2 cracked Chrome Softs in 1 month

[Dave D]

This is part rant and part warning to other users.

I've used the Chrome soft ever since it first came out (4 years ish) and loved it. Enjoy the soft feel, the distance and spin round the greens seemed to suit my game nicely.

Roll on this year, final hole of a compeition (ball was new that round) hit a driver and the impact felt soft and ball moved a lot left to right in the air, got up to the ball which had gone a very short distance off the tee and found a huge crack in the ball. Not happy but figured it was a freak thing, i posted on instagram & twitter about it and to my surprise Callaway DMd me and said email customer services and they would sort it out. So i did and sent the ball to them, which they apparently would send to their US HQ for testing as it was such a freak occurance. They sent me out a new sleeve of 3 for reimbursement and i thought fair play thats all been sorted out quickly and it was just a freak occurance.

Then on saturday (exactly 4 weeks later) i was playing a match and hit a 3 wood into a par 5 and immediately knew from the funny feeling strike and ball flight the same thing had happened again. True enough got up there and another crack. This was from the new sleeve of 3 they had sent me. This has now killed all trust i had in the ball, what if it happens in last hole of a competition and im in contention etc. I just don't think i can continue to use the ball knowing there is clearly a quality issue. I have since read somewhere of someone cutting one open and finding the core off centre? what the hell callaway!? how can a company so big be having such quality control issues!? Not impressed.

 

So now i've got to test and find another ball to use, the bridgestones seem to be getting a lot of love

[Mahamilto]

IMO Callaway pulled the biggest marketing ploy in the history of mankind with this ball. Between the hype they created, and the truvis (which I hate to admit, I really like), they catapulted this ball to #2 in sales behind the ProV1/V1x.

The Bridgestone BX is a MUCH better ball, and a MUCH more consistent ball. Just astounding how good it is, but their marketing can't even sniff Cally's. ProV1s are also fantastic as always, and Titleist has the best quality control on the planet when it comes to their golf balls.

Go try something else, especially if you are having issues, and I bet you are shocked by what you get!

[SubaruWRX]

I think I read somewhere they bought an X-ray machine that works in the manufacturing somehow to center the core of the ball. Maybe I’m remembering it wrong, but they did something like that to get the cores centered.

[noodle3872]

There was a host of plant upgrades made to ensure QC is right there with the likes of Titleist or Bridgestone. I believe Callaway knows another ball debacle could have long lasting negative impacts on their ball sales. Info is in the 2020 Chrome Soft article.http://www.golfwrx.com/588744/2020-callaway-chrome-soft-and-chrome-soft-x-golf-balls/

[Golf64]

The other golf forum loves Titleist, BS and Srixon for their quality. Hopefully Callaway fixes their QC issues with their new upgrades!?

[Dave D]

Yeah going by reviews definitely think I'm going to try the new bridgestone B X and XS with the new reactiv core when they come out in a couple of weeks.

[storm319]

The actuality is that Callaway was already in year 2 or 3 of a 5 year plan to invest $50 million into their ball production capabilities. This was not a direct response to the MyGolf$py test or finditcutit as their plan had already been in progress long before. Callaway has not released specifics about how that investment will be allocated, but my guess would be that it will be primarily focused on automation not QA.

[BigBlue7]

Actually MGS has a full list of improvements Callaway claims they are making. still have no interest in playing a Callaway ball, but good to hear they are trying to get their act together

Until then, here’s a brief rundown of some of what’s being implemented at Callaway’s Chicopee ball plant.

A new state-of-the-art, four-story-tall mixer has been installed. It’s a crucial piece of equipment that should resolve the swirly core problem and other issues that occur as a result of materials being mixed improperly.

A new building-wide environmental control system will ensure that when the weather changes, the ball doesn’t.

New Dual-Core manufacturing cells have been spun-up to resolve core-centering issues while improving the consistency of the baking process. Think of them as industrial ovens filled with the most precise muffin tins imaginable. Robotic arms help move things around more efficiently.

A collection of new X-ray machines (apparently this one is my fault) has been installed at several places along the production line. Callaway says it will X-ray 100% of the balls at multiple steps in the manufacturing process. The company is leveraging 3D X-ray technology to view the cores across multiple axes. Any balls with off-center cores or other concentricity issues should get plucked out before getting anywhere near a retail box.

Improvements to Callaway’s painting and finishing processes will ensure an even coating and uncompromised aerodynamic performance.

[storm319]

I doubt that is a comprehensive list of the entire $50 million investment. Keep in mind that they are in PR recovery mode with this next release so they are going to be focusing on the QA related items that they have been criticized on even if it represents a relatively small percentage of the total investment (I believe MG$ commented under one of their articles that Callaway was already several years into the factory investment plan when all of this was exposed which is important to note).

[arbeck]

Callaway also pushed back the launch of the new balls because their QA doesn't seemed to have been totally fixed. Callaway really can't afford this ball to have anything less than stellar quality

[GSDriver]

Funny thing, I've been playing Chrome Soft, Soft X and their predecessors for years, never had any issues, y'all just must be 'lucky'

[Sean2]

I had that happen with a Nike ball. I contacted Nike and they asked me to send the ball back so their engineers could look at it, and they sent me two dozen replacement balls for my trouble.

[Sean2]

I agree. There is too much competition in the ball market, and if anyone wants to make any inroads on Titleist they need to be spot on.

[Londoner]

After having the faulty ball in the first place, then alerting them, then bothering to return the cracked ball, they send you a sleeve of 3? Thats pretty pathetic of them.

[Sean2]

No, I must have miscommunicated. They sent me 24 balls...their high end models too.

[Philomathesq]

I think he was referring to the OP. He said that Callaway sent him a sleeve of three to replace the cracked one he sent back to them. Now, hearing that Nike gave you 24 for the same issue, it seems like OP got shafted, not only by the lack of balls sent his way but also because one of the "new" balls that was sent to him also was defective.

[Sean2]

My apologies then.

Yeah, that is pretty cheesy. Kinda surprised actually as Callaway's CS is usually top notch (and a defective one to boot...oy vey).

[Londoner]

Yeah I meant the OP. We cross posted. ?

[innis9923]

What about those of us who bought, and are still stuck with, several dozen Chrome Soft balls? That really sucks! Who wants to play a ball wondering when it may crack?

[Dave D]

@Sean2 @Londoner @Philomathesq yes i only got sent a sleeve of 3, i thought it was pretty poor considering it cost half the price of a sleeve to send it. I honestly thought they would send a dozen out, maybe they are having to send so many out for cracked balls they can't afford to keep handing out dozens :lol:

but does sound like i got shafted going by nikes customer service! and especially thought they would offer more 2nd time round, maybe they would have sent more as they didnt specify, the guy just said he could only offer the same as before. Which in my mind means a sleeve. which im not going to bother with.
They have lost me as a ball customer for sure.

[Dave D]

yeah im very thankful that i've only got a few sleeves left, hopefully you dont suffer the same fate as me

[Sean2]

I am really surprised by this. Talk about penny wise and pound foolish, not to mention treating you so poorly. I have only had great success with their customer service. I wonder if it was a Callaway thing, or just a bad CSR you dealt with. In a case like this, a little good will goes a long way. Instead they lost a customer and I am sure those of us reading this thread may be a bit hesitant to purchase any Callaway balls in the future.

I hope they are looking at this thread!

[phil75070]

I guess I've been lucky. I've played original and newer versions of the CS, CSX, the ERC (introduced last year) and the Hex Tour Soft from Costco and never had a Callaway ball crack on me. What we don't know from the OP is under what environmental conditions those balls were both played in and had been stored in that might have contributed to them cracking. For example, I play in some pretty cold conditions (30's) but I store my golf balls in the house, not even in the garage or trunk where temps can get pretty chilly. In any event, a sleeve is a petty response to the problem.

[OSKARJONES]

I bought some Chrome Soft from EBay a few years ago. They were just for a shag bag and indoor net practice (I know EBay is loaded with counterfeit golf equipment). Two balls split under normal use. I cut a few balls in half and noticed different color cores and off centered cores. I’m certain they were counterfeit Chrome Softs.

[elwhippy]

For a softer ball with superb performance you have a great selection to choose from. Bridgestone RXS and RX, Q Star Tour, Volvik Vibe. All perform as well or better than the CS and can be found on deals for $20-30 a doz max.

[Sean2]

This was the ball I sent back to Nike:

[mctrees02]

Callaway sold roughly 70-85mm golf balls in 2018. If one person has 2 of them crack, does that mean there is a QC problem? I cut open one ball from 4 different CS boxes I purchased at different times and from different clubs and didn't find any off center cores. The ball works well for me and, most importantly, I enjoy playing the truvis patterns so I'm not in a hurry to switch. To each their own...

[phil75070]

I've been playing golf for maybe 60 years and I have had a ball crack once in a great while, and long before Callaway got into the ball business. It happens.

[arbeck]

If 1 out 100 had an off center core, you'd have 4% chance of randomly finding one cutting open 4 different balls. If 1 out of 12 had a problem, you'd have a 30% chance of finding one.

[Dave D]

I'm sure it does, but the fact it happened twice in a month from 2 different packs of balls greatly concerns me. When will it happen again, i play in quite a few county competitions and opens and just dont think i can trust it not to happen again.

Also since ive posted about it i had quite a few people message me with similar issues.