Search the Community

Brief mini-review on my impressions hitting the (2017) Steelhead XR at a Callaway demo day. Background: I am solidly in the GI category; eg. a mid-/high-handicapper .. some good shots but then some mental lapses, tension/jitters, whatever .. but making incremental progress over time in producing more solid shots on-target coupled with more manageable misses. Current irons: 2016 Cobra King F6 with FST steel shafts (regular). Prior to these I had Taylormade R9s with graphite shafts. Story: Earlier this year I did see a fitter who recommended changing the shafts to Recoil 460 ES. The 5 in my bag was a Ping G Crossover (5/24*) which was ok, but was not all that crazy about. I ordered a Cobra King OS 5i with a 460 ES in it as a replacement and am very (very!) happy with that choice - and definitely liking the lighter shaft and the, well, "recoil" ;-) feel of the Recoil. So now I'm ready to either change out the rest of the iron shafts or buy a new set of irons with Recoils in them. Testing Impressions on the range. Club tested was a 7i with the stock graphite Matrix Ozik Program 15; Recoils were N/A at this demo day. They were able to give me a shorter shaft and flatten the lie to match my current 7i. We were hitting range balls off of a good quality mat with a "rough" strip so could hit from that or the "fairway" lie. I hit three balls with the Steelhead XR then with my F6; then hit three each off the "rough" strip; then flipped back-and-forth for a while so I felt like hit a number of shots, from each lie, with each club. Results are eyeball observations only; no LM. * Performance: 10 No kidding - first, and every, shot .. except for the ones I outright hacked .. flew high and straight. Easy, smooth launch. Very nice! Felt liked the clubhead really worked to help straighten out mis-hits. * Looks - 6.25 (average of 5 + 7.5) Can't decide whether these are ugly or "cool", so kinda 50-50 there. BUT.. as far as head shape, size, topline and offset these are appealing - on a GI scale - so better score there. * Sound - 2.5 Yeah, maybe it was the range balls but there was a bit of a high, 'tinny' sound .. even on solid contact..... * Feel: 7.5 Reasonably solid, but not "like, totally awesome, dude!". Maybe it was the sound that put me off a bit, but on the plus side like I said solid hits felt solid; off-center hits did give some feedback and still flew reasonably well. * Overall Impression: Based on the (range) performance alone, I would buy a set ... and very well may ... though with the Recoil 460 ES for a bit higher launch and presumably bit higher spin (the weights of that and the Program F15 are almost the same). * Additional Testing Note: Also grabbed a 2016 XR to compare - in every aspect outlined I felt the new Steelhead was better. And, unrelated but as an aside - the demo reps were polite and helpful when asked, but .. probably needless to say .. all their time and attention went to the young studs smashing the Epic driver... :-)

(4) TESTERS WANTED Callaway Steelhead XR/ XR Pro Irons Can a remake ever be as good as the original? Could a remake ever be better than the original? Ever since the rebirth of Big Bertha, Callaway has had no problem bringing back iconic names from the past - Great Big Bertha, Fusion, Apex and now, Steelhead. Callaway has hit the proverbial daily double with the new Steelhead XR and the Steelhead XR Pro irons. At last count, the Steelhead XR's are the number one selling iron in golf and has helped make Callaway the number one OEM in golf. Clearly the Steelheads are more than just a new dress on an old girl, but does the performance match the hype? That's where you come in. Testers Wanted: Callaway touts the new Steelheads as a signature shape with breakthrough performance. Both the XR and XR Pro models check all the boxes: speed and distance from the next-generation 360 Cup Face Technology, the Bore-Thru hosel for greater forgiveness and a progressive center of gravity for more control. Can these new sticks with the old names improve your ball striking and help you shoot lower scores? We need four avid golfers to help us find out. How To Apply: As you know, we take our club testing very seriously here at MyGolfSpy. We need two of you to test and review (and keep) a set of Callaway Steelhead XR's, and two more to test and review (and keep) a set of Steelhead XR Pro's. If you'd like to be a tester, please follow these instructions carefully. In this thread, tell us: Your first name Your home state/province Your current handicap Your current iron set Your biggest strength & weakness to your iron game It's that simple! We will announce the 4 testers in this thread next week, so make sure to check back here. Remember, you MUST apply in THIS THREAD to be eligible. And if you're a newer member of the MyGolfSpy Community Forum, we recommend reading these two threads for some helpful hints on how to be selected as a tester. Forum Testing - How Testers Will Be Chosen ​Equipment Review Tips and Tricks