Callaway ERC Soft Golf Ball Review
The 2021 version of the Callaway ERC Soft ball is billed as the brand’s longest golf ball with soft feel and it definitely delivered in both these areas. The High Energy core and High Speed mantle produces really impressive ball speeds, comparable to some of the best distance golf balls on the market - something we noticed with every club in the bag.
Unless you are playing at an extremely high level, as amateur golfers noticing differences between equipment can often be difficult due to lack of consistency when it comes to strike. However, this was not the case when it came to the ERC Soft golf balls. Almost instantly I noticed a significant difference in carry distance when the ball was struck nicely and even on occasion with shots I would consider miss-hits. It's high launch and soft feel characteristics produced a towering ball flight that was welcomed, particularly with the longer clubs in the bag. The soft feel provided confidence when it came to the short-game and was on par with that of some of the best soft feel golf balls we have tested.
The new ‘hybrid’ cover, made with a durable Paraloid Impact Modifier from Dow, is said to be the secret behind the combination of distance and greenside control with durability. It combines with the High Speed mantle and core to create more efficient energy transfer between the layers.
The cover produces a noticeably soft feel and ample greenside spin on the majority of well-struck, short-game shots. It probably doesn't check up quite as much as the Chrome Soft, but the difference is minor and competitive with many of the best golf balls for high handicappers.
The ERC Soft continues to feature Triple Track technology to aid alignment, much like on the Chrome Soft and Chrome Soft X golf balls. This consists of three high-resolution parallel lines – a thick red line down the centre of the ball flanked by two thinner blue lines – and relies on Vernier Hyper Acuity, a technology found on aircraft carriers to aid landing.
We were slightly dubious about this before trying it but it did get us concentrating a lot more on lining up the ball properly and seemed to help with consistency of start line on the greens. It’s definitely something to consider if you’re guilty of lacking focus when putting.
If you’re not a fan of lines then they only cover half of the ball so can be hidden on other shots around the course, especially if you play ball in hand. It is more affordable than the best premium golf balls on the market and worth considering if you’re searching for those all-important extra yards and don’t want to give up on feel.
