Forum Member Reviews: Callaway Whitebox Testing

[Madden B]

I’m back as a golf ball tester, baby! Kind of feels like I am being type-cast (see my review on the Sugar Golf Ball here - https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/59957-sugar-golf-balls-2023-forum-review/?do=findComment&comment=944294) but I am so grateful for the opportunity to get some more golf balls to put through the ringer. So thank you MGS and Callaway, can’t wait to hit this ball!

A brief intro and what you need to know about me - 14 years old, just passed my mom and older sister in height at 5’7.25” and am super proud of that! I love golf and got my first set of clubs at age 7, a set of InTechs that I brutalized by playing with them so much that all the heads fell off the shafts. I live in Utah and just got my first job at my local golf course as of yesterday, mainly because they know me so well because I have played there almost daily since I was 10.

I am currently playing at a 1 HDCP, been as low as a +1.0 but have been growing and it has messed up my swing a little! I played on my varsity team as a freshman last fall, made state and finished in the top 40 (I was T9 overall after 6 holes on R2 but kind of imploded and still kick myself for it!), not bad for a barely 14 year old kid and the youngest kid at state by over a year. I plan on being in the top 10 this year and making the All-state team, at least that is my goal. I play every day, can’t remember the last day I didn’t swing a golf club. Working on getting my swing speed up, current stock swing on my driver is 101 mph, hoping to have it in the 106-108 range by the time school golf starts this fall.

If you want to see my swing and some of what I work on, I have a little YouTube channel that I post videos to. My dad and I are doing a daily par 3 closest to the pin contest because we got a SkyTrak+ for Christmas, pretty fun stuff. But I am planning on putting more content on there, like some of my “range” sessions to show off my stock yardages. Here is a recent vid, if you are interested!

 

Callaway Golf Ball Test – So here is the plan for testing this ball, I am going to hit it….a lot! I think that a lot of time will be spent on the Launch Monitor to begin with because Utah winter’s are unpredictable. Any chance that I can get outside and play I will, but a lot of time will be spent hitting this ball against my current ball, which is a Chromesoft X. We use the logo versions in the sim because it picks up the spin better, but I have bounced between the Chromesoft and ProV1 balls for a long time. I think it usually comes down to what ball my dad can get a better deal on, but those are the balls I play the most and the 2 that I will be testing against.

I plan on going hitting lots of shots with each club in the bag to get a sense of how I like the feel of the ball. I’ll track all the metrics that I care about, including ball speed, spin rates, launch angle, carry distance, overall distance, and anything else that people are interested. I should have lots of videos over the next few weeks so that you can see the actual numbers. I want this to be a very transparent test and will provide my honest opinion and feedback.

I will putt on my mat in my house unless the weather lets me get to the course. This will be more of a feel test, as well as some alignment testing based on what this ball has for alignment aids.

And weather permitting, I will putt outside at the course and spend a bit of time chipping and playing shots from about 50-60 yards and in. I spin the ball a bit around the greens and want to see how it performs around the green, which is one of my strength areas. And I will also check some bunker shots. I really want to see how well this ball holds up from a durability standpoint as well.

And lastly, I will play some rounds of golf with these balls. I will play 2-3 balls against each other and see which ball wins the round.

I have lots of things that I will/want to test so I can be as thorough as possible in my revies. I really do like Callaway golf balls and feel like they are either 1A or 1B in the golf ball rankings, at least for me. I am hoping to love this ball more than the current one and would be thrilled to put it in play moving forward, but it will all depend on the data and testing results. But I am expecting that this will be another great ball in the Callaway lineup and I can’t wait for it to be delivered! Come on UPS, let’s go!!!

First Impressions

Right off the bat, I love the look and feel of these balls. I am a huge fan of the Triple Track and have been since Callaway introduced it. I think that it is the single alignment aid that any company does, so I am fully onboard with these balls. They have a nice shine to them and I love the simple look of the logo.

The only issue or thing that I don’t love is the writing of the words Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X, it seems like it isn’t straight across and has a slight bend to it, sort of upside down smile??? Maybe I am just being picky but it is a little off-putting to my eye. Oh well, let’s see how these bad boys fly!

And my little sister was helping me take some photos and wants to be famous, so here she is! She is going to tell her 2nd grade class that she is famous because she is on a golf website now!

The Numbers

Okay, I couldn’t wait to get into the garage to start hitting balls. And I was a little bit shocked at some of the results and how the numbers came out. I went right to my 8 iron (Callaway Rogue ST Pro,34.5°), sort of to warm up and start to get a sense of how these balls feel. I hit about 15 shots with a Chromesoft, ProV1, Chrome Tour, and Chrome Tour X. I then got rid of any outliers or what I felt might have been a misread from the SkyTrack+. Here are the results:

Carry distance was within 4 yds, but the Chromesoft did carry the furthest at 166 yds, with the Tour X at the bottom at 162 yds. Total distance was within 6 yds with again, Chromesoft at 180 yds and the Tour X at 174.

Spin rates were interesting to me because the Tour X spun the most for me. I am a low spin player and the Tour X came. In at 5997 at the top and the Chromesoft the lowest at 5182.

But everything else was pretty similar, with the ball speeds within 1 MPH of each other, launch angles identical, max height exactly the same (Chromesoft 1yd higher) and the smash factor very similar across the board. I even felt like I could work the balls both ways and they all responded pretty much the same. And after hitting them, scuff marks were about none and every ball held up very well and looked brand new still.

The biggest shock to me was that the Chrome Tour and the ProV1 were almost identical in every single category. They felt very similar in how they came off the face even though the Tour is supposedly a little firmer. Based on the numbers, I personally could swap them for each other and feel like they perform about the same for me and my higher irons and wedges.

Favorite ball with an 8 Iron??? Chromesoft is the winner for me! Now, that may be because it is a softer ball and my swing speed (82MPH with an 8 iron) is still in that range where a slightly softer ball is the better choice, but I liked the way it felt the best. And maybe there is just a bit more familiarity there because I have played that ball for so long, but that was my favorite feeling ball.

BUT,,, I would play any of these golf balls any day of the week. They all felt great off the face, I feel like I could move them left of right with ease. The launch angle and descent was spot on for how I like to play. I feel comfortable standing over all of them and would game every single one of them!

Next up was Drivers, and that is a different story on the ball that I liked the best. Here are a couple of videos that show 2 swings of each ball. I will upload more data and pictures as soon as I can, but take a look at my preview videos!

 

 

 

SO, the winner is....

For me, the Chrome Tour X is the best ball with driver and it really doesn't even feel close. And this was a big shock to me but maybe it is just my swing speed (100-101 mph stock driver swing) and how I hit the ball, but I love the way the Tour X flies. The Launch is slightly higher than the other balls, ball speed is higher, the spin is closer to where it needs to be and the Smash factor was better. And when it came to carry and overall numbers, it was much longer than all the other balls. Consistency/dispersion between all the balls was pretty similar and most of the balls would end up in the fairway, which is pretty consistent for my game. Lastly, I am a very low spin player and the Tour X did have the highest spin, which is still a little low for what a driver should be. I am working on my dad to get me a new driver that isn't a low spin model, like my current Stealth Plus, but he isn't pulling out his wallet! I will keep pushing him, maybe he will come around.

Interestingly for me is the difference between the driver results and the iron results because I hit the Chromesoft the longest with an 8 Iron and it was the shortest with the driver. I am guessing that has to do with compression numbers and my swing speeds, but I am not smart enough and don't quite understand the physics behind that just yet. I am just getting to trigonometry (which I don't love) right now in my 9th grade math class, so I will have to wait to better understand that until I get a little further along in my schooling! 

Other sim data was pretty comparable across the board. I hit with wedges, low irons, mid irons, higher irons, fairway woods, etc. I even pulled out my dad's Sim2 Rescue club to hit a hybrid (which I don't carry anymore) and the data was pretty consistent with the driver and 8 iron results. The woods and driver where best suited to the Tour X, low-mid irons where better with the ProV1 and Chrome Tour, and the Chromesoft was the ball of choice for higher irons and wedges. BUT this is just data from the launch monitor!!!! 

On Course details up next. I am working on compiling a couple of scorecards and editing some videos from the rounds of golf that I have been playing, but the on course performance has been awesome with the Chrome Tour and Tour X. More to come soon!

On course (19 out of 20)

I have to say, I really, really like these balls on the course. I have now played 36 holes head to head with these balls and the results are dead even. Playing at my home course of Glen Eagle, both balls are at 4 under par through 36 and I have no complaints with either of them. Let me go through the different areas and select winners.

Tee Shots –  Both balls performed well off the tee and I found a lot of fairways over the course of the 2 rounds of golf. I alternated which ball teed off first so that it was fair and that one ball didn’t get the advantage of a “practice” tee shot by going second, if that makes sense. Both balls launch about the same height and I hit a lot of big bombs. Like on the launch monitor, the Tour X carried and rolled out a bit further, about a 5-10 yard difference consistently. I did catch one with the Tour X that was my biggest drive of the 2 rounds and it was about 25 yards past the Chrome Tour, but the numbers stayed pretty true to my practice sessions. I will say that the misses with both balls were still pretty consistent. My miss is more of a hook shape but even the worst of those found it’s way into the left rough but stayed in play. Overall, both balls were great off the tee. Advantage – Tour X

Approach Shots – So the nice thing on this is that many of my approach shots were using different clubs because of the added distance I got from the Tour X, which means my Chrome Tour was usually hitting 1 club up vs the Tour X. So I was able to hit lots of different iron shots and both balls a great. I was able to work the balls in both directions pretty comfortably even with temps only being in the 40s, they launched high enough and came down at a great angle to hold greens and I hit a lot of greens. I am a low spin player but they certainly had enough check on them for me. Now, the greens are very slow right now so I am interested to see performance in the summer when things speed up, but they were great and performed very well. Sound and feel is pretty similar, they are bit firmer than my old Chromesoft but I like the way they feel. Advantage – Chrome Tour ever so slightly, because of the added difficulty of hitting lower irons

Around the Green – I am very happy with how these balls spin with wedges, they were easy to control the distance and I put a lot of chip shots in tight. I typically play lower trajectory wedge shots and with the slow greens, a lot of them hopped twice and just stopped. I really like the feel of both balls. I will say that the Tour X spins a little bit more, which I like because I don’t have high spin rates, and I feel like that added spin was easier for me to control. But the shot of the day went to the Chrome Tour. I had to chip up over a bunker to a tucked pin and had very little room for error and not much green to work with. I opened the face way up on my 58 for a big flop shot and threw the ball up in the air to try and land it soft. It hit just on the fringe past the bunker and rolled out about 7 feet to end up a few inches short of the cup and made for a very comfortable par save. Overall, both balls were great around the greens I felt like I would get up and down every time. Advantage – Tour X by a fraction, only because of the extra spin that suits my game

Putting – This is my favorite part of the game of golf and I spend at least an hour every night putting in my room before I go to bed and have for at least 3 years. I have 10 putters and hope to have the world’s greatest putter collection before I die! So when I say that I really liked the feel putting with these balls it comes from someone that has spent a lot of time on a putting green. I feel like the Tour is very similar in feel to a ProV1, maybe slightly firmer, and the Tour X compares to the ProV1x. I currently have a Scotty Cameron Newport 1.5 Special Select in the bag and it rolled these balls beautifully on the greens. The greens did have some winter bumps and weren’t in perfect shape, but I really liked the feel putting with these balls. Over the course of 36 holes, each ball had one 3-putt, but one of those was on a par 5 and I had about 70 feet on the first putt. I absolutely hate having a 3 putt par but it beats taking a bogey. Anyways, I love the Triple Track for alignment, it is still my favorite putting alignment setup there is. Overall, I love both of these balls on the putting surface. Advantage – Tie

Bottom Line – I think that both of these are great golf balls. Playing with the Chrome Tour really did remind me of playing with a ProV1, just maybe ever so slightly a little firmer but with the same results. The consistency was great, I felt like I could work the ball and have it end up where I needed it to be, and around the greens was great. But for me, I tend to give just a little bit more love to the Tour X. Even though the scores were exactly the same for 36 holes, I think that with the added distance and spin, the Tour X would end up winning the war between the two balls. The added distance was real and noticeable for me and my game. Around the greens the ball just zipped to a stop. Iron shots felt great, flew high, sound and feel fantastic, and ended up right where I wanted them to be. And as I play more rounds with it, I really think that I will be able to dial it in further and really score well with it. Bottom line is that both of these balls are gamers! Advantage – Tour X by a nose for me!

And sorry, more pictures to come. My dad helps me edit the sizes and I need to get him the images still. 

Another update  - Played another head to head round with both balls, this time from the Black Tees. A note on the Black Tees is this is the longest tees at my home course and I have a couple of Junior tournaments that are actually played from these tees upcoming this summer. Even the high school tournaments are played from the Blues, but I really am trying to push myself and this helps with having to hit lower irons into the green and I want to practice a little bit from those tees. And I ended up shooting a 31 with the Tour X (-5 under par), compared to a 38 with the Tour. I hit a few putts, including about a 50 footer for eagle on the 3rd hole. The Tour X is longer for me, plain and simple. I consistently hit it 10-15 yards past the Chrome Tour with driver, which made a big difference in how the Black Tees played for me. I was feeling it and so confident standing over the Tour X with every swing and putt, it was awesome. That is only the 3rd time I have shot a 31 on the front nine at Glen Eagle, and that was just the 2nd time I played the Black Tees so it was just lights out from the start. Seriously, one of the best rounds I have ever played and this ball is going in my bag, period. I feel like I hit the Chrome Tour really well, just couldn't quite make birdies with it today. And I just ordered a few dozen of the Tour X, I am committed!!!

 

Edited March 18 by Madden B
3/18 Update

[2puttbogey]

6 hours ago, KenRider said:

I'm hoping they're a little late as we have a trip scheduled to Maui for the beginning of March and I was thinking (hoping) I could do on-course testing there. We're playing Kapalua, Kaanapali, and Walea. @2puttbogey, any suggestions on other good-value courses there?

Dunes at Maui Lani is my home course, and it’s a good value course. Usually some good deals on golf now for it as well. Waiehu the muni course is great, but difficult to get on early so if you don’t mind playing later in the morning or early afternoon I highly recommend it. Pukalani is up the Miya little so it has nice views. Maui Nui is the one to avoid. If you have any other questions let me know.

[Erin B]

On 1/30/2024 at 9:21 AM, GolfSpy SAM said:

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!

I am super excited to test! I actually am looking for a new ball to play. I am a little disappointed with OnCore this year and am strongly considering going back to Titleist. I have read the review on the MaxFli from MGS and I will be checking those out as well. This year I am wide open to a new ball so it's perfect you all chose me to test Callaway's new ball. Thank you and happy birdie hunting!

[Randall Robbins]

First, thanks for this chance to test these Callaway balls, I appreciate the chance to check these out and compare to the other balls I played or tested.

About me:

I play out of Middleburg FL, ( Jacksonville area), so I am able to play year round, which helps with equipment tests.  I am 69 (70 in March)  and currently play to a 4 handicap.  I have played all over the US, and lived for a while outside of Pinehurst, which of course allowed me to play lots of very nice courses.  I have been playing since the age of 12, but didn't get serious about until my 20s.  Still trying to get those couple of strokes off my handicap, to get down to a 2 or so.  I'm certainly not a long hitter anymore, but I make up for it with a fairly good short game and decent fairway woods and hybrids.

Current Equipment:

Other than two exceptions, I play Sub 70 woods and irons.  My current ball is the Title list AVX, or the ProVs.  

Testing:

I'm pure old school, so all testing will be done on course with feedback from feel and results.  Also, since I am a senior player, I can give that perspective to the group.  Should be fun, looking forward to seeing how this works out.

 

[TylerC31]

About me:

I'm a 27-year-old living in Chapel Hill, NC. I started playing golf four years ago with my now father-in-law and fell in love immediately. I enjoy taking aggressive lines and swinging hard. Fortunately for my golf bug, my current apartment complex has a high-end golf simulator with launch data and I live in close proximity to the Sanford/Pinehurst area with access to great golf on my off time. 

My game: 

I tend to be a longer hitter that plays a high-risk, high-reward game. I have a background in baseball and powerlifting, so my game started with length and has started to develop around that. I get the most enjoyment out of golf not by necessarily taking the smartest shot, but by taking the shot that would be the most fun and aggressive. After all, I'm not playing for any money so why not? I have found myself developing a lot in my fairway woods and long irons, and I love excuses to bring them out. Areas I can improve are around the green where I would consider myself to be below-average relative to the rest of my game, primarily due to the fact that I am fairly one-dimensional in shot selection. I would consider myself a fairly good putter but nothing spectacular. My swing tends to be around 7* in-to-out with a 3-4* closed face to path, giving me a draw on good days and a brutal hook on bad days. My current swing goals are to get a little closer to a 4* in-to-out with a more neutral face to give a more consistent ball flight and improve my game on off days. 

Stock Yardages (Total):

Driver: 3250 yards, 3 wood: 290 yards, 5 wood: 275 yards, 4 iron: 230 yards, 5 iron: 215 yards, 6 iron: 200 yards, 7 iron: 185 yards, 8 iron: 170 yards, 9 iron: 155 yards, PW: 140 yards, GW: 125 yards, SW (56*): 115 yards, LW (58*): 100 yards

Equipment:

I currently game a Callaway Paradym TD 8*, Stealth 2 3 wood, Paradym TD 5 wood,  Mizuno Pro 223 4i-PW, Mizuno T24 50*, Cleveland ZipCore 55* and 60*. I dabble with a Sub70 Pro 2 Iron on windier days where I want a lower ball flight and take the 5 wood out of the bag. 

Current Ball:

My preferred ball is the Callaway Chrome Soft X (2022). I find that it holds up best in the wind while still giving me the high ball speeds and spin numbers I need to compliment my game. There are a lot of open, exposed golf courses in the area so wind performance is extra important. I occasionally use a Srixon Z Star Diamond if I'm on a tighter, tree-lined course without much wind. In general I prefer high-compression, high-spin balls, usually with a mid to high launch due to my lower ball flights. 

What I Want From This Test:

To be honest, I'm an equipment and ball junkie. I love testing and tinkering and embrace any opportunity to do so. The reformulated Callaway cover appeals to me because of the purported improved aerodynamics. As I mentioned above, I play in a lot of wind and wind performance arguably matters more than anything with how I'm playing. If I can find an improvement on-course, I'll game it! 

How I'm Going To Test This:

My apartment has an indoor HD Sports Suite simulator that I use 3-4 times a week after work. In addition to that, I try to get on the course 1-2 times per week, depending on my schedule. I plan to start off on the simulator for a few sessions to get some launch condition and spin numbers before progressing to putting sessions, then chipping, and finally on course performance, preferably in varying conditions. Have to make sure I collect as much data as possible before I might lose one! 

This will be my first official test, and I am pumped to do it. I hope everyone enjoys it. 

[Wicki]

Hello from a seasonal Culpeper, VA.  The Callaway Whitebox is my first testing opportunity.  I am excited and nervous because I am someone with a learning disability that will give me difficulty getting the info I am trying to say onto here.  I will not have an issue putting the ball to my playing test.  I am not someone who likes to be in the practice are working on my game.  I rather just be on the course playing the REAL situations you always face.

I have been playing the game of golf since November 1982 at Walt Disney World 6 hole course designed for the families with young golfers.  That Christmas my brother and I got our first set of clubs we had to share.  I have always enjoyed the game, but never had the opportunity to really play like I have the past 8 years.  I have played on the High School team and College team, Division III.  In college, the first year was a club team and just became a part of the NCAA division iii, so it was not very competitive since we were just getting started.  I still play with a competitive edge.  In the past few years, I have been focusing on improving my golf game.  Prior, I was mainly mid to upper 80's since I didn't play a lot.  Now being at the club, I have been focusing on improving.  Amongst that was finding my go to ball of play, which is TaylorMade TP5 and TP5x.  I did try all the big name brands, and have all brands.  Yes I will at times just grab a ball and play.  I have played with Callaway Chrome soft and one thing that I really enjoy about the Chrome soft was how they are with the short game.

With this testing, I am going in with my past experience I had with Callaway balls.  I am going to compare it the my prefer ball of choice.  I am looking at how it feels coming off the driver, and distance.  How it feels off my irons, and around the green.  This game is about feel, and your style, so if this preforms better than what I am using than it could become a choice in my bag.

My irons are usually the going out models, since they finally become affordable.  Working in a local school, cannot allows get them hot on the market.  

My expectation is that these Callaway balls will preform similar to what they have on the market and my golf game.  Not knowing what I am getting, is a benefit in my books, because I cannot use what I know about a certain ball.  Knowing the ball, it would become a mind over matter, forcing myself to preform at a certain level.  Some of my best play has been just going out and just playing and keeping what is between the ears out of play!

My equipment to be used: Stealth driver, PXG 5 woods, RBZ 3 Hybrid (reshafted myself), either Honma  Rose proto or Mizuno JPX 923 tours irons, Cleveland and Callaway wedges, Odyssey Jailbird or Taylormade Platinum S putter.

[JRDuck40]

Excited to give these a run. I've always been a little suspect of Callaway balls, but willing to have an open mind for this. Excited to see how they perform next to my Z Star and prior ball, AVX. Thanks again for the opp! 

[OdinSnipes414]

Can’t wait to see them

[Digiburdie]

"I guess, Hello World, huh?" 

A little about me...
Name: Bobby
Age: 48 (turning 49 in 15 days from this post)
Location: Carnegie, PA about 4 miles outside of Pittsburgh. 
Dexterity: Lefty
WITB: Driver - Cobra AeroJet LS; 5W -  Ping 410; Irons - Srixon ZX7 MKII; Wedge - Vokey SM8; Putter - Bettinardi QB6; Ball - Titleist AVX
Bio: I've been a member of MGS since 2015 and have been a tester before. In 2017, I was chosen to be part of (what I think was the first) Cobra Connect Driver Challenge. It was a wonderful experience, and everyone involved had a great time over a couple of months of testing we did with the Cobra Drivers. I was also part of the upcoming Lamkin UTX Grip test. Keep an eye out for that one! 

I'm 48, originally from southern WV, but I live in Pittsburgh now and started golfing back in college at West Virginia University (LET'S GO, MOUNTAINEERS!) when my aunt and uncle bought me a lefty set they found at a garage sale. It was fun, and I enjoyed the game, but other things started to take priority in my 20s. About 15 years ago, I started playing in a local beer league at one of the better public courses here in Pittsburgh, and that's when the golf bug officially bit me, and I haven't looked back since. 

I'm a lefty—currently an 11 handicap (went up last year from 9.5 dangit). I have a 12-year-old son who is a golfer also and participates in the PGA Jr. League, and competes in the Pittsburgh area and I expect him to beat me within the next 2 years if not sooner.  We are collectors of golf stuff. We have an extensive collection of Scotty and Bettinardi putters, headcovers, and metal. If you're into that stuff, hit me up and we'll chat! Also, we tinker on YouTube and post videos from time to time on reviewing products, doing unboxing, etc. We're "McBurdie" on social spaces, look us up! 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to this test for a few reasons.

• First, I am a constant tinkerer when it comes to my golf equipment and of course, the Ball is the one thing that you use for every shot, I'm very open to finding a new ball that works for my game but also willing to say it's not for me. I have been using the Titleist AVX for the past 2 years to keep my ball flight low since I tend to have a spinny high trajectory ball flight and the low spin profile of the AVX has really helped my game off the tee. I can't wait to see what this ball can do! I plan on testing this mainly outside on the course when weather permits. 
• Second, if I'm being honest, I haven't been the biggest fanboy of Callaway as a brand, their equipment, or their golf balls. I appreciate what they've done in the social media world and think their sponsorships of influencers like 'Good Good' and 'Bob Does Sports' have been great for growing the game. I'm looking forward to this new "secret" golf ball helping to change my perception of the brand as a whole from the equipment side.
• Last but not least, being a lefty, I'm not always able to get picked for an MGS test, so this one works perfectly for me and all of us south-paws out there... REPRESENT! 

I really hope my input in this test will be valuable for others looking to enhance their golf ball selection.

 

Edited February 6 by Digiburdie

[Bangsuk]

Thank you mygolfspy for this opportunity for Callaway white box testing! This will be an interesting test because I've also received a Taylormade TP5 protos last year (through Team Taylormade) and loved the improvement they have made with the cover, feel, and consistency. I have not played a Callaway ball since RULE 35 (if you can recall what those were). 

 

Current ball I use is a mix between Titleist Pro V1 (2022) or Taylormade TP5X.

I have been playing for 25 years and my handicap is around 10. Played competitive golf in high school in early 2000s. Now I am 37 and live in Porter Ranch, California and play the Los Angeles Muni courses and some public courses in my area.

When it comes to equipment, I geek out with old school clubs and shafts. I still game my SC Pro Platinum Newport 2 every once in a while. I kinda geek out when it comes to shafts from 2000s-OG Speeders, Rombax, and OG Diamanas,etc. 

During the past 3ish years, I replaced my driver, fairway woods, wedges, and putter. Irons I left in my bag since 2014.
With my game, I would say the strongest will be green side bunker play, then irons. The past 10 rounds my sand save % were around 60%. My average SS with a driver is around 114. Currently,  I am struggling off the tee as I am getting used to a newer shaft that I've replaced. 

I prefer to test golf balls out on the course instead of launch monitors to get results especially around 150 yards and in. 

What I am looking for in a golf ball:

1. Spin control- I like drop and stop especially with chip shots. 3/4 swing on mid-irons. 

2. Feel off the putter-I am looking for consistent feel.

3. Cover quality- I don't know how often golfers should change their ball, but under normal conditions, I hope to play 3-4 round with them and not rip like old Nike Tour Accuracy. 

4. Distance- These should fall within my average distances under stock swings.
 

Let me know if you are on IG, I will give a follow! Here is a video of my swing.

Thanks

Junsuk

IG: @pnutsandgolf

[Erin B]

Anyone received their shipment yet? 

[gregh729]

Very excited to be a part of this test. I've been playing the Chrome Soft since they came out along with ProV1

About me:

I am 63 years old and live in Maryland, about 45 minutes from DC and 45 min from Baltimore. I retired a year ago after a 42 year career. In my first year of retirement, I was able to play 70 rounds. By far, the most ever in a year.  My handicap ranged between a 7 and 9 and ended the year as an 8.7. Most importantly, I became a Granddad for the first time between Christmas and New Year!

Ballstriking, especially driving, is my strong point. I can still get it out there pretty good and irons are good. I lose a lot of shots from 100 yds and in.

Some history - I started playing at 13 yrs old, so 50 years ago (still no hole in one, dang it). I was/am a baseball fanatic so my father took me to the range and cut me loose. Told me to just hit it as hard as I could and not worry about where it went. Caught a few on the sweet spot and rest is history.

I play public courses and am not hooked up with monitors, etc. my testing will be outdoors on the course playing multiple balls and trying different shots. It is o going to be a blast!

[David Staller]

9 hours ago, Erin B said:

Anyone received their shipment yet? 

Not me

[Indy_Oz]

11 hours ago, Erin B said:

Anyone received their shipment yet? 

No sign of them yet, but USPS app says there is a mystery package currently "moving through network" and will arrive by Feb 9th. Stamps.com tracking number but no details who sent in when I check. Hoping that's it and it arrives by the weekend as I have a couple of sim sessions already booked- 1hr Friday afternoon and 2hrs Sunday morning. Both currently solo sim sessions, so plenty of time to gather some comparison data

[Erin B]

55 minutes ago, Indy_Oz said:

No sign of them yet, but USPS app says there is a mystery package currently "moving through network" and will arrive by Feb 9th. Stamps.com tracking number but no details who sent in when I check. Hoping that's it and it arrives by the weekend as I have a couple of sim sessions already booked- 1hr Friday afternoon and 2hrs Sunday morning. Both currently solo sim sessions, so plenty of time to gather some comparison data

I haven’t seen anything on my FedEx or UPS other than my 4 iron and my Newton shaft coming. I’ll check again tomorrow.

[David Staller]

14 hours ago, Indy_Oz said:

No sign of them yet, but USPS app says there is a mystery package currently "moving through network" and will arrive by Feb 9th. Stamps.com tracking number but no details who sent in when I check. Hoping that's it and it arrives by the weekend as I have a couple of sim sessions already booked- 1hr Friday afternoon and 2hrs Sunday morning. Both currently solo sim sessions, so plenty of time to gather some comparison data

How did you look that up?

[Indy_Oz]

1 hour ago, David Staller said:

How did you look that up?

I just signed into “informed delivery” part of the USPS app, where you can see what mail is heading your way. It shows a package on its way but nothing about who or where it’s from. Just a guess that it’s the balls as we aren’t expecting anything else via USPS right now. 

[Erin B]

Just got a notification on my UPS app!!! Tomorrow evening a Callaway package will be delivered! Just in time for my sim session on Friday!

[TG8]

Mine shipping out UPS from Texas today!!!

[2puttbogey]

I’ll probably be one of the last to receive mine  due to the fact of being in Hawaii. I’m going to go out on limb now and say we’re getting a version of the new chrome tours. Seems like it would be a smart move for them to get chatter about the new product in forums, and social media.

[KenRider]

Just got a notification from UPS that mine are supposed to be delivered Friday afternoon.

[Indy_Oz]

Same UPS notification received. Guess I'll find out what the mystery USPS package is on Friday, ha ha. Callaway shipment should be here Saturday, in time for a good Sunday sim session.

[Erin B]

Got my notification UPS is delivering today!!!

[David Staller]

Just opened the box.  I am psyched! They are the new Chrome Tour X triple track. They look great and feel and feel a little firmer to the touch than the regular Chrome Soft. We have bad weather coming for the weekend.  Have to wait until Monday to try them out on the course.  In the meantime, I will do some putting and short game comparisons. Stay tuned.

[pantleggs]

Did you get two sleeves of Tour and two of Tour X?

[Willie T]

25 minutes ago, David Staller said:

Just opened the box.  I am psyched! They are the new Chrome Tour X triple track. They look great and feel and feel a little firmer to the touch than the regular Chrome Soft. We have bad weather coming for the weekend.  Have to wait until Monday to try them out on the course.  In the meantime, I will do some putting and short game comparisons. Stay tuned.

Wow - a full dozen!! Was thinking you guys were getting just a sleeve….will be excited to hear how they compare….

[Erin B]

Good evening MGS Troops! I just got my Callaway Chrome Tour X and Chrome Tour Triple Track golf balls and am excited to hit them in the sim tomorrow. I weighed and measured them and they all weigh 1.6oz and are 1.67in in diameter. I don't have a hardness tester, so I can't check that. The condition of the balls are excellent. Hopefully I will be able to provide you some numbers tomorrow from the sim, but we are supposed to get 8 inches of snow this weekend so I won't be able to tell you how they play for probably a week. I will putt them at the sim on the turf so I will be able to get a feel for them and the putter, and will be able to hit every club in the bag. I will also have a fellow MGS Troop with me so maybe we can get twice the data and another first opinion. Here are some pics. Happy Birdie Hunting!!!

Edited February 9 by Erin B
grammer

[TJ Hall]

Excited to see these starting to show up for the testers…looking forward to hearing how these perform all around.

[JC from SA]

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.

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Excited these are arriving! 

I had the chance to go through some testing with these already and I think there will certainly be those who are impressed.