Callaway XR Fairway Wood Review

Introduction

Over the last couple seasons, no company has put our more fairway woods than Callaway. From the Deep series to the Big Berthas to the X Hots, they’ve given golfers a world of options. Now the XR has arrived to replaced the X Hot, and it boasts speed, speed, and more speed. We put it to the test to see if it delivers.

Looks

The standard Callaway XR fairway wood looks the part of a forgiving, easy-to-hit fairway wood. It has a large footprint and a slightly unusual, asymmetrical shape. The crown is matte black with a raised chevron alignment aid. One thing that stands out at address is that the face is a bit closed.

Sound & Feel

The Callaway XR fairway wood feels fairly well balanced despite having a shaft that’s only 56 grams. It does feel light, but that lightness is spread throughout the club.

The sound that it creates is a bit surprising. I was expecting something louder and more shrill, but it’s actually fairly quiet. The sound can best be described as a slightly metallic crack.

Performance

From it’s longer-than-average playing length (43.5″) to the ultra-light shaft, it’s clear that the Callaway XR fairway wood is all about creating club head speed and distance. At first glance, this struck me as problematic – most players have enough difficulty hitting low-lofted fairway woods, and making them longer isn’t going to help the situation.

However, longer and lighter isn’t all that the XR has to offer. Callaway says that the CoG is 20% lower compared to the X2 Hot, resulting in easier launch and 200 RPMs less spin. All told, I found that the XR was relatively easy to elevate in spite of its length, and the light weight did make it easy to swing. As always, it’s important to get fit to find the shaft, length, and loft that will work best for you.

Conclusion

The Callaway XR fairway wood is a strong fairway wood that offers something clearly different than Callaway’s other recent lines. It’s light, long, and still easy to hit. If you need more speed and more distance from the fairway, it’s worth checking out.

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Matt Saternus

Editor In Chief at Plugged In Golf

Matt has worked in nearly every job in the golf industry from club fitting to instruction to writing and speaking.

He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.

Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.