Callaway XR Irons Review

Fitting in between Big Bertha and Apex golf irons, the lofts and shaft lengths on the XRs haven’t changed from X2 Hot, yet they’re said to be 12 yards longer. How? Callaway says its 360 Cup Face technology increases ball speeds by allowing the entire face to flex more at impact, increasing the spring-like effect.

The faces are heat-treated to boost their strength, so Callaway could make them thinner and more flexible. Variable face thickness and Internal Standing Wave technology controls the CG and creates space for the face to flex. There’s also a vibration dampener in the toe to improve feel. The XR Pro iron features the same technology in a more compact head, with a thinner topline and narrower sole width.

See how the irons got on in our 2015 Game Improvement Irons Test!

Reviewed by: Joel Tadman, Equipment Editor

Tech: Despite having the same shaft length and loft of the outgoing X2 Hot irons, the XR irons are said to be 12 yards longer. How? Via Callaway’s 360 Cup Face technology, which allows the entire face to flex at impact.

Looks: Stand-out design features at address include a double white bottom groove for alignment, thick topline and shiny finish. The standard XR has a fair amount of offset, which reduces considerably in the Pro model.

Feel/Sound: The standard XR feels incredibly hot from the middle, creating a towering flight. The XR Pro feels solid, but some will find it a little firm and clicky for an iron they want to play.

Forgiveness: Excels in this area. On both models there’s a lot of face area that produces good ball speed with what feels like minimal twisting on heel and toe strikes.

Performance: These clubs are designed to slide in between the Apex and Big Bertha irons and they certainly appear to do this on distance. They're longer than most game-improver irons on the market and offer bundles of launch assistance for inconsistent strikers. The XR irons are about a degree stronger than the XR Pro model through the set, but match that of other brands’ game improver models. The stand out features of the XR irons is how easy they are to hit, the confidence they inspire at address and the distance they will achieve for a variety of swing speeds. Even fast swingers will enjoy the ball flight and help on offer.

The main challenge for Callaway in the distance irons category over the past few years has been figuring out how to improve on the stellar X2 Hot irons, widely regarded as one of the best performing models for pure ball speed on the market. At the same time, the company’s über forgiving Big Bertha line, historically aimed at the higher handicap golfer but becoming increasingly mainstream with each passing year, also boasts some impressive distance stats of its own. In other words, simply being the flagship distance iron in its own company is quite an achievement for the XR.

However, when a company like Callaway tells you that its new XR iron is one of the top three products developed in its entire history, you have to sit up and take notice. For the first time ever, Callaway has been able to put the 360 Face Cup found in its drivers and fairway woods into the frame of a cavity-back iron. This has enabled the company’s engineers to better control the face thickness of the irons, which creates more ball speed on shots hit anywhere on the clubface. As with TaylorMade’s RSi1, the Callaway XR has been designed to perform especially well on mishit shots struck low on the face.