Chances are you’re here because you want to know what golf ball Phil Mickelson uses. The short answer is the Callaway Chrome Soft X LS. This article will not only confirm this but, more importantly, explain why he plays that specific ball, what its unique technology does, and how you can use that information to choose a better ball for your own game.
Phil Mickelson plays the Callaway Chrome Soft X LS golf ball. This has been his ball of choice for the past few seasons, and it's a model he had a direct hand in developing with Callaway's R&D team. He doesn't just play this ball, he helped create it to fit the very specific needs of his legendary game.
You’ll typically see him using a version with Callaway's Triple Track Technology - the three red and blue lines that serve as a powerful alignment aid on the green. For a player who relies so much on confidence and feel, having that visual reassurance over every putt is a significant advantage. This choice is not an accident, every part of this ball is engineered to complement a player with tremendous speed and a masterful touch.
"LS" stands for Low Spin, and that two-letter designation is the entire story of this golf ball. While most premium golf balls try to balance speed, feel, and spin, the Chrome Soft X LS tilts the scales heavily towards one primary goal: reducing spin off the driver and long irons for players with very high swing speeds. Let’s break down its components to understand how it works.
In simple terms, think of it as a dual-personality golf ball. Off the tee, it behaves like a low-spin distance rocket. Around the greens, it transforms into a high-spin, precision instrument.
A golf ball is a piece of precision equipment, and a pro’s choice is never random. The Chrome Soft X LS is a perfect match for "Lefty" for a couple of very specific reasons that tie directly into his famous playing style.
Phil has always been known for one thing above all else: speed. Even in his fifties, he possesses a clubhead speed that rivals players half his age. This incredible speed is his greatest asset, allowing him to hit "hellacious seeds," as he calls them. However, high speed can also be a liability. The faster you swing, the more spin you can generate. Too much backspin with a driver causes the ball to balloon up into the air, losing distance and making it vulnerable to the wind. It also exaggerates misses, turning a small fade into a big slice.
The Chrome Soft X LS is his solution. The low-spin characteristics of the ball effectively put a "governor" on his driver spin. It allows him to swing as hard as he wants, transforming all that speed into forward momentum instead of backspin. The result is a more penetrating, less lofty ball flight that maximizes his distance and, just as importantly, helps him find more fairways.
If Phil is a "bomber" off the tee, he's a surgeon around the greens. His legendary short game - those "Phiplops" and delicate spinning chips - depends on generating extreme amounts of spin. This is where the ball's second personality comes into play.
The thin urethane cover of the Chrome Soft X LS provides the bite he needs. When he opens the face of his wedge for a flop shot, he knows the ball will grab the grooves and come out with maximum spin, checking up quickly even on the fastest greens. This is the trade-off that premium balls like this offer: the ability to reduce spin on one end of the bag (driver) while maximizing it on the other (wedges). For a player whose scoring ability hinges on recovery and creativity around the greens, having absolute trust in spin generation is non-negotiable.
It's also worth remembering that Phil played a pivotal role in the very existence of the Callaway Chrome Soft family. When he first joined Callaway, tour players universally believed that a "soft" ball meant a "slow" ball. The conventional wisdom was that you needed a firm, high-compression ball (like the Pro V1x he used to play) to get tour-level distance.
Phil's feedback helped challenge that notion. He pushed Callaway's engineers to develop a ball that felt soft and had incredible spin around the greens but also had a fast core for distance. This exploration led to the original Chrome Soft, a ball that completely changed the landscape of the premium ball market.
The Chrome Soft X LS is the ultimate evolution of that concept, tailored for his specific needs in the modern game. It's not just a sponsorship, it's a piece of equipment that carries his design DNA.
This is the most important question for any amateur golfer. It's fun to use the same gear as the pros, but it's only a good idea if it actually fits your game. So, is the Callaway Chrome Soft X LS right for you?
You might be a great candidate for this ball if you fit this profile:
For the vast majority of amateur golfers - those with driver swing speeds under 100 mph - the Chrome Soft X LS is probably not the ideal choice. Here's why:
If you love the technology but aren't Phil Mickelson, Callaway has excellent alternatives:
Phil Mickelson plays the Callaway Chrome Soft X LS because it is precision-engineered to maximize his strengths - extraordinary clubhead speed - while providing the fine-tuned control he needs for his world-class short game. The most important lesson an amateur can take from Phil's choice is to find a ball that fits their own unique game, not just copying their favorite player.
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