FIELDREPORT
“But in early tests, we were also getting reports of how much longer the ball was with irons. The soſter construction allows more compression from a loſted face. Golfers always tell us they want consistency rather than distance when it comes to their irons, but if we can give them more power without losing any consistency, they’re very happy to take it.”
Supersoſt, launched at the beginning of 2014. An evolution of the Hex Diablo which was around 55 compression, two-piece Supersoſt uses elements of the Chrome Soſt core and is some 20 points soſter still. Retailing at under £20 a dozen, the ball was aimed squarely at the average club golfer looking to tame hooks and slices. “Its main benefit is very low tee spin,” Bartels adds. “Anyone can compress it. “With Supersoſt, the first thing you notice is even when you hit it off the toe or heel, it still feels pretty good. It also generates good ball speeds. Its surlyn cover obviously cannot rival urethane for short game performance, especially out of rough or in the wet, but with a solid strike from a clean face, it will spin.”
Both Chrome Soſt and Supersoſt come armed with the brand’s Hex outer geometry. The balls are engineered to deliver a lowish boring flight, with the apex as far down the flight as possible. They contribute to a package that has seen Callaway represented by two balls in the UK’s top 10 for the first time in the brand’s 15-year history of marketing golf balls.
While Bartels believes any level of golfer can benefit from Chrome Soſt, he feels its low-spin tee performance makes it most suited towards golfers who struggle with too much driver dispersion. But what all golfers will certainly enjoy is the price; with a RRP of under £30, Chrome Soſt comes in £15- £20 cheaper than other balls that claim tour performance, and is around £10 cheaper than the brand’s own performance range, Speed Regime.
According to Datatech figures (UK, Germany, Sweden) the pair have seen Callaway register a 16.4% increase in market share in the Ball category in the 12 months up to April 2015; the brand now represents 15% of the overall European ball business. “I have received so many positive comments about the
sell-through of both Chrome Soſt and Supersoſt from retailers right across the UK & Ireland,” adds Martin Wild, regional sales manager at Callaway (UK & Ireland). “American Golf reported it was their number one-selling ball
While this is all well and good, the fact remains that Chrome Soſt still asks the retailer to sell a 65-compression ball to a consumer accustomed to a much firmer ball. “Yes, we’ve come up against this,” Bartels admits. “We tell these golfers two things. First, that it is tour validated. Phil Mickelson loves the ball, and has put it into play on the PGA Tour this year. He did though ask us if we could make him a version that span a little more on his 100-170-yard shots, and we are working on a dual-core version for him now. Elsewhere the likes of Gary Woodland and Pat Perez are using the ball, as are Morgan Pressel and Yani Tseng. “Second, we just ask them to go and try it. If you have any doubts about the performance of a 65-compression ball, this is the best way to dispel them.”
Callaway’s belief in Chrome Soſt was bolstered by the performance of
for four weeks in a row. And at a recent meeting Doug McClelland, chairman of Euroselect, told
me this is the first ball to seriously challenge Pro V1 from a performance perspective.” Those comments and figures – plus the balls’ performance – have been enough to convince the brand that soft is the future. “Chrome Soft has shown us that the market really likes a tour level ball for under £30,” Bartels affirms. “It also showed us that while we understand people have a feel preference, it is overwhelmingly towards a softer-feeling ball. This is why Chrome Soft will continue to make a serious impact on the golf ball market.”
www.callawaygolf.com SGBGOLF 35
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