Equipment
Like soft balls? Callaway launches Chrome Soft
The “have your cake and eat it too” of golf balls? It just might be Callaway’s new Chrome Soft, a golf ball that’s promising tour-level distance and short game control that’s not typical of its marshmallowy soft feel.
In general, softer golf balls tend not to go as far as harder golf balls. Think of it this way: when a grape hits a supermarket floor, it goes splat; when a marble hits the same floor, it bounces back. That’s an extreme example, but you get the point.
The Chrome Soft ($37.99) uses Callaway’s HEX Aerodynamics and will be available in stores Jan. 16, 2015.
Callaway has invested heavily in the science of low-compression, softer-feeling golf balls, the result of which is the Chrome Soft. The three-piece ball has what Callaway calls a Soft Fast core, which works together with its slightly stiffer ionomer mid layer to retain more energy than Callaway’s previous low-compression models.
“In general, as you make the materials inside the golf ball softer they get slower,” says Dave Bartels, Callaway’s senior director of golf ball R&D. “We’ve been able to buck that trend with [Chrome Soft].”
All this talk about speed leaves out what is often the most important component of a golf ball: spin. The Chrome Soft’s low-compression design makes it lower spinning with a golfer’s long clubs (driver, fairway woods, hybrids, long irons and mid irons). Less spin creates less drag, which creates more distance.
But what about short-game spin, you might be asking? The Chrome Soft’s urethane DuraSpin cover is Callaway’s softest ever, which helps it grip the grooves of the club face on wedge shots and generate tour-level spin around the greens.
Above: Callaway’s Chrome Soft is available in White and Yellow.
My take? I tested the Chrome Soft on the course this fall. It felt balata-ball soft compared to today’s leading tour balls, which have compression around 90. The Chrome Soft has a compression of about 65. Discerning golfers will be able tell the difference with every club, especially with the putter.
At my swing speed of 115 mph, I saw similar driver distance with the Chrome Soft and slightly increased distance with my fairway woods, hybrids and irons. Golfers with slower clubhead speeds, particularly those under 105 mph, should see the most gains.
With wedges, the Chrome Soft launched slightly lower, but it carried enough spin to stop where I wanted it to stop. The ball’s extremely soft cover actually improves durability, a plus for golfers who play balls for consecutive rounds.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
sven johannson
Dec 19, 2014 at 11:52 pm
I’m looking forward to trying this ball, i’ve been playing with the Callaway Supersoft and Wilson Duo, Curious to see if the Driver goes as far as the Supersoft they do feel great on soft shots around the green and off the putter.. can’t wait
Bill Cosby
Dec 17, 2014 at 8:17 pm
The ladies love soft balls. Well I think they do. You know what I have no clue what they like. So sleepy all the time
aaaaa
Dec 18, 2014 at 1:58 pm
Golfwrx bashes patrick reed and ted bishop but publish articles asking whether you like “soft balls”??
You guys make sense…
RAT
Dec 17, 2014 at 5:12 pm
Wilson Staff has the DUO ball and their Tour ball is 65 compression and they were introduced about 3 years ago. “4 layer tour ”
Like Mikie “try it you’ll like it” They have a sticky coating the best for the money..
mike
Dec 17, 2014 at 12:25 pm
Tried this golfball for 3 holes and was outdriven by my whole group…the ball went nowhere..felt great off the irons and putter..don’t get me wrong..90+ mph on the driver but it felt DOA off the driver face. switched back to Taylor Made dicontinued “Lethal” ball and back came my distance. just sayin….
CT
Dec 17, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Maybe your driver has a marshmallow face.
Jonny B
Dec 17, 2014 at 10:02 am
Who cares about new golf balls? They’re all pretty much indistinguishable from the other brands nowadays in terms of performance.
Not to mention they’ll be for sale on all the used golf ball sites in about 1 month for 1/2 the price. I only buy used golf balls now, who can afford to throw 2-3 ProV1’s away per round at $4/ball? Not me. I load up 1-2 times per year on premium balls (AAAAA mint condition) for about $10-$15/dozen. Heck, a few months ago I got TM Lethals in AAAAA Mint condition for $6/dozen. Sorry, but when I can get year-old models for 20% of the cost of new, I’d be stupid not to.
The golf industry is declining while equipment prices and greens fees are rising… recipe for disaster if you ask me. To get a set of decent clubs new – new driver will set you back $400 today, new irons $800, 2 new wedges $250, new bag $150, new balls $30-$45. Can’t the top-level execs of these companies and courses see where we are headed here? Or maybe they don’t care.
I will give Callaway credit for one thing – their preowned equipment website. Someone over there saw where this industry was headed a long time ago and thought they better get some of the used equipment market share. Kudos to them as that website is awesome and their sales reps are great, much better to do business with than the average ebay rep.
Pat
Dec 18, 2014 at 3:48 pm
Golf has always been and will always be for the middle to upper class. Lower class will never have access because green fees and equipment is out of their league(thank God). Besides, every single time I’m stuck behind some ghetto, trashy 4 some, it ruins my entire day. They come out wearing tank tops or shirts that are 3 sizes too big, play so damn slow because they stink and are usually loaded up on beer. Usually these clowns don’t even have the decency to let the groups behind them pass by and the round ends up being 5+hours.
Sam
Jan 27, 2015 at 1:07 am
You are the exact reason why golf is in decline. This disgusting attitude is completely at odds with the modern world. I hope you take you elitist attitude away from the game and never return.
Golf is evolving.
Gary
Dec 17, 2014 at 9:31 am
Really looking forward to trying out these golf balls. The hype sounds too good to be true but I hope it is true. If these golf balls perform about as advertised the SR* series, which might not be doing well sales wise considering the price, would probably disappear fairly soon and simplify things some.
Matthew Carter
Dec 17, 2014 at 12:58 am
For the value, I’ll buy Supersoft all day. Soft, a lot of spin and long off the tee.
There isn’t a better ball in the market at $20.
Jeff
Dec 16, 2014 at 11:11 pm
I think Callaway golf balls could use a makeover or make under to cleclean them up and maybe find a way to clarify which of their balls are premium.
My favorite thing about Pro V1s is how clearly different the logo is stenciled on, to not be so distracting and bold. Just my comment
Ryan K
Dec 16, 2014 at 8:16 pm
Ok gotta know more in durability. This was the only thing steering me away from the chrome plus otherwise they were the best ball I’ve ever used.
Jesse
Dec 16, 2014 at 8:06 pm
Zak, were you able to test this ball on a launch monitor, Im courious how much more it spins then SR3, prov1x or the ball your playing now? Also how much distance did u loose on the driver?
Pat
Dec 16, 2014 at 7:03 pm
If the Chrome Soft does what it claims to do, golf stores are going to have a really hard time keeping them in stock. If it performs like the Prov1x, at 38 dollars a box, it’s a bargain. I love the Hex Black and am on my last box. Callaway’s line up after the Hex Black has been mediocre and I am hoping the Chrome Soft can pick up the slack or else I will just have to load up on Hex Black balls.
golfing badger
Dec 16, 2014 at 3:00 pm
Chrome + was one of the best balls ever, but I could never get the 1 hop and spin wedge shot. Chrome Soft will deliver that…this is a phenomenal ball !!!
Jonzy
Dec 16, 2014 at 1:19 pm
My father in law is a Supersoft guy and he can’t wait to try these out. I wish I could bump into a Callaway rep and get a couple for him to try out!!!!
Kevin
Dec 17, 2014 at 11:53 am
You could actually buy a sleeve … don’t be cheap!
Tom
Dec 18, 2014 at 3:29 pm
They haven’t been released yet here in the UK Kevin, don’t know about the US
Bogeypro
Dec 16, 2014 at 11:10 am
I like Callaway balls, but they really need to clean up and clarify their ball lines. Just too much and too confusing…
Scooter McGavin
Dec 16, 2014 at 11:45 am
I agree. They have too many models/variants. I think they would do better with a simpler line.
Scooter McGavin
Dec 16, 2014 at 11:56 am
I have thought this for a while, actually. They have SR (which has 3 variations), Hex Chrome, Hex Chrome +, X2 Hot, X2 Hot +, Supersoft, Warbird, (now) Chrome Soft, the Strata line, and then the lady Solaire line. If you count the three variations of the SR separately, that’s 13 different golf ball models. Compare that to Titleist, the most successful ball company, that has I think, 6 models? Sure, they will probably phase some of these out now, but for a while, they kept going with both the Chrome and Chrome +, along with the X2 Hot and SR lines. Hopefully they will slim it down a bit.
golfing badger
Dec 16, 2014 at 2:58 pm
yes, titleist has 6 and there are 3 pinnacle models. they keep the confusion to a minimum by keeping the pinnacle and titleist brands separate.
AW
Dec 16, 2014 at 10:38 am
I love Callaway balls (Chrome+ and Supersoft, mostly) but their marketing dept is a mess. They are changing their balls out every single year. So in urethane right now we have SR1, SR2, SR3, Chrome+, Chrome Soft.
In soft balls they have SR1, Chrome Soft, Supersoft and X2 Hot.
I don’t really know which Callaway ball to play right now, and I think that’s going to be a problem for them going forward, which may eventually lead to even more changes in the lineup.
There’s some value in the simplicity of Titleist. You’ve got your NXT or you’ve got your ProV1 (with a few variations on that theme)
Scooter McGavin
Dec 16, 2014 at 12:01 pm
Totally agree. I think a company should have one really strong offering for each type of golfer need (tour playability, super cheap, something in the middle of the performance/price field, distance, etc.). Right now, if a person wants a mid-price/mid-performance ball from Callaway, they have like 4 or 5 to choose from. With Titleist it’s: You want tour level? ProV1(x). You want a distance ball? Velocity. You want something in the middle? NXT(s). You want a cheap ball? DT Solo. Much simpler, and it’s easier to buy for the consumer and easier to sell for the salesman.
Keith
Dec 16, 2014 at 9:39 am
My wife loves soft balls….
Jackson
Dec 16, 2014 at 10:35 am
No she doesn’t.
rkristopher
Dec 16, 2014 at 11:18 am
Your mom.
Franks
Dec 16, 2014 at 12:13 pm
I can confirm Keith’s wife likes soft balls.
other paul
Dec 16, 2014 at 2:20 pm
Lol. My wife just looked over my shoulder and saw the article title and asks what the *&$% I am reading. I scrolled back so she could read the whole title. She laughed, winked and walked away.
Ben
Dec 16, 2014 at 12:00 pm
I was browsing the replys for this comment before I left a duplicate… well played.
Danny
Dec 16, 2014 at 9:39 am
Interesting how last year the new breakthrough in technology was 3 balls for 3 swing speeds… a year later they ditch that concept all together. It’s hard to argue the skeptic of everything golf equipment related.
br61
Dec 16, 2014 at 9:19 am
Few days ago, my pro’s Callaway rep dropped off couple Chrome Soft balls for me and my friend to test. After few holes, I liked the feel of them and the distance seems similar to Pro V1x. My friend who’s using Callaway clubs, lost his ball into water so I gave him mine’s. He seemed to like the way they played. Definitely felt softer.
When they come out on market, I probably will test a dozen.
Greg
Dec 16, 2014 at 9:08 am
Sounds similar to the original chrome, which was (is) a fantastic ball. I’d like to see the two compared.
other paul
Dec 16, 2014 at 8:58 am
I hate investing in golf balls. Usually lose one per 18. Durability for me is the least important factor.
rgb
Dec 16, 2014 at 10:48 pm
I know what you mean. I like the ones with string.