Lab – Golfing Agency

Ball Lab: 2022 Titleist Tour Speed

detlef32 — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 05:42:22 +0000

MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of the golf balls on the market to help you find the best ball for your money. Today, we’re taking a look at the 2022 Titleist Tour Speed To learn more about our test process, how we define “bad” balls, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.

About the Titleist Tour Speed

The Tour Speed is unique among Titleist urethane-covered golf balls. While all things Pro V1 and AVX feature cast urethane covers, the Tour Speed is Titleist’s only injection-molded (TPU) urethane ball. It’s also notable that the Tour Speed is made alongside the Velocity and TruFeel at Ball Plant 2, not at Ball Plant 3 where the premium stuff is made.

The original Tour Speed caused a stir among regular readers of Ball Lab. While the performance is intriguing (we found the Tour Speed to be surprisingly long off the tee), its Ball Lab score, while still within the average range, is the lowest of any Titleist ball tested to date.

Have two years of additional experience and a reformulation of the ball yielded a better product?

Let’s find out.

Titleist Tour Speed Construction

The 2022 Titleist Tour Speed is a three-piece golf ball with a 346-dimple cover. While not as soft as a good bit of the competitive set, it offers high-flight, low-ish spin off the tee that you typically find with softer golf balls. With the higher relative compression, it tends to be a bit faster than those competitors.

Compression

On our gauge, the 2022 Titleist Tour Speed has an average compression of 82. That puts it between the OnCore Vero X1 and Maxfli Tour and just a couple of ticks firmer than the ionomer-covered Velocity.

Across the market as a whole, it qualifies as a “firm feel” golf ball, though it’s on or even past the edge of being too soft for Tour play.

Diameter and Weight

We’ve never had a Titleist ball exceed the USGA’s maximum allowable weight. That remains true with all of our sample conforming.

None of the balls tested fell below the USGA’s minimum size requirement. However, a single ball in the sample failed to meet our standard for roundness. Accordingly, it was flagged as bad.

Inspection

Centeredness and Concentricity

Concentricity across the sample was generally good but one ball was flagged as bad due to a significant variation in mantle thickness.

Core Consistency

Core consistency and color were consistent throughout the sample. We did observe a bit of regrind that was isolated to Box 2 but it’s nothing of any particular concern.

Cover

No notable cover issues were found.

Titleist Tour Speed – Consistency

In this section, we detail the consistency of the 2022 Titleist Tour Speed. Our consistency metrics provide a measure of how similar the balls in our sample were to one another relative to all of the models we’ve tested to date.

Weight Consistency

Weight consistency for the Titleist Tour Speed falls within the average range.
Box 3 had just a tick more variability than the rest of the sample.
In terms of the market as a whole, we would consider the 2022 Titleist Tour Speed to be of average weight.

Diameter Consistency

Diameter consistency for the 2022 Titleist Tour Speed falls within the Good range.

The size of the balls falls within the Average range relative to the market as a whole.

Compression Consistency

Compression consistency falls within the Average range.

A single ball in Box 1 (90 compression) is only just within our allowable range for compression deviation.

The compression delta across the entire sample was 10.7 points. That’s reasonable but otherwise unremarkable.

True Price

True Price is how we quantify the quality of a golf ball. It’s a projection of what you’d have to spend to ensure you get 12 good balls.

The True Price will always be equal to or greater than the retail price. The greater the difference between the retail price and the True Price, the more you should be concerned about the quality of the ball.

Titleist Tour Speed – Summary

To learn more about our test process, how we define “bad” balls and our True Price metric, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.

The bottom line is the results suggest that Titleist has improved the quality of the Tour Speed. The new model falls in the mid to high end of the Average range.

The Good

Diameter consistency is Good (above Average).

Average for compression and weight consistency

The Bad

Two bad balls in the sample (one for roundness, one for layer concentricity)

While improved, quality is still a step below the Pro V1 and AVX franchises.

At the time of review, the 2022 Titleist Tour Speed gets an overall grade of 79. This falls at the mid to high end of the average range.

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Ball Lab: 2022 Callaway Chrome Soft X LS

detlef32 — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 11:31:32 +0000

MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of the golf balls on the market to help you find the best ball for your money. Today, we’re taking a look at the 2022 Callaway Chrome Soft X LS. To learn more about our test process, how we define “bad” balls, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.

About the Callaway Chrome Soft X LS

The Chrome Soft X LS is the newest member of the Callaway Chrome Soft family. The original launched in early 2021 and then was updated alongside the standard Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X LS earlier this year.

It’s billed a low-spin offering and, while there’s often some wiggle in those descriptions, golfers should expect it to spin less than the standard Chrome Soft X.

Callaway Chrome Soft X LS Construction

The Chrome Soft X LS is a four-piece offering. Like the CSX, it’s a dual-mantle (as opposed to dual-core) design. Like other Chrome Soft offerings, it features a 332-hex dimple cover. While the count is the same, Callaway says it alters the geometry of the dimple on each cover to provide an optimized trajectory for each model.

The Chrome Soft X LS is made alongside other Callaway Chrome Soft balls at the company’s Chicopee, Mass., factory.

Compression

On our gauge, the 2022 Chrome Soft X LS has an average compression of 94. That’s five points softer than the previous model and effectively identical to the standard Chrome Soft X. The inference here is that target compressions for the X and X LS are identical. That Callaway is hitting that target repeatedly is also notable.

Across the market as a whole, it qualifies as a firm golf ball (which is kind of the opposite of “soft”). What’s in a name, right?

Diameter and Weight

While the standard Chrome Soft runs small, the Chrome Soft X LS is a solidly average-sized ball. Callaway doesn’t appear to be flirting with the USGA rules so it’s no particular surprise that none of the balls failed to meet the USGA’s minimum diameter requirements.

With respect to weight, we have found the occasional overweight Callaway ball in the past. With our Chrome Soft X LS sample, we found no issues. Despite being heavy relative to the market average, all of the balls conformed to the USGA weight requirements.

Inspection

Centeredness and Concentricity

Precision Technology is the rallying cry inside the Callaway ball plant this year and it most directly applies to layer concentricity and what Callaway calls “concentricity offsets.”

Bear that in mind when I tell you that the concentricity within our Chrome Soft X LS sample is the best we’ve seen to date. Absolutely nothing of any concern was noted. I should also mention that instances of the outer mantle bleeding into the inner mantle were few in number and minor in severity.

Core Consistency

Core consistency and color were consistent throughout the sample.

Cover

No notable cover issues were found.

Callaway Chrome Soft X LS – Consistency

In this section, we detail the consistency of the 2022 Callaway Chrome Soft X LS. Our consistency metrics provide a measure of how similar the balls in our sample were to one another relative to all of the models we’ve tested to date.

Weight Consistency

Weight consistency for the Callaway Chrome Soft X LS falls within the Good range.

You’d be hard-pressed to say that any one box was more or less consistent than the other two.

Across the market as a whole, the CSX LS is heavier than average which likely benefits performance.

Diameter Consistency

Diameter consistency for the 2022 Callaway Chrome Soft X LS falls within the Average range.

The size of the balls falls within the Average range relative to the market as a whole.

Compression Consistency

Compression consistency falls within the Good range.

Box 1 was slightly softer while Box 3 was a touch firmer but the sample was very consistent ooverall.

The compression delta across the entire sample was 7.5 which is also above average.

True Price

True Price is how we quantify the quality of a golf ball. It’s a projection of what you’d have to spend to ensure you get 12 good balls.

The True Price will always be equal to or greater than the retail price. The greater the difference between the retail price and the True Price, the more you should be concerned about the quality of the ball.

Callaway Chrome Soft X – Summary

To learn more about our test process, how we define “bad” balls and our True Price metric, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.

The Chrome Soft X LS is the best ball we’ve tested from Callaway to date. Given that it’s produced at the same factory as the other Chrome Soft offerings, it’s reasonable to believe that Callaway has turned the corner. High scores may be the norm moving forward.

The Good

Compression and weight consistency above average

Diameter consistency is squarely within the average range

No layer/concentricity issues to speak of

The Bad

At the time of review, the 2022 Callaway Chrome Soft X receives a Ball Lab score of 89. That’s significantly higher than the average score of 74.

*We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Support Unbiased Testing.

Our job is your game.

DID YOU KNOW: If only 1% of MyGolfSpy readers donated $25, we would be able to become completely independent in 12-months. With every donation, you create change.

Would you be willing to help by giving a donation? Every dollar will help. Make a donation to support our independent and expert golf equipment research. A PayPal account is not required in order to donate.

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