XR Driver

[Bizzle80]

Some schmuck snapped his driver at our club and left it in the 2nd tee garbage. Callaway XR in great condition. I had heard this was a good driver for juniors...anyone with experience with their kids? Debating trying a Flynn shaft in it for my daughter, but don't want to just waste $90 ordering a shaft if reviews are poor. She's playing a Cobra Ladies FMax currently...

 

Worth a flyer?

[MB19]

9 hours ago, Bizzle80 said:

Some schmuck snapped his driver at our club and left it in the 2nd tee garbage. Callaway XR in great condition. I had heard this was a good driver for juniors...anyone with experience with their kids? Debating trying a Flynn shaft in it for my daughter, but don't want to just waste $90 ordering a shaft if reviews are poor. She's playing a Cobra Ladies FMax currently...

 

Worth a flyer?

I believe @leezer99had a positive experience putting his junior in this driver head.

[heavy_hitter]

9 hours ago, Bizzle80 said:

Some schmuck snapped his driver at our club and left it in the 2nd tee garbage. Callaway XR in great condition. I had heard this was a good driver for juniors...anyone with experience with their kids? Debating trying a Flynn shaft in it for my daughter, but don't want to just waste $90 ordering a shaft if reviews are poor. She's playing a Cobra Ladies FMax currently...

 

Worth a flyer?

Seeing in another thread your kid is 8.  Absolutely no way I would do this.  I would be getting a junior driver.  

[darter79]

Ping ProdiG probably better. OEM head but setup for a junior in terms of weight shaft swing weight. The only adult head I would suggest is the Titleist TS1 because if you change the weight it can be super light. But I follow the thought process that lighter is not always faster. 

[Bizzle80]

4 hours ago, heavy_hitter said:

Seeing in another thread your kid is 8.  Absolutely no way I would do this.  I would be getting a junior driver.  

 

she's already swinging a women's Cobra FMax with a Flynn shaft really well. you thinking its too heavy? maybe ill just eBay it or trade in at Roger Dunn...

[heavy_hitter]

1 minute ago, Bizzle80 said:

 

she's already swinging a women's Cobra FMax with a Flynn shaft really well. you thinking its too heavy? maybe ill just eBay it or trade in at Roger Dunn...

You need to worry about swing weight, not overall weight.  The lighter the shaft the heavier it makes the head.

[wildcatden]

https://wishongolf.com/junior-fitting-information/

 

"The heavier the clubs, the harder they will be for the junior player to swing with a semblance of control to be able to hit the ball solid and well up in the air a high percentage of the time. Because of the much shorter length requirements of junior golfers, clubmakers will build to a total weight instead of a swingweight. Shorter lengths make it impossible to use a 14” fulcrum length swingweight scale. Hence when building to a specific total weight requirement, all weight addition needed will be added to the clubhead. To help in the total weight fitting for the junior, when it is financially possible, graphite shafts should be used to keep the total weights lighter. Some component companies do offer junior graphite shafts which are both more flexible than the junior steel shafts available, and are not that expensive."

 

We haven't ever played the XR, but plenty of juniors have. It's pretty lightweight head (probably comparable headweight to a USKG Tour Series head).  It's hard to do swingweight for junior clubs that short. They basically don't register on the swingweight scale.

[darter79]

44 minutes ago, wildcatden said:

https://wishongolf.com/junior-fitting-information/

 

"The heavier the clubs, the harder they will be for the junior player to swing with a semblance of control to be able to hit the ball solid and well up in the air a high percentage of the time. Because of the much shorter length requirements of junior golfers, clubmakers will build to a total weight instead of a swingweight. Shorter lengths make it impossible to use a 14” fulcrum length swingweight scale. Hence when building to a specific total weight requirement, all weight addition needed will be added to the clubhead. To help in the total weight fitting for the junior, when it is financially possible, graphite shafts should be used to keep the total weights lighter. Some component companies do offer junior graphite shafts which are both more flexible than the junior steel shafts available, and are not that expensive."

 

We haven't ever played the XR, but plenty of juniors have. It's pretty lightweight head (probably comparable headweight to a USKG Tour Series head).  It's hard to do swingweight for junior clubs that short. They basically don't register on the swingweight scale.

 Depending on the age yes but swing weight does play a part. Sticking a light grip on any light head makes the head feel heavier flat out. It needs to have a bit of balance which is all swingweighting really is. A lot focus on total weight skinny head skinny shaft skinny grip then the head can feel like an axe. While overall weight should have some value to it. Even Ping prodiG line have a swing weight that should tell you something there. If you cut down a driver from an OEM you know what they put a HEAIVER head on it. Lighter is not always better you have to be able to feel the head at what age that matters no idea. 

 

Building anything OEM for juniors that are not designed for makes things pretty complex and not sure there is one right answer only the trial and error to find what works for your junior. Make it fun. 

[mrshinsa]

If it weighs similar to a Cobra JR driver, it should be ok.  Those can be used for kids starting at 8. 

I wouldn't spend more than 50 bux getting up to spec, however.  

 

[cellywratt]

My boy played the XR16 with a Flynn shaft from Age 7. Great driver and a great price. He's 9 now and is playing an Epic flash with a Recoil F1 shaft. As others have said above its all a bit of trial and error to figure out what works. 

[Bizzle80]

 

4 hours ago, cellywratt said:

My boy played the XR16 with a Flynn shaft from Age 7. Great driver and a great price. He's 9 now and is playing an Epic flash with a Recoil F1 shaft. As others have said above its all a bit of trial and error to figure out what works. 

 

ok, might be worth just picking up a Flynn shaft to play around with it.  Head was free and going to need the next level length shaft for her soon as it is...they just keep growing...

[tiger1873]

If you feel the need to buy a junior shaft then just go out and Buy a Flynn or US Kids driver.  There is no reason to get that involved in trying to build a custom club for a younger kid. 

 

Concentrate on them hitting the center of the club more than distance at that age.  When the kids are young just keep things simple and don't get caught in the clubbing up race.

Edited February 11, 2021 by tiger1873

[BloctonGolf11]

XR is a great choice for a kids head. The head is comparable in weight to Junior heads but is just a much better piece of equipment. 

[Bizzle80]

6 hours ago, tiger1873 said:

If you feel the need to buy a junior shaft then just go out and Buy a Flynn or US Kids driver.  There is no reason to get that involved in trying to build a custom club for a younger kid. 

 

Concentrate on them hitting the center of the club more than distance at that age.  When the kids are young just keep things simple and don't get caught in the clubbing up race.

 

Good advice, but my kid already has no issue making center contact with her driver. Frankly, when we moved her nearly a year ago from a uskids driver to her cobra fMax on a Flynn shaft she gained noticeable yardage (15+ carry). so looking for thoughts on the XR as a junior head as I've read its a solid option for better junior players - especially as she's picked up some swing speed with natural growth and strength. Now, I'm not trying to measure swing weights and put her on trackman to get perfect launch conditions, just looking for feedback on an XR head we picked up gratis courtesy of someone snapping their driver.

 

From what I've seen out at tournaments basically every serious jr player is in an OEM head combo...so I think we are beyond just "get a generic kids driver." 

 

Also, this is wrx so who TF is going basic? 

[BloctonGolf11]

10 minutes ago, Bizzle80 said:

 

Good advice, but my kid already has no issue making center contact with her driver. Frankly, when we moved her nearly a year ago from a uskids driver to her cobra fMax on a Flynn shaft she gained noticeable yardage (15+ carry). so looking for thoughts on the XR as a junior head as I've read its a solid option for better junior players - especially as she's picked up some swing speed with natural growth and strength. Now, I'm not trying to measure swing weights and put her on trackman to get perfect launch conditions, just looking for feedback on an XR head we picked up gratis courtesy of someone snapping their driver.

 

From what I've seen out at tournaments basically every serious jr player is in an OEM head combo...so I think we are beyond just "get a generic kids driver." 

 

Also, this is wrx so who TF is going basic? 

The USKids and Flynn irons are great. The drivers are just bad, simple as that. Stick with the adult head/flynn shaft combo. 

[tiger1873]

1 hour ago, Bizzle80 said:

 

Good advice, but my kid already has no issue making center contact with her driver. Frankly, when we moved her nearly a year ago from a uskids driver to her cobra fMax on a Flynn shaft she gained noticeable yardage (15+ carry). so looking for thoughts on the XR as a junior head as I've read its a solid option for better junior players - especially as she's picked up some swing speed with natural growth and strength. Now, I'm not trying to measure swing weights and put her on trackman to get perfect launch conditions, just looking for feedback on an XR head we picked up gratis courtesy of someone snapping their driver.

 

From what I've seen out at tournaments basically every serious jr player is in an OEM head combo...so I think we are beyond just "get a generic kids driver." 

 

Also, this is wrx so who TF is going basic? 

 

I wouldn't play Callaway XR there are lot better options out there.  It's like a $50 driver on eBay.  Go out and buy a callaway star driver or any driver with weight adjustments on eBay and she will hit another 15 yards further then what you have now.

[ncalgolf]

10 hours ago, tiger1873 said:

If you feel the need to buy a junior shaft then just go out and Buy a Flynn or US Kids driver.  There is no reason to get that involved in trying to build a custom club for a younger kid. 

 

Concentrate on them hitting the center of the club more than distance at that age.  When the kids are young just keep things simple and don't get caught in the clubbing up race.

That is too logical and isn't very much fun - part of the obsession / fun is trying different driver heads and spending $100s of dollars on golf shafts only to hack them up and never use them again.   I don't think you will see any noticeable difference between the XR head and Cobra head, but hey your daughter could possibly pop that driver a bit farther, so throw a shaft on that bad boy and try it out 🙂

[Bizzle80]

5 hours ago, ncalgolf said:

That is too logical and isn't very much fun - part of the obsession / fun is trying different driver heads and spending $100s of dollars on golf shafts only to hack them up and never use them again.   I don't think you will see any noticeable difference between the XR head and Cobra head, but hey your daughter could possibly pop that driver a bit farther, so throw a shaft on that bad boy and try it out 🙂

 

Thats the wrx attitude I’m looking for!

[jj9000]

18 hours ago, tiger1873 said:

 

I wouldn't play Callaway XR there are lot better options out there.  It's like a $50 driver on eBay.  Go out and buy a callaway star driver or any driver with weight adjustments on eBay and she will hit another 15 yards further then what you have now.

 

The kid is 8.

 

She's not going to pick up 15 yards switching from XR to an Epic Flash.  Utter nonsense.  .830 COR = .830 COR even if she was older.

 

OP...I have an XR16 that weighs around 2 grams heavier than a US Kids Driver.  My son swung it at 8 YO...he did just fine.

 

Don't over think it.

[BloctonGolf11]

19 hours ago, tiger1873 said:

 

I wouldn't play Callaway XR there are lot better options out there.  It's like a $50 driver on eBay.  Go out and buy a callaway star driver or any driver with weight adjustments on eBay and she will hit another 15 yards further then what you have now.

Go look at any testing. At pro swing speeds you only see about a yard change per year average in distance gained due to tech. A five year old head will only lose about 5 yards compared to a current head. For a junior an XR head is fine. Your "15 Yards extra because of weights" argument is 100% wrong. The XR is still a decent head, especially for a junior and can easily fend for itself against the Epics for a young junior. My son is currently rocking a Great Big Bertha Alpha that he hits further than his Cobra F8. That is anecdotal I know but as long as you aren't using a driver head from 2004 you will not see that big of a difference in a young junior. You will see a difference in OEM vs. USKids/Flynn though for sure. What JJ9000 said was dead on. 

Edited February 12, 2021 by BloctonGolf11

[tiger1873]

10 minutes ago, BloctonGolf11 said:

Go look at any testing. At pro swing speeds you only see about a yard change per year average in distance gained. For a junior an XR head is fine. Your "15 Yards extra because of weights" argument is 100% wrong. The XR is still a decent head, especially for a junior and can easily fend for itself against the Epics for a young junior. My son is currently rocking a Great Big Bertha Alpha that he hits further than his Cobra F8. That is anecdotal I know but as long as you aren't using a driver head from 2004 you will not see that big of a difference in a young junior. You will see a difference in OEM vs. USKids/Flynn though for sure. 

 

It doesn't matter the number of yards you get.   If you going to though all customization for 2 or 3 yards that is crazy.  Just go buy a junior driver then. 

 

The XR is an old driver and pretty cheap. Why would you spend money on that driver when clearly there are better drivers out there?   Tinkering with a driver just because you can and then giving it to a kid the worst thing you can do.

 

The driver at younger ages don't matter at all.  If you want to win focus on putting and chipping.

 

Edited February 12, 2021 by tiger1873

[BloctonGolf11]

2 minutes ago, tiger1873 said:

 

It doesn't matter they number if yards you get.   If you going to though all this for 2 or 3 yards that is crazy.  Just go buy a junior driver. 

 

The XR is an old driver and pretty cheap. Why would you spend money on that driver when clearly there are better drivers out there?   Tinkering with a driver just because you can and then giving it to a kid the worst thing you can do.

 

The driver at younger ages don't matter at all.  If you want to win focus on putting and chipping.

 

That makes zero sense. The XR or any OEM head will demolish the junior drivers Tiger. The point I was making is you blasting the XR as vastly inferior to a head with weights is just laughable for a junior. Also "The driver at young ages doesn't matter at all" Ok..just wow. 

Edited February 12, 2021 by BloctonGolf11

[tiger1873]

1 minute ago, BloctonGolf11 said:

That makes zero sense. The XR or any OEM head will demolish the junior drivers Tiger. The point I was making is you blasting the XR as vastly inferior to a head with weights is just laughable for a junior. 

 

The XR sucks and always has. It was never the best driver Calloway sold.  Buy an epic star I don't know if they have a new version since I am not buying lightweight drivers but this was the best driver anyone without speed could buy.  A lot kids had this driver a few years ago.

 

https://www.callawaygolf.com/golf-clubs/drivers/drivers-2019-epic-flash-star.html

 

Kids easily got an extra 10-15 yards with this one.

[leezer99]

2 minutes ago, tiger1873 said:

 

The XR sucks and always has. It was never the best driver Calloway sold.  Buy an epic star I don't know if they have a new version since I am not buying lightweight drivers but this was the best driver anyone without speed could buy.  A lot kids had this driver a few years ago.

 

https://www.callawaygolf.com/golf-clubs/drivers/drivers-2019-epic-flash-star.html

 

Kids easily got an extra 10-15 yards with this one.

 

Back a few years ago some of the Long Drive guys were still using the Callaway XR because of how fast it was.

[tiger1873]

Also if you buy a maverick SZ driver and use a weight kit to adjust the weights in the heads and pick a few premium shafts you could probaly get similar results.

[BloctonGolf11]

6 minutes ago, tiger1873 said:

 

The XR sucks and always has. It was never the best driver Calloway sold.  Buy an epic star I don't know if they have a new version since I am not buying lightweight drivers but this was the best driver anyone without speed could buy.  A lot kids had this driver a few years ago.

 

https://www.callawaygolf.com/golf-clubs/drivers/drivers-2019-epic-flash-star.html

 

Kids easily got an extra 10-15 yards with this one.

You will not find an 8 year old using the same shaft getting 15 extra yards from the XR to the Epic Star. The XR is a fine, affordable, upgrade over a junior head for an 8 year old. Simple as that. Will you see a little better results out of going and buying a $300 head, sure, but not game changing it is that simple. OEM will blast the poor junior heads at that age and the XR is still a decent head for that age without doubt. 

[tiger1873]

Just now, BloctonGolf11 said:

You will not find an 8 year old using the same shaft getting 15 extra yards from the XR to the Epic Star. The XR is a fine, affordable, upgrade over a junior head for an 8 year old. Simple as that. Will you see a little better results out of going and buying a $300 head, sure, but not game changing it is that simple. OEM will blast the poor junior heads at that age and the XR is still a decent head for that age without doubt. 

 

I bet they hit a lot more fairways with the Epic star and that is a big deal.  The reason you stay with Junior drivers is it better for long term development.  Going out buying OEM heads is fine but it hurts them long term especially if there under 10.

 

Thats what everyone doesn't understand there are long term effects and you can still score low with a junior driver at those distances.

[BloctonGolf11]

2 minutes ago, tiger1873 said:

 

I bet they hit a lot more fairways with the Epic star and that is a big deal.  The reason you stay with Junior drivers is it better for long term development.  Going out buying OEM heads is fine but it hurts them long term especially if there under 10.

 

Thats what everyone doesn't understand there are long term effects and you can still score low with a junior driver at those distances.

Tiger I swear you cannot stick to a single point. First it was Junior Drivers are better, then it was you will gain 15 yards with an Epic Star, then it was driving distance doesn't matter, now it is OEM heads hurt them but they will hit more fairways and that is what matters. Trying to follow what you are saying is like trying to track the Tasmanian Devil on speed. 

 

Most competitive kids are in an OEM head before they hit 10 years old Tiger and it definitely is not hurting them. 

[Golfingdawg19]

I can tell you from my experience with fitters that until you get over 80mph swing speed, you wont see much difference between drivers. You just aren't swinging it fast enough at that point to see a huge disparity from one club to another. Sure you can play around with shafts to fine tune things a little but overall you won't see much difference. I say go with what you can get a deal on and save your money for later on when you will need it. 

[Bizzle80]

whoa whoa whoa....easy fellas!

 

if you go back to my original post, I FOUND a XR head on my clubs tee box. it was FREE, so its not about spending money. I just wanted feedback from anyone who had used it for juniors as I had read that it was a good light head FOR juniors. putting/chipping/hitting straight advice aside (my girl already works on all that stuff) I just wanted to know about the XR. (plus...for her playing par 4's at 150yds and hitting to pw range really helps, so we will take the distance. 5-10 extra yds for an 8yo is huge)

 

Tiger...OEM heads do make a huge difference for juniors vs USK/Flynn drivers. thats from experience. I am not trying to have my 8yo custom fit...clearly not necessary at that age - and I am not trying to go spend $300 on a new/used Star/Sim/Rad/etc driver. she hits her Fmax just fine, nice high draw 100yd bombs. just wondering about the XR that I FOUND. thats it...cant we all just get along?

 

thank you!