The long and forgiving Callaway XR fairway wood and hybrid
Fans of Callaway know all about the
company’s new and improved Big Bertha
Alpha 815 lineup and the low-compression
Chrome Soft golf ball
that staff ambassador Phil Mickelson is totally
gaga over. Undoubtedly, many of them have
also seen the “Outrageous Speed” promos that
have staffer Gary Woodland dropping bombs
with the company’s
XR driver
and irons.
A bit more under the radar are the company’s
XR
fairway woods and hybrids. These clubs
may not provoke huge headlines, but they get
the job done. Which is to say they’re
really long and forgiving (if you’re into
that sort of thing).
Before I describe what makes these
clubs rocket launchers, as one of my club
fitters calls them, I need to emphasize a point
or two about how easy they are to hit. The XR
fairway woods and hybrids feature redesigned
head shapes that substantially improve their
forgiveness - especially off the deck which is
how most golfers will use them. I only needed
a handful of swings during my testing session
to realize I wouldn’t need to hit the ball any
harder than I usually do to see longer carry
distances along with consistently good spin
rates. The really accomplished player is going
to like these sticks a lot. The average
recreational player is going to love them.
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Callaway's XR fairway woods
are engineed for distance and
forgiveness |
Callaway’s XR fairway woods are the
only clubs in their category to earn five stars
for performance in Golf Digest’s annual Hot
List. Three models are available: a standard
edition that launches higher and spins a little
more, a pro version designed for players who
swing a little faster or have quicker tempos
and finally a 14-degree deep model that
essentially functions as a driver replacement.
The pro version as you would expect will
deliver a more penetrating flight when
compared to the standard fairway wood. It’s
worth noting that the standard XR fairway
comes in six lofts (15 to 25 degrees) while pro
version is only available in lofts (14, 16 and
18 degrees).
All XR fairway woods feature the same
technologies:
- Forged Hyper Speed Face
Cup: a lighter, thinner next
generation face designed to increase ball
speed over a wider surface area. Callaway
enlarged the sweet spot on the standard XR
fairway wood by 16 percent using a new heat-
treatment process.
- Internal Standing Wave:
a weight pad within the club’s sole
that lowers the center of gravity by 20 percent
and reduces spin by 200 rpm. By moving the
weight low and forward, Callaway was able to
improve ball speeds which translates to added
distance.
- Redesigned Head Shape:
Callaway engineers redesigned the
look of these clubs, resulting in flatter leading
edges and a higher toe. Compared to the
company’s X2 Hot fairway wood, the face
height is noticeably shallower, while the
overall design of the head is slightly larger
allowing it to perform well under a variety of
circumstances.
- Project X LZ Shaft:
the new X LZ shaft produces
maximum load during the downswing for
greater energy transfer to the ball.
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Callaway's XR fairway woods
and hybrids feature the Hyper Speed Face
Cup |
The XR hybrids (standard and pro) have
many of the same of technologies found in
Callaway’s fairway woods, but naturally differ
in terms of design and purpose. As many of us
have realized by now, hybrids are much
easier to use than long irons. The standard
and pro XR hybrids come in four lofts - 19, 22,
25 and 28 degrees (standard), and 16, 18, 20
and 23 degrees (pro).
The XR pro hybrid features a much more
compact head shape that better players prefer
and comes stock with a Project X LZ Pro shaft
that weighs 73 to 76 grams depending on flex.
By comparison the Project X LZ SD shaft in
the standard model weighs 55 to 58 grams
and contributes to a D1 swing weight while the
pro version is listed at D3.
Like the fairway woods, the XR hybrids
take advantage of the next-generation Forged
Hyper Speed Face Cup which promotes better
ball speeds. The redesigned head shapes on
these hybrids are deeper and more
pronounced than the less-forgiving X2 Hot models
that
came before them. The
generous shapes of these heads allowed
Callaway to insert a larger weight pad this
time around which lowered the CG by as much
as 46 percent compared to the X2 Hot.
According to Harry Arnett, Callaway’s SVP of
Marketing, robot testing revealed that the new
XR hybrids are 13 yards longer than last
year’s clubs. Of course humans aren’t robots,
as Arnett himself points out in a Callaway
Talks video, so I encourage you to go out
there and try them out for yourself.
Performance
For testing I was able to demo a
standard Callaway XR fairway wood with a
stiff Project X LZ shaft along with a standard
XR hybrid paired with a stiff Project X SD
shaft. All shots were struck using a Titleist
ProV1x ball and analyzed using a Foresight
launch monitor.
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The
crown on the XR hybrid features a matte black
finish and an alignment aid |
Sometimes it takes a few swings to get
an idea of how a club will feel and perform,
but in this case I had all the evidence I needed
after four or five shots. The XR fairway wood
(15 degrees) was really easy to sweep off the
deck and the shot data was extremely
consistent from swing to swing. The fairway
wood launched at about 12.5 degrees and
produced 3400 rpm of total spin on average.
Shots with the XR 3-wood sustained a peak
height of 21 yards and carried about 6 yards
longer than my gamer. Smash factor (1.41)
and club head speed were nearly identical
between clubs. The key differentiators were
ball speed (the XR fairway wood delivered 3
mph more on average) and spin rate. My
gamer, a Nike Covert 2.0 performance 3-wood
launched higher (13.9) and spun more (4390
rpm). Comparing total distances, I picked up a
substantial 16 yards using the XR fairway
wood.
I also had big performance gains
comparing hybrids. I put Callaway’s hybrid to
the test against my Nike Covert 2.0 Tour
edition (set to 20 degrees). While I was able
to maintain a consistent smash factor (1.40)
between clubs, the lighter XR hybrid allowed
me to swing the head a little faster which in
turn generated a little more ball speed. The
XR hybrid launched the ball at 13.3 degrees,
reaching a peak height of 18 yards. Callaway’s
hybrid generated an average of 2510 rpm of
total spin. By comparison, my gamer
produced a 13.7 launch angle, peak height of
17 yards and 2353 rpm of total spin. In spite
of the similarities, the XR hybrid flew 10 yards
longer (total distance gain of eight yards).
If pure distance is what you long for, the
XR fairway woods and hybrids will deliver. A
word of advice for anyone thinking about
upgrading is to carefully consider the
intention. These fairway woods and hybrids,
including the pro models, are not designed
with Callaway’s OptiFit hosel so you won’t be
experimenting with loft settings once you put
them in your bag. It may not matter too much
in the case of a 3 wood where max distance
along with high MOI can really help off the tee
or on a par 5 approach, but having too little
spin on a hybrid might make it play too much
like a wood and not enough like a long-iron
replacement.
Look and Feel
Callaway’s XR fairway woods and
hybrids feature a nice matte black crown and
a traditional head shape. The fairway wood, in
particular, is just large enough to inspire
confidence without giving the impression that
it’s chunky. The hybrid, on the other hand, has
a little too much mass. Better players will
prefer the pro model which has a slimmer
head profile.
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Callaway's XR hyrid is deeper
and more forgiving than the company's X2
Hot |
When it comes to sound, both clubs
produce a solid thwack on center-faced
strikes. The clubs don’t sound much different
on off-center shots and, when it comes to
responsiveness, I have to admit that the clubs
come off a little tone-deaf to me. Then again,
if you’re experiencing solid ball performance
even on miss hits, you may not even care or
notice.
Who’s It For?
Do you like distance? How about
forgiveness? Wait, you like both?
Congratulations, these clubs are definitely for
you.
All joking aside, these fairway woods
and hybrids are designed to help a wide cross
section of golfers, but they are especially
useful for anyone who struggles with lower-
lofted woods and hybrids from the fairway.
The fact that Callaway has managed to
maintain a high MOI while simultaneously
lowering the spin means that everyone, even
less accomplished players, can have greater
confidence handling those long and difficult
approach shots.
The Callaway XR fairway woods
($229.99 MSRP for standard, $239.99 for pro)
and the XR hybrids ($219.99 MSRP for
standard, $229.99 for pro) are currently
available for purchase. All clubs come with a
Project X LZ shaft as standard; many other
after-market shafts are available (some at no
up-charge).