Callaway CB1 Golf Balls:  Red or Blue?

Finding Callaway CB1 golf balls for sale is starting to get tough. After all, they did come out about ten years ago. Their fans still love them, though, and plenty of golfers still look for these balls in discount shops and online stores. Every so often I find one on the golf course, so I know one of the members got lucky and found a source. If I knew who it was, I'd ask because I love these balls.

There are two varieties of Callaway CB1 golf balls - Red and Blue. The names are refreshingly easy to remember. The Callaway CB1 Red was designed to primarily be a "distance" ball, while the Blue was developed to promote plenty of spin around the greens.

When the two types of these balls came out in 2002 or 2003, they featured the best in two-piece golf ball technology. Sure, three-piece balls had been developed by then, but that type of ball came at a very steep price. For the money ($20 to $25 per dozen, depending on where you bought them) you couldn't beat these. I've always loved Callaway balls, and in my opinion these were some of the best.

I'd love to review these golf balls based on their performance while I was hitting them, but it's been years since I've bought any. Now I just occasionally find one (already used, of course) while I'm out playing. I don't think it would be fair of me to write a review based on balls that have previously been used and might have been sitting out on the course for weeks or even months, so in this review I'm taking a different approach. Instead of giving you my personal opinions about these balls, I've assembled some information that is primarily taken from user reviews that were written while these balls were still easy to buy in pro shops and retail stores.

Callaway CB1 Golf Balls: Red

Most golfers who reviewed the Red version of the balls agreed that they performed very well, especially for the price. Some players thought the distance and feel provided by the CB1 Red were comparable to the performance of Callaway's more expensive HX Red. One said he saved $20 by buying the CB1 Red instead of the HX Red, because he felt the CB1 Red was essentially the same ball (not true, but I think he meant the ball's performance was the same - not the ball itself).

Other golfers mentioned that the Red version of the balls were better than average, and many said the Red delivered better performance than they'd expected from a ball that's so affordable. In fact, some of them said this ball was one of the best balls on the market - at any price.

Still other players commented about the CB1 Red's soft feel around the green, finding it somewhat surprising that a "distance" ball would be soft enough to spin and stick on the green with a wedge or a short iron. They seemed impressed by the ball's balance of distance and feel. One compared it to the Maxfli Noodle or the Precept Laddie, while another player commented about how nicely the CB1 Red rolled on the green while putting. Durability didn't seem to be an issue either.

Callaway CB1 Golf Balls: Blue

Naturally, fewer players look for "spin" balls than "distance" balls, and the Blue version of the Callaway CB1 golf balls were definitely marketed as "spin" balls. No matter what ball you play, you won't spin it on the green if you're a high-handicapper or you have a slow swing. That means it's almost always the "better" golfers who want a ball that is designed to promote greenside spin. As a result, I didn't find as many reviews on the Blue version of the Callaway CB1 golf balls. What I did find, however, was pretty much all positive.

I read reviews that said the Blue version of Callaway CB1 golf balls was "the best value on the market" and "half the price of its closest competitor." They also said the Blue is "long, soft, [with] plenty of spin and great feel." It received good marks for durability, too, with comments like "seemed harder to scuff up than other balls."

The Bottom Line: If you can find them, you probably won't go wrong with Callaway CB1 golf balls. Choose the Red for distance or the Blue for greenside spin.

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