Chrome soft v X v LS

[Pepperturbo]

Hard to quantify.  Don't know what a standard ball is either.

 

Anyway, my normal balls are low-spin DASH -ProV1x and AVX, each for a purpose.  Every now and again, for sh** and giggles put ProV1 in the mix.

 

Nonetheless, recently been toying with Chrome Soft X, and a sleeve of LS.  I was surprised by the feel of X, it performs impressively off irons and driver.  LS, on the other hand, feels weird, so after two rounds gave them away.  LS is supposed to be the answer to DASH, but somehow it's not even close for this LS player.

 

 

[bcflyguy1]

17 hours ago, Pepperturbo said:

Hard to quantify.  Don't know what a standard ball is either.

 

Anyway, my normal balls are low-spin DASH -ProV1x and AVX, each for a purpose.  Every now and again, for sh** and giggles put ProV1 in the mix.

 

Nonetheless, recently been toying with Chrome Soft X, and a sleeve of LS.  I was surprised by the feel of X, it performs impressively off irons and driver.  LS, on the other hand, feels weird, so after two rounds gave them away.  LS is supposed to be the answer to DASH, but somehow it's not even close for this LS player.

 

 

The first iteration of XLS was much more similar to the Left Dash. The '22 update saw XLS become softer and more spinny, which IMO brought it much too close to the X. TM did similar to the TP5X at about the same time but the change there was more drastic, which I don't understand.

The success of Left Dash and the first run of CSXLS and TP5X clearly showed there's a place in the market for an unapologetically fire breathing, firm, bomber ball with a urethane cover to allow it to still score. Callaway and TM had that with CSXLS and TP5X with a major advantage over Left Dash of easier customer access. Then they took that winning formula and watered it down...odd.

[North Butte]

19 hours ago, bcflyguy1 said:

The first iteration of XLS was much more similar to the Left Dash. The '22 update saw XLS become softer and more spinny, which IMO brought it much too close to the X. TM did similar to the TP5X at about the same time but the change there was more drastic, which I don't understand.

The success of Left Dash and the first run of CSXLS and TP5X clearly showed there's a place in the market for an unapologetically fire breathing, firm, bomber ball with a urethane cover to allow it to still score. Callaway and TM had that with CSXLS and TP5X with a major advantage over Left Dash of easier customer access. Then they took that winning formula and watered it down...odd.

My random trials of golfs balls are limited by the fact I don't hit the ball nearly as hard as some of these balls are targeted toward and I honestly don't stick with them long enough to tease out small differences in performance given the variability in my game.

 

But with those caveats, I do happen to have played at least a few rounds with several of the balls you mention.

 

I tried a TP5X back in the early spring and it was one of the few balls I've tried that seriously just didn't perform for me. My sense was that it was spinning a lot on driver and irons and just basically the opposite of lower spin urethane balls like AVX or Left Dash (or QStar Tour for that matter). 

 

And the current model CSX LS, while it had wonderful wind performance, again did not do the low-spin thing like the Left Dash does. It seemed like the trajectory/flight was dialed down slightly but the spin was like a Pro V1 or something. 

 

Really the two balls I've tried in the past year or so that immediately struck me as spinning less off driver and irons than most urethane balls were Left Dash Pro V1x and QStar Tour. The Left Dash flies higher and gets me a few more yards off the driver, the QStar Tour flies a little lower. The TP5X and CSX LS seemed like very high spin and medium spin, respectively. 

 

What TP5X mostly reminded me of was the early generations of Pro V1x from 15-20 years ago, before Titleist (and the other manufacturers) cracked the code on how to make a firm, high spin "Tour" ball that performs well for the 85-90mph clubhead speed golfers like me. I think Taylormade's current ball designs really are kind of "bifurcated" w.r.t. clubhead speed in a way that Callaway, Titleist and Bridgestone no longer really are. Not sure about Srixon, other than QStar Tour I've no experience with their models from the last few years. 

[phizzy30]

On 7/27/2023 at 7:52 AM, bcflyguy1 said:

The first iteration of XLS was much more similar to the Left Dash. The '22 update saw XLS become softer and more spinny, which IMO brought it much too close to the X. TM did similar to the TP5X at about the same time but the change there was more drastic, which I don't understand.

The success of Left Dash and the first run of CSXLS and TP5X clearly showed there's a place in the market for an unapologetically fire breathing, firm, bomber ball with a urethane cover to allow it to still score. Callaway and TM had that with CSXLS and TP5X with a major advantage over Left Dash of easier customer access. Then they took that winning formula and watered it down...odd.

That's exactly why I moved on from the CSX LS.  I raved about the 1st gen because it was a left dash clone without the hefty price tag.  I'm actually upset that Cally messed with the formula.  Now I'm rotating between the Pro Plus, Z-Star XV and left dash.  Pro Plus is the closest but still spins a bit much, the XV has durability issues and the left dash is well, EXPENSIVE.  Please tell the Callaway big wigs that this fan wants the 1st gen back please. 

Edited July 29, 2023 by phizzy30

[southpaw72]

I Made the mistake of playing the first generation x ls and liking it but not completely loving it. Didn’t realize how Improved the new version was and I’m sold and back to it. I actually like the triple track which surprised me so that was a plus too.
 

The biggest changes for me was vastly improved durability and green side spin. I never found them too firm feeling and love the flight off the tee. It’s a great ball. 

[awtryau89]

I tried the original version too. It was as good or better than the LD with almost identical performance characteristics. The one glaring issue...durability. I could tear up the cover on those balls with a 7 iron shot. It was atrocious and why I didn't even get through a full box. The new version is definitely different and the durability is much better. There are trade offs on every ball and you just have to find the one that hits the right spots for your game.

[PNWSlinger]

On 8/2/2023 at 8:22 AM, awtryau89 said:

I tried the original version too. It was as good or better than the LD with almost identical performance characteristics. The one glaring issue...durability. I could tear up the cover on those balls with a 7 iron shot. It was atrocious and why I didn't even get through a full box. The new version is definitely different and the durability is much better. There are trade offs on every ball and you just have to find the one that hits the right spots for your game.

I must have been playing some of the original versions then today because I experienced the same thing. The durability was horrendous. Every iron and wedge shot it looked like my dog got ahold of the ball. I kept playing them but after one round they are toast. Quite sad.  
 

I cycled in a few chrome, X, and X LS today and the chrome regular was wayyy to much spin, like pin high to nearly off the green. The X and LS were very nice tee to green and had plenty of spin around the green for me and my course conditions. The X and LS were marginally longer, if at all, than a srixon xv. Can say I will probably never play a Callaway ball again tho. Shame cause everyone seems to like them a lot. Oh well, search continues! 
 

 

[Thehammer6746]

For me I love the LS vs standard csx. I’m a high spin player so the dispersion difference was way better with the LS. I have a 110 mph cruising speed on the course, but when I stepped on the LS it definitely has another gear that the CSX doesn’t. Again every player is different but I have a really nice short game and the LS was just about as good with check around the greens. I had a tendency to check too much with the CSX, the LS was better suited with skip and stop next to the hole. I feel I can be more aggressive and go at more flags because of it, glad to finally not be a bit short on my approach shots. Game changer!

[phizzy30]

7 hours ago, Thehammer6746 said:

For me I love the LS vs standard csx. I’m a high spin player so the dispersion difference was way better with the LS. I have a 110 mph cruising speed on the course, but when I stepped on the LS it definitely has another gear that the CSX doesn’t. Again every player is different but I have a really nice short game and the LS was just about as good with check around the greens. I had a tendency to check too much with the CSX, the LS was better suited with skip and stop next to the hole. I feel I can be more aggressive and go at more flags because of it, glad to finally not be a bit short on my approach shots. Game changer!

Try the Chrome Tour or Chrome Tour X(if you need more iron spin).  CT is similar to the CSX LS performance wise but softer with higher ball speeds.