OFFICIAL FORUM MEMBER REVIEW - CALLAWAY XR 16 DRIVERS AND FWS

[JBones 1,229]

 

OFFICIAL CALLAWAY XR 16 DRIVER AND FW REVIEW

 

Please join us for the following forum member reviews of the Callaway XR 16 driver and fairway woods. Lets find out if their performance can stand up to their looks.



txgolfjunkie         Stage One      Stage Two     Stage Three

N8ball                  Stage One      Stage Two      Stage Three

sp0rtsfan86        Stage One       Stage Two     Stage Three

Eseay32             Stage One       Stage Two      Stage Three


Let us know what you think!

Visit Callaways website HERE
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Follow Callaway on Twitter HERE

[txgolfjunkie 931]

Hello, my name is Shane and I'm a ho.

 

“Hi Shane”

 

I started ho-ing around 7 years ago and it's been a seasonal struggle ever since. Every spring brings the enjoyment of a new year, a new round of equipment changes that could improve driving distance by an entire yard (or two!!) or improve accuracy and forgiveness in the irons by a fraction of a millimeter! I've been a good ho. I've been there to support other hoes. However, I just got married and now the wife says I can't ho no mo. Sigh.

 

But along comes MGS and now this ho can get his fix!

 

I've been playing this game/sport/hobby for 25 of my 35 years on God's green earth but it's been the last 7-10 years that I really enjoyed the game. When I played in grade school and in college, I viewed golf as a job, a task that had to be completed. It took away from my social life and though I was good at it, I couldn't stand not playing well every time I teed it up.

 

Though I don't currently have a handicap, I had a handicap last year and I was just north of scratch. My improvement in the game can be traced to two areas:

1.       I married a gym rat who's a registered dietitian and training to become a certified strength and conditioning consultant. It's a simple equation of eating right, doing the proper routines in the gym and the end result is watching the ball fly further down the fairway.

2.       I changed how I approached the game between the ears. It wasn't a new club, swing change, etc. it was how I changed my perspective about the game. I love golf. Any time I hit a bad shot, I forget about it quickly. Spending half the round in a pissy mood does no good for you or anyone around you. Don't get me wrong, playing to your strengths and understanding your weaknesses help tremendously, but the game improves drastically when you get your head out of your butt. Enjoy being out on the course and now stuck behind a desk or inside watching other people play golf!

 

I like a good match against a strong competitor but I really don't like to get money involved; there are so many games out there I can't keep them straight and I've taken money from guys by shooting poorly and I've been escorted to the ATM to pay off a bet in which I beat a guy by 7 strokes. Real talk.

 

I'm a great ball-striker and a mediocre, but streaky putter. Chicks dig the long ball and that's why I try to swing out of my shoes on just about every swing. I can't draw the ball the save my life and I've had the same miss-hit since day 1: a high fade. The fade miss-hit on the driver is due to my steep angle of attack (117mph, 1.47 smash, -2* to -4* AoA per last fitting) and a slight inside-out swing path. I will say that swing profile does allow me, as a southpaw, to eliminate the right rough 90% of the time. I'm ok with the loss of distance off the tee with my swing profile, but it's consistent and I can rely on a butter cut most of the time. My miss-hit with the irons are out towards the toe which translates to a weak fade. With my high ball flight and high spin rate off every club, no tree is too tall.

 

The more I get exposed to various club/shaft combos, the more I feel I need to tweak my equipment to ensure I'm getting everything out of my swing. When my wife asked me if I would spend $300 to gain an extra four yards off the tee, I asked her if I should pay in cash or get points with credit.

 

You can find me on most public/semi-private courses around the Houston, TX area. What I love about the area is one summer you set your bag up for a drought and then the following summer record rainfall amounts. One year the bounce on my wedges are set for hardpan, the next year is set to avoid digging in the soft fairways. The ever evolving conditions greatly increase the number of golf club boxes on my front porch. I mean, what if I drive to a course that is sitting under water? I better grab my high bounce wedges! Shout out to Mother Nature for keeping me on my toes.

 

WITB:

Here's a typical ho bag, one with multiple drivers, fairway woods, putters, etc. I mean, I'm not in the US Open so I'll carry 14, 15 or 19 clubs if I want! It's all for science!

 

The bag doesn't look so cluttered without all the headcovers. 

 

 

TaylorMade M1 w Aldila Tour Green 65X

Callaway X2 Hot Pro Deep 3 w/ Aldila Tour Green 75X

Callaway X2 Hot Pro 18* Hybrid w/ Aldila Tour Green 75X

Titleist 916 H2 20* Hybrid w/ Diamana D+ White 70S

4-PW Cobra King Pro Forged Combo w/DG Tour X100

Cobra Trusty Rusty 53* w/ DG S300

Titleist SM5 60* K-Grind

Bettinardi BB1 Carbon Prototype…but I change my putter about every full moon.

 

Just like the mommy blogs that promote the latest trends in gluten-free diets (I heard this Callaway driver is gluten free AND dairy free), us golfers suffer from ‘trends' that come and go. Square head drivers, bubble shafts, and materials only found in outer space! Now I get to compare my ‘trendy' M1 with a carbon fiber crown to the ‘trendy' aerodynamic Callaway XR16 Pro designed with Boeing.  I'm always excited about getting out on the course, but to play and test some of the latest equipment on the market will be a whole other level of excitement. 

 

My setup for the XR16 Pro test:

Driver 9.5* Pro w/ Diamana D+ 70 X Flex**

3 Wood 14* Pro w/ Diamana D+ 70 X Flex

 

** - I'm also testing the driver with an Aldila Tour Green 65X

 

 

Here's a few snapshots of clubs upon delivery:

 

[txgolfjunkie 931]

Callaway XR Pro 16 Driver and Fairway Review – Official MGS Forum Review by TXGolfJunkie

 

Before we get started, I would like to thank the fine folks at MGS for selecting this self-proclaimed ‘club ho' to test the new Callaway lineup for 2016. I can't tell you how many times I had to disappoint the wife when she had chores lined up for me on the weekends.

 

“I'm sorry babe, the internet world needs me!”

“Shane, I just don't see the point of you going to the course EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.”

“Do you remember why I'm doing this? I've told you numerous times…”

*awkward silence coupled with laser beams from the wife's now nearly shut eyes*

“Yes babe…SCIENCE! Be back in a few hours!”

 

Despite the mid-summer conditions and the occasional blurred-vision swing from the triple digit heat and humidity, I've never had more fun putting my ho skills to the test.

 

Also on a testing note, I ordered the stock Diamana D+ 70X shaft in the driver and it launched too high for my liking so I purchased an Aldila Tour Green 65X and brought the ball back down to earth. None of the testing was done with technology (i.e. launch monitor), only with the naked eye.

 

Player Bio

WITB:

Current Driver – TaylorMade M1 with an Aldila Tour Green 65x shaft.

The weights are one click lower flight and two clicks draw. I was fitted for this driver back in March and this combo has left me hitting low bullets with a high launch and low spin that flatten out and run like crazy when it hits the fairway. It's a perfect club for the Texas wind. It's going to be difficult to kick this out of the bag, mainly due to how it performs into a stiff breeze.

 

The Callaway has a noticeably taller face and more compact shape than the M1. 

 

Current 3 wood – Callaway X2 Hot Pro Deep 14.5* 3 wood with an Aldila Tour Green 75x shaft.

I never really gave the Aldila Tour Green or the Callaway X Hot line much thought until I bought this stick on the Callaway Pre-Owned website. This club can boom some lengthy tee shots. The face is crazy hot and I can control the ball flight fairly well. It's the best money spent in my bag…and one of the longest tenured clubs in my bag at around 18 months! That's like 10 years in the ho-ing lifestyle.

 

Performance

Performance at the Range

I didn't put a lot of weight on the driving range performance because the driving ranges I most frequent supply us hacks with Top Flite Strata range balls that rival Pinnacle for the most rock-esk golf ball on the market. My carry distance and flight characteristics are so inconsistent at the range because one ball might be brand new and fly around 85% of the actual distance and the next ball has been around since the Regan administration and flies only 60% of the actual distance.

 

Here are some tidbits from the Callaway XR 16 Pro 9* Driver:

·         The club felt lighter than the M1 in my hands and quickly became a point and shoot type driver.

·         The ball feels so much better off the face (personal preference) than off of the M1. The XR Pro 16 feels light and a muted tinny sound at impact while the M1 feels harsher, even when you connect on the sweet spot.

·         I felt I could swing as hard as I wanted with the Callaway and not pull it. My miss hit was a fade but it wouldn't be anything that would get me in trouble on the course.

·         It flew about the same distance as the M1 but didn't have the roll out like the M1. I felt the added spin kept the ball more in line with the target than with the M1.

 

For the Callaway XR 16 Pro 14* 3 Wood with Diamana D+ 70X:

·         Um what is this?

·         What did Callaway R&D do to this club? It feels like cat poop at impact and the ball travels in a high fade pattern that could best be described as…a…*gulp*…slice. Not a workable slice, but a ‘hide yo kids, hide yo wife cause it's gettin ugly out here' slice. I couldn't believe how different my X2 Hot Pro Deep 3 wood felt versus the XR 16 Cleveland Steamer (that's poop for those unaware of the steamer reference).

·         I will say that this club is an anti-straight club…so they got that going for them…which is nice.

·         Seriously, what is in my hands? I have to go shower now.

 

Range Score: Driver – 8 out of 10.             3 Wood – 4 out of 10.

 

 

Performance on the Course

Callaway XR 16 Pro in comparison to the M1:

·         The Callaway setup is a fairway splitter. Every now and then a baby fade would find a way into my swing, but I felt pretty confident that no matter how hard I could go after it, I could eliminate the right rough (a pull/hook for lefties). This sucker is accurate. Spiny, but accurate.

·         The XR 16 Pro ‘felt' more forgiving than the M1. I say ‘felt' because I didn't have any actual spin/distance numbers to back up the claim but solely by what I saw with my own eyes and felt in my hands. When I caught the M1 on the toe, distance suffered. When I caught the XR 16 Pro on the toe, the distance loss wasn't as noticeable.

·         The carry distance between the M1 and XR 16 Pro was pretty close, maybe 5-7 yards difference on shots where the wind was calm or helping. Into the wind, well, it wasn't nearly as close. The increased spin in the Callaway kept it from really competing with the M1. The ball flight into the wind with the Callaway resembled a dead cat shot out of a canon. It starts with a bang, flies for a good ways, and then just drops to earth with a subtle bounce.

·         Overall I was pleased with the Callaway but any sort of hurting wind really brought the higher spin rate into play. It's a club that finds the fairway but I would be sacrificing some serious yards in certain environments.

 

Here are some non-technical comparisons between the reigning champion (M1) and the contender (XR 16 Pro).

 

In Galveston, TX, it was a great way to test the Cally in the consistent 10-15mph breeze along the Texas coast. The swing wasn't cooperating for the first few holes but then I was able to smoke two tee shots and get a good look at the Callaway facing a good right-to-left cross breeze. Both flew about the same distance and along the same path but the lower spin of the M1 allowed the wind to have a little more effect on the ball and push it into the fairway where it released another 15+ yards after it landed. The XR 16 Pro held its own in the wind and landed in the right rough (my aiming point) and sat soft. Here's the result of the two shots:

 

With my swing getting in the groove, I was able to find a course near my home on a late Sunday afternoon and I was able to really get a lot of testing done. Numerous tee shots with both drivers gave me a pretty good read on how each of the clubs perform under calm conditions. I've given two examples of how the clubs compared.

Both clubs were caught flush and were fairly even on an uphill par 4. 

 

I put a poor swing on the M1 and the lack of forgiveness really kicked in. Check it out compared to a flushed XR 16 Pro.

 

Callaway XR 16 Pro 14* 3 Wood in comparison to the X2 Hot Pro Deep 14.5*:

·         I'm having a hard time trying to wrap my head around what design change took place between the X2 Hot Pro 3 Deep and the XR 16 Pro 3 wood. The low ball flight out towards the toe of the club is gone. The overall forgiveness of the club has been diminished. The overall feel of the hot face has been replaced by wooden bat ‘thwack'. I know it could change with a different shaft, but the Diamana D+ was the best option for low spin and low launch.

·         The overall control of the club was difficult at first but I felt like I had to change my swing up a bit to make the club work for me. While that's not the best route to take, I was willing to make a few subtle changes for an accurate test. The XR 16 Pro fairway wood was unlike the driver in the sense that both sides of the rough were in play. I was yanking the ball hard right just as easily as I was pushing them well left.

·         The spin rates and overall height of the shots between the two fairway clubs were fairly similar. Both clubs can balloon on you if you don't attack with your best swing.

 

I've included two samples of the comparison. It was difficult getting the XR 16 Pro fairway wood to cooperate at all times, but there were a few holes where both clubs were behaving. This first shot is one of my favorite holes at the course near my house. It's a gradual dogleg left with water running down the left of the fairway that leads to a tucked green surrounded by water and sand. It's a really good risk/reward hole. My normal play is a butter-cut 3 wood off the back tees. Mission accomplished with the X2 Hot Pro Deep. Take a handful of practice swings with the XR 16 Pro and it's a dead yank into the right trees. The swing felt fine and the ball at impact felt fine but the end result was no bueno.

 

To get a distance comparison, I sat on the tee box of a straight away par 4 and hit about a dozen balls total trying to get a good ball out of each club. This is about the average of the two clubs with the X2 just beating out the XR 16 Pro. X2 Hot Pro Deep was consistently longer and easier to control than the XR 16 Pro.

 

 

On Course Performance Score: Driver – 21 out of 30.                      3 Wood – 10 out of 30.

 

 

Subjective

Looks

I will give credit to Callaway for making a sharp driver and fairway wood. The technology they boast is clear as day on the sole and the overall design of the driver is spot on. I really like the compact shape at address and the minimal visuals on the crown. The way the driver frames the ball on the tee gives me a lot of confidence knowing if I put in a good swing, the ball will behave accordingly. There's really not a single complaint on my end for the overall look of the driver and fairway wood. This is one aspect where I give the nod to the XR 16 Pro line over my current gamers.

 

Callaway boasts a technology co-op with Boeing and hey, there it is! 

 

Looks Score: Driver – 18 out of 20.                            3 Wood – 18 out of 20.

 

Sound and Feel

I equate the sound and feel between the driver and 3 wood to be like the set of twins where one got all the looks and the other has a ‘nice personality'. The driver feels really good. As I stated earlier in the review, I actually preferred the feel of the driver over the M1. The ball explodes off the face of the driver and the face feels hot all over. The feel at impact is like hitting a golf ball with a beer…or coke can that's warm, shaken up and under extreme pressure. I commend Callaway for the tuned sound at impact and the explosive feel.

Now on to the twin with a ‘nice personality'. I had a hard time feeling the ball at impact. More importantly, I couldn't feel where I was making impact with the ball. If I hit a ball out towards the toe, I want to feel that. It all felt the same, like an old wooden baseball bat. Nothing felt crisp at impact. It was a real disappointment.

 

Ever seen a wolf in sheep's clothing? 

 

Sound and Feel Score: Driver – 20 out of 20.        3 Wood – 5 out of 20.

 

 

Likelihood of Purchase

 

If I was pursue the XR 16 Pro Driver, I would need to spend a pretty penny getting properly fitted with the right shaft and then buy the shaft. That could be upwards of $400 when it's all said and done. That's not something that's feasible at the current time. Yes, the XR 16 Pro Driver was more accurate than the M1, but the high spin, especially into a head wind, is a deal breaker for me. I'd rather be 150 yards out in the left rough with the M1 than sitting in the middle of the fairway 165 yards out.

 

I don't know what to say about the XR 16 Pro 3 wood. I know I probably had a bad head/shaft combo but I don't know what could be done to make me fall in love with this stick. I think there would have to be some weight redistribution done to the head to make the ball fly the way I want to. Since moveable weight is not an option on the fairway wood, I can't see myself playing this club in the future. In the famous words of my ex-girlfriends, “it's not you, it's me”. In this case, this club doesn't fit my swing.

LOP Score: Driver – 12 out of 20.                               3 Wood – 5 out of 20.

 

 

Total Point: Driver – 79 out of 100.                            3 Wood – 42 out of 100.

 

 

Conclusion

 

While neither club was able to kick out the existing selection in my bag, it was a valiant fight by the driver.

 

Just like the well-balanced ‘Most Wanted List' produced by this site, you have to take my review with a grain of salt. I am just one player with a particular swing type that doesn't benefit from these clubs. Maybe this lineup does fit your swing profile. Maybe you already bag the XR 16 Pro 3 wood and you think I'm full of caca with my review. That's the beauty of this sport. What works for me doesn't necessarily have to work for you. I'm guilty of watching particular guys on tour and thinking their setup would be great for me. Heck, after The Open, I was on Callaway's Pre-Owned site looking for a Diablo Octane Tour 13* 3 wood, the same one used by Henrik. Is that a healthy approach to the game? Of course not. But I'm a ho and a darn good ho. It's my duty to try all of the options out there and make a determination from my sampling. Sure my wife would prefer I find clubs that I like and be done with my ho-ing but then I would be letting down you, the reader, and of course…Science!

[txgolfjunkie 931]

'It's not you, it's me' - Brangelina (RIP 9/10/16)

 

My relationship with the XR Pro 16 driver wasn't calm and mature. As much as I wanted it to be a Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson type relationship, it turned out to be a a Tommy Lee and Pam Anderson type relationship. There were times I couldn't keep my hands off the club and then there were times I needed some space. Eventually the bad times overcame the good and we agreed to split. My negative angle of attack caused the XR Pro 16 to spin too much to make it a viable option, especially in the wind. The excessive rain we've received in South Texas made the typical runway-esk fairways into soft marshmallows and the run out from the XR 16 Pro was minimal. I preferred the feel of the XR 16 Pro over the M1, but the M1's total distance made the decision a lot easier for me. I asked for forgiveness with the M1 and we have started to repair our bridge of trust. We still have our moments of frustration, but we're working on how to argue in a mature manner instead of helicoptering the driver deep into the woods. 

 

Oh and you're probably wondering what happened with the 3 wood. Well, that club was quarantined from the rest of the bag because I didn't want the infection to spread to my other clubs. I'm truly dumbfounded but also a firm believer that the shaft is the engine that drives the club. Whatever combo I received from Callaway was similar to fruit cake. Fruit, good. Cake, good. Fruitcake? Disgusting. Callaway makes great fairway woods, Diamana makes great shafts but when you put the two together, you get something toxic that makes you want to take up tennis. I have no doubt there was a right shaft choice for me with the XR 16 Pro 3 Wood, but I didn't have time or resources to find it. The forgiveness of the fairway metal wasn't up to the same level as my X2 Hot Pro Deep 3 wood and neither was the pop off the face. The best I could do was place the XR 16 Pro in a nuclear fallout shelter, seal it up and hope no one ever finds it. I'm afraid if that particular fairway wood got out into the public, it would be Contaigon in real life. Before you would know it, tens, maybe dozens of lefty golfers would be leaving the sport because they swung the infected club. It would be a sad day in this country and it would fall on my shoulders. 

 

Thanks again to the MGS staff for selecting this 'ho' for testing out Callaway's latest driver and fairway woods. It was a lot of fun...all in the name of science. 

[N8ball 32]

Club review time, the staple of any self respecting internet golfer! The dream of buying a game will never die.

 

Let's get right to it and find out all about me:

 

First things first! I am a Gemini, I like long walks up the fairway to find my golf ball, and I am into taking long scenic drives with the right club. I am a total player and definitely into games, though not very good at them currently(~13 Handicap).

 

How about we get into a few details of my game and situation, so maybe a few of you guys can relate and see how it might be applicable to your game.

 

Age: 37

 

Swing speed: 153-169 kph(95-105 mph)

 

Typical ball flight: Mid-high pretty straight on a good day it draws a little

 

Strengths of my game: Generally my iron accuracy and chipping. Really though I am pretty equally competent or incompetent in every area of the game. Once in awhile though I turn into a GIR machine.

 

Weakness of my game: None or all depending on your standards. Probably what I am worst at is fairway woods off of the deck. Which is why I asked for a 7 wood in this test.

 

Current equipment:

Driver - Ping Anser 10.5*

Fairway wood - Taylormade Aeroburner mini driver (16*)

Tour Edge XCG7 7-wood 21*

Hybrid - Adams Pro Mini 23*

Irons - Mizuno JPX EZ forged 5-GW

Wedges - Mizuno JPX 54* Bridgestone 60*

 

I've been playing golf for about 6 years now. I never really got the appeal until I played a winter round in Arizona with a friend who was shooting in the mid 80's at the time. When I saw towering irons shots actually land on the greens, I got the bug to figure it all out. I immediately got a set of clubs and started pounding balls at the golf dome when I got home(Minnesota = winter). I was an absolute maniac my first few years. I broke 100 at the end of my first year, broke 90 my second year... and still somehow haven't managed to break 80 in the remaining 4 years. Fear not though, with the help of MGS and Callaway generously giving me this Driver and Fairway wood, we now stand at the precipice(possibly) of shooting in the 70's and eventual tour status(less likely).

 

So, clubs... how do I chose them? If I am honest, I hit a couple bad shots with one. Then I invent a problem with said club and immediately remedy this "problem" by replacing the offending party. Mostly I go off of looks and feel/sound. I do look at driver spin numbers a bit. I have a tendancy to get very low spin numbers on certain clubs. Like 1000 RPM flat, so I can't get too crazy with low spin drivers. So knowing this about myself, what did I chose?

 

BTW, had them on course within 40 minutes

 

Rather shrewdly, I chose the XR16 pro in 10.5 with a Kuro Kage black tini 60-s shaft

 

 

 

 

Also, I chose the XR16 7 wood with a Kuro Kage black tini 60-s shaft

 

[N8ball 32]

Callaway XR16 Pro driver and XR16 fairway wood – Official MGS Forum Review by N8ball

 

 

One thing my Papy taught me is to never look a gift horse in the mouth and I couldn't have been more excited to get some new toys to play with. However, do the best things always seem to happen when they are least needed? Sometimes it seems that way, like when you get picked to review a driver and fairway wood. One of which would potentially attempt to replace a current favorite club in my bag(Tour Edge XCG7 7 wood shortened 3/4"). If you attempted to take that club from me when I got selected for this, I may very well have attempted to murder you. I LOVE IT THAT MUCH. Its competition for this match up, the Callaway XR16 7 wood Kuro Kage Black Tini 60S. Good luck little fellah!

 

As for the other club we are looking to replace, it is a Ping Anser 10.5 Aldila RIP Phenom Stiff 50g which I really had no complaints about. Keep in mind, this is coming from a guy who has had no fewer than 20 different drivers in the bag since I started golf 5-6 years ago. So it's not difficult for me to find something to complain about. The one trait I won't abide in a driver is when it feels excessively penal on mis-hits. Toe strikes that fall out of the air at 150 yards from no spin... better pack your bags son. So knowing I sometimes have a too low of spin problem what did I choose? The lower spin, less forgiving Callaway XR16 Pro... obviously. Why, you ask incredulously?! Because the pretty girls always get asked to the dance first and I am an idiot.

 

 

Performance

 

I'll start with the driver. Admittedly, I don't typically get along too well with low spin drivers, but I wanted the looks and sounds of the XR16 Pro considerably more than the standard version. So I took a few steps to mitigate the known issues. First I went to 2nd swing and hit both drivers on the simulator and as expected on the 9.5* XR16 Pro - Aldila Rogue Silver Stiff I had plenty of good strikes below 1500 RPM of backspin(I was swinging about 100-102mph that day). So I hit a few different Driver/shaft combos until I tried a previous year Callaway XR with a Kuro Kage Black regular and loved the feel of that combo(note: I got the Kuro Kage Black Tini 60 Stiff... because ego). So in my little reptile brain I concocted a scheme of A(higher spinning shaft) + B(more loft on head - 10.5) = C-allaway driving nirvana(hopefully it isn't a suicidal plan).

 

So, what did happen when I started hitting it? Lets start off with everybody's favorite:

 

Distance: The big question is did I get more distance? On the simulator, yes, although I didn't hit them on the same day. My best hits were about 5-8 yards further. One other caveat is that my swing speed has had a slight increase as we hit mid-summer. Could I attribute that to the aerodynamic witchcraft on this club? Well, I personally think it is something else(more on that later), but to be kind to Callaway I'll shrug and say maybe. My lowest spin rates on toe strikes were around 1700-1900 and typically 1900ish - 2300 on decent center strikes. I found my spin rates to be  little lower with this club, but also more consistent. So does this translate to more distance on course? In general, yes. The biggest factor I have noticed playing this club is when hitting into the wind, the flight doesn't change that drastically. Obviously it still loses distance, but it seems to be a good 15 yards longer than my previous driver into the wind.

 

Accuracy: This one is a bit tough for me to say definitively. At this point it feels as if the previous worst shot in my bag, a moderately hard pull draw has been calmed down a bit with the XR16 Pro. However, I do have a few more slight pushes that don't quite come back. To me the accuracy is pretty much a wash. I certainly don't feel as if i have lost anything in accuracy though.

 

Forgiveness: This is the big one for me. This is make or break stuff for any driver in my opinion. Do my toe strike draws fall out of the air grossly premature? NOPE!! I haven't hit a single dead toe hook with this driver since I got it and it still maintains a decently low spin rate on all other hits as well. Does it lose yards on face exploration type strikes? Of course, but the most important thing to me is I never feel unfairly punished on a mishit(I'm looking at you Bio-Cell+, you handsome bastard). So, to me the XR16 Pro passes with flying colors on this category. Although, I am pretty confident that with the wrong shaft and loft this could have been a disaster. LOVE IT.

 

Trajectory: Consistently medium height for me and this is my favorite place to be. I never feel like I am backed into a corner and need to swing hard to get it to launch. Yet on the flip side, when i do start going after it a bit it only goes in one direction forward(not severely up). LOVE IT.

 

Control: Truth be told I don't attempt to hit anything other than one shape a straight-ish draw. I know what lane I need to be in when driving and I stay there. Once in awhile I try to go a bit high or low and I haven't seemed to have any issues here. So not a lot to report on this front for me.

 

Range Score: 9 out of 10

 

Course Score: 28 out of 30

 

Performance Notes:

 

I have been extremely pleased with the XR16 Pro's performance, I have not hit a single ball and felt like I got something less than that swing  deserved. One of the biggest factors that contributes to my high score on performance is that I feel like I chose a REALLY good shaft/head/loft combo for me. The Kuro Kage Black Tini feels VERY smooth to me while still feeling stable on mishits and when I swing harder. If a shaft starts to feel a bit too much like swinging a nice piece of Douglas Fir in the dimensions of 2x4(note: technically 1.5"x3.5" in case you are the type who is trying to find a hosel adapter to fit one), the chimpanzee in me comes out and I fight the shaft for dominance. I'm not sure who wins typically, but I know my scorecard loses. I have been hitting this thing right on the button more than any driver I can recall and that always helps. If I had to guess this is where my extra speed is coming from, the confidence gained by good results always helps you get a bit more aggressive.

 

 

Subjective:

 

Looks:

 

I have no problem admitting that looks drive my golf purchases as much as anything else these days. There is an old saying in aviation - "If it looks right, it will fly right". Given that Boeing helped design this club, it should apply here. I'll break it down into 3 criteria on what looks good:

 

Head shape at address - I love the shape, not too stretched back or flattened out. The "speed steps" on the crown make no difference to my eye. I don't even really notice them any more, if I ever did when setting up for a shot.

 

Face shape - Deep faces are where it is at for me, take your shallow nonsense elsewhere please. This one has just enough depth to please me. It's not quite up to Bio-Cell+ or Cleveland Classic standards of depth, but I've got no complaints.

 

Sole shape/graphics - While this may matter the least since you can't see it while playing, I still like seeing something interesting. First thing you see in the store is the sole of the club in the display rack. NAILED IT. For my money, I haven't seen one better. It looks the business and no I don't care if it actually does anything.

 

Looks Score: 18 out of 20

 

Sound and Feel:

 

The best description I can think of to explain the sound is "like Thor's hammer beating on the Liberty Bell". Which admittedly might seem a bit semi hyperbolic and it is. However, when you are slamming a hunk of titanium goodness into a golf ball at a rate 1848 inches per second, you want everybody in the county to know what you have done. So for my tastes it could be turned up to 11 rather than at about 7, but it makes a nice less hollow sounding metallic smack. Also, there is a nice slight tone change on off center strikes which I always like.

 

Sound and Feel Score: 17 out of 20

 

Likelihood of Purchase:

 

So, obviously at this point I like the XR16 Pro driver. As this one is setup, 10.5* Kuro Kage Black Tini 60S I would not hesitate to buy it. This is a true story, I had 18 scheduled one Friday afternoon and the Callaway box came in right before I left for the course. I took both drivers and hit the XR16 Pro for the first time on hole 9 and have never even once swung my old driver again. 

 

LOP Score: 19 out of 20

 

 

Subjective notes:

 

Looks great(I always appreciate color options if anyone is listening Callaway)

 

Sounds good - not everyone might want more volume added like me

 

Conclusion

 

I really thought I might be making a mistake getting this driver rather than the standard XR16 and I couldn't be more pleased with the result. Certainly I never really expected to gain huge amounts of distance, even from "The Kings of Distance", over a driver that was already a decent fit for me. What really happened is I got a few small but not insignificant gains from the driver without any downsides. I have been hitting driver on more holes than I previously had and to me that speaks volumes on confidence and enjoyment. 

 

One other note: It should be brought to the attention of us internet golfers, at least those who watch golf on youtube. This is also the same driver that Mark Crossfield currently plays and while that may not make me go spend $350 on a new club, it certainly plays into brands I like to support when they get involved with something I find fun. #Knuckleball

 

Total Score: 91 out of 100

 

XR16 Fairway wood - 7 wood

 

 

Performance:

 

I requested a 7-wood for this test since I don't really use a 3-wood. I have been absolutely in love with 7-woods since replacing my 3-hybrid with a TE Exotics XCG7 7-wood. So as opposed to a driver, a 7-wood has a very different set of criteria. It makes absolutely no difference to me if this new club is longer than my old one(Spoiler Alert: it certainly is). The old one already goes the exact distance I want - 220 on a good swing, 230 if I cane it. All that matters is how easy is it to hit off the fairway(80%) and how is it off the tee(20%)

 

Distance: Is it longer? - Absolutely. How much you ask? Oh, about 8 yards. Why? Well, the shaft is 3/4" longer and it spun a bit less for me. I will give it this, off the tee out on course I hit a couple shockingly long shots with it. I cannot explain how it happened, nor could I likely repeat it but it did go within 15 yards of my driver on well hit drives.

 

Accuracy: I tended to get a few more pull draws with this club than my old 7-wood. It seemed to me that I only had two shots in the bag with this one - perfect small draw up the gut, or pull hook to the adjacent fairway. There weren't many shots headed right with this guy.

 

Forgiveness: Its a 7-wood, they are typically more forgiving that the Dalai Lama himself(reputedly a big hitter). Catch it a little thin, it still flies like a 3/4 wood. Too much in the heel or toe? No worries. I got a pretty good flight wherever I hit this one on the face, so no complaints here.

 

Trajectory: I'm more surprised that this wasn't co-developed with Cialis rather than Boeing, its easy to get it up. For me this one was not quite as high when hitting off the deck, but still not an issue to elevate. Given that it is a 7-wood, hitting into the wind is not their forte.

 

Control: For me, this is where I had issues with the  club. The hard left was always playing in my mind. I never felt quite as at ease with this one in my hands. It never really occurred to me to try hitting it low on course, but I messed around with it on the range and it wasn't impossible. 

 

Range Score: 7 out of 10

 

Course Score: 22 out of 30

 

Performance Notes

 

I hit a lot of good tee shots with this club on days I was on, but never was able to hit as consistently off of the deck with the XR16 7-wood. Confidence off the deck it is the most important attribute for with a  fairway wood and I never quite felt as good with this one. I may try shortening it a bit and adding some weight to the head. If I do, I will post an update in the thread.

 

Subjective:

 

Looks: The head has a nice small-ish rounded shape and the top line on the face/crown looked decently straight and made it easy to line up at address. I do like the small gray lines around the back of the head, it matched the graphics of the Kuro Kage shaft perfectly. The face is a bit deeper than my old 7-wood and the sole matched the looks of the driver which I loved. On pure aesthetics I do like it better than my old club. However, as a shape/size of a club I actually want to bag and play, I prefer a shallower face and a wider heel to toe length on the face. Which is exactly what my old club delivers. I personally don't get why fairway woods get considerably small as you get to a 7-wood. I'm not playing a 7-wood because I am awesome at hitting fairway woods off the deck, give me some space on the face! I will cut Callaway a bit of slack on this one since they do make a model that fits this description and I have already begun the lust/justification cycle on.(Great Big Bertha heavenwood, you will be mine)

 

 

Looks Score: 14 out of 20

 

Sound and Feel: I really like the sound of this one, the high pitched tink is exactly what I want to hear. It can make you feel as if you have committed a homicide every time you take a swipe at the ball. The sound seemed pretty consistent on all parts of the face and I do like the sound of this a bit better than my old club. Volume here is plenty to satisfy this attention enthusiast.

 

 

Sound and Feel Score: 20 out of 20

 

Likelihood of Purchase

 

This is where the rubber meets the road for Callaway and to be honest based on the headsize(kinda small) and face shape(I want shallower) I wouldn't buy one. Even though I have a pretty good centered strike pattern with it and certainly didn't need a bigger head. I WANT to look at a shape and size that makes me more confident hitting off the floor.

 

LOP Score: 10 out of 20

 

Conclusion:

 

The reality is the club did play pretty well for me and I can take credit for the hard pull miss since its not the only club I have ever done that with. Even if I had no misses with it(unlikely, since I can top any fairway wood off the deck), I still probably wouldn't have replaced my old 7 wood with it. That doesn't mean that Callaway won't get my money, since they have a wide product line and make my favorite looking fairway wood out this year(GBB Heavenwood). It just so happened that this was not my preferred type of fairway wood to begin with and why would I ever play something that doesn't suit my preferences.

 

Total Score: 73 out of 100

 

 

[N8ball 32]

The Follow up

 

The big questions:

 

1. Will this product go in my bag? Absolutely, I have not even swung another driver since the first day I got the XR16 Pro. I haven't even looked for internet deals on drivers since, no more wandering eyes here. I am still enjoying the accuracy and solid forgiveness on offer here. As for the 7 wood, I went back to my old one. 

 

2. To whom, if anyone, would I recommend this driver and 7 wood? Why? I would only recommend it to the narrow range of golfers who enjoy hitting consistently long and accurate drives. Really though, in 10.5 loft I find it very easy to hit and I think the majority of golfers can hit this club. I never have the sense that I have to swing hard or it won't launch.

 

3.How, if at all, did this product change my overall impression of the Callaway? For me, it changed it drastically. I hadn't hit a Callaway club in 4 years prior to this, due to some questionable quality issues. Now I am trying their wares again and I can say the finish on this driver has stood up very nicely. I hit alot of range balls and the face is in great shape.

 

4. What feature would I change or eliminate from the next generation of this model? For the 7-wood, I would make the face longer heel to toe and a bit larger overall. For the XR16 pro driver, I love the head shape. Maybe a carbon crown for a different sound or some coloring options. Not much to change on the driver for me.

 

5. What feature do you really like, and would most like to see continued or evolved in the future? The adjustable hosel is great, I really wouldn't consider a driver without one. As irrelevant as it may be, I like the sole design on the XR16 range and would like to see that continue.

[sp0rtsfan86 555]

snapshot of me:

 

I am 27 years old and play golf on average twice a week Saturday and Sunday. I used to sneak a mid week round in, but it's becoming tougher with the weather (100 degrees every day) and course schedules (closed after 2 pm). Most courses in Yuma close at least once or twice a week because it's empty.

 

I usually shoot 80's golf, although as of late, it's been high 80's and lower 90's. For awhile last summer, I was low to mid 80's consistently but a winter swoon had me well into the 90's. My biggest weakness currently is the pitch shot. I used be solid from 100 and in, but I haven't figured out a method that's consistent since fall. I flub, skull and currently have no feel when grabbing a wedge. My biggest strength is probably my driver right now. I usually drive the ball anywhere just shy of 250, although bad misses go around 200, and the best shots go 275-280 (wind aided most times).

 

I feel I can stroll to the tee box and hit a high shot and put it within 5 yards of my target most times. I picked up a Fly-Z on eBay after tossing a driver and breaking it. This particular driver is stock shaft with a 12 degree face. I like the feel of it, can hit it well, and even if I hit it low, it tends to be a piercing ball flight. If anything, I think the driver doesn't quite have the penetration enough when hit normally. My ball tends to go far, but sometimes gets trapped in wind when I hit it normally.. I don't want to lower the flight too much, but I'd love to see it just a tad lower with a stronger penetration. As for accuracy, it's a weird feeling that on a good day I can just launch the driver without too much of worry of where it it will end up.

This was a miss off the toe, that ended up 230 yards out, 5 yards from where I aimed. About as bad as I missed with the driver that day.

On a good day, I'll hit my target area roughly 2/3 of the time, with half of my misses playable or at least easily recovered from. My misses are usually a pull hook left (when I don't quite get my body turned) back or a slice/push when I get too fast on the downswing. The biggest issue I have is getting too fast which causes those issues noted.. My teacher months ago had me swing to where I held a finish for a few second. I've tried to slow my tempo some, but often it gets a bit fast and I have to concentrate to slow everything down. Last time I checked( and it's been a while) I was clocked around 100 miles per hour using the driver. When I'm out of sync, the speed goes down at least a few MPH and the stokes go up by about the same number.

 

I play this game for several reasons: it's been a great way to get outside and relax from the grind. I'm weird that I play rounds just to forget about what's been on my mind. I've solved math problems (calc 2) on the course, dealt with family issues, and mourned breakups there. It's been that way since about 10 years ago when I started the game. I've steadily gone from a hacker, to 90's and 80's. I've shot one round in the 70's. I'm not the most composed golfer out there, and have broken a few clubs, but I'm also not the rageaholic that's miserable to play with. I've been told I'm really funny on the golf course, and best part: it's not just when I swing.

 

I've played everywhere from the lake and river based Florida, to the links and parkland style of New Jersey. Right now it's desert golf, meaning anything offline could go into the rocks and be dead. Driver accuracy on several holes is crucial to being able to go for greens in regulation. Another quirk: in winter and summer the difference in drive length can be 30 yards or more. My favorite course beats the hell out of you if you miss, but is easy from the fairway. I don't really need a ton more distance, just another 20 yards or so and I'd probably be driving a green or two at courses around here. At home and in MS though, I needed every ounce of distance accuracy be damned.

 

 

So the basic tenant of my test is this: Can this driver still be accurate while providing more distance? 

I chose the XR 16 (non pro version) with a project x stiff shaft for both the driver and 3 wood. Out of the box they didn't look bad and had a nice head cover.

 

I worried about the overstated graphics from reviews on the golf mags. The honest truth was it looked like the kind of graphics inspired by your 19 year old ex college girlfriends tattoo design, but they were muted enough that it didn't bother me. The head color was also more matte than shiny, which was a nice little plus.

As for adjustments, pretty easy although it took me ten minutes at first, but has gotten easier ever since then.

 

I've taken it out for a few rounds and got a lot to say about its play. Here's a not so good looking swing with the new club. 

 

[sp0rtsfan86 555]

The honeymoon that never really was, is for the most part over. It's been about three weeks and I've logged give or take 8 rounds with the XR 16 combos. The way I started the test was trying to get out for 9 holes before a vacation, two 18 hole golf trips on vacation and then my usual games on the weekends. Plus I took it to golfsmith and golf galaxy to see if I could get some numbers on the DL while on vacation. 

 

I've hit roughly the driver 60-70 times, and the fairway wood around 20-25 times, all on the course without much time on the range. (Quick warm up bucket with my dad, but I think I hit all of 5-6  total woods in the bucket.

 

Let's start by me saying this: I generally play a slight fade when I'm on. Today was the first day it's been back. Before getting the clubs, I can't remember hitting the driver as poorly as I have as of late. I'd say at least half is because of the XR-16 combo, which I know is probably not what Callaway wants to hear.

 

Let me explain how I've gotten to this point. I took the club straight to the course plucked down cash and went to tee off a day after getting in the mail. I did a full pre round and pre shot routine including stretches and imagining my shot.

I walked behind the ball 4 or 5 steps, took a few hacks, lined the club to a tree I use as a vantage point, looked down the fairway and then looked down and had a "what the hell, is this thing bent?" moment. The XR 16 has a very pronounced draw bias or what looks like one.Looking over Golf Mags, and even the Callaway website, nothing screamed this face will make you double take. But ok, right? Maybe it's just me and I'm imagining things.  Only one way to find out.

 

The first swing with the XR 16 driver launched a ball about 15 feet high and made a boomarang look like it was straight. A dead hook. Maybe it was a bad swing? Grab another ball. Second shot: This time got air, and promptly went 5 yards further, but also 4 yards more left up against the left rough. Baptism by fire is one thing, baptism by shooting into the sun...another.  Ok so maybe it's me? A few holes later and not a single shot to the right of my target, I took out the gamer and promptly hit a dead push. 

 

Quick aside: The 3 wood? More of the same, but that has an asterisk. I haven't gamed a 3 wood in nearly 5-6 months and I constantly fought off the left hooks with that club. Eventually I came to a impasse with it where I would line really open and hit a slice that was reliable off the deck. This club didn't have a slice option. I've yet to hit one to the right with it.

 

After a bit of panic after their maiden voyage, I took the XR 16's to NJ for vacation a few days later where I knew I'd golf with my dad. I said to him let's launch monitor this sucker, and see what gives. We went to golfsmith swung a demo Xr 16 that had a different shaft and every shot was left. Got my gamer and XR-16 out of the car and not much difference with either club, other than the gamer was slightly more straight. the left's were in both clubs. Great.

 

Ever since that day, I've gamed my gamer driver and XR 16 in a rather odd way. I've given up any hope of  ever hitting a fade with the XR 16 opting to use it as a protect right club. The Fly Z is my go to club for anything that has trouble left or doglegs right. On average I hit the XR 16 on 5-6 holes, the gamer on the other 7 or so that require drive. The XR wood is my only wood so it enjoys a 3-4 times a round use mainly on par 5's off the deck and short par 4's where driver is too much and 4 iron comes up short off the tee. 

 

I can say this without any problems. When it hits dead center and goes straight the XR -16 driver is a beast, which gives me a sad that I can't replicate it at all. I had two or three solid drives with it in NJ. One I blasted 275 around a bunker and nearly went through the fairway on a 90 degree dogleg with a bit of wind in the face. The ball barely moved off my ideal line, if anything drawing 2-3 yards less than I wanted. I had to aim 30 yards right of the dogleg, but darnnit it worked.

 

Since coming back 2 weeks ago, another few drives were similar in nature where aiming 30 yards right manages to put it dead center fairway sometimes with a hook that starts on that line 30 yard right, other times launching dead straight on the intended line. Since NJ I'm good for a Bob Ueker like batting average with FIR and a ton of lost balls. Annoyingly, 3-4 of those times are when I aim well right and hit it dead straight at that 30 yard right target. 

 

Then today came. I braced for an early hook only to push one not 30 yards right but 10 on the first hole. Another swing produced a less pronounced hook that ended up middle of the fairway 15 yards short of where I usually blast my drives when they are on. But something clicked, could it be progress? The second hole I hit the gamer with a slight hook, so I thought maybe it's been the chief the whole time. The rest of the round produced a wide variety of shots including pushes and even fades. I couldn't believe it. Suddenly the XR-16 was producing some quality shots. It still won't fade as much as the gamer, but a slight draw isn't half bad. The good feeling shots started going places. Now I'm actually growing confident in this club.

 

 

The 3 wood has had two memorable shots. I hammered the thing only to watch it crash into trees 30 yards right of the fairway after playing for a nasty hook. I hit it all of 220 which was what I wanted hitting it off the deck. The other shot was last Saturday, sitting in the fairway 250 out from a green protected all the way left by water. I decided to hit a MGS ball (ball that doesn't count score wise , because I'm only playing this shot to test a club). Needless to say after verbalizing those words to myself, I smashed the ball 225 perfectly down the fairway exactly where I wanted it to go. (after kicking the ground for wasting a good shot on a shot that didn't count I played the same shot with a ball that would count score wise.)  The next two shots with the 3 wood hooked right into the water no further than 150 out. I looked at it and shook my head. How did I hit that perfectly and the next two were garbage shots?

 

I'm not going to grade this club yet, because I haven't had a great chance to get it out. I also don't play a lot of 3 woods in rounds, so I'm interested to see if I find something that works with it, or whether the draw bias is too much to overcome.

 

The XR-16 driver up until today was a disaster. I can say this though: it's a great club for the slicers out there. For those that have a lot of trouble right, this should be a club you look up and give a serious thought about. For those like me, that don't have a trouble keeping it straight, the draw bias is very noticeable and at least in my case, throws the ball left when my swing isn't perfect. When it's hit well and goes straight, the damn thing goes. But I can't discount I couldn't hit it straight and had to play for such a massive hook for nearly 3 weeks.

 

(on a side note my dad hits a lot of slices, and had no complaints on taking two swings with the 3 wood, saying he'd love that to be his driver. I see perhaps it helping him get over his anger at how big clubs are today compared to his persimmons he still employs from time to time.)

 

With that said-- let's do some grading on a scale of what was important to me.

 

Accuracy: 15/30. Up until today it was useless for the most part. Today it shined. What was a 0/30 went up a bunch of spots. Would not put it past me the club wasn't a huge issue and my swing was way off all this time. Then again, another few bad rounds may change this.

 

Distance: 15/30. This is tough because it loses points here perhaps unjustly. It doesn't go as far because I rarely hit straight shots with it. When I do, it's just as good as my club, maybe slightly worse than a fly z. It tends to roll more and go lower but it's not a total change. Feel wise, I like the Fly Z better but that again is because I hit it more consistently. Points for the fact I can boom it around doglegs something the Fly Z couldn't do on right to left holes.

 

Forgiveness/control: 10/20 Again, I'm lucky to hit shots that stay in the fairway some times. It can be forgiving at times I've seen. I've had a bad swing on it that has gone pretty much as far as my gamer when I stink. There's that.

 

Looks/sound/feel: 15/20. It sounds good, it feels pretty good when it's hit center (which leads me to look up in dismay as the ball careens out of play left) and has no big problems in the looks department other than getting over the fact it's insanely draw biased. It doesn't clean easy however, so for those that play white tees, elbow grease and water will be needed to clean the head from white marks.

 

In essence, I've basically come to the conclusion the XR-16 is probably not my go to club yet.  I'll still continue testing it in the hopes that it will one day go straight consistently and perhaps work a fade in as well. I like the sound of it more than the Fly-Z. Other than that, it's been a month of ups and a lot of downs.

[sp0rtsfan86 555]

Stage 3: Love it, leave it, or throw it away.

 

XR16 driver: I'll leave it. It's a solid club but for me it's a struggle to hit it consistently straight. I usually hit it with a draw/hook and the Cobra Fly-Z goes further. It's not a huge difference-maybe 5 or ten yards but I feel more comfortable with the Fly-Z. The only plus side to the XR-16 is that it takes the entire right side out of play for me which is a huge plus on right to left holes.

 

XR 16 3 wood: I'll keep it and take two. The club is really good from the tee. When I'm swinging well it goes dead straight and I mean dead straight. The club is perfect for a number of holes that is too short for driver but needs a wood to beat a corner. Off the deck I can hit it around 225 which is perfect for short par 5's. I've actually hit a green on a second shot... (ok well second shot I hit with it from the fairway). For me it's staying in the bag. It's a nice little weapon.

[Eseay32 660]

First off I would like to thank MGS for allowing us this opportunity.  When I saw in the thread that I had been chosen my wife said that I shed a small tear…I just think there was something in my eye.  I never thought that these type things really happened but this is such a great forum and I can tell from previously reviews that these manufacturers are getting great insight from the members and hopefully I can provide the same.  I am hoping that this driver especially is as good as advertised.  To have the assistance of Boeing in the design the ball should be “flying” off the club face! Without further ado, let's begin!

 

I chose the XR16 Driver and 16 3 wood.  The 3 wood is actually a 3+ so i think Callaway promises you will hit it long and straight like Stenson.   

 

i chose the the Fujikura Speeder shaft for the driver and the ProjectX shaft for the 3 wood.  

 

The package was such a beautiful site sitting on my front porch...really no better feeling!!  Everything was neatly packaged and very safe!!

 

 

 

The Questions

• Handicap/average score?  Currently around a 6-7.   I'm a 6.6 today and once I get a few more rounds loaded I expect to keep going low, low, low.  So watch out!
• Strengths of your game?  Scrambling!  Because I have not hit the driver well until this year! Wedges inside of 110 yards.  You get pretty good at this when you are hitting an iron shot back over a tree or thru trees and then have a wedge to save par!  I usually hit my irons pretty well and can get myself to manageable positions.
• Weakness of your game?  Tee ball...it doesn't matter, if I'm between a tee marker I'm not hitting it good...tee box could be on the green and I would 4-putt!  I do struggle off the tee.  Even with the 4 iron or a hybrid or 3 wood I struggle putting it into solid birdie making spots.  If I hit the tee ball well during a round I'm definitely going to score that day. 
• Typical ball flight? Very high ball flight with all my clubs.  And I don't just mean high, I mean bring the rain, high.  I mean giving the clouds a high five, high.  I have always hit a straight ball or a small fade with all my clubs.  I like to think that I have pretty lazy hands when it comes to impact and I don't trust myself to try and turn them over.  I can't hit a draw or hook to save my life and less it's a punch 4 iron! 
• Typical miss?  Right. Right of right.  A Push block spinning slice is my miss.  Completely bail out, raise up, bottom of the face wide open miss.  Sometimes I have so much confidence I'm going to hit a club so well I can't wait to raise up out of my swing to see it!
• Current comparable equipment?  Currently hitting Taylor Made R11S with stiff Phenom shaft and G25 Ping 3 wood with stiff shaft—for this review I don't like the Callaway's chances against the 3 wood.   I hammer the G25 and love the way it feels.  If the Callaway wants in my bag over this three wood it's going to have to BRING IT!

Just for reference I hit Ping I E1 irons, standard length and lie.

• Swing tempo? Smooth swing tempo with a slow takeaway. It's so slow, ladies and gents.  I'm telling you.  Think Hideki Matsuyama.  The one thing that my grandfather always taught was “low and slow”.  If I ever get going bad it's because my take-away isn't low to the ground and is too quick.  The Medicus (the dual hinged iron…y'all remember these, right?) was actually a decent tool for me because it promoted slow and smooth take-away. Those tend to be my swing thoughts. Low and slow and tiny pause at the top.

The golf swing by Roy McAvoy:

“The critical opening phrase of this poem will always be the grip.  Which the hands unite to from a single unit by the simple overlap of the little finger.  LOWLY and SLOWLY the club head is led back.  Pulled into position not by the hands but by the body which turns away from the target shifting weight to the right side without shifting balance.  Tempo is everything; perfection unobtainable as the body coils down at the top of the swing.  There's a slight hesitation.  A little nod to the gods.  Yeah, to the gods.  That he is fallible.  That perfection is unobtainable.  And now the weight begins shifting back to the left pulled by the powers inside the earth.  It's alive, this swing! A living sculpture and down through contact, always down, striking the ball crisply with character.  A tuning fork goes off in your heart. Such a pure feeling is well-struck golf shot.  Now the follow through to finish.  Always on line.  The reverse C of the Golden Bear!  The steel workers' power and brawn of Carl Sandburg's. Arnold Palmer!”

• Driver swing speed? 105 -
• What makes you love the game? The memories and relationships that I have built on the golf course.  The always chasing that perfect shot.  The challenge of the low score.  Hitting that one shot that your group will never forget whether that be a hole out for eagle, or swinging a letting go of the club and watching it twirl into a lake (this really happened.  I'll never forget it.  My uncle who is a scratch golfer was hitting an iron off a tee box on a par 4, feet slipped, caused him to hit it so fat the club went twirling out of his hands and into the lake)
• How long have you been golfing?  About 15 years.  Started playing in middle school.
• What kind of golfer are you?  I'm a former high school and NAIA college player.  Lost some of the game after college after starting work and life.   I am a golfer that you can tell there is some game hidden inside of me from my younger days but I make some bad swings that cost me a lot of shots and usually compound the bad holes.  I am a conservative player which is why I don't make enough birdies.  With a 20 footer for birdie my concern is making the par for fear of 3 putting.   I don't hit enough greens and don't take advantage of my quality drives.  From my years of not hitting the driver well I have gotten pretty good at scrambling and hitting my wedges from 110 and in.  Start hitting some more fairways and I should be able to start working the handicap down.  I make the hard shots look easy and the easy shots look hard.  I am my own coach.  Part of the fun of golf to me is figuring what's wrong with my swing and fixing it.  I still play competitive local tournaments but gone are the days of championship flights.  Its 2^nd or 3^rd flights these days and I'm fine with that.  When not playing a tournament and just enjoy playing a round with my best buddies and my biggest pal, my dad.  We typically play at least two weekends a month together and those are the best.  I'm not quite sure he sees it like I do but these will be memories I have forever of playing so much golf with my father.
• What's your story?  28 years old and married for 3+ years with a little girl on the way.  I work in a sales industry that actually does not get me to the golf course as much as I expected!  My wife is fantastic though.  She understands what golf means to me and what it has allowed me to do over the years.  She never gives too much of a fuss when I say I'm going to play, buy new equipment or practice.  Currently play/practice golf twice or three times a week. I started playing golf in middle school when not playing baseball.  My grandfather was a country club golf pro and somewhat of a “local legend” and it just would not have been right had I not gotten into golf.  He spent a little time playing professionally after returning from war and then settled into his PGA teaching career.  My uncle also played some mini tours and my father was an above average golfer.  Needless to say it was in my blood.  My first year of middle school golf we played on a points system (par=3pts, birdie=4pts, bogey=2pts, etc.)  In our 9 hole matches I was scoring 6-10 points.  After that season my grandfather asked if I was serious about golf and enjoyed playing it and I answered yes.  His response “If you're going to play golf with our last name, you aren't going to shoot those scores anymore.”  That summer he picked me up Every. Single. Day.  I played and practiced golf while he worked in the shop 3 days a week and we played together the other two days with his buddies.  Best years of my life. I don't think I ever beat him, not that I can recall at least.  He was shooting his age in his early 70's and shot 79 a couple months before he passed besting his age by 1.  With his help and our weekly summer practice sessions I was able to play well enough to earn a golf scholarship.  Now, my dad and I are the only ones that still play together and we try to get together a couple times per month to play.  Golf is a game that our entire family enjoyed together as a family and golf will always have a special place in my heart because of the times I was able to share with my family.
• What is in your bag? 
  • Taylor Made R11S Driver
  • Ping g25 3 Wood
  • Taylor Made Burner Rescue 3i replacement
  • Ping i irons 4-PW
  • Vokey SM5 52, 56, 60* Wedges
  • Odyssey 2 Ball Putter, Super Stroke 1.0 grip
• How did you choose them? Most of my clubs throughout the years have come from trading and deals through relationships in the golf industry.  Typically going after something that I can get discounted but is still somewhat new.  I feel like I can hit pretty much anything well.  I bought the Ping I irons in 2015 after comparing them with MP Mizuno's.  I had hit Mizuno T-Zoid's in college and after hitting and comparing the new Mizuno MP's and the Ping's I chose the Ping's because I could feel a little more forgiveness.
• What region do you play out of? Southeast
• Are you a tinkerer or a set and forget it type?  I am a tinkerer with my swing and shots, but I don't tend to change equipment often.  I believe that I can game any product and if I'm not playing well it's a “me” issue and not a club issue.

 

These clubs have already got an extensive amount of testing on them and only more to come before our stage 2 reviews!  Looking forward to it!

[Eseay32 660]

[Callaway XR16 Driver/3wood] – Official MGS Forum Review by [Eric S]

Player Biography

I am currently hitting a R11s Taylor Made driver, standard length, 45.75” and 9* loft.  Stiff Phenom factory shaft.  My current 3wood is a Ping G25 also standard length 16* with a stiff shaft.  The 3W is a fantastic club-always been very pleased with the way I hit it which is going to make this review very tough for Callaway!  The TM I was hitting could easily be replaced, I feel like it's never quite center of the face and when it is, it has a spinning characteristic…just have never been quite pleased with the TM driver.

I was fortunate enough to be able to test the Callaway XR16 Driver and 3Wood. I was very excited to try the Callaway offerings.  I have not played a Callaway in quite some time.  In high school I played two Callaway clubs; the Callaway Great Big Bertha – the Hawkeye!  WHAT. A. CLUB! I thought that thing couldn't be beat ever.  At one point, my entire golfing family hit this club, although my uncle was hitting a 7*, I was rocking a 10.5*.  I also had a big bertha 3wood at one point as well.  Both of these clubs were circa 2005 so needless to say, its been a long time since I had really hit any Callaway clubs.

Im currently down to a 5 handicap.  Coming out of high school and going into college golf I was an avid junior tour player, holding around a 1 handicap.  I played small college golf, NAIA level and had a short career before needing to move back home.  I like to think I know the golf swing pretty well and why I hit the shots it hit, except with a driver…I will say in all of my golf experience, one thing I lack typically is product knowledge and what the new products are.  Im always a generation of clubs behind.  But with manufacturers like TM dropping 5 new drivers a year who can keep up!!  I still play in some tournaments, mostly 2 man and 3 man tournaments – not the charity/fundraiser type.  The ones with official score keeping!  I always play in a couple stroke tournaments per year as well.

  NOW….let's move onto the reason why everyone is reading this thread!  Without further ado, the Callaway XR16 GEAR!!  The Callaway XR16 Driver…Originally I had the driver cut down -.25” from the factory standard of 45.75.  After getting the driver in and hitting it a few times I ended up getting it cut down another .25” so the driver currently sits at 45.25” with a Fujikura Speeder Evolution II TS 665 shaft and a 9* loft.  I have made no adjustments to the head regarding loft or face angle.  This driver has the ability to be turned to a draw or neutral face only. And the loft of the club can be increased by a couple degrees but im yet to really play with that.  I prefer a 9* loft anyways because my ball flight launches pretty high already.  

In addition to the driver I am also testing the Callaway XR16 3 wood which is actually a 3+ and 14*.  I left the length and lie all standard on this club and I have a project X LZ 50 Blue Fairway graphite.  Not much else to say about this one, it's a fairly standard 3wood head.

Performance

Performance at the Range

Describe the following:

• Accuracy – Are you able to consistently hit your target?  On the range I am Ranger Rick.  I could be a range tour pro, IMO.  I can work the ball both ways, high or low, and hit it long.  So this is a little skewed maybe…but to answer the question – YES. I am consistently able to hit the driver at my target.  The range that I frequent is a top100 practice facility.  It is a range/practice area only so they have nets that line the sides and about 265-300 yards away from the hitting areas depending on where the tees are.  I typically aim at a couple of different spots.  The flag that is around 270 yards out and 2-3 different poles that hold up the nets.  The driver and the 3wood each I can consistently hit at these targets.  The 3 wood I work off of the tee and the ground.  I have a slight pull with the 3 wood off of a tee, I tend to think this is mental but that's a small miss.

• Distance – How does the club compare to other products strictly from a distance perspective?  I'll start with the 3wood on this one.  THIS. THING. IS. HAWT!!  Its long.  Now keep in mind I have a 3+ wood at 14* versus my current 16* so of course it will be a little longer but it also has a very forgiving sweet spot.  I consistently can hit this club on the range from 250-275.  When making contact from the toe you cant really see the difference in distance either, the heel is where you lose distance with this club.  

Distance with the driver the XR16 is longer than my TM.  I don't think that XR16 is longer than any other drivers on the market necessarily, I would imagine if testing all makes the 16 would not be longer than any other offerings, but it would be very comparable in distance.  With that said, it is definitely longer than my TM.

• Trajectory Characteristics – Both clubs have a launch.  The driver really takes off and reaches its apex quickly and flattens out.  Im sure that Callaway and Boeing would love to hear this but I would compare its trajectory on well struck shots to a plane!  It launches very quickly and then appears to just stay at a steady height before starting its descent.  I really like that about this driver.  It makes you feel like you have hammered one even if you miss it a touch.  The 3 wood usually starts a little lower at takeoff and then starts to rise. I would prefer the ball flight to launch a little higher but this is acceptable imo.

Range Score: Driver : 8 of 10 points , 3W : 7 of 10 points

Performance on the Course

Describe the following:

• The driver has been fairly accurate for me and has increased my fairways hit, which is sad since my stats show that im hitting about 45% of my fairways and missing 38% right.  The big difference is this driver has cut down drastically on my HUGE RIGHT misses.  I am still missing a lot of fairways right but not that far off.  Typically 5 yards in but definitely still keeping it on the course and out of the trees.  17% of my fairways missed to the left are well struck balls.  I would attribute these misses to aiming left and expecting to hit a small cut and working it back into the fairway and hitting it dead straight.  I cant get mad at that shot, right?!

• I've compared the XR16 to my TM multiple times on the course under multiple scenarios.  I have fully committed to the XR16 to stay in my bag so I always hit it first…4-5 times per round I also bring out the TM to compare.  I have compared when hitting the tee ball well, off the toe, and off the heel.  All types of shots the XR16 is consistently longer.  In some cases, the really well hit shots, the XR16 is EASILY 30 yards longer!! BAM! The ball off of the toe also still flies really well.  Unfortunately I am not able to show absolute metrics for this but the XR16 I estimate I am average approximately 280 yards per drive.  I have had multiple outliers with the XR16 of 310, 315, and 325 yard drives.  I will admit a couple of these the holes were downhill but who cares, Im BACK to hitting it like the old days of college! Now to start increasing the fairways hit!  The ball flight on the driver on the course is so nice as well.  My typically flight is straight or a small cut with the ball just bleeding right.  The cut is my go-to swing when needing to hit a good shot and guard from left.  The XR16 is easy to hit this shot.  I'll probably never draw a ball on purpose on the course so I can't help you there but the workability for my shots are certainly above average.

• 
   

• 3 WOOD: The on course testing has been more limited for me with opportunities to hit the 3 wood.  Most of the par 5s that I play a 3 wood is too much club to go into the 2nd shot with or the hole tightens up where a 3 wood can cause some problems but I do have some experimentation.  

Off the deck the 3 wood is usually great.  When catching it goes for a long time, 260 or so.  Great ball flight, feels easy to swing.  However, it's not as forgiving as I was hoping.  I've hit a few shots off the deck where I don't totally stay down and through the ball only to look up and see a low, slicing ball into some trouble.  

From the tee I've had a two way miss with it.  Again, the low/slice mixed with a big pull…that's not good!  One of my more recent rounds with the three wood I pulled a 3W into the trees on nine-bogey- and again to start the back nine…boom, double bogey. 3 pars later and I come to 15 +3 for the day…low slice into the right water…this time I manage a bogey.  I shoot 77 this day and can contribute 4 shots to the 3 wood that took me out of a much better score.  
 

Course Score: Driver: 22 Out of 30 points, 3 Wood: 18 out of 30

Performance Notes

• How did it perform? Both clubs in my opinion performed very well.  I would like a little more forgiveness out of the 3W but some of the bad shots were also pretty bad swings so I cant blame all of the performance on the club.  Both clubs are longer than my current clubs so that is certainly nice to have!  The driver is just light years ahead of my current TM driver.  The ball flight is better, its longer, more forgiving.  It feels smoother at impact and the misses still really chase out on the fairway.  The 3 wood and my current Ping g25 3W is a much closer race.  There are certain things I like about each of them.  The Cally is longer, but not quite as forgiving.  The ball flights are similar, I hit the Ping a little bit better off the tee but the Cally a little better off the ground.  I like that the XR16 driver has gone to a minimal adjustability head.  Too many times I found myself not hitting a club that well and wanting to make all sorts of adjustments but I tend to think that the adjustments wont do much to help me.  Cally kept this driver pretty simple and I like that.  

Subjective

Looks

Visually speaking both of these clubs look fantastic. Everything from the head covers to the bottom of club are great looks.  The driver has a nice large, rounded head and because of this, to me, makes you not feel like you are swinging a telephone pole! I have noticed that I find myself lining the club up a little left based on the graphics on the crown.  Cally uses their logo on the crown and i've had to really focus on making sure the club is where I want it.  Ive noticed a few times with both clubs that Im a tad left in my setup.  I love the flat look that each club has and the face of each club has a lot of graphics going on.  It gives you a large round circle which visually makes you think the sweet spot is going to be huge!  When I first looked at these clubs I thought there was just too much going on but once I started hitting them, I liked all the graphics, lines, and etching.  I think Cally did a great job with this.

 

Looks Score: Driver: 18 out of 20 points, 3 Wood: 18 out of 20 points – only deductions in this category are because I keep aiming left…

Sound and Feel

Describe how the product sounds and feels

• Sound and feel are great on both clubs.  They have a nice crisp sound where you know that you've hit it well and the feel in the hands tell you the same.  You always know if you got it before looking up.  I think any top brand club has this same feature but it's the miss hits that tell you something. The XR16 clubs don't tell you from the sound too much if you've caught it off the toe or heel but like any club you can feel it in the hands, especially the heel but these shots are still forgiving, especially off the toe.  Gone are the days of sounding like you are hitting a golf ball though paper or with a steel pipe.  

Sound and Feel Score: (17 of 20 points)

Likelihood of Purchase

• If you gave me this Driver for 2-3 weeks to try and then told me I had the option to buy it what would I do?  I would ask if you accept credit or cash only?  I would absolutely buy this driver after this review.  I have no major complaints with the club except with the swinging it.  It feels good, it flies a long way and for me, it sets up nicely.  Of course in this scenario I may also want to compare to a new M1/2, Titleist, or Ping but after this review I am happy enough with the driver that I don't THINK any of the other options can really bring that much more improvement to me.

• The 3wood is a little different story.  I am not convinced that I would run back to the store or pro shop to drop my Diner's Club card for the 3 wood. I've said throughout the review that this thing is long and that I've hit it decent but it feels like a little extra work is necessary in the golf swing to make sure I hit it decent.  The distance is great but at the same time, I don't necessarily need a 3W that im hitting 8-15 yards behind my driver.  I can accept a 20-25 yard gap between the two and still be happy.

LOP Score: Driver 18 of 20 points, 3W 15 of 20 points

Total Points: Driver:  83 out of 100 points

                     3 Wood: 75 out of 100 points

Subjective Notes

Overall impressions:  Cally did a nice job with both of these clubs.  I don't know that they are any faster or more aerodynamic as the marketing department wants to tell us but they are solid clubs.  They feel good, look, good, fly well, and go far.  For me, its everything I am looking for in a club.  I am very happy that I was selected because I feel like I got two clubs that I can keep in the bag for a long time or at least have options in the 3W's case.  Thanks again MGS!

[Eseay32 660]

Stage 3 review

 

For my stage three it's time to make the money choice...do they stay or do they go? Do they permanently earn a spot in my bag and become a key member of the family and get treated with royalty? Do they earn a spot at the top of the bag and look over the other clubs as King? Well, for the big dog-the driver....my final answer is YES. Without a doubt. This thing won't leave my bag for quite some time. After a few minor tweaks of grips (went to midsize like all my clubs have and then actually went back to standard) and length (had Callaway cut it to 45.75" before shipping and then had it cut another quarter after hitting it) I've finally got it right where I want it....and as long as I don't make a crappy swing and keep my head down and stay back, I'm going to split the fairway. I've actually played my best golf in a long time since having the XR16 in the bag. To be fair, the game was coming around but the XR gave me renewed faith that I can be confident with the driver. I haven't adjusted the head once, I probably should have to see if I could tell a difference but I have kept the loft at 9 and standard face.

I just don't have many complaints about this club. It feels great, it flies well, it's forgiving off the toe. My one and only complaint, and it's purely cosmetic, is the alignment marker of the callaway logo. Maybe it's because I'm left eye dominant or blind...I don't know but I have a tendency to aim the club left at address until I notice the "V" (Callaway logo) pointing left of my target, it's something I have to focus on. It's my only complaint.

This club, IMO, is for anyone. I think it's easy to hit and forgiving. It launches fairly high and has decent distance with mishits. This driver isn't flashy; sure, it promotes the Boeing design but the limited adjustable pieces and fairly standard setup is suitable Doral handicaps.

I haven't hit Callaway in a long time, high school golf to be exact so over 10 years ago and never really had a desire to try it. I was always caught up in the colors, the promotions and marketing, what the tour guys were playing but this club has opened my eyes. Again, it's not flashy but it gets the job done. It sets up well and the ball just glides off the face.

I've loved this club, I've sung its praises during every round of golf I've played. It's staying in the bag.

 

Moving to the 3 wood....

Unfortunately, it did not win its competition against my ping 25. I just had a few more misses with it and I was a little wilder. I contribute this to just my eye. I received what was stamped as a 3+ with I believe around a 14 degree loft. To me, the club just seemed shut to me, closed down facing the ground, so to me a felt like I had to go down and get it to get club on it. I hit it further than my ping but due to the stronger lofts that seems accurate. The head was a little smaller and less round, it just didn't suit me. So it didn't win out.

If I bought this club off the rack or was fit into it, I could handle it and have no issues playing with it, but since I have something to compare it to I was fortunate to make a decision on it.

Visually, the Callaway logo still messed with my alignment so a little change to the alignment markings would be my only complaint.

This club with the stronger lofts I would recommend to a stronger player, lower handicaps. The 4-5 degrees of loft makes this similar to a mini driver and IMO a little less forgiving and slightly more difficult to hit. When we are talking about 12-18 yards of distance between this club and the driver, it isn't worth being wild.

 

Overall I was very pleased with each club. The driver will remain in the bag and the Callaway could certainly be a reserve for the future. Really impressed with both options. So glad and thankful I got the opportunity from MGS to give these a shot. Please let me know of any questions I can assist in answering for other members!

[GolfSpy Barbajo 7,959]

Stage 1's are up.  Nice opening salvos, boys...

[fozcycle 7,174]

Nice intro's guys........

[GolfSpy Stroker 5,185]

Hello, my name is Shane and I'm a ho.

 

“Hi Shane”

 

I started ho-ing around 7 years ago and it's been a seasonal struggle ever since. Every spring brings the enjoyment of a new year, a new round of equipment changes that could improve driving distance by an entire yard (or two!!) or improve accuracy and forgiveness in the irons by a fraction of a millimeter! I've been a good ho. I've been there to support other hoes. However, I just got married and now the wife says I can't ho no mo. Sigh.

 

But along comes MGS and now this ho can get his fix!

 

I've been playing this game/sport/hobby for 25 of my 35 years on God's green earth but it's been the last 7-10 years that I really enjoyed the game. When I played in grade school and in college, I viewed golf as a job, a task that had to be completed. It took away from my social life and though I was good at it, I couldn't stand not playing well every time I teed it up.

 

Though I don't currently have a handicap, I had a handicap last year and I was just north of scratch. My improvement in the game can be traced to two areas:

1.       I married a gym rat who's a registered dietitian and training to become a certified strength and conditioning consultant. It's a simple equation of eating right, doing the proper routines in the gym and the end result is watching the ball fly further down the fairway.

2.       I changed how I approached the game between the ears. It wasn't a new club, swing change, etc. it was how I changed my perspective about the game. I love golf. Any time I hit a bad shot, I forget about it quickly. Spending half the round in a pissy mood does no good for you or anyone around you. Don't get me wrong, playing to your strengths and understanding your weaknesses help tremendously, but the game improves drastically when you get your head out of your butt. Enjoy being out on the course and now stuck behind a desk or inside watching other people play golf!

 

I like a good match against a strong competitor but I really don't like to get money involved; there are so many games out there I can't keep them straight and I've taken money from guys by shooting poorly and I've been escorted to the ATM to pay off a bet in which I beat a guy by 7 strokes. Real talk.

 

I'm a great ball-striker and a mediocre, but streaky putter. Chicks dig the long ball and that's why I try to swing out of my shoes on just about every swing. I can't draw the ball the save my life and I've had the same miss-hit since day 1: a high fade. The fade miss-hit on the driver is due to my steep angle of attack (117mph, 1.47 smash, -2* to -4* AoA per last fitting) and a slight inside-out swing path. I will say that swing profile does allow me, as a southpaw, to eliminate the right rough 90% of the time. I'm ok with the loss of distance off the tee with my swing profile, but it's consistent and I can rely on a butter cut most of the time. My miss-hit with the irons are out towards the toe which translates to a weak fade. With my high ball flight and high spin rate off every club, no tree is too tall.

 

The more I get exposed to various club/shaft combos, the more I feel I need to tweak my equipment to ensure I'm getting everything out of my swing. When my wife asked me if I would spend $300 to gain an extra four yards off the tee, I asked her if I should pay in cash or get points with credit.

 

You can find me on most public/semi-private courses around the Houston, TX area. What I love about the area is one summer you set your bag up for a drought and then the following summer record rainfall amounts. One year the bounce on my wedges are set for hardpan, the next year is set to avoid digging in the soft fairways. The ever evolving conditions greatly increase the number of golf club boxes on my front porch. I mean, what if I drive to a course that is sitting under water? I better grab my high bounce wedges! Shout out to Mother Nature for keeping me on my toes.

 

WITB:

Here's a typical ho bag, one with multiple drivers, fairway woods, putters, etc. I mean, I'm not in the US Open so I'll carry 14, 15 or 19 clubs if I want! It's all for science!

IMG_20160619_193946.jpg

 

The bag doesn't look so cluttered without all the headcovers. 

IMG_20160619_195454.jpg

 

 

TaylorMade M1 w Aldila Tour Green 65X

Callaway X2 Hot Pro Deep 3 w/ Aldila Tour Green 75X

Callaway X2 Hot Pro 18* Hybrid w/ Aldila Tour Green 75X

Titleist 916 H2 20* Hybrid w/ Diamana D+ White 70S

4-PW Cobra King Pro Forged Combo w/DG Tour X100

Cobra Trusty Rusty 53* w/ DG S300

Titleist SM5 60* K-Grind

Bettinardi BB1 Carbon Prototype…but I change my putter about every full moon.

 

Just like the mommy blogs that promote the latest trends in gluten-free diets (I heard this Callaway driver is gluten free AND dairy free), us golfers suffer from ‘trends' that come and go. Square head drivers, bubble shafts, and materials only found in outer space! Now I get to compare my ‘trendy' M1 with a carbon fiber crown to the ‘trendy' aerodynamic Callaway XR16 Pro designed with Boeing.  I'm always excited about getting out on the course, but to play and test some of the latest equipment on the market will be a whole other level of excitement. 

 

My setup for the XR16 Pro test:

Driver 9.5* Pro w/ Diamana D+ 70 X Flex**

3 Wood 14* Pro w/ Diamana D+ 70 X Flex

 

** - I'm also testing the driver with an Aldila Tour Green 65X

 

 

Here's a few snapshots of clubs upon delivery:

Box 1.jpg

Clubs4.jpg

Clubs3.jpg

Clubs2.jpg

Driver 1.jpg

Fairway 1.jpg

 

Great write up!  I appreciate all of your background information so the review has some context.  

Can't wait to hear what you think of the clubs...

[GolfSpy Stroker 5,185]

...man, those head covers are SWEET!  Almost enough to just go ahead and get that setup.  

[sp0rtsfan86 555]

...man, those head covers are SWEET!  Almost enough to just go ahead and get that setup.  

So far that's what I love most. That head cover is awesome.

[N8ball 32]

So far that's what I love most. That head cover is awesome.

 

I like the head cover as well. I did have someone randomly comment how they loved the driver(let them hit it), but hated the head cover... Hated a red, white, and blue headcover! So I accused them of being a communist and left.

[Eseay32 660]

So far I like everything about them. I striped the driver this weekend. First time in a long time I felt confident and hit the driver that good.

 

 

Knoxville, TN. 6HDCP, Cally XR16 Driver, G25 3 wood, burner Rescue. Ping I E1 irons, Vokey SM5 52,56,60 & 2ball odyssey putter