PLAYING WITH … CALLAWAY CHROME SOFT BALLS

Cost: $59.99 (a dozen). Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Writer (GA Handicap 9.4)

Golf Australia writer Jimmy Emanuel has never been a one ball player. But will he be swayed by Callaway’s new Chrome Soft series?

MODELS PLAYED: Callaway Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X balls. HOW THEY PLAYED: In all my time in the golf industry I have never been a one ball player. Whenever a new ball comes out I am always eager to try it and compare it with the other balls on the market, and as a rule I have typically gravitated towards the firmer versions in Tour level balls.

Having used the standard Chrome Soft on numerous occasions and enjoyed its combination of soft feel and tour level performance, I was intrigued by the newly released Chrome Soft X. A similar ball, according to Callaway, that had a slightly firmer feel along with lower ball flight and different spin characteristics. With my firmer ball preference I was excited to try the X version, that seemed designed for players just like me.

I took a dozen of each offering and across a few practice sessions on the range and course, compared the characteristics of each model.

Starting with the shortest shots I didn’t notice many major differences in the performance of the Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X. The standard Chrome Soft is fractionally softer off the putter face, but it is a marginal difference. While not an influence on performance, feel with the putter is obviously important.

Next was to hit some chips and bunker shots. I like to hit a variety of shots from around the green and put both balls thoroughly through their paces - low and high shots, tight and heavy lies. Again there was minimal difference in feel between the two, with the Soft slightly softer in feel than the X, but in all honesty it was only when focusing in on feel that I detected a difference. In performance both balls were excellent. Creating spin and controlling shots was easy, although I found over the course of the test the Chrome Soft seemed to stop slightly quicker than the X from close range to the green.

As I moved away from the green the balls