Callaway Supersoft Golf Ball (2023)

Callaway has announced its next-generation Supersoft golf ball. The new ball preserves the soft feel that golfers love. The 2023 Supersoft is faster and spins more around the green than the previous model. Retail price is $24.99 per dozen.

The product one-liner for the Callaway Supersoft golf ball is “super long, super straight, super soft” to which I reply, “Nope, probably, and, yeah, you got me there.”

If by some chance you’re not already at least a little familiar with the Supersoft, the one thing to know is that it’s the softest golf ball in the Callaway lineup. While compression values typically move a little from one release to the next, Callaway says compression hasn’t changed from the prior model.

If that’s true (and it would be a silly thing to lie about), you can be all but certain the 2023 Callaway Supersoft will be among the very softest balls on the market this season. I’d wager it will prove to be the softest ball made by a manufacturer you’ve heard of.

Supersoft – Callaway’s Little Engine

Saving my rant about “soft” golf balls for a few more paragraphs, it’s also noteworthy that the Callaway Supersoft is MASSIVELY popular.

Callaway Global Golf Ball Director Jason Finley calls the Supersoft “our little engine that could.” Jason says engine, I say marshmallow. Seriously, I consider it a feat of modern engineering that it doesn’t float in a cup of hot cocoa.

Anyway, it’s pretty wild that in any given month, Supersoft could outsell the standard Chrome Soft and in every given month, it dwarfs the other two Chrome Soft models.

We hear a lot about growth in the Callaway ball business (and that’s certainly backed up by the numbers) but the implication is often that Chrome Soft is powering the growth. About half the reality is being driven by the company’s little engine that not only could, but does.

Golfers, and more than a few of them, love the Supersoft.

There’s no secret to the success of Callaway Supersoft, either. It’s soft. Some golfers think it’s long, it comes in a variety of colors and as Jason Finley says, “it’s fun.”

The stuff you may not want to hear

All of that is perfectly OK. It’s not my job to tell you how to have fun but it is my job to lay out some realities around performance.

This is normally the part where I remind everyone that with low-compression (i.e., soft) golf balls, higher swing speed players risk over-compressing the core and losing distance. Given Supersoft’s compression (a preliminary test on our gauge puts it at +/- 40), that risk becomes a near certainty.

For comparison, compression numbers for the Titleist Pro V1 run in the mid to high 80s while a Chrome Soft X is in the mid to high 90s. Basically, we’re miles away from Tour compression, but that’s the point.

On the market today, there are golf balls for performance-driven golfers and balls for preference-driven golfers. Supersoft is most definitely the latter though, given its exceptionally soft feel and, by comparison, exceptionally low price, it has plenty of appeal.

That said, and this may hurt to hear (and no doubt some will argue), but I’ve asked the question of basically everyone who makes a golf ball.  If every golfer took a “performance-first” approach to choosing a golf ball, would Supersoft—and basically everything else without sensible compression and a urethane cover—cease to exist? You can guess the answer.

Making a better Callaway Supersoft

But I get it. There’s value in fun (and in a low price) and, for sure, not every golfer is driven by performance. So as Callaway (and others) see it, if you’re going to make a preference-first ball, you might as well make that ball as good as it can be.

To that end, the objective with every new version is to make it Supersoft longer (to the extent possible) and spin more (also to the extent possible). Given the two-piece construction, ionomer cover and the goal of being one of, if not the softest, balls on the market, Supersoft will never be at the top of the distance or spin table but, again, the goal is to be better than last time.

HyperElastic SoftFast Core

Your speed enhancement comes by way of Supersoft’s HyperElastic SoftFast Core. To an extent, it’s trickledown technology from the Chrome Soft franchise. In the interest of keeping it simple, think of it as a bit of speed-enhancing chemistry within the core of the ball.

All things being equal, “soft” will never be as fast as “firm,” but within those categories, you have fast materials and slow materials. Hyper Elastic Soft Fast core speaks to the idea of making a soft material a bit faster without—and this is the most important piece as it relates to Supersoft—without making it firmer.

Golfers love Callaway Supersoft because it’s, well, super soft, so it’s Callaway’s imperative not to trade away that feel for a tick more speed.

Hybrid Cover

A greenside spin boost comes by way of the Hybrid Cover. The refined cover material is designed to prolong contact between the ball and clubhead on the type of low-speed impact you’d expect around the green.

To be sure, a Supersoft is never going to spin like a Chrome Soft X but, given the realities of the design, if it spins a bit more around the green than the 2021 ball, it counts as improvement.

Callaway Supersoft – Where it’s Made

Notably absent from the packages is the precision technology branding found on Chrome Soft boxes. It’s not that Callaway is out there running half-assed, full-blast on Supersoft but, apart from the cover material, another distinction between Chrome Soft and Callaway’s other balls is that the others (and that includes Supersoft) are manufactured in Taiwan by Launch Technologies.

You may have heard of “LT” as they also produce balls for an increasing number of direct-to-consumer brands. While Callaway certainly has oversight at the factory, it’s not their factory and they don’t have quite the same ability to impart Precision Technology into the ball.

Given the price point, that’s plenty reasonable.

Callaway Supersoft – Options, pricing and availability

The 2023 Callaway Supersoft is available in standard white along with matte yellow, green, orange, red and pink.

(PSA: Unless you need help tracking the ball or part of your fun is losing spin when moisture comes in contact with the ball, don’t play matte golf balls.)

Retail price for the Callaway Supersoft is $24.99 a dozen. Retail availability begins Jan. 27.

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