Callaway ix Golf Ball Review: Not an x-out , an x-in
Written: Mar 12 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great feel, more durable than the HX Tour, nice ball.
Cons: Picks up dirt, dis-coloration, Price!
The Bottom Line: Callaway golf balls are getting better, this is their top of the line ball. I enjoy playing it and find it comparable to the Pro-V1X in several ways.
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| smallmouth's Full Review: Callaway HX Tour IX Golf Ball |
This is undoubtably the best ball I have played with an X on it, a letter usually printed on balls with minor flaws and factory defects x-out, Callaway’s Tour ix is the exception. I have played it now for about a dozen rounds and will update after a dozen more in a couple of weeks. I find it very similar to the HX Tour ball with minuscule variations from the original. To be honest, if I wasn’t looking for differences at first, I would have thought I was playing the HX Tour, but upon closer inspection and attention to detail, I have found some differences. It might travel a little bit longer off of the tee than the HX Tour ball but no more than about 10 yards. I have found it to be a little more durable than the HX Tour, it will still smudge and can be cut, but the cuts stay together just leaving a mark that will not effect the performance of the ball. It will not fray or leave little dangling chads like harder covers have been known to do. I have already hit a couple of asphalt cart path’s with it and made some pretty nasty marks on the ball, but unlike the Pro-V1, it was still playable. Callaway’s biggest claim with the ix ball has been distance from what I have heard and read and it might offer a little bit more length from the tee box, but the things I like about it are its tracking ability and accuracy. They have obviously addressed the durability issues with the HX Tour ball and made this a tougher and more durable ball.
-------------------Driver:-------------------
With the big stick, I have seen a little more distance off of the tee with the ix than the HX. On my own private ranges, usually an open hole on my local course when no one is around and I can hit a dozen consecutive tee shots, I compared the ix off of the tee with some Pro-V1's, the HX Tour, and whatever else I had in my bag, various Top-Flite’s, Maxfli’s, Pinnacle’s, and the likes. When I felt like I had hit the same shots as the previous swing, I found the ix always a little farther than the HX and regular Pro-V1, but never more than 10 yards and sometimes only a few paces. It was still a little bit short of the Pro-V1 X and the Rock and Roll balls made especially for distance with no regard for the finer swings of golf. I guess the main thing I found out with the ix and distance off of the tee is that it is comparable with competitors and slightly better than it’s older brother, the HX Tour.
Perhaps the best thing about the ix off of the tee was that it stayed on it’s flight path very nicely. This is a straight flying ball and miss-hits are not exaggerated off of the tee by a super spinning ball. When I am playing in extremely windy conditions like it has been lately, I really enjoy the qualities of the ix to remain on it’s original path and although it is of course affected by the wind, it is simply moved off of course rather than given a new course in the air. We have all hit balls that when up in the wind have taken a new course or seemingly hit a brick wall in mid-flight, the ix cuts through rather nicely and I prefer it in windy conditions over any ball.
The feel and sound of the ix ball with the driver is nice. I have tried it with a large assortment of my drivers and it gives a nice balanced sound. Some of the very hard or distance balls sound like hitting rocks with aluminum baseball bats, the ix has a softer sound. It is workable off of the tee but it’s best qualities are that it stays on the original path very well and cuts through the wind. It offers a nice feel and holds onto the face of the driver all the way through impact and doesn’t just jump off when smacked. I have a lot of confidence hitting it with my driver that it will be an accurate shot, maybe not a tape measure shot but in the fairway.
-------------------Irons:-------------------
The ix reacts even better off of irons than it does from the driver. The only disappointment I have with it is that I can’t get that super spin like I can with the Pro-V1. The big spins are not just for looks or to impress a golfing buddy, it is part of my approach game and I use it to my advantage. It especially comes in handy being able to really generate some spin when playing on hard and fast greens. I hate hitting a great looking shot to see it bounce and slide off of a green. I like being able to pull the string and back a ball up. The ix is hard to spin, I really have to try and pinch it or hit down on it to generate any stopping spin let alone any reversal spin. Ok, that being said, that it isn’t a great ball to stop or spin on the greens, it is a great feeling ball from the irons. Once again, it is straight in the air and has a nice high ball flight, it stays on it’s path very well and is a great tracking ball. With shots that tore up the HX Tour, the ix stays together. Some of the more severe downward swings I have made on it have produced some nasty looking smudges but did not cut the ball. It offers nice feel and distance from the irons.
-------------------Putting:-------------------
The new ix ball is great on the putting greens with the flatstick. Just like all of the hexagon dimpled balls, it holds a line incredibly and will not jump or slide off of line when struck correctly. When I am testing or comparing a ball, on of the first things I do is bring it to the putting green. If it doesn’t pass the test there then the test is pretty much over. I don’t want a ball that is long off of the tee but lousy on the green. Putting is where the money is made, where strokes are shaved off or saved. One-putts can erase a couple of lousy shots. A nice putting ball is very important to me. The cover has a lot to do with how well a ball is on the putting green. A soft cover is easier to control for speed and distance. You will be able to tell this immediately if you have hit enough putts and know what soft and hard balls feel like. I give every brand of ball a thumbnail test in the store before purchase. I simply dig my thumbnail straight into the ball and see if I leave an indentation or if I can push it into the cover. The cover on the ix feels even softer than the HX Tour ball yet it is more durable, looks like the boys at the Callaway Ball shop finally figured something out.
-------------------Feel:-------------------
Overall I would rate this as a feel ball rather than a distance ball. It doesn’t lack any distance and is slightly above average when compared to other feel balls for distance, but I wouldn’t buy into all of the literature about it being a distance ball. It is nice for control from the fairway and getting into the fairway off of the tee. It is very consistent for feel, something that harder balls don’t offer and you get a different feel for different speed swings, which sometimes leaves me scratching my head wondering why I am 20 yards short or over the green.
-------------------Durability:-------------------
Durability was the main issue that most golfers had with the HX Tour ball. Callaway addressed this issue and made the ix much more durable. I have not gotten any slices or rips yet on them, they definitely wear, and one ball is good for a couple of rounds at the least. They are more durable than both the Pro-V1 and the HX Tour. The cover feels very thin but I have yet to see what it looks like under the cover. On the extreme pinch shots, cart path shots, and nasty sand/gravel shots, I have smudge and almost torn the cover but they have held up above average, and great for a Hex ball. The only problems I have had with it are with coloration. They seem to lose their white and become dull after a lot of use but it doesn’t really affect the performance of the ball. It is very frustrating wearing a ball out on the first round or even the first couple of holes when you are paying over three dollars per ball. I think Callaway has found a nice balance between feel, performance and durability with the ix.
-------------------Overall:-------------------
I look for a couple of important things when buying a golf ball. It has to be somewhat durable for the price I am paying, it has to have great feel around the greens and offer adequate distance. I have a high swing speed of 125 mph and above from the tee so I provide a lot of distance on my own. Another important feature I look for is how the ball reacts on the green with the putter. Some balls jump off the putter and are hard to control. I like a soft ball that holds it’s line. The ix is a great feel ball that has decent distance and is great on the putting green. Some of the problems I have had with is the fact that it picks up a lot of dirt and mud with the hexagon dimples. It always requires cleaning and can cause some ugly shots if I can’t remove the mud or dirt. This also add to the discoloration of the ball. It is all in all a great ball and is the best ball from the line of Callaway balls. They still have some work to do to catch up to the Pro-V1 in my opinion but they are getting closer.
Distance: 9
Durability: 9
Feel: 10
Putting: 10
Spin: 8.5
Overall: 9.5
-------------------Technology Copied From Callaways Literature:-------------------
Tungsten-Infused Outer Core - The ball’s high-density outer core moves weight away from the center of the ball for increased Moment of Inertia (MOI) resulting in reduced driver spin for increased distance.
Dual Core Construction - The ball’s dual core construction allows for great distance off the tee while still offering spin around the green. The softer inner core provides low spin off the driver for great distance while the firmer outer core provides high driver speed and high chip-shot spin around the green.
Mantle Layer - Works with the dual core to produce high ball speed and its higher density moves more weight away from the center to increase MOI and reduce driver spin to maximize distance.
New Thermoset Urethane Cover - Provides superior feel and short-game spin for excellent greenside control.
-------------------Price and Availability:-------------------
This is the bad part. They are not only expensive, they are still a little bit hard to find. I have yet to see them in any of the Pro-shops I have played over the last month. I have found them on the internet and in some of the major golf shops. The last box I bought was at Edwin Watts and they were $45 per dozen, that comes down to about $3.75 per ball.
© smallmouth 2008
Check out my other Golf Reviews:
DRIVERS
Ping G-10 Driver • Callaway FT-i • Callaway FT-5 • TaylorMade r7 Superquad • King Cobra Speed LD/F Driver • Callaway Big Bertha Fairway Wood
IRONS
Ping G-10 Irons • Callaway X 20 Irons • Callaway X-20 Tour Irons • Vokey Spin Milled Wedge
GOLF BALLS
Titliest Pro-V1 • Callaway HX Tour Ball • Maxfli Tour Fire Ball • US Kids Golf Ball • Top Flite Freak
Recommended:
Yes
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