Hex Chrome vs NXT Tour S - My Review

I thought I would give my review of the Callaway Hex Chrome and the Titleist NXT Tour S. My primary ball for the last few years have been the Callaway Hex Chrome and have been very pleased with how it performs. But like everyone else I always have the itch to try something new.

A little about me, I play to an 8 handicap, driver swing speed is 95-100, play the 910 driver, razr x forged irons, vokey sm4 wedges (conforming), and golo s putter.

A few weeks ago I was playing a new course with some guys that my fiancé works with. I ended up coming across the Titleist NXT Tour S on the 8^th hole. I thought I might as well try it out for a while as I heard pretty good things about it. I played 3 holes with it and was 1 under, with the birdy coming on the hardest and longest hole.

After that day I kept thinking more about that ball so I decided to pick up a dozen and give them a full try.

Last night I was able to play 9 holes at my home before the storms rolled in. I played strictly the NXT Tour S so I can see I truly can score with playing that ball alone. I played the front 9 where I usually shoot around a 39.

DRIVER:

My drives are usually lower with a piercing ball flight with a bit of roll. I did not notice higher or lower flight than my normal drives. Everything looked the same as usually and I did not see any more distance with the drives using the NXT Tour S, I was in the same areas I always am with my drives on every hole.

The feeling I did not care for as much, it was a bit softer and I could really feel it compress. When I hit it flush in the middle of the face it felt like I was hitting a marshmallow. It felt like a lighter ball coming off the face. The Chrome is still a soft feeling ball to me but had a bit more response and feedback.

So I like the Chrome feeling a little more firm but do not see a spin or distance change on either ball.

IRONS:

I will say it again through this whole review, the NXT Tour S feels like its lighter, but with the irons I can really feel it fly off the face. My approach shots had the same flight as I always have which is a mid to high flight off the PW-8 iron and then more of a mid-flight with the 7-5 irons.

Spin wise, I had no problem holding the green, I rarely ever carry the ball all the way to the hole, I am usually short of the hole. With the Chrome I am within 2 or 3 feet of my pitch mark with my PW-7 irons and 6 and 5 irons I am no more than 5-6 feet from my pitch mark. With the NXT Tour S I was closer to the 5-6 feet with my PW-7 and 8-9 feet with my 6 and 5 irons. So there is a bit more roll I noticed but I typically play my ball shorter anyways because I know it will hop forward and stop. The NXT Tour S hopped forwarded tried to stop but rolls just bit more. Many of my approach shots were closer to the hole. I had many more 3 and 4 foot putts rather than my typical 6-8 foot putts.

WEDGES:

This is one of my favorite parts of my game I enjoy. I enjoy practicing my short game the most and seeing what I can do around the greens. I am no Phil M. but when I play a long course I usually have to rely on my up and down game to get birdies or pars. Anything within 110 yrds I am pretty confident I can get an up and down (unless I am just having a bad day on the course).

From 110-70 is a one of my full wedges, anything really inside of 70 is a 3/4 to 1/2 swing something low and checking. With the NXT Tour S, as I mentioned the ball just fly’s off the club face so it seems to carry further off the club face and is harder to control the distance. On a 54 yrd pitch I had, I usually play a 56 wedge, back in my stance, play it low and get some spin. The NXT Tour S flew farther than my Chrome usually does, took one hop, sat down but then roll past the cup 10 feet and onto the fringe. I threw down the Chrome in the same spot to try it and played the exact same shot, the Chrome took one hop, sat down and stopped with little roll about 2 feet left/2 feet past the cup.

Right around the green within a few feet I usually play a bump and run. The Chrome usually sticks to the green and bites even when I don’t want it to making the bump and run a little more difficult for me. The NXT Tour S does not have the bite so I was able to play a better bump and run and able to get it closer to the hole.

PUTTER:

Yet again to sound like a broken record the NXT Tour S fly’s off the putter face. I really did not have to give much effort to get the ball rolling. It felt even softer and lighter than the Chrome off the putter face. I play with the new Golo S and that putter has a softer face as is. But I was making a lot more putts because my stroke was smoother, I didn’t feel like I had to hit the ball to get it rolling.

With that being said, the control on the long distance putts was more difficult because the ball would jump off the putter face, where with the Chrome you had a bit more feel and use more of a touch to get the right distance.

Anything within 8 feet felt like I was making a 4 footer, because I did not have to put much of a stroke to get the ball to the hole. So I liked the ball in the fact when it was right around the hole but anything out 30+ for a lag putt was hard to control and I was usually past about 4 feet.

DURABILITY:

Since playing the vokey SM4 (conforming groves), I do not chew up the covers on the Chome as I did with my Callaway forged (non-conforming) But I do still have a few marks on my Chrome balls form the wedge shots.

The NXT Tour S I only found one little skin tag where some of the cover came off after nine holes. I would say that the NXT Tour S cover holds up a little better but because they have two different types of covers that might be the reason why it holds up better, plus the ball does not seem to stay on the club face long enough to get bit by the groves.

After 9 holes the NXT Tour S still looks good, and the Chrome is just a little worse but not much.

The Tour-S is my winter ball. I did game the Chrome+ recently and I lose about 1-1.5 club length with irons. Aside from that the ball is perfect for driving and putting, and a solid performer with wedge shots. It doesnt stick as well as the HBT, or checkup as well, but that I think is to be expected.

Ive opted to stick with the NIke One Rzn for the most part, unless the HBT is on sale Ill game that.

Was just thinking about picking up a doz Hex Chrome. Thanks for the review.

I'm gonna try out Cally Chrome next. Sounds like my kinda ball.

I also found an NXT Tour S and played a whole round with it. I like the soft feeling off of all clubs. Distance same as any other non-distance balls and spin was decent but not same as premium balls as expected. Overall, it's a decent ball but I have a lot of FG Tours and ProV1s that I got for cheap to go through so will not being buying anymore balls for awhile.

Hey OP, have you tried comparing the Chrome + to your regular Chrome? If so, notice anything?

No, I have not tried the Chrome+, not sure if I will or not. From what I heard it is more firm and more clicky off the irons and putter. I would say the Chrome is closer to the Pro V1 in feel wise and the Chrome+ and HBT is closer to the V1x. I have played both the V1 and V1x, I couldn't hit a good shot with the V1x as it was way to firm for me and the V1 spun to much for me as I was loosing distance.

The Chrome will stay as my summer/warm weather/fast greens ball and the NXT Tour S will be my cool weather/slower greens ball.

[quote name='TaylormadeTP23' timestamp='1372429563' post='7341282']
No, I have not tried the Chrome+, not sure if I will or not. From what I heard it is more firm and more clicky off the irons and putter. I would say the Chrome is closer to the Pro V1 in feel wise and the Chrome+ and HBT is closer to the V1x. I have played both the V1 and V1x, I couldn't hit a good shot with the V1x as it was way to firm for me and the V1 spun to much for me as I was loosing distance.

The Chrome will stay as my summer/warm weather/fast greens ball and the NXT Tour S will be my cool weather/slower greens ball.
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I played a round with it last week. Its a great ball. Its similar to the Chrome the way the Prov1 and Prov1x differ. IMO its a much better ball to putt around the green. Doesnt come of the face as hot as the HBT.

I would tend to assume that the Chrome + would perform better than the Chrome in HOT Temps. If true, ball go farther with less spin, and it is supposedly better greenside than the Chrome ... even though the Chrome is very good around the greens. An interesting test -- I have a dozen of both ... and it's 100+ ... time for a test next time out.

[quote name='TaylormadeTP23' timestamp='1372429563' post='7341282']
No, I have not tried the Chrome+, not sure if I will or not. From what I heard it is more firm and more clicky off the irons and putter. I would say the Chrome is closer to the Pro V1 in feel wise and the Chrome+ and HBT is closer to the V1x. I have played both the V1 and V1x, I couldn't hit a good shot with the V1x as it was way to firm for me and the V1 spun to much for me as I was loosing distance.

The Chrome will stay as my summer/warm weather/fast greens ball and the NXT Tour S will be my cool weather/slower greens ball.
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Try the chrome + , completely different ball then the original chrome. The chrome+ will give you a little firmer feel but softer then the hex black, lower driver spin and phenomenal spin with irons and wedges. I' ve gotten this to spin better then any ball I've tried! The only other balls I would put against it would be the taylormade lethal, HBT, prov1, and the fg tour. FG tour and the chrome + are the best bang for the buck by far.