KenRider

Over the winter I bought the PuttView Books for my home courses (two 18s). I did it for the green maps and the yardages off the tee when I'm playing tees I don't normally play. It's still too early to tell how much I'll benefit from them, but I can already tell you that just browsing them has helped.

Congratulations testers! I'm really looking forward to your reviews as I'm in the market for a motorized cart.

A year ago, I would have had a different answer, but I just spent $399.99 plus sales tax on a new Odyssey Versa Jailbird 380 putter last fall. So, I guess my answer now would be at most $500

I would say Sun Mountain doesn't get enough credit for its quality bags and carts (and clothing).

I lost two on the water's edge (both Chrome Tours) and put away one due to damage (a Chrome Tour X).

Congratulations. I'm looking for a new pair of golf sunglasses so looking forward to your reviews.

Last week I had the chance to play Kaanapali Royal and Wailea Emerald courses on Maui. Used the Chrome Tour balls on Kaanapali and Chrome Tour X balls on Wailea. My Arccos report from Kaanapali (below) is a good reflection on my round with Chrome Tour test balls. I drove the ball pretty well. The negative shots gained for approach shots were the result of two ~200-yard shots over water that cleared but rolled back into the bushes. I blame the altitude difference (7000 feet to 0 feet) rather than the ball as I struck both well. My Arccos report from Wailea is also a good reflection of my round. I didn't drive as well with the Chrome Tour X which was also true for my simulator sessions. The biggest difference I noticed was a smiley in the Chrome Tour X after two holes even though I didn't get close to a cart path, tree, etc. Finally, here's my updated scorecard now that I've had a chance to play regulation rounds. I may buy a box of the Callaway Chrome Tour with TruTrack to see if I'm willing to make a switch to them.

I have the same set for mine. Love the look.

Congratulations! Have fun with it.

I realized while I was lying in bed last night that I forgot to include my review scores.

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to play in the Fort Collins area. I've heard Harmony Club and Raindance National are nice.

@2puttbogey recommended Waiehu as well. We're going to give it a shot.

First Impressions Is there anything better in golf than opening a brand-new box of balls? The possibilities (all good in my mind) are endless. The box of Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X balls didn't disappoint. The balls were clean bright white and the markings, both text and lines, were crisp and clear. Sound I immediately took them out to the backyard putting green. The sound of the ball off the putter head was what I expected from a "good" ball. I could tell the difference blind folded between the Tour and the Tour X with the X having more of a distinct click. Alignment My usual ball is a TaylorMade Tour Response or TaylorMade TP5 Pix. Aligning the ball on putts with the Triple Track alignment lines on the Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour x was easy but not as easy as with the TaylorMade Tour Response. Feedback Feedback on pushed or pulled putts from the TaylorMade Tour Response and TaylorMade TP5 Pix is better than the Triple Track. I wish we had gotten the opportunity to try Callaway's 360 Triple Track or TruTrack on our test balls as I think they would have performed better here. Simulator The weather on the Colorado Front Range hasn't been kind to golfers this winter. 75% of our snow has come on Saturdays and the last few weekends fit into that pattern. So, off to Golf Galaxy I went for a couple of simulator sessions. I struggled with my driver. I blame it on my hip replacement surgery four months ago. However, every other club in my bag performed well, although a bit shorter than normal. I spent most of my time on pitching wedge and 6 iron. For me with pitching wedge, there was almost no difference between the Callaway Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X or the TaylorMade Tour Response and TP5 Pix. The spin rates for the X and TP5 were slightly higher but the carry was the same across all four balls. However, with 6 iron I saw a noticeable difference. On average the Callaway Chrome Tour carried almost 8 yards further than any of the other three balls. I wouldn't have expected that based on what I had read about each ball beforehand. I'd also like to mention here again that I would have loved to test the TruTrack version of the Callaway Chrome Tour. I like the TaylorMade TP5 Pix, and to some extent the Tour Response, as they give me plenty of spots on the ball to focus on for my iron shots. I think the TruTrack would be similar. On the Course As I said above, the weather in Colorado hasn't cooperated and even though it was beautiful out this past weekend, sunny and low 60s, my course still had too much snow on it to play. Conclusion The 6 iron yardage gain with the Callaway Chrome Tour makes a compelling case for me to use it, especially the TruTrack or 360 Triple Track versions. Of course, live testing is going to be necessary. I'm heading to Maui this weekend and plan to put both balls into play there. That could change my mind.

@"Mr. 72", did you get the 360 Triple Track on your test balls?

My plan to compare the Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X golfballs to the TaylorMade TP5x and Tour Response golfballs on the backyard putting green had to be put on hold today. For some reason, I can't get the ball to the hole.