Equipment
2024 Callaway Chrome Tour, Chrome Tour X, Chrome Soft golf balls — GolfWRX Launch Report
What you need to know: Callaway’s flagship ball lineup is getting a major reshuffle and substantial R&D infusion. Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X are now the company’s “better player” balls. Chrome Soft continues in name but is aimed at the “aspirational player” seeking a tour-caliber golf ball. Chrome Tour X is for the player who prioritizes control and seeks higher spin in a firmer ball. Softer and lower-spinning than Chrome Tour X, Chrome Tour targets the better player seeking distance and feel. Chrome Soft is the lowest-spinning, lowest-compression offering in the lineup. R&D centerpieces in the redesigned lineup include a Hyper Fast Soft Core, new inner and outer mantles, and a new cover formulation for improvements across all measurable categories relative to previous products.
2024 Callaway Chrome Tour, Chrome Tour X, Chrome Tour Soft golf balls: What’s new, key technology
- HyperFast Soft Core: The engine of the golf ball is constructed from a new rubber system and base polymers to achieve target compression numbers for more ball speed across the lineup.
- Seamless Tour Aero: Callaway leveraged in-house computational fluid dynamics to produce a seamless cover design with a configuration targeting optimal flight windows for each ball in the lineup. This combines the company’s hexagonal surface geometry with strategically placed spherical dimples for more stability.
- High-Performance Tour Urethane Soft Cover: A new cover design with a reformulated substructure delivers low spin on driver and iron shots while retaining abundant greenside spin.
- Tour player feedback: Throughout the design and prototyping process, Callaway engineers worked extensively with tour players, incorporating their feedback at every stage.
Callaway Chrome Tour golf balls: Additional model details
Chrome Tour: Born of a tour prototype softer, more penetrating Chrome Soft X, Chrome Tour’s Hyper Fast Soft Core is designed for better players who seek to balance soft feel and distance. The Seamless Tour Aero aerodynamic package is tuned for consistency and stability. The urethane cover prioritizes soft feel around the green.
Chrome Tour X: This is Callaway’s fastest golf ball, particularly off the driver. Chrome Tour X’s core design is configured for this purpose. The Seamless Tour Aero aerodynamic package is designed for a more penetrating ball flight. The urethane cover delivers the most spin in the lineup and more spin than Chrome Soft X generated.
Chrome Soft: Here, the Hyper Soft Fast Core is designed to deliver maximum ball speed in the lineup. The softest urethane cover in the lineup delivers the most spin for slower swingers of the club and softest feel. In Chrome Soft, the Seamless Tour Aero is tuned to deliver the highest peak height.
What Callaway says
Eric Loper, senior golf ball research & development director…
On more ball speed across the product lineup:
“The entire golf ball is compressed, every layer contributes to the performance of the golf ball on every shot. If you hit a 6-iron or even a full pitching wedge, you would see around the same amount of deformation or deflection. The core is a primary component of how the golf ball is going to perform. It enables us to manage spin rates through the bag, it changes the feel of the golf ball, but ultimately the core is designed to give us ball speed, particularly driver ball speed.
“If you have a slow core, you’re going to have a slow golf ball, so we set out to make our core much faster than we have before, capitalizing on what we’ve done in the past and building on that. We have a completely new rubber system where it’s a new base polymer that we’re using in combination with a variety of ingredients that give us the targeted compression and material properties that we’re seeking. In the end, it gives us more ball speed for each of these new products.”
On uniting better players’ insights with data to create a better ball:
“When you capture better players’ insights, some of the challenges we encounter is matching up their insights with their test data. There’s always a challenge in the industry to continue to bridge the gap between mechanical testing with what players see out on the course. There’s been a significant effort on our part to bridge that gap and to match our test results with what players are seeing.
“In some of those observations and opportunities, we’ve developed new technologies to address some of their preferences. It really comes down to, every little component of the golf ball needed to be looked at. And in these new golf balls, it’s been a complete overhaul on every component of the golf ball. It’s those little details that really matter…”
On tour
Adam Hadwin told our Andrew Tursky this regarding his switch into the Chrome Tour X ahead of The Sentry:
“I was just saying to my caddie, one thing that – again, this has been 18 holes total with it – but this has been the first real wind that we’ve played in, that I’ve played in with the golf ball, and what I have seen so far is potentially in some of the crosswinds, the mishits are still going as far as some of the more well-struck shots. Maybe it’s holding its – not that it’s holding its line per se – but it’s flying through the air on the mishits maybe a little bit better. If I remember correctly…that’s part of what they did. The aerodynamics have changed slightly so that in the air it shouldn’t take off on you. It kind of holds its line…flying a little bit better through the wind.”
Pricing, specs, availability
- Pricing: $54.99/dozen
- At retail: 2/2
Callaway Chrome golf ball packaging
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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Conor
Jan 19, 2024 at 4:28 pm
Callaway are trying to offer a legitimate alternative to market leaders Titleist’s Pro V1 series. In Australia, ProV1s retail at $85/doz, which is pretty steep. I’ve just looked at a retailer’s website that have physical stores as well as online orders, and the new Chome range is selling for $95/doz. At close to $8 per ball, I can’t see too many club golfers making the switch. Callaway might need to work a bit harder and offer a lower price point if they want skin in this game. I play a Titleist ball and no way I’m making the switch, not for even more $$ per doz.