Forum Member Reviews: Callaway Whitebox Testing

[GolfSpy_APH]

Please welcome and congratulate all our testers! 

@Madden B @BMDubya @vman1964 @Blake Hopkins @ShimmyCocoBop @Bohnson @Randall Robbins @Jeff in the Mitten @Wicki @KenBender @TG8 @JChurch @David Staller @JRDuck40 @Indy_Oz @yungkory @MuniGolfer @Irish Assassin @"Mr. 72" @Mike10487 @climberboy2000 @tschott @JeremyD @2puttbogey @Erin B @Digiburdie @KevGolfnut61 @longdrivenate @Pingzingny @boylerz1 @TylerC31 @Push-ups For Bogeys @pantleggs @Duxman130 @gregh729 @Bob Jerabek @JC from SA @Thegolferdude @manderson831 @KenRider @Ryan Luke @Lvhawks3 @Hamhandsbill @Bangsuk @golfinnut @4theDogs @Desous17

Be on the look out for unboxing and intros coming soon! Let the testing begin!

[Rob Person]

Congratulations to the testers! Look forward to all the feedback!

[Pingzingny]

Welcome all ️ Fairways and Greens.  

[GolfSpy_BEN]

Congrats testers! I look forward to your findings, as i like Callaway balls. Now the fun begins!

[Preeway]

Great to see so many new names up there. I really enjoyed testing out the Titleist balls last fall. Looking forward to see how these perform for you. May the weather be always in your favor so you can get in many rounds on the course!

[johngschulz]

Congrats to the testers, should be fun on a bun! Can’t wait to see what they’ve cooked up.

[jbern]

Congrats Testers! Callaway balls have never really been on my radar, but their most recent releases make me think twice. It'll be fun to see all of your reviews!

[Bohnson]

Thanks MGS, looking forward to the opportunity!!! Always fun to rack and stack. Play the ProV1 so I’m curious to see if something will beat it. ‍️

Review

First off, thanks MGS for the opportunities you provide the golfing community with independent and unbiased testing. Excited to test out these white box balls! I play out of Southwest Ohio and have been golfing for 25 years. I have been playing tournament golf for the last 9 years. I picked up the game after Happy Gilmore and Tiger Woods influenced a hockey playing northern Minnesotan to grip it and rip it. Tournament golf has got me hooked on the game, improving, running tournaments, and all around being a golf junky. I have a few certifications such as SuperSpeed, WHS, and Impact Zone. I took a yearlong Keiser University Associates program in Golf Management during the COVID times. I love the process of preparing, practicing, learning, and testing my game/equipment. The only ball I have played in a tournament is a Srixon ZStarXV and Titleist ProV1. I switched from Srixon after a subpar review from MGS. I tested the OnCore VEROX2 last year and you can find my review by clicking here. I also tested the Topflite Gamer ball and you can find that review by clicking here. I am a loyal guy as you can see by my bag of clubs. Still working with the Taylormade M1 in driver / 3W, Srixon Z Blade combo set, and a WhiteHot RX putter. I did recently buy a new Odyssey AI putter to try out! I have gamed an Odyssey #9 for years not. Putting and distance are my strengths.

I want to test this product by comparing it to my gamer, the Titleist Prov1. I am going to take this ball on all areas of the course to get some initial impressions and play a few holes, then a few rounds to see how it handles different conditions. I plan to take it to my home course (Trackman). Lastly, we will have to get out and play a match play between the two balls. The product will stay in the bag if it outperforms. All-around performance is key for me. I hit a lot of wedges into par 4s so keeping the ball in play off of the tee and having a consistent ball that does not spin too much on full shots and not enough on green side shots is a priority. I am excited to test the product because I have never ventured off of major manufacturers for golf balls. I was a tester for the Topflite Gamer back in the day and that ball pleasantly surprised me for the price. I did some research on the product and I am intrigued at the higher price point for the 2024 ball compared to the 2023 balls. I expect that it will be challenging to move off of the ProV1. That golf ball is a stalwart in the industry and I trust the consistency based. MGS testing backs up the ball and so many pros trust Titleist balls. Should be fun, I enjoy the process and I am happy to support MGS!

First Impressions (10 out of 10)

First impressions are solid and I am kind of fond of the white box without the marketing! Ball has a nice cover, standard packaging, CT and CTX feel good off of the putter (CT is soft!), wedges, irons, and woods. It was nice that Callaway has a ball fitting tool (you can check that out by clicking HERE! I am not a huge fall of the triple track as I like a black line since that is what I am used to. Both covers are soft and I do not mind the dimple patterns. I have never used the triple track but it lines up nicely with the Odyssey Rossi I am trying out. I have been an Odyssey #9 guy so I use a black line. I could maybe dig the alignment aid eventually and the aesthetics of the ball are great! Definitely a premium cover on the CT and CTX. When Callaway says “the new gold standard” they might be right.  

Aesthetics (9 out of 10) 

The aesthetics are great as mentioned above, I am not 100% sold on the triple track alignment aid, but the looks are of a premium ball. I did notice some more wear than I normally have on a ProV after playing a full round of golf. The durability was good, just the cover wore more than the ProV. The dimple pattern is different compared to the ProV1. The CTX is a firmer feel and higher launch. The CT is a softer feel than the Prov1 and similar launch. Sound is good and similar to other premium balls. The CT is softer off of the putter, I use an Odyssey White Hot so I love the soft feel on the putter. The CT is buttery soft coming off the putter. Putting Impressions Click HERE! The CTX feels great too.

The Numbers (19 out of 20)

The big question is how does this compare to my “gamer”. I tested the balls on Trackman twice. First Trackman Session The CTX spun a little more compared the CT. 60 yard wedge the Prov1 had the most spin which I prefer and launched the lowest. Full SW the spin numbers were so close for each ball and the launch was almost the same. No clear winner there. For 7 iron, the CTX was the shortest and spun the most compared to the ProV1 and CT. CT and ProV1 were close. No clear winner. The CTX had some variance in my two trackman testing’s. Driver the numbers were solid for all three balls. CT was the longest on the trackman of the three balls! I think the CTX flew a little straighter and I liked the slightly higher launch. Good numbers across the board for all balls and I liked the slightly different launches and spin between CT and CTX. 

On The Course (19 out of 20)

I really liked both balls and I think the big difference was feel. The CT felt softer than the CTX. I thought the CTX shot off the face of the driver a little more. The CTX had a higher launch. I did not notice a significant increase in spin, but it might be at most half a club shorter in my mid irons. I really like the soft cover for putting. The balls have good feel with pitch shots. The CTX might be more accurate through the bag, but negligible. The CTX flights a little higher than the Prov1 and CT. Into the wind I had no trouble hitting a penetrating shot with CT or CTX. Both of these balls will compete with ProV1. I was really confident in the CT and CTX off of the tee. The soft cover felt great off my Odyssey white hot putter. Soft face and soft cover are what I like. The triple track alignment aid is great for people who do not like to draw a line. I mark my ball with a line so the alignment aid is not something I use, but the CALLAWAY line is sufficient. I am pleased with this ball; it performs well throughout the bag! I think it is great through the bag, and not shorter off of the tee for me. It is a premium ball that can compete with the major OEMs! After testing it, I could see myself using both balls. The CTX might carry longer than the CT which interests me. I could give a little iron distance for a more accurate ball.  

The Good, the bad (durability), the in between (18 out of 20)

My favorite part about the ball was the soft feel. I really like the short game feel of the ball off the putter. Both balls are and all of the balls in the dozen seemed to pass the sniff test. No major issues when taking the balls out of the box and onto the course. I like the white boxing as well. I like the website for Callaway and for our Military community they offer a discount off all purchases! I used it for my Odyssey Putter purchase this year so that was awesome. The balls came as expected and most know that this is a major player and OEM in the golf world. They have a good ball fitting tool as well. The bad was the covers seemed to wear quickly (tree ding above was not bad/scuffs below are not great). I lost performance with the CT at about 25 holes. Had some sizable wedge marks. My wedges are about 10 months old so that was disappointing. I think the ProV1 is more durable. There was a little variance in the CTX testing as well. Could have been me just making a few bad swings too!

Play it or Trade it? (19 out of 20)

I think it is worth the $55 a box, but Callaway does offer some promotions that the buyer should take advantage of! Like the buy 3 get the 4th dozen free. So that is huge if a serious golfer can get a discount that they wouldn’t find from Titleist. I would play it, but I would need more testing from my friends at MyGolfSpy ball labs to say this ball is dollar for dollar comparable to the Titleist stalwart! I prefer the lower launching softer feeling ProV1 but the launch of the CTX is intriguing. The CT seems like a softer feeling ProV1. I am in the play it range.  

Conclusion

The CT and CTX are legit golf balls. I got two rounds in in FL and they both did well. Played twice in Ohio and the courses are so wet it is hard to really tell how the balls perform around the green and on approach shots. Colder temps make it challenging as well. My friend tested them out with me and picked up a huge gain off of the tee with the CT on Trackman. It has great feel, performed well in the wind, and is right there with a you know who, Titleist. It is still trailing Titleist in my 60 yard carry wedge spin, but the CT lineup might be better in other areas. This ball is a solid ball in that A range, the range of the Titleist ProV1. Maybe a better bang for your buck if you can snag them on a buy 3 dozen get the 4th free. More testing to come for me. Can Callaway knock Titleist off the mountain top, more to test for me to make that decision.

Final Score (94 out of 100)
 

 

Edited March 8 by Bohnson
Review

[OdinSnipes414]

I’m going to wait a bit to post so that the placeholder can be placed

 

[J7Hawkins]

Looking forward to all of your thoughts! The Chrome Soft was the first ball I fell in love with when I started playing golf. I’ve since found that other balls better suit my game, but Callaway will always get a fair shot with me because of that!

[Bob Jerabek]

Welcome aboard everyone. Currently down in Mexico enjoying sunny skies and 80* temperatures.  Get home on Sunday and will start the test next week if the balls arrive by then.! Suppose to have great weather in NC.

 

[TJ Hall]

Congratulations all testers selected…looking forward to seeing your thoughts on the new ball.  Enjoy!

[Jeff in the Mitten]

Thank you to the Mods for the opportunity!  Looking forward to getting that box in the mail soon!  

For those looking to compare based on similar swing/equipment, here's my setup to consider as we dive into this experiment:

Driver Characteristics:  A moderate transition with a CHS of 114 mph, targeting to get ball speeds of 165-170 with spin usually around the 2400 mark.

Irons Characteristics:  I play TM P770s with x100 shafts with a relatively steep delivery and tend to hit the ball a little high (around the 125' mark).  I'll be very curious to see how spin changes through the set and if there are any gapping changes.  I plan to "map the whole bag" in this test to see how ball impacts carry and total yardages.

Current Ball:  I prefer to play 1 of 2 balls, either the ProV1x Left Dash or the Chrome Soft X LS.  Will be good to see the white box ball against another Callaway I think to see if there if progression/change from one year's ball to the next.  I'll probably toss in one "mid-range" ball to compare too, and I'm thinking the Wilson Triad.

Sim Setup:  I'll be mostly testing indoors (Michigan right now is covered in snow) using either a Trackman or Skytrack setup.  Pics of the setups and plenty of videos to come with the quantitative results. 

Looking forward to it!  If you have a swing like mine and want to see anything in particular, just let me know!  

[golfinnut]

Fantastic!  Love testing balls.  I'll be comparing the Chrome Tour with the ProV1 & possibly the Chrome Tour X with the AVX.  

[TG8]

Going to be fun! 
never liked a callaway ball enough to game it so I will give a very unbiased review. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

34 minutes ago, OdinSnipes414 said:

I’m going to wait a bit to post so that the placeholder can be placed

 

No placeholders for this test as their are way too many testers for that. 

Testers will drop all their intros and data as they are able to. 

[Erin B]

45 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Please welcome and congratulate all our testers! 

@Madden B @BMDubya @vman1964 @Blake Hopkins @ShimmyCocoBop @Bohnson @Randall Robbins @Jeff in the Mitten @Wicki @KenBender @TG8 @JChurch @David Staller @JRDuck40 @Indy_Oz @yungkory @MuniGolfer @Irish Assassin @"Mr. 72" @Mike10487 @climberboy2000 @tschott @JeremyD @2puttbogey @Erin B @Digiburdie @KevGolfnut61 @longdrivenate @Pingzingny @boylerz1 @TylerC31 @Push-ups For Bogeys @pantleggs @Duxman130 @gregh729 @Bob Jerabek @JC from SA @Thegolferdude @manderson831 @KenRider @Ryan Luke @Lvhawks3 @Hamhandsbill @Bangsuk @golfinnut @4theDogs @Desous17

Be on the look out for unboxing and intros coming soon! Let the testing begin!

Good morning fellow testers and MGS troops!!! My name is Erin B and I am a retired Air Force veteran living in Cheyenne Wyoming. I play on the Veterans Golfers Association tour and recreationally at the Cheyenne Airport Golf Club and Cheyenne Country Club. I am excited to be selected as a tester for the new Callaway golf balls and as soon as the Callaway balls arrive at my house I will get some pictures and preliminary information out to you. Thank you MGS for my selection and your trust as a tester. As always, happy birdie hunting!

Erin B.

[KenRider]

I'm looking forward to comparing these balls to the TaylorMade TP5x and Tour Response balls I've been playing for the last couple of years. Before that I was a Callaway Chrome Soft fan so it will be interesting if this test brings me back to them.

[CFreddie]

Congrats to the testers!  Looking forward to seeing these reviews - I've always liked the previous Chrome Soft line, so I'm curious how these will shake out (especially with the Chrome Tour / Soft relaunch recently)!

[Josh Parker]

Congrats Testers!  Looking forward to the reviews. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

Congrats testers. Hit them well. 

[TSauer]

Congrats, everyone! As always, looking forward to the results. Have fun with it!

[OdinSnipes414]

19 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

No placeholders for this test as their are way too many testers for that. 

Testers will drop all their intros and data as they are able to. 

Good to know thanks boss

[William P]

Congrats testers! Looking forward to seeing your findings.

[Ryan Luke]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Please welcome and congratulate all our testers! 

@Madden B @BMDubya @vman1964 @Blake Hopkins @ShimmyCocoBop @Bohnson @Randall Robbins @Jeff in the Mitten @Wicki @KenBender @TG8 @JChurch @David Staller @JRDuck40 @Indy_Oz @yungkory @MuniGolfer @Irish Assassin @"Mr. 72" @Mike10487 @climberboy2000 @tschott @JeremyD @2puttbogey @Erin B @Digiburdie @KevGolfnut61 @longdrivenate @Pingzingny @boylerz1 @TylerC31 @Push-ups For Bogeys @pantleggs @Duxman130 @gregh729 @Bob Jerabek @JC from SA @Thegolferdude @manderson831 @KenRider @Ryan Luke @Lvhawks3 @Hamhandsbill @Bangsuk @golfinnut @4theDogs @Desous17

Be on the look out for unboxing and intros coming soon! Let the testing begin!

Congrats to All!   First time being chosen to test so I'm excited to see how this ball compares to the ProV1x I've been using for the last few years! 

[GolfSpy SAM]

Really, REALLY curious to see what you all think of the balls you're testing - I'm always curious when it comes to a white box to see what the company sends, and what the response is.  Their new lineup definitely has me intrigued, so cannot wait for the data to start coming in!

Congrats, all!

[2puttbogey]

Looking forward to the test. Was part of the Titleist testing as well, and didn’t care for them much. Hopefully these balls will suit me better. Regardless it will be, and this test will be more detailed, so will be more fun. Can’t wait to see who cuts it open first, and the guessing on what ball we’re testing.

[funkyjudge]

Congrats, fellow spies and testers!

[4theDogs]

Thanks MGS. It is going to be fun critiquing the white box balls from Callaway. I will try and hold true and give as much detail as possible.

[Jim Shaw]

8 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Please welcome and congratulate all our testers! 

@Madden B @BMDubya @vman1964 @Blake Hopkins @ShimmyCocoBop @Bohnson @Randall Robbins @Jeff in the Mitten @Wicki @KenBender @TG8 @JChurch @David Staller @JRDuck40 @Indy_Oz @yungkory @MuniGolfer @Irish Assassin @"Mr. 72" @Mike10487 @climberboy2000 @tschott @JeremyD @2puttbogey @Erin B @Digiburdie @KevGolfnut61 @longdrivenate @Pingzingny @boylerz1 @TylerC31 @Push-ups For Bogeys @pantleggs @Duxman130 @gregh729 @Bob Jerabek @JC from SA @Thegolferdude @manderson831 @KenRider @Ryan Luke @Lvhawks3 @Hamhandsbill @Bangsuk @golfinnut @4theDogs @Desous17

Be on the look out for unboxing and intros coming soon! Let the testing begin!

congratulations everyone, looking forward to the intel...