2015 Ultimate Product Reviews: Callaway XR/XR Pro Hybrids

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It’s time for the U.S. Open! Learning about all the new products out there is one of my favorite ways to prepare for another year on the course. I hope you’ve been enjoying this new series where I compile all the best product reviews and put them into one place to make it easy for everyone to find. I hope you find these ultimate product reviews helpful! – Matt

Club Name: Callaway XR/XR Pro Hybrids
Brand: Callaway
Category: Hybrids
Price Point: $219.99 or $229.99 for the XR Pro’s
Specs:
XR Hybrid: Lofts come in 19, 22, 25 and 28 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Project X SD
XR Pro Hybrid: Lofts come in 16, 18, 20 and 23 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Project X LZ

Summary

From Callaway – The next generation of our Forged Hyper Speed Face Cup increases ball speed all across the face so you get distance and forgiveness at every impact location, even on off center hits. We’ve completely redesigned the head shape to reposition weight. This creates even more forgiveness and a CG that’s 46% lower than X2 Hot. Our re-engineered Internal Standing Wave is the ultimate team player. It’s a refined way to increase MOI and still give the face cup the freedom to flex for more ball speed.

Special Notes

Check us Callaway on Twitter or Instagram and join the conversation with #XRSpeed.

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THE REVIEWS

1. Golf Digest: Gold Rating. Callaway’s wraparound thin face now gives even more at the bottom. The internal weighting on the sole is positioned low and forward like a wave (lower than last year’s X2 Hot). That frees up the bottom of the face so it flexes better, particularly on thin shots.

2. Golf Magazine: Love it. A new forged face cup increases ball speed across more of the face so misses perform similar to center strikes. The CG is 46 percent lower than in the X2 Hot, which should boost forgiveness while Callaway’s Standing Wave internal weighting further enhances MOI and face flex. Designed for easy launch and maximum distance.

3. Hacker’s Paradise: Like It. If you liked the X2 Hot, you should like the XR, but whether or not you need to upgrade is debatable. If you haven’t hit the X2 Hot and match the target audience (someone looking for distance and forgiveness in an easy to hit package), then the XR should definitely make its way to your shortlist. Unlike the rather large evolution from X Hot to X2 Hot, the XR is a tweak on what was a very popular and playable design. Its combination of length and forgiveness in an attractive looking and sounding package will certainly make it a sought after club by a variety of player types.

4. Rick Shiels PGA: Love it.

5. The Sand Trap: Gold Rating. There were two main focuses with both models of the hybrids. The first was to increase ball speeds for greater distance with was achieved through the use of the Forged Hyper Speed Face Cup. The second was to increase forgiveness and launch. The Pro and standard versions both feature a completely redesigned head shape that creates a higher MOI and a lower CG, and in the case of the XR Pro Hybrid, the lowest CG they’ve ever put in a hybrid.

6. Golf A Lot: 4 out of Stars. Overall I think both clubs are very good performers, as you would expect from Callaway. It’s hard to pick fault with them, but at the same time I am not as excited as I was over the XR driver and fairway. The standard XR hybrid does the job very well, but I am not bowled over by the looks as the head looks a bit toe heavy for my eye and certainly not as visually rounded as some other game improvement hybrids. They are competitively priced so if the XR hybrid fits your budget, your bag and your eye then you won’t go far wrong.

7. Golf WRX: 9.75 out of 10. Callaway’s XR is likely the longest hybrid on this list, receiving the highest possible rating of 10 in distance, and thanks to Callaway’s slick engineering, it also ties for first in forgiveness (9.5) with Ping’s G30 hybrid. Like Callaway’s XR fairway woods, the XR hybrids set themselves apart from the competition with a mid-sized club head that offers a high launch, relatively low spin and more forgiveness than its predecessors. Our lone request for 2016: Can you make future models adjustable, Callaway?

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