Callaway’s 2026 Chrome Tour golf balls debut new faster material

Callaway found a way to do it Chrome Tour’s fastest golf ball never, without taking the usual shortcut to make it stronger.

The company announced its new 2026 family of Chrome Tour golf balls, Chrome Tour X and Chrome Soft, all with a new Tour Fast jacket, which they say is the fastest they’ve ever used on a golf ball before.

“Over the past four years, we’ve worked closely with a material supplier to generate something completely new for the industry,” Callaway Senior of Golf Ball R&D Eric Loeper told GOLF. “It’s a new material used on the outer layer of the mantle, just under the soft urethane cover.

“Not only are we adding speed through the higher modulus material, but we’re also slightly reducing the spin from the driver and iron.”

The golf balls also contain the second generation of Callaway’s Seamless Tour Aero technologycreating a more uniform coating on the golf ball and leading to more consistent flight.

Continue reading below for more on the Callway 2026 Chrome Tour golf balls, including my take on the release.

What’s really new with the 2026 Callaway Chrome Tour family — and why you should care

A new Tour Flex coat

The crux of the new Chrome Tour 2026 design isn’t really the crux at all; it is in the middle layer of golf balls, known as the mantle.

The mantle is where Callaway is using a new 16 percent higher flex modulus material that stiffens this layer of the golf ball.

“That doesn’t sound good for a golf ball, does it?” Loeper said. “But when you think about the golf ball being hit with a driver, and you think of the golf ball as a spring, using a stronger material really results in a stiffer spring. And so when you compress that golf ball, it’s going to leave the face with more speed.”

The Tour Flex fairing allowed both balls to gain speed off the tip, and in the case of the Chrome Tour X, shed some spin with the driver and iron, giving it better wind performance.

A consistent golf ball leads to consistent golf swings

To improve the aerodynamic consistency of the golf ball, Callaway went down to the blade.

When the golf ball cover is manufactured, there is excess material, called flash, where the two sides of the cover meet. Typical industry practice is to hide what shines, but this can distort dimples around that seam.

Instead of just wiping off the excess at the seam, Loper said the company is now grinding the cover more globally, across the entire surface to ensure a uniform cover thickness.

“If you take that industry-wide problem and you hit a shot on the green inside the seam, the ball will have a tendency to want to fly lower and longer, and with a fairway it will fly higher and shorter, which leads to inconsistency,” he said. “While our product, regardless of orientation, will be consistently green.”

Even if the difference is only 5-10 feet on approach shots, Loeper said that can translate into a big change in percentage.

2026 Callaway Chrome Tour Lineup

As with the previous generation, the Chrome Tour family has three different golf balls to choose from.

2026 Callaway Chrome Tour

What is it: The Chrome Tour is the softer of the two four-piece golf balls, at the tournament level, and will have lower spin across the bag. Additionally, the Chrome Tour will launch slightly higher than the Chrome Tour X and have a more parabolic flight.

Who is it for: For someone looking to keep rolling and prefers a softer feel around the green, the Chrome Tour is your answer.

2026 Callaway Chrome Tour X

What is it: The Chrome Tour X is the fastest and strongest ball in the lineup and rolls the most across the bag. The new Tour Flex fairing reduces some of that driver and iron spin compared to the previous generation. This leads to better wind performance. The Chrome Tour X also launches a little lower, but has more of an upward shot trajectory that can give the appearance of a higher flight.

Who is it for: Those looking to get more speed and have a stronger feel, as well as players who need a lower launch and more spin with their irons.

2026 Callaway Chrome Soft

What is it: A three-piece construction, the Chrome Soft is a more friendly option for the tour-level amateur with a softer feel. Chrome Soft will launch the highest and have the softest feel of the three golf balls.

Who is it for: Chrome Soft is for lower speed players who need higher launch and lower spin for maximum distance.

My opinion: More speed with more durability

The biggest takeaways from my testing with the new Chrome Tour golf balls were the speed and consistency through the wind with the new golf ball.

As someone who doesn’t need any more spin, I got into the Chrome Tour golf ball and was pleasantly surprised at how easily the ball hit my target, even when hitting hybrids from 230 yards off the green.

However, where I thought the golf ball excelled was in the wind. We were hitting into a crosswind at roughly 10 mph from the left, yet I was still able to pull the ball back into the wind to go toward the left pin.

This is usually something that can be challenging for me, but even the balls that I blocked a little bit seemed to pull back for me. Now that’s not because the ball is spinning less, but more because of the new aerodynamics and updated Seamless Tour Aero package, Loeper told me.

I got the long game performance I wanted, while still checking all the boxes I like to see around the green, including how I could get the ball through, control and release. Not to mention a softer feel that I prefer.

However, if I were going for pure speed, the Chrome Tour X was about 1-2 mph faster with the driver for me, but a better spin and launch window for the Chrome Tour actually went farther for me, proving the value of a good fit.

Whatever you’re good atthe new Chrome Tour family will be an improvement over the previous generation.

Price, Specifications and Availability

The new family of Callaway Chrome Tour golf balls is available for pre-order starting January 6 and will arrive at retail locations on January 30.

A dozen golf balls will cost $57.99.

Chrome Tour golf balls come in both white and yellow with Triple Track and TruTrack alignment assist options. The Chrome Tour X has the same options, but only in white. Chrome Soft golf balls are available with all Chrome Tour options, plus a Triple Track 360 option.

Want to find the best golf balls for your game in 2026? Find a convenient club location near you at True Spec Golf.