the THP Coupon.
checked there as well. Preorder only, will not ship until April 12th
how did it go?
You bought me a dozen Truvis too?!?
If these disappear from your bag when we play next, do not suspect me. I am innocent but I bet the thief will replace them with something great, like Top Flights so don’t worry about it.
Delayed. Only short game practice which went really well. While in Hammock Dunes area, I did not golf, but went to range twice and short game area once.
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I can’t wait to get a full season under my belt with this ball to get more long term thoughts.
Really Cap? March your happy a$$ back there and get a dozen
I was in a hurry and didn’t want to disturb him. Or you could just send me one of your yellow TTs!
you don’t want anything to do with snicker’s TTs. yellow or otherwise.
Interesting. And this compared to the CSX?
Sorry, no, in comparison with the last chrome soft. I didn’t get along real well with the last CSX.
Gotcha. Yeah I’m seeing the same. Great performance into the wind. More spin around the greens and just seems to be a little longer off the tee.
Love me some discounts! Stopled by local Golf Galaxy today and picked up a dozen with TT even though I already had a sleeve testing from @dacatalyst41. More info to come.
Be happy to give you a shout the next time we play it.
You probably should.
I have not noticed a difference really.
But I do prefer the white.
I’m seeing an uptick in spin around the greens but still plenty of distance on the woods and mid-long irons.
Give it some time and it will grow on you. If not you still have a great ball that performs well for you.
i’m really close to saying this will be my gamer ball for 2020. I love it.
I had a 30 yard shot to a par 3 today where I missed the green and was down the hill. I had plenty of green to work with and clipped the ball cleanly and was on line for the flagstick. I head the guys yell to keep backing up. When I got to the green, the ball was about 5 foot past the pin so wasn’t sure what they where yelling about. They told me it had landed another 6 feet past where it was and spun back towards the hole.
They said it was really neat to see it spinning so much and then just stop and check and spin back.
The other thing today was I tagged a tree dead on and hard and the ball barely had a mark on it. I washed it at the next hole and couldn’t feel the mark where it hit the tree. The durability seems much better on this iteration.
Good feedback! Chrome Soft is such a fun ball around the green.
I only played the ball on a few holes but hit two of the longest drives I have hit since last summer with its high temps and dry conditions. This ball is really long for me off the tee. I wasn’t sold with it off the irons but that was until my last approach of the day. Down breeze (steady 8mph) to a slightly uphill green, I had the kind of distance that I have always felt I should be hitting my AW. I hit it and the ball flew much farther than I have typically been hitting that club, it landed about 3" short and slightly left of the cup and finished 2" left. I’m not known for backing balls up on approach shots but this was literally "drop and stop" even down breeze!
I find it longer than the ERC Soft I’ve been playing, a little lower launch off the driver, but comparable height off the irons. It feels firmer, more "solid" if that makes sense, than either the ERC or previous CS. I didn’t really do any chipping around the green with it to gauge how it would perform for me. It is definitely my choice of balls going forward.
One great aspect was the durability of the cover. Several shots into cart paths and tree trunks didn’t leave much of a scuff on the ball.
I fell in love with triple track last season and this years version is just as good. It makes alignment very easy, and you get immediate feedback on your putting stroke. I noticed I was striking the ball with a bit of an open face thanks to the triple track lines getting all wobbly.
I am hoping that I can find an opportunity to buy in bulk with some savings, as the price tag is a bit of a punch to the gut.