Callaway’s brilliant Elyte has solved two of the biggest problems golfers have with fairway woods

I review the Callaway Elyte fairway wood, which is one of the most powerful and easiest-to-hit models I’ve ever tested.

Callaway’s R&D team were set a simple but daunting task for their 2025 line – take the brand from good to elite. In other words, create the best fairway woods out there. 

It’s good to see a brand not resting on their laurels. Callaway already hold the No.1 spot for market share in this category, but in a bid to maintain that position they’ve focused on making the clubs more versatile and easier to use. 

So confident are they that they’ve hit the brief that they’ve even called it Elyte. And if the ‘Y’ has left you scratching your chin, it’s a nod to the brand’s founding father, Ely Callaway. 

They certainly achieved the goal with the Callaway Elyte driver, but has the core fairway wood reached the same dizzy heights? Short answer, yes.  

The headline model in the new five-model 2025 Elyte fairway wood range, Elyte has been designed for mass appeal with a shallow face and neutral flight, with the aim of getting the ball into the air a breeze. It certainly does that. 

You can find out exactly how they went about getting to the next level with our in-depth guide to the Elyte fairway wood models in our handy everything you need to know page, but here are the headlines before I dive into the full review. 

There’s a new Tungsten Speed Wave – 35g of floating Tungsten positioned low and forwards in the head, but without placing any constraint on face flex. Callaway identified that golfers tend to miss low on the face, so it’s been designed to create more speed in that area. 

While they wanted to improve results if you do hit it from that area, Callaway’s other tech is designed to minimize how often that happens. Step Sole, designed with the brand’s Tour staff and previously seen in Callaway’s Apex UW, has allowed the engineers to get the club’s center of gravity below the ball’s center of gravity, making it easier to produce more centered strikes. In turn that should create higher launch, lower spin, and more speed through the ball. There’s 57% less contact area with the ground than in the Ai Smoke fairway wood and initial research shows the tech has reduced those low strikes by 25%. 

The fairway also uses the new Ai10x face, which is seen across the Elyte family. Callaway’s data wizards have thrown loads more information into their supercomputer and produced a face that has 10 times more control points than Ai Smoke. What that means for you is faster ball speeds, tighter dispersion, and optimized launch wherever you hit it… and as someone who used Ai Smoke and has now been using Elyte for several rounds, it works. 

As well as the Elyte fairways, there are drivers (the core model is sensational), hybrids and irons in the 2025 range, which you can read about at the links below.  

• EYNTK: Callaway Elyte drivers

• EYNTK: Callaway Elyte hybrids

• EYNTK: Callaway Elyte irons

But let’s dive into my full Callaway Elyte fairway wood review and find out why I think this could be the year’s best model. 

And, as always, in the coming weeks, we’ll reveal all of the Elyte fairway wood data and how it compares with the rivals. Our pro is carrying out head-to-head testing of all of this year’s big players (and some of the smaller ones, too) to further aid your buying decision. 

Looks, Sound and Feedback: 4.5/5 

Like the driver, the look of the Elyte fairway is classy and understated. You’ve got black, white, and silver, an ‘E’ for Elyte, and some flashes of ‘Epic’ green. It’s more intriguing than the driver because the Speed Sole and Speed Wave stand out, drawing you in to take a closer look. The sole might not stand out next to some of 2025’s other offerings, but, ultimately the sole sits on the ground. It’s perhaps not as eye-grabbing as Ai Smoke, and it certainly doesn’t have the rack appeal of the new Elyte irons (which are a thing of beauty), but it’s all about performance and this thing performs. 

Where it does look fantastic is at address, and that’s what matters most. The matt chrome crown has a flecked finish with subtle Elyte branding. The darker topline contrasts superbly, with the crown and, coupled with the famous Callaway Chevron, makes alignment a breeze. There’s nothing here that distracts the eye with the color of the Ai10x face sitting nicely against the topline. And, thanks to that Step Sole, it sits beautifully, nestling down into the turf, almost making it look like the ball is sitting on a small tee. It does wonders to inspire confidence for those of us who don’t always love to pull the 15º from the bag. 

It sounds amazing – crisp, clean, powerful. And it’s like that across the face. There’s no discernible change to the pitch or tone that makes it obvious when you’ve caught one out of the heel or toe. 

Distance and Spin: 4.5/5 

Hands up, I haven’t tested this on a launch monitor yet, but during my time with the Elyte fairway I was testing it alongside my 15º Ai Smoke for a comparison. Using the same shaft and set-up I wasn’t seeing any remarkable gains, but there is only a year between these models and, in truth, I don’t want much more distance from my 3-wood, so that wasn’t an issue. What I want is something that’s easy to hit, with consistent distance and flight, and that’s where it shines. I don’t need to try overly hard to catch one low on the face and, when I did, I saw a far better flight and distance from this than from Ai Smoke, presumably thanks to Speed Wave. And if I were using anything older than that then I’d predict the difference would have been night and day.  

Spin rates seemed very solid. The low, forward CG produced a high flight and, I’d predict, lower spin than in my Ai. There was no concern that the ball, either, with impressive stopping power. I do launch my fairway woods fairly high when I catch them right, so it’s never been a huge issue, but thanks to that Step Sole, it just feels so much easier to commit to the swing and produce a square strike and high launch. 

While I’m not seeking loads more distance from my fairways, it does feel like Elyte provides easy speed and power without you having to go after it.  

Forgiveness and Control: 5/5 

It’s hard to mark Elyte down for either of these headings. Like the driver, the new Ai10x face helps rectify some strikes that you’d swear were going to fall out of the sky or disappear into the longer stuff. It’s noticeably more forgiving than Ai Smoke which still gives me plenty of help, but I quickly felt more confident that strikes out of the toe or heel weren’t going to be as severely punished. That’s not to knock Ai Smoke – tech moves quickly – and that model would still be a significant step up for anyone using anything three or four years old. 

Where Elite really wins the fight is those strikes low on the face. The Tungsten Speed Wave isn’t a gimmick. Coupled with the Ai Face it feels like balls speeds remain as good when you catch it low as they do when you hit it out of the middle. Understandably you’ll get a little less stopping power, but the distance remains good and I was amazed by some of the height I was still seeing when I struck it lower than planned. 

In terms of control, it feels like an easy fairway wood to hit from the tee or turf, and I say that as someone who doesn’t like hitting them from the turf. The new sole also makes it far more versatile, and I’ve hit several shots from the first and second cuts of rough that I probably wouldn’t have considered before and felt like I could control the clubhead.  

I play with a gentle fade and am still able to get that shape consistently from this neutral head set-up. 

Technology and Components: 4/5 

The tech is brilliant and has made a clear difference to the performance, but Speed Sole isn’t new, they’ve just moved it from Apex UW. It feels like a strange criticism, but they set the bar so high with the new tech and methods in the driver that it feels hard to mark moving some tech across as highly. That said, it works brilliantly in the Elyte head, which is what matters and gave me a massive confidence boost. 

Speed Wave is superb. Identifying that struggle for amateurs and solving it so efficiently deserves huge praise. And the Ai10x is a huge step up from last year’s Ai Smart Face, making this a far more attractive proposition to golfers. 

There’s an argument that the head could have more adjustability. There’s no option to tweak or move any weight, but Callaway will point out that there’s five models to choose from and be fitted into, so you shouldn’t need to. 

The OptiFit loft sleeve remains more limited than the choices from some of their rivals, especially with brands like Cobra releasing 33-option adaptors in the new DS-Adapt range, but if they and their fitters are confident they can dial me in and the results are there then why would they change it, so it cannot be marked down for that, either. 

Ultimately, Callaway don’t shirk when it comes to tech and materials – they want to produce the best products, so they put the best into them, and it shows. They’re built to last and perform and, in my experience, they do both. 

Final thoughts 

It took a lot of years to get my trusty Ping G fairway wood out of the bag. Ai Smoke’s numbers and forgiveness achieved that last year and this has taken things to another level, so it will be taking a spot for the season ahead and I’m keen to try a couple of higher lofts, too. The fact it’s available from 3w to 11w is very impressive and makes it a really appealing option for such a vast range of golfers. 

Ultimately, in my time with Elyte so far, I’ve found it to be consistent, easy to launch, versatile and forgiving. I haven’t seen anything that convinces me it’s longer than Ai Smoke just yet, but if you’re using a fairway that’s more than a couple of years old then you should gain some good yards and pull in your dispersion numbers. A real contender for the big prizes in this category in 2025.  

Alternative Options 

Callaway are offering five fairway woods in the Elyte range in 2025. You’ve just read all about the core model, but there’s Elyte X, Elyte Triple Diamond, and Elyte Max Fast (US only). There’s also a higher-priced Ti version, which we’re yet to see or test ($449.99/$459). 

Elyte X is larger than the core model, has a draw bias and the highest forgiveness of the models. Triple Diamond, which has a gloss crown instead of the matte, is the model you’ll see in the hands of better players with its compact shape and deeper face designed for shot shaping without a loss of control. Elyte Max Fast is for golfers with moderate to slow swing speeds and has a lightweight, forgiving design with a draw bias. Ti blends the footprint of the core model with the deeper face of the Triple Diamond in a titanium construction produces stability, low spin, a neutral flight, and loads of ball speed. 

Interestingly, Callaway will also keep 2024’s Ai Smoke fairway woods in their 2025 line-up, dropping the RRP considerably and offering fewer custom options in those models, but if your budget doesn’t stretch to the $359/£349.99 price tag for Elyte then they are still a great option. 

About the author

Rob Jerram – Digital Editor

Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.

He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge about golf balls, trolleys, and bags, having tested thousands over the years.

Rob uses a Callaway Paradym driver, TaylorMade M5 5-wood, TaylorMade P790 driving iron, Callaway Paradym irons (4-AW), TaylorMade MG3 wedges (52º, 58º), Odyssey Tri-Hot 5k Double Wide putter, and Callaway Chrome Soft X golf ball.

You can email Rob or get in touch with him on X.

RRP: $349.99 / £349 
Launched: January 2025 
Lofts: 3 (15º, RH/LH), 3HL (16.5º, RH), 5 (18º, RH/LH), 7 (21º, RH/LH), HVNWD (20º, RH), 9 (24º, RH), 11 (27º, RH)  
Lies: 56º (3, 3HL), 56.5º (5), 57º (7, HVNWD), 58º (9), 59º (11) 
Lengths: 43.25” (3, 3HL), 42.75” (5), 42.25” (7), 43” (HVNWD), 41.75” (9), 41.25” (11) 
Head sizes: 169cc (3, 3HL), 144cc (5), 135cc (7), 153cc (HVNWD), 128cc (9), 123cc (11) 
Stock shafts: True Temper Project X Denali Charcoal 60g (5.5-R, 6.0-S), 70g (6.0S, 6.5-X); Mitsubishi Chemical Vanquish PL 40G (R2), 50g (R2, R) 
Stock grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (50g)