50 Words or Less
The 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour golf ball is one of the softest feeling Tour balls. Slightly lower spin may create more distance and can help in the wind. The 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour X golf ball has slightly firmer feel and higher spin throughout the bag. Both have strong ball speed and Seamless Tour Aero.
Introduction
People typically don’t brag about being #2, but when it comes to the golf ball market, that’s no small feat. Over the last few years, Callaway has moved solidly into that spot and is becoming a mainstay on professional Tours and in the bags of skilled amateur players. The new 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X golf balls aim to build on the success of their predecessors by maintaining their vaunted soft feel but offering even better long game performance.
Feel
For many golfers, Callaway golf balls are synonymous with soft feeling. While neither the Chrome Tour nor the Chrome Tour X are nearly as soft as the Chrome Soft [review HERE], they are a bit softer than many of their peers.
The 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour golf ball is the softer of the two. With the putter, it produces a low pitched, quiet “tock” at short range. The feel is soft and a little heavy on the face, leading me to ask in my notes, “Is this the softest feeling Tour ball?” That sound and feel remain consistent even as putts stretch to 25 feet and beyond. The Chrome Tour is also notably soft off a wedge or iron. It’s not marshmallow soft where the ball feels like it’s being deformed by even a gentle wedge shot, but it’s meaningfully softer than most of its competitors.
Turning to the 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour X, the feel moves slightly closer to the average for a Tour ball. At short range, the Chrome Tour X is almost a twin to the Chrome Tour, but the feel becomes a little firmer and the sound more responsive as the putts get to fifteen feet and beyond. With a wedge, the Chrome Tour X feels firmer than the Chrome Tour, just a hair softer than the average Tour ball.
Short Game
Callaway rates the Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X as “High” and “Maximum” in short game spin, and this aligns well with the results I saw in my testing. From pitches to full wedge shots, the 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour produced spin that was in line with the average Tour ball. As I’ve come to expect from Callaway, the spin numbers also showed impressive consistency. At each distance, the 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour X spun a few hundred RPM more than the Chrome Tour.
A point worth repeating, because it cuts against what many people think: the softer feeling Chrome Tour is the lower spinning of the two balls. The difference is not huge, but if you want every bit of spin, you should opt for the Chrome Tour X.
Long Game
The focus for improving the 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X golf balls is speed. Callaway was happy with the feel of their golf balls, so they didn’t want to change the compression. Instead they used a new material in a layer they call the Tour Fast Mantle. Per Callaway, this material is 16% more rigid, meaning that, like a stiffer spring, it will have more energy when it rebounds. They also state that this allows for more spin separation – higher spin with wedges, lower spin in the long game.
The other key technology is Seamless Tour Aero. The key word there is “seamless.” According to Callaway, some golf balls can carry up to 15 feet further when aligned in-seam versus cross-seam. The 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X aim to eliminate this inconsistency by trading the seam buffing other brands use for a global process that covers the entire surface of the ball. A seamless cover means more consistency on your shots into the green.
In my testing, I saw the Chrome Tour X produce slightly more spin throughout the long game when compared to the Chrome Tour. With short and mid irons, this difference was around 300 RPM. That gap was slightly smaller with the driver. This difference is a bit smaller than in the previous generation – Callaway aimed to keep the Chrome Tour’s spin the same, but wanted to give the Chrome Tour X a slightly flatter, stronger ball flight for more consistency in the wind and potentially more distance.
Compared to other Tour balls, the Callaway Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X are among the best with regard to ball speed. The Chrome Tour is in the average range for long game spin, the Chrome Tour X slightly above average.
As always, it’s important to note that A) I’m a low spin player and B) whether you’re a low or high spin player, your results may vary.
Conclusion
With strong, consistent launch monitor numbers, uniquely soft feel, and the potential consistency booster of Seamless Tour Aero, the 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X golf balls make a compelling case to be your gamer this year. The Chrome Tour provides the softer feel alongside lower spin while the Chrome Tour X offers maximum workability and a more responsive feel.
Buy 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour Golf Balls HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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2 Comments
How was durability vs. 2024 ? Vs. Pro v1/x.
Alex,
I saw no issues with durability, but it was all indoor testing.
Best,
Matt