The Chrome Tour is now Callaway's premier ball, and I'll post another comparison including the Chrome Tour. Regardless, the Chrome Soft, Pro V1, and TP5 have been (until the Chrome Tour) the pinnacle of golf balls from the three big brands. Which is best? For this article, we'll be focusing on the standard version of these balls, not the "X" versions (e.g., the ProV1x). Here's a chart to keep in mind the basic characteristics of these three balls:
Firstly, let's note that Titleist balls dominate the PGA Tour:
But let's get down to it. In an interesting experiment, a robot was calibrated to "swing" driver at 80, 100, 115 mph, and to swing a 7 iron at 85 mph, and a pitching wedge at 74 mph. The ball flight characteristics were then recorded. Here are the results for driver:
For iron:
For pitching wedge:
Total average distance (pretty useless statistic because it skews heavily in favor of driver):
Well. We have some interesting data here. Here are some takeaways:
1. Chrome Soft is the shortest off the driver but the longest on irons and wedge. It also maintains the least amount of backspin for irons and wedges. If it maintains less backspin for the drive, it may ultimately outpace the Pro V1 or TP5 on total distance (carry distance + roll distance)
2. On average, the TP5 carries the furthest. And it appears that the faster you swing, the distance gap grows between the TP5 and other balls.
3. The Pro V1 has the most backspin in the short game (wedge). It's also the most consistent ball in golf.
The performance of these balls tend to be so similar that there isn't a clear favorite. I recommend amateur players stay away from playing a ball based on some stat like carry distance. Rather, because their performances are so similar, play the ball that feels the best. For example, players who prefer a "softer feel" will most likely prefer a Chrome Soft. For further comparison with other golf balls, check out the Big Chart.
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