Callaway ERC Soft Review

The ERC Soft is honest about what it is. The core is built for ball speed and the flight is high and long, so for the golfer whose priority is the tee shot it outdistances every urethane ball at the same speed and most ionomer balls too. The feel is soft without being mushy. Where it draws the line is the cover: a hybrid material that spins more than a pure ionomer ball and clearly less than urethane, so full wedge shots stop reasonably and delicate chips and pitches release further than a tour ball would.

That is the trade, and for a great many players it is the right one. The Triple Track lines are the other reason to buy it, and they are not a gimmick; three parallel lines on the ball make alignment on the green measurably easier for anyone who uses them. It costs more than it should for a non urethane ball, which keeps value from being higher, but the distance is real.