Tour Grade Golf Balls are gaining in popularity every year. As golf equipment continues to get better and more popular in general and golfers shoot better scores, golf balls continue to improve as well.
A tour grade golf ball can increase backspin around the green while decreasing spin off the tee. It can offer a penetrating ball flight with a 3-wood while spinning high in the air and landing softly on the green with a wedge.
In short, tour golf balls can help good golfers score better, and because of this there are more on the market now than ever before.
The TaylorMade Project A and Callaway Chrome Soft are 2 golf balls that are making more and more noise both on tour and with low handicap golfers.
The Titleist Pro V1 continues to maintain its status as the no. 1 ball in golf, but the Project A and Chrome Soft are worth your attention and consideration as well.
The following is a review and comparison of the TaylorMade Project A vs Callaway Chrome Soft golf balls. You will see the similarities and differences in these golf balls and begin to understand which might help your game more.
TaylorMade Project A
The third generation of Project A golf balls feature a compression rating of 70, which is not as soft as the Callaways but still very soft, and a 3-piece construction.
These golf balls have received a very loyal following and a lot of commercial success because the compression makes them great for slower swing speeds while the seamless soft cast urethane cover retain a lot of the speed from the core making them great for higher swing speeds as well.
There are 322 dimples on the outer covering providing a penetrating ball flight and great control and feel on approach shots. You get really high end distance with these balls but you also get really good backspin with your wedges.
The energy provided by the core really explodes off the club and you do not lose much of that energy throughout impact and flight. They are expensive, but there are a lot of golfers that remain loyal to the combination of speed/distance and softness around the greens that you get with the TaylorMade Project A.
Pros
- It is a golf ball with a really soft feel but with also a lot of distance off the tee.
- The seamless urethane cover is ultra thin but adds some firmness to the ball to give you that extra distance.
- 322 dimples on the outside of the ball provides a penetrating ball flight and enhanced control on approach shots.
- Great spin off the wedges and a very low spin rate from your driver and fairway woods means you get distance where you need it and spin where you want it.
Cons
- Considerably more expensive than the Chrome Soft golf balls.
- Not as durable as many of the high end tour grade balls.
Callaway Chrome Soft
The Callaway Chrome Soft is Callaway’s answer to the Pro V1. It hit the market in 2015 and is in its 3rd generation construction right now.
The Chrome Soft is a 4-piece golf ball with an ultra soft urethane cover that has a feathery soft feel. It is a soft compression ball and one of the softest tour grade balls out there with a compression rate of 65.
The Chrome Soft now features a graphene infused core which is both larger and softer than ever and promotes additional ball speed, a higher launch, and a lower spinning ball. All of these things together help to ensure that the Chrome Soft is long and straight off the tee, and it especially adds distance to players with sub-95 mph swing speeds.
The additional size of the inner core also allowed Callaway to make the urethane cover even thinner without losing the softness for which it is known.
A major difference between the Chrome Soft and TaylorMade Project A is that the former is a 4-piece golf ball while the Project A features 3-piece construction. This added “mantle” layer of the golf ball helps to ensure a low spin and high speed with the driver and distance clubs while adding spin and softness around the green.
There is a reason that the Chrome Soft is becoming more and more popular in the golf ball world, and especially for mid handicappers and lower.
The soft feel combined with great distance and low spin give it some of the main features that good golfers are looking for.
Pros
- Super Soft feel is one of the softest feeling balls in the tour grade golf ball range.
- The 4-piece construction allows for an incredible combination of feel, distance, and spin that is hard to match.
- The urethane cover is very soft but it is also one of the most durable high end balls on the market.
- The graphene infused core is larger and easier to compress than ever which promotes less spin, more distance, and a high launch.
Cons
- The lower compression rating will turn many top golfers off at first glance.
- It is a really good golf ball for players with sub-95 mph swings which does not include a lot of younger golfers or low handicappers.
TaylorMade Project A Vs Callaway Chrome Soft Features Face to Face
Construction
There are a lot of similarities in the construction of these 2 golf balls. They both provide a very soft core with a urethane cover. They enhance backspin from your wedges and for chipping while maintaining a very low spin rate from your hybrids and woods. They both play well through the air with their dimple patterns and aerodynamic designs, and they both give you great distance for a soft golf ball.
The main difference in construction is that the Callaway Chrome Soft is a 4-piece golf ball while the Project A features 3-piece construction. That extra mantle layer gives you more distance with your woods and more spin with your wedges. It aids in energy transfer as well although the energy transfer of the Project A is very high as well. The Chrome Soft is probably features slightly better construction because of the extra layer and the oversized core.
Performance
Distance
The TaylorMade Project A provides a little more distance than the Chrome Soft. It makes sense because the Chrome Soft is a slightly softer golf ball, but also the urethane outer layer of the Project A is firmer and jumps off the clubhead. Both balls have a penetrating ball flight and perform well in windy and cold conditions. The larger and more energized core of the Chrome Soft would give it more distance, but it also raises the launch angle which tends to make the ball go a little higher. In all, the Project A probably gives you about 2-4 yards of extra distance on your drive and less than that on other clubs. The Chrome Soft gives you a little extra height on your irons that leads to a better approach.
Launch
The Chrome Soft has an extra large core that is graphene infused. The graphene adds to softness, but because the outer urethane layer is so thin, there is extra room to make the core bigger. This larger core gives you a higher launch angle than what you will find on most Tour Grade balls. The problem is that a lot of lower handicap players are actually looking for a little more control and a lower ball flight. If that is you, the Project A is probably a better launching golf ball.
Spin
Short Game
It is hard to say which ball gives you more backspin in your short game. Both golf balls boast additional distance with minimal spin off the tee and a lot of backspin and feel around the greens. Both of these golf balls deliver. The Chrome Soft features a softer landing on iron shots and the larger core provides more backspin with wedges in your chipping game.
Long Game
The same is true for “long game spin.” Both balls fly off the face of a good driver or 3-wood and have very minimal spin. The less spin you have on your driver, the better because spin does nothing more than keep the ball in the air a little longer and a little higher. Most above average golfers prefer less spin on their driver and woods because these clubs are created for distance and the less spin the more distance.
Feel
Short Game
You will be hard pressed to find a softer ball with more spin around the greens than the Callaway Chrome Soft. The short game feel, for me, is one of the best thing about this ball and the harder outer cover of the Project A ball leaves a little to be desired in the short game.
Long Game
The long game feel between these golf balls is more of a personal preference. Sometimes the Chrome Soft is too soft for good long game feel, and you can lose the feel of a good solid shot. The Project A ball is a little firmer and you can feel it better in your hands for more immediate feedback. The slight edge goes to the Project A unless you really like a soft golf ball or have a slower swing speed.
Cost
You can find the Project A for roughly $35/dozen and the Chrome Soft for about $40/dozen. It is a small price difference that is probably made up in the difference between durability between the 2 golf balls. The bottom line is that cost is not a real barrier between the golf balls and they should be chosen based on your game…Unless you find a really good deal somewhere.
TaylorMade Project A Vs Callaway Chrome Soft Standout Features
Feel
The Chrome Soft is clearly the softer golf ball. For players with high swing speeds, it may be too soft, but that is probably true for only a fraction of golfers. If you are a player who believes that a ball cannot be too soft, the Chrome Soft is for you. If you prefer a little extra firmness in what is still a pretty soft golf ball, the Project A may be more your speed.
Distance
The Pro V1 is a longer golf ball than the Chrome Soft. It promotes lower spin rates with your longer clubs and it is very straight and long. The firmness and higher compression rate make it considerably longer for players with moderate and high swing speeds while players with lower swing speeds may prefer the Chrome Soft.
Durability
The Chrome Soft is a more durable golf ball that you can use for multiple rounds…Assuming you don’t lose them on the course. The urethane is softer and bounces back easier, the core is larger and stronger, and the extra layer helps with the durability of the golf ball as well.
Final Thoughts On The TaylorMade Project A Vs Callaway Chrome Soft
The Chrome Soft is easily the more popular golf ball in general, and it is probably known as a little higher quality ball.
The 4-piece construction allows it to be soft and explosive and only gives up probably 2-4 yards of distance with considerably better feel than the Project A.
Golfers who like the Project A seem to really like it, however, and it has almost a cult following from certain golfers.
With all things being equal, the Chrome Soft probably fits more people’s games and the edge it has in feel is what makes it a better golf ball than the Project A.
