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Callaway X2 Hot Fairway Wood Review
10 Jul 2014
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By Christian Nicolini, AmateurGolf.com Equipment Writer

Adding to the recent success it’s enjoyed both on tour and in the market, Callaway introduced the new X2 Hot and X2 Hot Pro fairway woods to the brand’s lineup of drivers and woods earlier this year. We examine the Callaway X2 Hot Fairway.

FIRST REACTION

Callaway currently has two versions of the X2 Hot -- a pro version, which appeals more to a low-handicap golfer and a standard version which caters to a mid-to-high handicappers. During my time, I tested the standard X2 Hot 3 wood (15 degrees loft with an Aldila Tour Blue stiff shaft). The X2 Hot fairway wood uses Callaway’s patented Hyper Speed Face Cup for increased ball speed, an improved center of gravity to allow for more consistent launch and spin rates, and an all new sole design, which makes the club easier to hit from any lie.

WHAT YOU’RE GETTING

When you buy an X2 Hot Fairway Wood, you get everything from a high-performance head to a premium aftermarket shaft that is being used by top players on tour. These woods come in six lofts -- 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 and 25 degrees -- all of which have a D3 swing weight. The Aldila Tour Blue shaft offers a lightweight 60-gram shaft, mid torque and a mid-low kickpoint.

FEEL/SOUND/APPEARANCE

Callaway has always been known for developing clubs with a smooth feel and the X2 Hot fairway doesn’t disappoint. The X2 Hot delivers a great balance between feel and feedback that every golfer needs. If great feel isn’t enough then maybe the crisp sound of this club would convince you. At address, the X2 Hot fairway is slightly larger than the pro version but smaller than the JetSpeed or RBZ by TaylorMade. I found the decals on this wood much less distracting than other fairway woods and found the arrow on the crown very helpful for alignment. However, I noticed that the crown creates a distracting glare from the light.


PERFORMANCE

After hitting 20 shots with the X2 Hot, the first thing I noticed was the draw bias. For someone looking for a fairway wood but hits a hook I might advise you to look more at the Big Bertha series so you can adjust the bias accordingly. I found this club to do nearly everything Callaway claims: consistent launch. spin, and increased distance. Using 10 shots and averaging the results, I was relatively surprised by the results.

After 10 shots:
Swing speed averaged 106 MPH
Ball speed:153.2 MPH
Launch angle: 14 degrees
Spin rate: 4175 rpm
Carry distance: 268 yards
Total distance: 276 yards

Now, based on these results I concluded that the stiff Tour Blue shaft might have been a tad weak for my 105 MPH swing speed which might have resulted in the high launch angle and slightly high spin rate. However, given those factors, the ball speed was nearly as fast -- if not as fast -- as a driver, which is an amazing advantage to have when trying to reach a long par-5 in two.

Although these numbers where impressive, I wanted to see the difference between the X2 Hot and last year’s X Hot Fairway. So, I hit 20 shots with a 15 degree, stiff Project X shaft (stock) and averaged my top 10 shots and compared:

Swing speed: 105
Ball speed: 149
Launch angle: 12 degrees
Spin rate: 4075 rpm
Carry distance: 254 yards
Total distance: 267 yards

Both clubs yielded nearly identical swing speeds however the ball speed decreased 4.2 MPH with the X Hot, and the average carry distance decreased a mind blowing 14 yards. It’s hard to say whether or not the shaft difference contributed to the results but it’s no question that I would replace the X Hot with the X2 Hot for the upcoming season.

PRICING/AVAILABILITY

The X2 Hot Fairway woods retail at $229.99 and available at most golf retailers.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Long, forgiving, and feel. If you’re looking for a fairway wood that delivers any or all three of these attributes and don’t mind a little glare from the crown or a slight draw basis then you have found yourself a winner. The X2 Hot delivers notable improvement from last year’s X hot with added feel and forgiveness.



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