The engineers at Callaway have been at it again, putting in extra hours in the R+D department to produce two cracking golf balls, the new Callaway Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X.
Callaway are keen innovators when it comes to using a wide variety of new materials in their equipment, having pioneered the multi-material construction used in their drivers and metalwoods that has become commonplace.
Now they have decided their balls will also benefit from a bit of multi-material innovation, with a new material called graphene being added to the new Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X balls.
And it’s been a raging success, with the feel and performance of the balls going to a whole new level that both Tour pros and everyday golfers will appreciate.
GOTTA LOVE GRAPHENE
A couple of scientists developed graphene in a UK laboratory in 2010 and its properties make it highly desirable to use in golf equipment.
It is tougher than diamonds, 200 times stronger than steel - it is thought to be the strongest material on earth - but it is also surprisingly flexible and lightweight.
The inventors of graphene were awarded a Nobel Prize in physics for their hard work but they must've been just as pleased when Callaway put their creation to good use in the new Chrome Soft golf balls.
A powder of graphene nanoparticles, which are just one atom thick, is added to the outer core (the sphere that is below the cover) of Callaway Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X golf balls. And with graphene in the recipe, the flexibility and strength properties of the balls are supercharged to make every shot on the course easier.
LOW-SPIN FOR DRIVES, HIGH-SPIN FOR SHORT IRONS
The friction and forces that occur between the internal spheres of a golf ball are what creates distance, spin and greatly influences the all-important feel factor.
High-strength graphene changes the compression rates and subsequent interaction between the Chrome Soft's four layers to produce the holy grail of ball performance: a ball that reduces spin on drives to max out distance but doesn't lose the high-spinning, soft feel that is so important when the scoring-critical short irons come into play.
With the outer core harder with the injection of graphene, Callaway were able to make the inner core softer and larger so it deforms more under forceful impacts like those generated from a driver. The greater distortion of the inner core translates into a reduction of spin and, voila, a low-spinning ball flight for drives is the result.
But the harder outer core also acts to suppress the deformation of the whole ball when the impact is from a shorter club, leading to an increase in spin and improved control that is the trademark of the Callaway Chrome Soft.
When you put a Callaway Chrome Soft or Chrome Soft X into play, you almost don't need to tell your drives to fly or your wedges to spin - they know exactly what you're looking for after they've been struck.
SOFTER COVER
While the outer core has been made harder, the feel of the new Chrome balls is, as you'd expect in a Tour ball, extremely soft.
A new thinner and softer urethane cover interacts with the graphene-infused outer core for exceptional spin and consistency, generating more grip off the clubface than previous Chrome Soft models.
The Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X’s cover is also more durable than previous models and the feel and feedback will make short iron shots land and hold the green like a butterfly with sore feet.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHROME SOFT AND CHROME SOFT X
While the Callaway Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X are both soft Tour quality balls, the X has a slightly firmer feel and is aimed at players with a swing speed that is at the higher end of the spectrum.
Callaway
are confident the Chrome Soft X will better suit players with a swing
speed of 105mph or faster, while the Chrome Soft is aimed at a wider
range of golfing abilities.Forgiveness
isn't usually referred to when talking about golf balls but as the
Callaway Chrome Soft X is firmer, it isn't as forgiving as its softer
sibling. It
comes down purely to the fact that when a strike is off centre, the
Chrome Soft X won't compress as much as the Chrome Soft and
subsequently won't fly quite as far or as straight.
However, the Chrome Soft X is the choice for those golfers who like to shape their shots, being slightly more workable when compared to the Callaway Chrome Soft.
CHROME SOFT YELLOW AND CHROME SOFT TRUVIS
If white golf balls bore you to tears, Callaway Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X balls are also available in yellow and Truvis varieties.
The Truvis is available in the red and white or yellow and black soccer ball pattern.
The entire range of Callaway Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X balls will be available at GolfBox from March 7.
Find the latest Callaway Supersoft Golf Ball at GolfBox.