Callaway Visit! Tons of in-hand pics of the 2013 Callaway Razr Xtreme, X Hot Driver, X Hot Fairway, X Hot irons, X Forged irons

[mvmac]

Beachcomber, Golfingdad and myself had a great day the Ely Callaway Performance Center.  We got a great opportunity to be one of the first golfers to hit their new 2013 line, which included Razr Xtreme driver, fairway, X Hot driver, fairways, hybrid, X Hot standard and Pro irons and the 2013 X Forged iron.  Callaway made Trackman available and we were able to test our current Razr Fit drivers against Callaway's latest and greatest.  All of us picked up a little ball speed over last year's Razr Fit model and thanks to the great guys at Callaway, the three of us will be receiving the drivers that fit us best

For myself, I'll be sticking with the Diamana Ahina 60 that was in my Razr Fit but upgrading to the Razr Xtreme head in 10.5 square or open face (depending on conditions) with the weights in the neutral setting.  I picked up 2mph ball speed from last years model, launching it slightly higher with good spin numbers.

Enjoy all the pics, can't share pics of the X Hot driver or fairway yet but will be able to in early January.  Really love the X Forged irons but the club that stood out the most to me was the X Hot fairway wood.  Super easy to hit and loooong (just ask Golfingdad).  Some might say it's a rocket killer

Thanks again to Chad, Scott and Harry for this awesome experience!

Golfingdad testing some X Hot drivers

GD bombing some X Hot fairways, one of them went 280 yards!

Beachcomber testing out a Razr Xtreme driver.  It fits cause Beach is very extreme

Beachcomber getting dialed in

Think we had enough shaft options?

Just another day in San Diego....

[tristanhilton85]

Good to hear that you guys had a great time!

Nice pics Mike.

[Beachcomber]

I have a lot of nice pics to share and will upload them this weekend. All I can say is the X Forged irons are legit. I also love- Love the X Hot fairway wood. The Xtreme driver and fairways were both sexy looking. I thought the Xtreme driver was a hint better than the RAZR Fit. But the big winners of the day for me was the X forged irons and X Hot 3W. Both were easy to launch. Some of you may recall I was a big fan of the 2012 RAZR Muscle Backs, those are still in the line and look great and feel solid, but the X forged irons were even better. The X Forged are definitely a favorite of mine from the 2013 product line. They launched higher, and mishits were a little more forgiving. At address they are sleek and provide a nice thin top line that fits my eye. I was hitting the X Forged mid to long irons higher than I ever have with my MP-59's. And the ProjectX 5.5 shafts were amazing. I'm a big fan of the 5.5's. Something I will be getting in my next set. The X Hot 3W comes in both a standard setup, and a Pro version. Basically the Pro version has a slightly smaller head, available in lower lofts, and different stock shafts than the standard retail X Hot 3W. There is also some cosmetic differences between the two. We can't post pics of the X Hot yet, but Callaway has definitely made vast improvements with the X Hot fairways. They aggressively went after the RBZ fairway with this new design, and I can tell you that they have every right to be proud of their R&D; effort. The face is indeed 'Hot' and the ball was launching high and long both off a tee, and from the turf. I'll circle back soon with a more formal review of the 2013 product line. But the future looks bright for our friends at Callaway.

[jefkve]

Wow, looks like you guys had a lot of fun. Cant wait too see the rest of the pics once you can post them.

[Beachcomber]

Here are some additional photos... Unfortunately I can't share any of the fairways (beyond the Xtreme) until January 7th.  So in this set of photos, you're going to see a lot of the irons from different angles, and some photos of the Xtreme 3W.

It took me 30 minutes to upload these 7 images. LOL  I'm at my In-laws and they only have basic DSL.  I'll upload more tonight.

[mvmac]

Good stuff from Beach

[mvmac]

Couple nice swings from Golfingdad

[mchepp]

Looks like a fun day. I agree with the comments that Callaway looks to be making a nice comeback. I am glad to see it.

[jldavis73]

The new Callaway offerings look great.  Those X Forged irons sizzle!  WOW!

[Derek02]

Callaway has grown on me over the past few years.  I never used to like their equipment.  My Dad gave me a Hyper X driver 3-4 years ago.  I put a UST Proforce V2 77 gram shaft in it, and still can't find another driver I hit better.  I've recently done a driver fitting.  I tested the Rocketballz, RAZR Fit, Cleveland Classic, etc. and my numbers were no better (in some cases worse) than my Hyper X.  I had some prize money to burn in my club pro shop so I was hoping to use the fitting as validation to buy a new driver, but alas it did not help.  Although one thing that I didn't like (about my fitting) was the fact that I couldn't try other drivers with the same shaft I currently use.  If I do get a new driver I intend to put the same shaft in it, and I couldn't do an apples-to-apples comparison since Golf Galaxy couldn't use "my shaft" in different driver heads. I wanted to see if I could gain distance simply by changing the clubhead.  In other words, could I gain an avg. 5-7+ yards simply by updating my driver head?  I asked the certified PGA master pro about that, and he couldn't really give me a clear answer.  Any thoughts?

Also, did you happen to bring up the defect with the cover on the new Hex Black Tour ball?  Let me first say that I absolutely LOVE that ball.  It has definitely found a permanent home in my bag.  I never used to like Callaway balls at all because they felt to firm and "clicky" on wedge and iron shots.  This one has a much softer feel than the Tour i's, hits as long as the V1x off the driver, and spins less on full wedge shots, but MORE on half wedge shots (thicker cover).  Anyway, the hex patterns below the logo on both sides look like someone took a razor blade and traced the hex pattern in some of the dimples. It is a consistant defect that I have seen in all 4 dozen boxes I've used.  It is very difficult to see until you hit a few iron shots and catch that area.  Although it doesn't affect playability, it's a pretty big blemish to overlook on Callaway's part, and it's really annoying to have to look at after a few swings.

[Golfingdad]

I thought the tour and driver fitting I received at the Ely Callaway Performance Center back in May was a once-in-a-lifetime type of deal ...

( http://thesandtrap.com/t/58537/the-sand-trap-visits-callaway-golf-razr-fit-driver-fitting-at-the-ely-callaway-performance-center/0_30#post_718608 )

... but then I get the call from Mike that they want to have us back to test out their 2013 line!  Woohoo!  I ain't missing that one!  (Tons and tons of thanks go to all of the guys at Callaway, as well as Mike and Erik here at The Sand Trap, for making this happen and letting me be a part of it.)

This time around, we skipped the tour and headed straight for the driving range to do some testing.  And you can't help but feel like a tour pro while practicing on what amounts to a private driving range.  There isn't even a single ball sitting out there prior to the beginning of our session ...

(and at the end of our 2 hour session, they collected every ball off the range to give the next lucky group - could have been Ernie Els for all I know - the same experience)  After taking this photo, that giant pyramid of pristene non-range balls was screaming out to be hit by the 2013 Callaway irons sitting in the racks behind me.

[Side note:  It is at this point that I have to apologize because once I started testing out these new clubs I stopped taking photos, and before I knew it our time was up and we were off to lunch.  I will try and make up for it by posting a myriad of pictures of my Xhot driver when I can.]  Now back to the story ...

We had the opportunity to test four new sets of irons.  The X Hot, X Hot Pro, X Forged, and X Musclebacks.  I started by testing out the X Hot's.  They are a typical Callaway Super Game Improvement iron with the oversized head and thick topline.  Not my cup of tea, as I prefer my irons to look a little more "blade-like" at address, however, these were easy to hit.  Because of the look, I didn't spend too much time on them though, skipping over to the X Forged.  These are beautiful looking irons!  (Just ask Beachcomber ... I'm surprised Santa didn't bring him a set of these!)  I have never owned a forged iron of any kind, nor would my game benefit from it at this point, so I took the opportunity to hit these while I could.  They felt great and were surprisingly forgiving on all but my more severe mis-hits off the toe.  (It's because of those misses that I will not be in the market for player's irons anytime soon, at least until I sort that out)  If I was a better ball-striker I might consider these irons.  One reason I wouldn't ...

Is because of the X Musclebacks.  Good lord, these things are gorgeous!  Some might find the X design/pattern on the back as a bit over-stated, but not me.  I love it.  And I was making good swings with these clubs as well, putting a few nice high draws out there to 170 or so with a 7 iron.  Again, if I was in the market for new clubs and was ready for blades ... these would be my choice.  I loved them back in May, and I love them now!

Lastly, I spent some time with the X Hot Pro's.  Now, I feel like these irons were made for me and my game as it currently stands.  A cast cavity back GI iron with plenty of tech behind, but a simple thin topline look from up above.  Similar to the i20's that I currently play, these irons were just as long as the forged irons on solid hits, and a lot friendlier on my toe misses.  If I swapped these in for my i20's, I don't think I would miss a beat.

One thing all four sets had going for them in my book is their look.  The players irons are simple and sleek with no color paintfill to speak of ... just chrome (or satin) and black.  And the X Hots and X Hot Pro's were not gawdy at all ... as I've come to expect from typical irons in the GI and SGI categories.  The only addition to the Raiders colors on these is the red "X" in the middle.  Well done, Callaway!

Next it was on to the hybrids and fairway woods.  The hybrids I tested were the X Hots and X Hot Pro's.  Love the matte grey finish!  The most obvious difference between the two is the head size.  The X Hot Pro's were considerably smaller than the X Hot, otherwise they looked almost identical.  I was a fan of the bigger X Hot, since it leaned more towards a fairway wood look.

The biggest winner of the day for me, however, was the X Hot fairway woods.  (You won't see any pictures of these until I believe January 7th, but Mike and Shawn will have plenty to share at that point)  I was hitting the 3 wood in 15 degree and 13.5 degree (X Hot Pro).  Due to my steep swing angle and low launch, the 13.5 was not for me, unless I used it exclusively as a 'stinger' club.  The 15, however, was a monster.  I'm not sure what the 'X' stands for, but I most definitely know what the 'hot' stands for, as this thing was smokin'!  The best ball I hit all day was in the (estimated based on the flag - not on Trackman) range of 280 yards with this bad boy.  (My "average" 3 wood currently - Titleist 910F 15 degree - is about 240-250 at best)  My best shots while testing out drivers barely surpassed this!  If nothing else, they got something in these fairway woods!

Lastly, it was time to get fitted for a new driver on the Trackman with Garrett (he also fitted me for my RazrFit).  We compared the X Hot, X Hot Pro, and Razr Fit Extreme, to my current Razr Fit.  We ended up going with the same shaft I currently play ... Diamana Kai'ili XS.  (For anybody wondering, shafts from current Razr Fits are interchangable with all of their new drivers, as they use the same tip system)  The first thing we learned from my baseline data with my current driver is that I tend to hit down considerably with a fairly low launch angle.  My attack angle ranged around -4, while my launch angle hovered around 9 degrees.  My ball spin was in the low to mid 2000's along with a ball speed around 158-ish.  With the X Hot, we were able to get that spin up in the 2700-2800 range and the ball speed to right around 160, while keeping the same tight (a relative term ) dispersion.  (My best drives carried into the low 260's)  The X Hot was the clear winner for me.  (When they are available, I will post numerous pictures of it, along with a more detailed review after another extensive side-by-side comparison with my current driver)

All in all, I have a hunch Callaway is in for a nice bounce back year with these new offerings!

To top off the entire day, it was lunch and swing talk (along with some good teacher war stories) with Mvmac, his dad, and Beachcomber.  A great start to the holiday weekend to be sure!  Once again, a big thank you to Chad, Garrett, and all the guys at Callaway, as well as Mike, Erik, and The Sand Trap!

Merry Christmas (and Happy belated Hanukkah) and Happy New Year everybody!

[PhilsRHman]

Very cool trip guys. I have been playing a Razr Fit for a year now, with a whiteboard. Very curious to hear how they've improved upon it with this year's model.

I've sort of shied away from Callaway's irons since they branded everything as Razr. My X-Protos are my favorite looking set of irons at the moment, even though I don't play them often since they're too hard to hit consistently. Love the looks of the X Forged. Will be looking forward to be seeing them in person.

[Pakoh]

cool shit!

[x1mlf]

I've been a Callaway fanboy since the day I couldn't afford their irons.  As I've graduated to a more acceptable disposable income, I am once again believing in ELY.  I feel as though they'd lost their way the last 5-6 years, but the new offerings are getting them back to where they should be - on the front page.  Best of luck to my preferred golf club manufacturer, many of us are rooting for you.

[hacker101]

x1mif I am there with you regarding Callaway, from the time I started playing and could not afford Callaways I had always been a fan. Once able to have the income I was right there owning 4 sets in all and even starting my son out with them. But this go around I only looked at them although nice they have really not put anything new out I have always played there clubs until now they just are not that great.

Maybe this time they will hit a home run they look really nice.

[mvmac]

X Hot Pro Driver

X Hot Pro Hybrid

X Hot Fairway

X Hot Pro Fairway

[Beachcomber]

That X-Hot 3W is sick.  Check this video out... LOL

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

That X-Hot 3W is sick.  Check this video out... LOL

I think Gary was hitting in your spot Beach