Cleveland HiBORE XLS Fairway Wood Review

I’ve been playing golf more than a decade now, and I’ve always been a huge fan of the fairway wood. Unfortunately, that’s because I’ve never been real consistent with my driver, so the fairway wood has been my go-to club off the tee on many occasions. Even though I recently started to hit my driver better, I’ll still pull my fairway wood multiple times per round.

A few years ago, I started hitting the Titleist 904F fairway wood. My game off the tee changed for the better because of it, and I’ve had a love affair with the club ever since. I knew it would take a solid fairway wood to replace my Titleist, and that’s where Cleveland comes into play.

I’ve had the original Cleveland HiBORE Driver in my bag for a year or so, and unlike most critics, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ve hit it very well, and that has given me confidence in the Cleveland brand. With that in mind, I figured I’d give the new HiBORE XLS fairway wood a shot. Has it been solid enough to replace my Titleist 904F? Keep reading to find out.

For the record, the model I am reviewing is the 15° fairway wood.

Technology and Design
The Cleveland HiBORE XLS fairway wood features a clubface 19% larger than the original HiBORE fairway wood. That gives it the largest clubface ever featured on a Cleveland fairway wood. The larger face and head volume (24% more than the original HiBORE fairway) increases moment of inertia (MOI), which in turn provides more stability and maintains good distance on mis-hits.

The XLS face is fairly wide and low profile. Those who like to use fairway woods from the tees tend to prefer a deeper face.

Those are the new features of the HiBORE XLS fairway wood, but many of Cleveland’s traditional features remain intact. The three main ones were also discussed in the Cleveland HiBORE XLS driver review a couple weeks ago. The first is “Distance Driven Geometry,” and it’s designed to move the weight low and back in the clubhead. The result is higher ball speeds for improved distance.

The second core feature is “Energy Transfer Core,” and it’s also centered around improving ball speeds. Cleveland places lightweight titanium spines inside the clubhead to direct impact energy to the ball. The spines in the XLS run perpendicular to the clubface.

The last core feature is “Full Face Performance,” and you guessed it, it’s also designed to help maximize ball speed. This is centered around aligning the sweet spot with the C.O.R. hot spot. This alignment produces optimal launch conditions over a larger area of the clubface, and that results in maximized ball speed and increased distance. The long ball is definitely the name of the game it seems.

The logo on the toe, as you can see here, has changed from white to yellow in sunlight, indicating that this is not a knock-off.

The club authenticity mentioned in the HiBORE XLS driver review is the same for the HiBORE XLS fairway wood. To ensure the club is the real deal, take a look at the toe graphics in the sunlight or UV conditions. If the toe graphics change from white to yellow in these conditions, it’s the real deal. Unfortunately, knock-off clubs have become quite a problem in the golf industry, and it’s nice to see Cleveland put their own unique stamp on things.

Esthetics
The Cleveland HiBORE XLS fairway wood features the classic scooped-out back like previous HiBORE models. When I first saw this design a couple years back, it was one of the ugliest I’d ever seen. After getting used to things, however, it’s actually starting to grow on me. It’s not as easy on the eyes as fairway woods made by Titleist and TaylorMade, but it’s respectable nonetheless.

At address, there is no central alignment mark on top of the clubhead. However, the crown plaque (set back from the face a bit) and “stability foils” are intended to make is easy to align the club properly at address. If this was my first experience with a Cleveland wood, this probably would have thrown me off. The original HiBORE driver I use is designed without a central alignment mark as well, so I’m used to it. Nonetheless, this might take some getting used to for new Cleveland users.

The crown plaque serves as an alignment aid, but I prefer one closer to the clubface. Still, for a fairway wood, it’s probably fine.

The HiBORE XLS fairway wood feels a little light in comparison to my 904F. The difference is small, but noticeable. As for the sound, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. The Cleveland HiBORE XLS driver may be louder than others, but the fairway wood seems to offer up a fairly standard sound.

The head cover looks similar to other Cleveland covers as you can see in the picture below. The built-in “E-Z Grab” pocket mentioned in the HiBORE XLS driver review is also a part of the fairway wood head cover. Cleveland implemented this a few years back, and they have stuck with it through the years. It’s not a selling point or anything, but it’s a nice touch.

Performance
Everything mentioned above is nice, but the performance is what really matters when it comes to choosing a particular club. I’ve been known to take clubs straight to the golf course without any time at the driving range, and the same can be said for the HiBORE XLS fairway wood. That may not be the best idea, but it’s how I roll. My home course is only about 6,600 yards and firm, so fairway woods can be used multiple times throughout a round.

The HiBORE XLS didn’t stay in the bag too long once the round started, as I used it on the second hole. Not knowing what to expect, I hit my first drive about 260 yards right down the middle of the fairway. Not only was the shot accurate, but it was also surprisingly long. The rest of the round was much of the same with the club.

Shiny! The EZ Grab headcover is not a big feature, but it’s a nice touch that eases taking the cover off. A second saved is… a second saved.

While I tend to start one left-of-center here and there (that’s more of a fault in my swing), I can put the ball in the fairway with the HiBORE XLS more often than not. I’ve never been able to control a fairway wood quite like this, and that’s a nice out to have during a round.

I played a course in the Dallas area a couple weeks back, and there were several holes with trouble down the right side. My best friend has trouble with a slice, and he lost quite a few balls that day because of it. That being said, I was in great position off the tee on multiple occasions after using the HiBORE XLS. I have gotten in a nice routine of starting the ball down the right side and moving it back to the fairway.

I’ve enjoyed hitting my Titlest 904F in recent years because of its accuracy and length off the tee. The Cleveland HiBORE XLS fairway wood stands up to the 904F in every category. It’s a little more accurate off the tee, and it’s just as long. I’ve been very pleased with my performance since putting the club in my bag.

Options and Extras
The HiBORE XLS fairway wood is available in 13-, 15-, 19-, and 22-degree lofts. The 15- and 19-degree versions are the only ones available for left-handed golfers.

The stock shaft in the HiBORE XLS Fairway wood is the venerable Fujikura Fit-On with appropriate specs.

The two standard shaft options for the HiBORE XLS fairway wood are the Fujikura Fit-On M Gold and Fit-On M Red. The two are different, so it’s important to get the one right for your swing style. Additional custom shaft options are also available, including another Fujikura version as well as additional models from Aldila, Grafalloy, Graphite Design, UST, MCC/Apache, and Mitsubishi. That leaves plenty of options for any die-hard equipment fan.

The Cleveland HiBORE XLS fairway wood carries an MSRP of $199.

Conclusion
Cleveland Golf continues to impress with their equipment in a very competitive industry. After hitting my Titleist 904F for a few years, I didn’t think there was any way the HiBORE XLS fairway wood could replace it in my bag. After hitting it the last couple months, however, that opinion has changed. Not only has it met my expectations, it has exceeded them.

Any golfer looking for a solid fairway wood should give the Cleveland HiBORE XLS a shot. It’s surprisingly long and extremely accurate. That’s a good combination to say the least.