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Ball Lab: Callaway Supersoft (2023)
MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of golf balls. Today, we’re reviewing the 2023 Callaway Supersoft. To learn more about our test process, click here.
About the Callaway Supersoft
What you need to know about the Callaway Supersoft is almost entirely in the name. It’s habitually among the softest balls on the market which likely explains why it’s one of the best-selling balls.
True story.
What golfers may not know and what’s relevant to this review is that the Callaway Supersoft isn’t produced in Chicopee, Mass., alongside the Chrome Soft family of golf balls. It’s produced for Callaway (the design is proprietary to Callaway) by Launch Technologies in Taiwan.
“LT” produces balls for several of the larger OEMs as well as numerous direct-to-consumer brands.
Callaway Supersoft Construction
The 2023 Callaway Supersoft is a two-piece ball with a 332-dimple ionomer cover. While it shares the same dimple count with other Callaway balls, the company adjusts dimple depth and geometry for each ball in its catalog.
Compression
On our gauge, the 2023 Callaway Supersoft has an average compression of 47. That’s a few points firmer than the 2021 model and nearly 10 points firmer than the 2019 model.
It’s effectively on par with the 2023 Wilson DUO.
While our numbers suggest it’s not as soft as it used to be, it remains one of the softest offerings on the market today.
Having said that, as we’ll discuss in the consistency section, the balls measured span a wide range, so our average is a bit more of a ballpark number than it typically is.
Compression Comparison Chart
We’ve had requests for a standalone compression comparison tool. As it turns out, that tool exists. We created it as part of our Golf Ball Compression FAQ page. At some point, we may merge the two charts but, for now, the plan is to include this chart in future Ball Labs.
Diameter and Weight
All of the balls in our 2023 Callaway Supersoft sample were under the USGA maximum weight limit.
Six percent of the balls in the sample failed to meet our standard of roundness and were flagged as Bad.
Inspection
Centeredness and Concentricity
In the past, we’ve found issues with the concentricity of the Supersoft. As a two-piece model, that invariably manifests as a cover that’s thicker on one side than the other.
This time around, we found no significant layer concentricity issues.
Core Consistency
Core color was generally consistent across our 2023 Supersoft sample. We did find one ball with a noticeable chunk of non-standard material in the core but we did not flag it as Bad.
Cover
No notable cover defects were identified.
Callaway Supersoft – Consistency
In this section, we detail the consistency of the 2023 Callaway Supersoft. Our consistency metrics provide a measure of how similar the balls in our sample were to one another relative to all of the models we’ve tested to date.
Weight Consistency
Weight consistency for the Callaway Supersoft was within the Average range. The third box was a bit heavier but not exceptionally so.Diameter Consistency
Diameter consistency falls within the higher end of the Average range. Box 2 was just a bit smaller on average.Compression Consistency
Compression consistency is classified as Poor The compression delta across the entire sample was 22 points, among the worst we’ve tested to date. As a result, not all balls are visible on the chart. 9 balls were flagged as based on compression deviation.True Price
True Price is how we quantify the quality of a golf ball. It's a projection of what you'd have to spend to ensure you get 12 good balls.
The True Price will always be equal to or greater than the retail price. The greater the difference between the retail price and the True Price, the more you should be concerned about the quality of the ball.
Summary
To learn more about our test process, how we define “Bad” balls and our True Price metric, check out our About MyGolfSpy Ball Lab page.
Callaway Supersoft (2023) Golf Ball Quality Summary
If you’ve followed Ball Lab closely, you know I don’t editorialize much in these reports but this is a case where some additional clarity is warranted.
The first thing that needs to be said is that these results strongly suggest that a line needs to be drawn between Callaway’s rapidly improving U.S. plant where Chrome Soft is made and Launch Technologies, the overseas factory that produces Supersoft and ERC Soft. With Callaway balls produced by the latter, there’s no claim of Precision Technology and our data suggests there’s a good reason for that.
On one hand, Supersoft costs $25 a dozen and, realistically, you shouldn’t expect the same quality as you would for $50. Couple that with the fact that the best balls we’ve tested from Launch Tech are average at best and, well, I suppose there’s a case to be made that Supersoft loosely meets expectations.
On the other hand, the consumer can’t be expected to know which factories produce what balls and, given that Supersoft is habitually among the top three to five best-selling balls on the market, it might be seen as a disappointment, especially if you’re a mid to fast swing speed player who plays Supersoft.
Callaway has a mantra that dates back to Ely Callaway: “Demonstrably Superior, Pleasingly Different.” Whether that’s a promise or simply an objective, Supersoft simply doesn’t hit the target.
The Good
Among the softest balls on the market (if that’s your thing) Comparatively inexpensiveThe Bad
Compression is all over the map (balls measured ranged from 38 to 60 compression). Two balls in the sample weren’t round.The Score
The True Price for the 2023 Callaway Supersoft is $35.99. That’s a 44-percent increase over the retail price of $24.99
At the time of testing, the 2023 Callaway Supersoft receives a Ball Lab score of 49. That’s the same score as the 2019 model.
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