JC from SA

Yes, it definitely bumped the super hybrid from the bag. I have a more traditional (smaller head) 4 hybrid that I’m using for shots between 200-210. Thanks for reading!

At age 56 with a moderate swing speed and 8 handicap, it has been a LONG time since I gamed a traditional fairway wood. For the past several seasons, my longest club in the bag (behind driver) was the Callaway Mavrik Super Hybrid 3H. I had good results with it, getting about 215-220 yards of total distance. While I had a lot of confidence in the club, it accentuated my typical linedrive, low-ish ball flight. Flying high and landing soft were not options for me. On a whim, I went to one of the box stores recently for a long-game fitting. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a couple of 5 woods on the market could help me get the ball higher and with more distance. I also want to thank the fitter who recommended I try a regular shaft, even though I use stiff in my Callaway Apex 19 irons. The best club for me, based on the fitting, was the TaylorMade Qi10 Max 5 wood with a regular shaft. The ball impressively jumped off the face and produced a much higher ball flight. At $349.99, however, I had one of those “let me think about it” moments that prevented me from pulling the trigger. A couple of days later, I was flipping through Golf Digest and saw the ads for the Cleveland Halo XL lineup. I looked them up and learned the fairway woods run $249.99. I called the other box store in town to see if they had any to demo. (The first box store didn’t.) All I can say is Wow! I had the same sensation as the TaylorMade with the ball jumping off the face. But the Cleveland with the Aldila Ultralight shaft immediately felt easier to hit. It’s the weirdest thing. After grabbing the club for the first time, I thought, “This shaft is too whippy. This isn’t going to work.” Wrong! I don’t know if the lighter shaft is subconsciously telling me to swing within myself, but whatever it is, I love this club! Attached are some tee shots from a recent round with my Garmin app. I was using a tee obviously but the results were incredible. I’m sure the TaylorMade would’ve been a great option, but at $100 cheaper I highly recommend the Cleveland! Especially for those who don’t have confidence in their fairway woods. I’ll report more from future rounds about how it responds off the deck. But for now, I’m super impressed.

Test results to date Overall, I really like the balls. For my swing speed and my personal preference for feel, I prefer the Tour. The stopping power of both balls is impressive, as I’ve been playing on hard, sparse winter greens. For those asking about a comparison to previous versions, these are a definite improvement over the Chromesoft of a couple of seasons ago. Much better grab on the greens and more controlled ball flight. As someone who doesn’t have a simulator, I regret that I haven’t really been able to judge them fairly with the driver. I’ve played a couple of rounds in 35- to 45-degree weather. One round I didn’t swing the driver well and the other was very windy. As a Srixon z Star diamond player, the Callaway gives me similar performance from 100 yards in. If I can get more pop with the driver, I will consider changing to the Tour full time. Lastly, and as I’ve posted previously, the triple track is not for me as far as putting. It gives me something else to focus on, when I’m trying to focus on less things! It’s aesthetically very appealing. It just doesn’t help me with putting. Hoping for warmer weather soon on a weekend when I’m off work!

I found them to be very reliable in the wind. I played a recent round with gusts up to 35-40 mph. Even though I was making a conscious effort to flight the ball low, the grab on the greens was excellent. I even thinned one uphill approach shot and thought for sure it ran through the back of the green. When I got up the hill, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was still on the putting surface.

Played my second round with the Callaway white box balls today. I teed up the Tour exclusively today. Conditions were not ideal to test the “feel” of any ball. Teed off at 35 degrees and it never got out of the 40s by the time we finished. The greens we played on were essentially painted green dirt. But I was very pleased with the stopping power of the Tour. Well-struck shots routinely stopped within a few paces of the initial ball mark. Overall, I really like the balls. Looking forward to some warmer weather to see if the distance off a driver is better than my usual ball (Srixon Z Star Diamond). That will be the decider. I’m sure I’m the weird one, but the triple track has not been a net positive for me on the greens. While I like the visual cue from the tee box, I feel like I get too focused on the lines while putting. I found myself marking and re-marking to line up the lines. And then I tended to make a more mechanical stroke because I was so focused on the line. Maybe it just takes some getting used to. Lastly, the durability has been excellent. I used the same Tour for all 18 holes and it’s still in good shape. Just minor blemishes.

Played my first round with the Callaway white box balls today. I played the front 9 with the Chrome Tour and the back 9 with the Tour X. (I’m sure that disqualifies me from some sort of high-level competition. But I did it for the cause.) I shot 77 (37-40) in some decent Texas wind. The back nine was not the Tour X’s fault. (Is it ever?!) A couple of dumb three putts was the difference. Overall, at my swing speed (97-98 mph), I preferred the feel of the Tour. The Tour X felt very firm especially around the green. I normally play Srixon Z Star Diamonds, which I love around the green, and the Tour felt very similar. I had a very mediocre-to-poor day with the driver, so it wouldn’t be fair to judge the Callaways based off my tee shots. On the other hand, my iron play today was excellent. I was trying to hit the ball low because of the wind all day, and found both versions of the Callaway to check very nicely on well-struck shots. I pured an 8-iron with the Tour X, and was pleasantly surprised that it wound up 6-8 inches from the initial ball mark on pretty rock hard winter greens (see pictures). I want to give it a few more rounds before I make a final judgment but I’m interested to see what the Tour will do on a better driver day. I found it to be very similar to the Srixon. The only anomaly, which I’m still scratching my head about, is the attached photo with a crease on the Tour X. I didn’t hit any trees or cart paths. Not sure if it’s a defect or if I thinned one to put the “smile” on it. Stay tuned for more…

Just opened the box. As a first-time tester, it felt a bit like Christmas because I thought it was a random Amazon package with something boring like a refrigerator filter! I received 2 sleeves each of the Callaway Chrome Tour and Tour X. I’m a 56-year-old lifelong golfer, who played on the high school team on West Texas hardpan in El Paso. I currently live in San Antonio, which allows for year-round golf. Currently an 8-handicapper. My typical gamer ball is the Srixon Z Star Diamond. I recently have been giving the Wilson Staff Model a whirl. The Srixon gives more confidence and spin around the green, but I seem to get a little more pop from the Wilson. My driver swing speed hovers around 97-98 mph with the Callaway Mavrik 10.5 degree. My irons are Callaway Apex 19s 5 iron through AW. My wedges are Cleveland CBXs and my putter is a Cleveland Huntington blade. I’ll be putting the Callaway balls in play this Sunday at San Antonio’s historic Brackenridge course. Great track. Originally designed by Tillinghast and recently renovated.

Fascinating. Never knew this (compressed air) was an option.

Please don't walk up to the tee, pat your pockets and realize -- after three people have already hit - that you dont have a tee! My dad used to do that to me all the time. He's 89 and doesn't play anymore. I wish he could drive me crazy again.

Probably DeChambeau, given that Spieth has dropped of some.

At 52, I decided to go the 5-PW route with my new Callaway Apex 19 irons. I chose a 4 hybrid (Callaway Great Big Bertha) and dont regret it. I get higher trajectory with the hybrid than I ever got with a long iron.

I'm an 8.5 handicap and I found my first fitting last year was very helpful. I never would've purchased stiff shafts on my irons if I had just bought them off the shelf. The fitting showed me that a lighter stiff shaft was the ideal one for me. Made a big difference on the trajectory of my irons. I paid under $100 in Texas.

Very pretty club. Glad to see such an iconic brand coming back.

Cool! Thanks for the tip. I already play Cleveland. Would be awesome to get the latest version.

Hi folks. Since I can't play right now, looking to get my fix on sites like My Golf Spy. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? My uncle was a golf coach in El Paso. Been playing since I was about 8 years old. Handicap hovers between 7.5 and 8.5. What do you love about golf? Perfect blend of strategy and athleticism. So many ways to play each and every hole. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? I love the site's golf ball and other equipment reviews. Where are you from? What is your home course? Originally from El Paso, live in San Antonio. Canyon Springs Golf Club. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? In the summer, the HEAT! What do you do for a living? Former journalist doing public affairs now. How’d you pick your user name? Descriptive of where I'm from.

Finally upgraded irons after many years. Got me some Callaway Apex 19 irons with KBS stiff shafts. Love them. Paired them up with Cleveland RTX wedges, 54 and 58 degrees, and a Cleaveland Huntington Beach putter. My next purchase, when my wife gets over the sticker shock of the irons, will be woods. Stilling rocking the Ping G20 driver and 3 wood. Hit them well so not super urgent. Haven't tested my swing speed in a while but I think it's around 95 mph. I'm 52 with a 8.5 handicap, and would welcome any driver upgrade advice.

Did you like the Clicgear better than the Sun Mountain cart?