Retrofit

Callaway’s Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X Retro Collection golf balls combine yesterday’s aesthetics with today’s technology

By Tony Dear

We’re always a little reluctant to feature limited-edition products that come out five or six days before this weekly page is posted because manufacturers rarely specify what ‘Limited’ actually means. How limited is limited, and might it actually have sold out by the time you come to read about it here?

There is no industry standard on how many of the product is made or how long is it available for. It all depends on the company and the product. Which is to say there’s no knowing for sure how long you have to purchase something that’s offered as a limited-edition.

Callaway’s Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X Retro Collection balls, announced last Wednesday, revive the look of the Rule 35 – the first golf ball Callaway ever made and so named because there were 34 Rules of Golf at the time and Callaway was saying (playfully) the 35^th rule should be ‘Enjoy the Game’. Two models (both three-piece) were available – blue (softer), and red (firmer).

The Retro models (Chrome Tour is the softer of the two with a compression in the high 80s, while the firmer-feeling Chrome Tour X has a compression in the high 90s)  are still available on Callaway’s website and those of large retailers, and they are likely to still be there for a few weeks yet, perhaps months in stores. Even so, it makes sense to check regularly to see if they are still in stock.

But is there likely to be much demand for a retro product, one that originally came to market in 2000? For sure, because, like most limited-editions offered by big manufacturers, they may have the look of a long-discontinued product, but the tech is altogether newer. Which means they’ll appeal to both whimsical/nostalgic golfers as well as modern players looking to optimize performance.

Both the Chrome Tour and Chrome Tour X Retro feature Callaway’s Tour Fast Mantle which utilizes a proprietary substance that, in basic terms, looks to perform much like a springboard clubface, flexing and rebounding to add ballspeed. And that typically translates to longer drives.

Both also use the company’s Tour Aero design which eliminates the seem where the two halves of a golf ball are joined and also combines circular dimples with Callaway’s signature hex dimples to stabilize flight and improve the ball’s aerodynamics.

The thin urethane cover, meanwhile, provides excellent spin and control for approach shots and shots around the green.

$60/dozen
Four-piece construction
callawaygolf.com