Forum Member Reviews: Callaway Whitebox Testing

[Bohnson]

@climberboy2000 those balls seem to wear more than your gamer? I played the Chrome tour for 25 holes and had to retire it. Just normal wear and tear. Hit one tree but the damage from that was not bad. IMO the covers seem to wear a little bit more than I would like. Performance is great everywhere else! 

[Bohnson]

Callaway Ball Fitting Tool

Mine came back with the Chrome Tour. Nice to have these tools. 

[ZackS]

I did the Gold Galaxy free ball fitting event today and the Chrome Tour X was the best fit for me. Was also getting the best ball speeds with it on 7 iron and driver. My only concern is the cover, definitely got some scuffs from my wedge with 60 to 70 yard swings. To be fair I got the with the other balls as well. I guess I am just used to the Srixon balls and how durable they are. I still got a few to test out against the Srixon as I do really like the the feedback on putting with the TruTrack version. 

[Bohnson]

Played 9 with both balls today. They are both great. I feel like I could play them both. The Tour X flew a little straighter than I am used to. Might have to test that out a little more. Probably spinning a hair more and I am able to get a straighter ball flight with the mid irons. The CTX is a little shorter with the mid irons but seems to go about as far with the Driver. Just launches a little higher. 

[Bohnson]

@ZackS I love the Srixon ball for how durable it is. I used to be able to play one for what seemed like until I lost it. 

The CT and CTX covers seem to wear more than the Srixon and ProV1. 

[ZackS]

40 minutes ago, Bohnson said:

@ZackS I love the Srixon ball for how durable it is. I used to be able to play one for what seemed like until I lost it. 

The CT and CTX covers seem to wear more than the Srixon and ProV1. 

Thanks for the feedback. The durability feedback from the testers so far has seemed a little bit of a mixed bag. Did some short game test with them today and  about the same as the Diamond. How does the CTX do with wind from what you have seen? That’s one thing I have been impressed with on the Diamond is it doesn’t seem to balloon even being a high spin ball. 

[BreakfastBall15]

1 minute ago, ZackS said:

Thanks for the feedback. The durability feedback from the testers so far has seemed a little bit of a mixed bag. Did some short game test with them today and  about the same as the Diamond. How does the CTX do with wind from what you have seen? That’s one thing I have been impressed with on the Diamond is it doesn’t seem to balloon even being a high spin ball. 

Interested in the wind performance as well. Playing in Oklahoma it can be pretty windy year round

[Bohnson]

I played the CT in Florida last week for two days in windy conditions and I thought it did well. Played the CTX today in Ohio and it was only blowing 7ish MPH. It was solid. 
 

@ZachS

[yungkory]

35 minutes ago, ZackS said:

Thanks for the feedback. The durability feedback from the testers so far has seemed a little bit of a mixed bag. Did some short game test with them today and  about the same as the Diamond. How does the CTX do with wind from what you have seen? That’s one thing I have been impressed with on the Diamond is it doesn’t seem to balloon even being a high spin ball. 

I played today and playing again tomorrow. Played the CT today, and I'll play the X tomorrow. 19mph today with gusts up to 38, 13-16 tomorrow with slightly weaker gusts. Needless to say, pretty windy this weekend.

Going to type up my thoughts after tomorrow's round

[BreakfastBall15]

3 minutes ago, yungkory said:

I played today and playing again tomorrow. Played the CT today, and I'll play the X tomorrow. 19mph today with gusts up to 38, 13-16 tomorrow with slightly weaker gusts. Needless to say, pretty windy this weekend.

Going to type up my thoughts after tomorrow's round

Looking forward to seeing how they performed 

[Erin B]

On 3/1/2024 at 8:36 AM, Ryan Luke said:

Hello All!

Just got an email illustrating Callaway Chrome Tour and Tour X buy 3 get 1 free with free personalization!  Here is the link to the website that is making the offer for anyone looking to purchase these balls.  I definitely want to myself... my issue is I'm not sure which ball to buy the Chrome Tour or the Chrome Tour X as all my testing has been done is cold weather I am struggling to see enough difference in each ball to know which one is the best ball for me!

I hope this helps some of us as in my opinion, it's the only way to purchase high end quality golf balls and get them around $40/dozen vs. the usual $55-$60/dozen AND I love the free personaliztion factor too so check out the link if you're interested! 

 

Edit:  I just bought this exact deal from the link I pasted below from golfballs.com and it was super easy to set up an account and fill out the customization too!  Should have my Chrome Tour X customized balls by next Friday 3/8!  

(paid the extra $9.95 for 3 day shipping which I thought was very reasonable to get them a whole week sooner!) 

 

Thanks MGS for allowing me to participate in this... I just may have found a new long term ball over the ProV1x and I'm super excited to play the Chrome Tour X!  

 

https://www.golfballs.com/Callaway-Special-Offer-Buy-3-Get-1-Free.html?utm_campaign=gmag243callawaychromesoft3and1202402&utm_content=callaway3and1landing&t=partneremail_gmag243

 

I got my box at Golf Galaxy in Westminster CO. Chrome Tour X for me. I didn't get them personalized, just grabbed them from the pallet and got my military discount.

[Indy_Oz]

This afternoon I played my first on-course round with these Callaway balls. 12-14mph wind for the entire round made it very interesting.

After plenty of sim time and doing sim-based ball testing, the Tour X was looking like a winner for me. But on the course today, the Tour was a clear winner, particularly in the wind. Seemed to fly straighter into the wind and wasn't pushed laterally by cross winds quite as much as the X. Feel on the green putting was better with the Tour too (well, I preferred it). I felt I had a better feel for distance putting with the Tour and on the back 9 with the X, it just didn't click. Definitely thrown the cat amongst the pigeons...

I'll finish the final review tomorrow. One thing from today I'm disappointed about- I managed to lose the most scuffed of each ball to water. One front nine and for the Tour X on 18 with a fatted shot from rough after a 320 yard wind-assisted and slightly downhill drive (see Arccos screenshot below, lol)! Both narrow creeks running across fairways. Managed to make the lake/ pond shots to greens just fine. Gutted!!

Didn't have the best round (played bogey golf- shot +18), but it was first time playing the course and only second time hitting off grass this year, so overall score wasn't my focus. Greens were a real mixed bag. Some were rolling great and true, others slow, some bumpy and pretty crappy.

Both Tour and Tour X showed signs of wear, but they had been hit plenty of times on the sim during these tests and had worn pretty well considering.

More to follow.

[BreakfastBall15]

1 hour ago, Indy_Oz said:

This afternoon I played my first on-course round with these Callaway balls. 12-14mph wind for the entire round made it very interesting.

After plenty of sim time and doing sim-based ball testing, the Tour X was looking like a winner for me. But on the course today, the Tour was a clear winner, particularly in the wind. Seemed to fly straighter into the wind and wasn't pushed laterally by cross winds quite as much as the X. Feel on the green putting was better with the Tour too (well, I preferred it). I felt I had a better feel for distance putting with the Tour and on the back 9 with the X, it just didn't click. Definitely thrown the cat amongst the pigeons...

I'll finish the final review tomorrow. One thing from today I'm disappointed about- I managed to lose the most scuffed of each ball to water. One front nine and for the Tour X on 18 with a fatted shot from rough after a 320 yard wind-assisted and slightly downhill drive (see Arccos screenshot below, lol)! Both narrow creeks running across fairways. Managed to make the lake/ pond shots to greens just fine. Gutted!!

Didn't have the best round (played bogey golf- shot +18), but it was first time playing the course and only second time hitting off grass this year, so overall score wasn't my focus. Greens were a real mixed bag. Some were rolling great and true, others slow, some bumpy and pretty crappy.

Both Tour and Tour X showed signs of wear, but they had been hit plenty of times on the sim during these tests and had worn pretty well considering.

More to follow.

Good to know that the Tour was performing well in the wind. I’ll have to grab some to test out

[yungkory]

On 3/2/2024 at 4:16 PM, BreakfastBall15 said:

Looking forward to seeing how they performed 

Ok so ~19mph yesterday and today was pretty much the same even though the forecast might not say -- it was windy again. Yesterday playing the CT, I noticed the ball felt "heavy" in the wind and it didn't really care much about any crosswinds. Just kinda went and stayed there.

Started playing the CTx today and it felt completely the opposite, so much so that I switched back to the CT on the back 9 because I felt like the x was just getting pushed so much more. 

The CT also seems longer off the tee. My tee shots were pretty much the only thing I had going for me today (not the best ball striking day, it was rough) and honestly the CT feels like they're juiced. It launches pretty mid-high and seems to just move forward forever. I mentioned previously that I like more spin in the long game because I'm pretty low-spin, but I think the CT might spin enough. Hard to tell because my ball striking was horrible.

I also read the marketing data on the balls finally, and on paper, I would assume the X would work better for me. I am pretty familiar with the previous generation CS and CSx and that lead to me being more biased towards the X fitting, but I think the regular CT is likely to be best for me.

Going to test some more, these were my first 2 rounds in over a month.

Oh, forgot to mention, the covers or the paint are kinda fragile. Didn't hit a single organic or non-organic obstacle today, and the covers were in worse shape than I would have expected. I think the Z-star Diamond cover is more durable but again, more testing needed.

[ZackS]

I was doing some testing with the CTX and it is very close to the Z Star Diamond I have been using but seems to be just a little higher spin on mid iron and a little lower spin on the driver. My only concern on pulling the trigger on the current 4 for price of 3 is the cover durability. But now there seems to be a trend with it not being the best wind ball and being in Texas that’s a pretty big deal for me. Maybe I need to see what # I see with the regular tour

[yungkory]

1 hour ago, ZackS said:

I was doing some testing with the CTX and it is very close to the Z Star Diamond I have been using but seems to be just a little higher spin on mid iron and a little lower spin on the driver. My only concern on pulling the trigger on the current 4 for price of 3 is the cover durability. But now there seems to be a trend with it not being the best wind ball and being in Texas that’s a pretty big deal for me. Maybe I need to see what # I see with the regular tour

Interesting, I've been playing the diamond since it came out and I think it's closer to the regular CT to me. So far the spinniest ball I've played is the Tour B XS. No chance I can hit one into the wind without it just spinning up into oblivion it's pretty comical honestly

[Rob Person]

These reviews are great. The previous CS TT was my preferred ball. I have to say they were pretty durable too.

From all the feedback it seems as though performance might be up, but durability is down. I've read all the comparisons to other balls here, and it kind of has sewn up my deciding NOT to BUY these.( I'm not saying I will never try them though)

This is why MGS is so valuable. 

 

[ZackS]

7 hours ago, yungkory said:

Interesting, I've been playing the diamond since it came out and I think it's closer to the regular CT to me. So far the spinniest ball I've played is the Tour B XS. No chance I can hit one into the wind without it just spinning up into oblivion it's pretty comical honestly

Maybe just because of wind performance? The diamond is definitely a high spin ball but still does good in wind which is part of why I like it. It’s hard to ignore the lower spin on the driver I am seeing while maintaining iron spin with the CTX. Usually if I try a lower spin ball I see a drop in iron spin and driver still being similar. 

[Ryan Luke]

On 3/2/2024 at 11:29 PM, Erin B said:

I got my box at Golf Galaxy in Westminster CO. Chrome Tour X for me. I didn't get them personalized, just grabbed them from the pallet and got my military discount.

Hi Erin!

I have been getting the personalization done for as long as it's been an option with Titleist and now just did the same for the Chrome Tour X set I ordered.  My reasoning is simple.  I love this game and most of the people who play it.  With that said there are still enough people who do not pay attention to what ball they play and will just walk up and hit the first ball they find in the "vicinity" of where they "think" their ball should have landed when in fact they just hit my ball and not theirs.  I've caught too many people telling me "I'm playing a Titleist so I know I hit my ball."  When I show them my name & personalization on "their ball" they always seem sooo confused how that could have happened when they know that's exactly where their ball landed.   Definitley one of my golf pet peeves for sure.  I always make sure I identify "my ball" before I hit it not matter how confident I am that the ball I'm standing next to is where I watched my ball land.  

Good luck everyone who choose to take advantage of the B3G1 free deal with or without personalization.  My Chrome Tour X's are set to arrive this Friday! 

[TG8]

Lots of mention on quick wear.  I have not noticed that these callaway balls have wore out any quicker than a prov1 or taylormade tour response. 

[TG8]

2 hours ago, Rob Person said:

These reviews are great. The previous CS TT was my preferred ball. I have to say they were pretty durable too.

From all the feedback it seems as though performance might be up, but durability is down. I've read all the comparisons to other balls here, and it kind of has sewn up my deciding NOT to BUY these.( I'm not saying I will never try them though)

This is why MGS is so valuable. 

 

Only coming from one guy but the pre-wear is not something I noticed. Wears like any other premium ball I have used. 

[Ryan Luke]

1 minute ago, TG8 said:

Lots of mention on quick wear.  I have not noticed that these callaway balls have wore out any quicker than a prov1 or taylormade tour response. 

Same for me and in fact I feel like they have lasted better overall than my ProV1x's but at least as good so far.  I played a Chrome Tour X for 31 holes before I lost that ball and it was still in great shape.  I played a Chrome Tour for 24 holes and it was equally in good shape.  I have been very impressed with both Chrome Tour options so far and this will all be in my review addtions. 

[TG8]

2 minutes ago, Ryan Luke said:

Same for me and in fact I feel like they have lasted better overall than my ProV1x's but at least as good so far.  I played a Chrome Tour X for 31 holes before I lost that ball and it was still in great shape.  I played a Chrome Tour for 24 holes and it was equally in good shape.  I have been very impressed with both Chrome Tour options so far and this will all be in my review addtions. 

Glad there is a few of us out there   

[Erin B]

17 minutes ago, Ryan Luke said:

Hi Erin!

I have been getting the personalization done for as long as it's been an option with Titleist and now just did the same for the Chrome Tour X set I ordered.  My reasoning is simple.  I love this game and most of the people who play it.  With that said there are still enough people who do not pay attention to what ball they play and will just walk up and hit the first ball they find in the "vicinity" of where they "think" their ball should have landed when in fact they just hit my ball and not theirs.  I've caught too many people telling me "I'm playing a Titleist so I know I hit my ball."  When I show them my name & personalization on "their ball" they always seem sooo confused how that could have happened when they know that's exactly where their ball landed.   Definitley one of my golf pet peeves for sure.  I always make sure I identify "my ball" before I hit it not matter how confident I am that the ball I'm standing next to is where I watched my ball land.  

Good luck everyone who choose to take advantage of the B3G1 free deal with or without personalization.  My Chrome Tour X's are set to arrive this Friday! 

I mark my ball and I’ve definitely caught others trying to play the wrong ball. When I was at GG and saw the box, I had to take advantage because they also give military discount. I’m going to go to the Callaway site and see if they do the same. I’m an OnCore member so I do personalize balls. But now I’m in it to win it with these Callaway balls. 

[2puttbogey]

Played what will be my last round with the standard tour version yesterday as I only have one left. I have found it to be a very good and consistent bal. Has great feel and control. I have 3 of the Xs left and will be playing them this week, and then start working on my final review. 

[MuniGolfer]

Last week I did some more spin testing, still not to the driver yet. I didn't have a lot of time. Here's where we are at. 

It was just the 5 iron and LW, and I didn't get through all the balls yet. I was working on my swing a bit, and something finally clicked during testing the Prov1x with the 5iron. Hence why you can see my Smash factor significantly improve and I started to see my more normal spin rates with both the 5 iron and then the LW. The strike inconsistency explained why I saw such low spin rates last test. I was striking everything just the slightest bit fat, so that is why my spin rates on the PW and 7i are low. I will probably redo those at some point. 

As far as durability goes, I will post some picture later today. The Callaways are still making an impressive showing. They even hit the top netting a couple times at the top of the simulator and got black transfer, but no scuffs. 

I was also hopeful to be able to get these outside, but then it started snowing in Utah again this weekend. March . Once I get some driver numbers, I will be playing a SIM round with each ball to see if it tells me much.

[chisag]

5 minutes ago, MuniGolfer said:

Last week I did some more spin testing, still not to the driver yet. I didn't have a lot of time. Here's where we are at. 

 

... Interesting for sure. This is why I say the MGS Ball Test is a good starting point. The Callaway LS which is basically the Chrome Tour now, was the longest ball for many categories including mid irons with fast and mid swing speeds. Yet it was the shortest in your testing. 

[yungkory]

6 hours ago, Rob Person said:

These reviews are great. The previous CS TT was my preferred ball. I have to say they were pretty durable too.

From all the feedback it seems as though performance might be up, but durability is down. I've read all the comparisons to other balls here, and it kind of has sewn up my deciding NOT to BUY these.( I'm not saying I will never try them though)

This is why MGS is so valuable. 

 

I haven't tested as much as I should have by now, but after 2 rounds I think the cover itself is as good as any ball, but I did notice the paint coming off. It could be that I'm just not used to using the alignment lines on other balls, but I was using the triple track this weekend after finding it might actually help me. Noticed some of the paint coming off mid-round. They're definitely worth buying and testing -- not a Cut ball incident where one wedge is going to shred it

[MuniGolfer]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

 

... Interesting for sure. This is why I say the MGS Ball Test is a good starting point. The Callaway LS which is basically the Chrome Tour now, was the longest ball for many categories including mid irons with fast and mid swing speeds. Yet it was the shortest in your testing. 

The Tour is actually a completely different ball than the old LS. It’s lower compression, new dimple pattern, and a softer feeling cover. Some of my comparisons should be taken with a grain of salt, as my stroke has been really inconsistent lately. Hopefully I can get some much better numbers here soon, as well as some driver numbers.

[TG8]

7 minutes ago, MuniGolfer said:

The Tour is actually a completely different ball than the old LS. It’s lower compression, new dimple pattern, and a softer feeling cover. Some of my comparisons should be taken with a grain of salt, as my stroke has been really inconsistent lately. Hopefully I can get some much better numbers here soon, as well as some driver numbers.

In my review I have data on the old chrome soft x ls if interested in looking.  It launched high and spun low with driver making it long! But ball speeds with the new chrome tour were higher.