Callaway Chrome Tour Review: A True Contender to the ProV1?

You don’t have to be a hardcore golfer to know the name Titleist Pro V1. The marketing and the market dominance of this one golf ball (and its PRO V1x sibling) have nearly created a monopoly in the premium, tour-level golf ball space. Even non-golfers know the name.

That’s why it’s a big hill to climb for any would-be contenders. And yet, golf ball manufacturers continue to try. Bridgestone, Taylor Made, Vice and others have all had various degrees of success trying to position their flagship golf balls as the preferred choice of top players.

Callaway has also been among that crowd of challengers, and now they’re back with what is most certainly their best attempt yet.

Is their new line of Callaway Chrome Tour golf balls finally the one to legitimately challenge the mighty Titleist PRO V1/x’s stranglehold on the premium golf ball market?

Well… Maybe.

I’ve taken these new golf balls out for a few test-drive rounds, and I’ve got thoughts to share.

I’ll tell you this straight away: I don’t think these are a great choice for every type of golfer. But I do think they might be an excellent selection for the right kind of player.

Is that you?

Read on to find out what I think.

Callaway Chrome Tour vs. Chrome Tour X vs. Chrome Soft

Before we get into performance, let’s walk through the options in Callaway’s 2024 Chrome golf balls series.

You’ve probably heard of the Callaway Chrome Soft. It’s been out for a few years now and has been a wildly successful product for Callaway. So much so that they’re going all-in on the “Chrome” name and further fleshing out the line.

The hallmarks of the Chrome Soft ball have always been a really soft feel, a less spinny ball, and one that flies a bit higher than something like a Titleist Pro V1. And those characteristics remain the same, for the most part, but the new Chrome Soft model has gone through a cover-to-core reconstruction.

As is the case with all of the Chrome-series Callaway golf balls, the Chrome Soft’s cover, mantle and core formulation have all been rebuilt to keep up with the ever-evolving science of golf ball manufacturing. But the Chrome Soft is still marketed as the ball for “aspirational players who are looking for a Tour quality ball.”

I read aspirational to mean someone who wants to be really good but maybe isn’t quite there. Kind of like me and maybe like you. This ball includes more forgiving characteristics than some of the other golf balls that are geared towards scratch-level players.

Then we’ve got the new Chrome Tour X. This golf ball, while new in name, is really a replacement for the previous Chrome Soft X. What does that mean? It’s a golf ball that’s meant to maximize compression for high swing speeds. It’s also a ball with a bit higher long-game spin with maxed-out short-game spin.

And if those sound to you like the characteristics of a Titleist Pro V1x, it’s because they are. The Chrome Soft X was always clearly aiming to compete with the Pro V1x. And that looks to be the same mission with this newly named Chrome Tour X, again with a cover-to-core update and, of course, a new name.

But until now, Callaway didn’t really have a direct competitor to the almighty Titleist Pro V1. That’s all changed with the introduction of the Callaway Chrome Tour. This is now Callaway’s new golf ball centerpiece and the product they think can chip away at the dominance of the Titleist Pro V1.

It’s got a harder feel than a Chrome Soft but not quite as hard as a Chrome Tour X. Long-game spin is low while spin around the greens is meant to be high for that hop-and-stop performance. And it’s an option for players who like to work the ball with a fade or draw.

Once again, that may sound a lot like the virtues of the Titleist Pro V1. And that’s not by accident.

So, do these new Callaway Chrome golf balls do what they say they do? Let’s find out. But first, a bit more about Callaway’s new golf ball construction.

What are the Best Features of the New Chrome Tour Balls?

No new line of golf balls would be complete without the requisite marketing talk about enhanced features and increased performance. And Callaway’s got plenty to say.

We won’t get too in the weeds here except to say that I think Callaway clearly has poured a lot of R&D, engineering, and testing into this, their new premium offering. And that’s no surprise. This is a big company with a big budget and a well-earned reputation for producing very high-quality products that are on the leading edge of technological advancements.

They say they’ve measured each of their technologies with more than 100 million proof points. That certainly sounds encouraging.

The Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X are four-piece premium golf balls. The Chrome Soft remains a three-piece ball.

Each ball in the new Chrome line features Callaway’s Hyper Fast Soft Core, which Callaway says is “engineered for better players who want the best balance of long distance and soft feel.”

Callaway has also redesigned the aerodynamics of Chrome Tour/Tour X to include their new Seamless Tour Aero, which is supposed to promote a more stable and consistent ball flight.

And each of these Chrome-series golf balls features a new High-Performance Tour Urethane Soft cover that promises added spin, better control and Tour-level feel.

All three Chrome balls are available in white or yellow with a variety of line and pattern options, including the Triple-Track lines that I love for lining up putts.

It sounds like the marketing department did its job. Now, let’s find out if these golf balls are actually worth playing.

How Do the Callaway Chrome Tour Balls Perform on the Course?

One of the cornerstones of Breaking Eighty is that we don’t claim to be anything that we’re not. The approach here is about honest reviews. And we’ve never claimed to be scientists. As such, our golf ball reviews have as much or more to do with feel as they do with data.

So, if you’re looking for a numbers-loaded, scientific approach to golf ball testing, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want to know how this golf ball performed for me, a real golfer, on a real golf course, I’m here to give you my honest assessment.

And that is this…

The Callaway Chrome Tour is a badass golf ball. I’m talking premium. The look, the feel, the packaging, the first impression — all of it is absolutely first-rate.

But it’s performance that really matters. And the first thing that jumped out to me was the spin around the greens. This is a golf ball that delivers that reliable, consistent, time-after-time, hop-hop-stop greenside performance.

How close is that greenside performance and grip to a Titleist Pro V1?

Really, really close!

So close, in fact, that after hitting multiple chips and pitches with both golf ball models, I really could not discern a noticeable difference. If I was forced to pick one, I’d lean towards the Pro V1, but that may have had as much to do with how well I happened to hit shots with that ball versus with the Chrome Tour. Honestly, I could hardly note any difference.

Feel-wise, I think the Chrome Tour is a tad harder-feeling, especially off the driver, than the Pro V1. I’m not crazy about that. Because I likely don’t always swing fast enough to fully compress the golf ball, hitting a four-piece ball that feels a bit hard is a slight turnoff for me. But feel is very personal, and for others, the Chrome Tour may feel decidedly softer than its Titleist counterpart.

I do think the Callaway Chrome Tour is a bit more durable than the Titleist Pro V1. This is unscientific, but unfortunately, I do hit my fair share of trees and cart paths. And in testing the Chrome Tour vs. Pro V1, I hit some of both with each of these golf balls. For what it’s worth, the Callaway seemed to hold up better and for longer than the PRO V1.

Again, this is subjective and likely the results of some well-timed good swings, but I loved the ball-flight consistency I saw with the Callaway Chrome Tour. When I hit what felt to me like my stock draw, the ball reacted exactly as I expected. That’s not always the case, honestly. Sometimes my feels don’t align with the results.

So, whether or not it was luck or good timing, I started to feel an increased level of confidence when I was standing over the Chrome Tour. And no matter what causes that, any golfer will take increased confidence even if they can’t explain it.

Now, that increased confidence really didn’t equate to increased distance. Even after several head-to-head drives with the Chrome Tour and Pro V1, I could not note a consistent difference in distance between the two. For me and my swing, I’m going to rate them as the same.

Of course, my bad shots remained just as bad. The Callaway Chrome Tour is, sadly, not capable of turning a wild hook into a feather draw. When I hit the bad ones, they looked just as bad as they do with any other golf ball.

And that brings us to the most important question. Are you good enough to justify playing this ball?

Callaway Chrome Tour Final Thoughts: Should You Buy This Golf Ball?

The thing about premium golf balls in 2024 is that they are expensive! Really. Damn. Expensive.

And the new Callaway Chrome line is no different. The Chrome Tour, Chrome Tour X and Chrome Soft all retail for $54.99 per dozen, which is the same price of the Titleist Pro V balls.

At that price, it stings when you lose a golf ball, or even when you rough one up thanks to a tree or path.

So are these new Callaway Chrome balls worth playing?

I think that anyone would benefit from the greenside performance of something like the Chrome Tour or Chrome Tour X. They are absolutely awesome in their consistent check-up on the greens. And once you become familiar with their performance, you definitely can use it to your stroke-saving advantage. Like I said, I think that goes for just about anybody.

But at what price is that greenside performance worth it? Personally, at $55 a dozen, I can’t recommend these golf balls for average or below-average players. Unless, that is, cost is no object. In that case, play the best and tap into some of that greenside magic to try to shoot your best number.

But for better players — in other words, players who are probably currently playing a Titleist PRO V ball — I think you have another legitimate option on your hands.

I can’t go as far as to say that I like the Chrome Tour better than the Pro V1. But I will say that I don’t like it any less.

My recommendation is that if you’re in the market for a premium golf ball, don’t sleep on this new line by Callaway. You just might find your new favorite golf ball.

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