EDITOR Review: 2012 Callaway RAZR FIT Driver!

[golfware]

The bad boy can now be optimized by you!

CALLAWAY 2012 RAZR FIT DRIVER





Introduction:

Pros

STRAIGHT, STRAIGHTER AND STRAIGHTEST! What more can you ask from a driver?! DISTANCE TOO! Customized to MY (and yours too) swing. Customized to OPTIMIZE ME! YES!!

Cons

Honestly…. The swingweight at 45.5 was D-9, which for me was incredibly heavy feeling for me. Cutting it down to 44.5 = D3 swingweight = PERFECTION. :D
Bottom Line

This is ONE SOLID driver. :bb: The weights make a significant impact. The face angle change makes a significant impact. This driver can be CUSTOMIZED!

Editor/Tester Review:

A TREMENDOUS THANK YOU to Callaway Golf and Golf WRX for allowing me the opportunity to test and write this review on the new 2012 Callaway Golf RAZR FIT DRIVER! The BIG BAD BOY IS HERE! I have always held Callaway Golf drivers in the utmost of high regards, starting from the original Callaway Great Big Bertha, the Hawkeye, the FT-3 Tour, FT-9 Tour, FT Tour & of course, the Razr Hawk Tour!! Theres a LONG LINEAGE of outstanding performance here. For me, Callaway drivers are synonymous with forgiveness, hot face and DISTANCE. In other words, they have been country long for me. I remember years ago (I was 30 at the time) being outdriven by a 14 year old with an FT-3 Tour. Id gone away from Callaway Drivers for a short spell, but after that episode, I came BACK!

Just a little about myself.

Age: 40 (40 is the new 30 right??)
Handicap: 6 handicap, play several times a week (9 holes during the week mostly).
Driver swing speed thats in the 108-111 mph
7-iron swing speed of about 96 mph
I like to hit driver. Period. Long par 4s. Short par 4s. Par 5s. You name it! I like to hit driver. Im not always as accurate as I have needed to be, but Im working on hitting a lot more fairways.

Lots of even better and MORE IMPROVED pics (thanks Rob!), pics.

Look

Hum… how best to describe…. Hum…. Okay, Ill try a recipe….

Take a cup of Diablo Octane Tour….
Take 2 cups of Razr Hawk Tour….
And add a heaping tablespoon of weights and Optifit technology….
Now, cook at 450*F for 2 hours to really bring out the HOTNESS and SIZZLE…
And what do you get??

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the 2012 RAZR FIT DRIVER!!





Kudos Callaway!! Gone is the Fusion Technology line that was visible with previous FT series driver. Truth be told, I loved that line. But through lots of range therapy, I was able to come to terms with my love for that line (LOL) and truly appreciate the CLEAN look of this driver. It just sits up so well. Like the Octane Tour. Just so clean. The Optifit Hosel is uber-clean at address without being overbearing. And, changing the Optifit is a great tool to have to customizing the preferred look and ballflight. The C position seriously closes the clubface, the N position sits dead square, and the O position takes the LEFT side out of play. It really does. I was recently able to see a Razr Hawk & Razr Hawk Tour that were in two halves, the face (or metal half) and the Forged Composite side. I completely understand why the weights have such an effect on this head. The Forged Composite side weighs nearly nothing. Im talking milligrams, practically as light as a feather. The Forged Composite, while weighing as light as feather, is a strong as Mike Tyson in his prime. Its incredibly strong. The Cally rep said that you could literally run over it with a car and it wouldnt break. I believe it. The face (metal half) carries the majority of the weight, with the other weight coming from the new weight screws and the new Optifit hosel. Thats why, with the 12 gram in the toe, its very neutral biased, to offset the weight in the hosel. With 12 grams in the heel, its much more heel biased in my opinion.

This particular driver is shafted with Mitsubishi Rayons Diamana Ahina 70 stiff. This is one SMOOTH shaft. SMOOTH, like Godiva Chocolate smooth. Like Crème Brule smooth. Very stable shaft. I did demo the stock RAZR FIT with the Aldila RIPd NV stiff shaft and was also impressed. That shaft is also smooth, and easy to elevate.


Performance/playability

Okay…. So this driver is straight. Although its straight once its dialed in to your swing. Interesting enough…. I was originally fitted for the stock stiff shaft, 12-2 (heel-toe), set in the O position. This provided me with the tight draw, and all of this being on a Launch Monitor indoors at the Callaway Performance Center in the San Francisco Bay Area (indoors). I also tried several other shafts that the fitter had available, and custom-wise, the fitter fit me with the Diamana Whiteboard 73 or the Diamana Ahina 70. I went with the Diamana Ahina 70 (newer technology, I suppose) and away I went!



Upon the drivers arrival, I noticed two things; it was at 45.5, and at a heavy swingweight (come to be measured at D-9). For comparisons sake, my Razr Hawk Tour w/ a Speeder 652 is 44.5 and D-0. HUGE difference in terms of feel for me.

But, as a true club ho that I am, off I went to the range and course to see if I could maximize the extra 1 in length and heavier swingweight. I adjusted the club to the specs, 12-2 and O and away I went.





My first round with it was quite an adjustment. Clearly, the extra length and swingweight were something that I wasnt use to. It reminded me of the stock setup of the Razr Hawk Tour. Truth be told, the stock setup of the Razr Hawk Tour didnt get along well for me. I had it re-shafted with the Speeder 652 by Callaway, and all of a sudden, this new setup turned out to be the King of Ballspeed for me for all of 2011. It was insane. With that in mind, I had the Razr FIT shortened by 1 to 44.5 with a swingweight of D-3. VOILA!! Whoa. Yes, Virginia, that 1 makes a WORLD of difference. I also spent an entire range session with the FIT on a perfect day, just hitting balls with all of the different settings. For me, based upon my eye, the best combo was (Muppets Animal drum roll please….) the stock head setup! I was really surprised. Yep, 2-12 (heel-toe) set to N for neutral at 44.5 and D-3 swingweight. It swings perfectly. Straight as an arrow, and very forgiving. While the jury is still out on any distance gains (I really have been more focused on consistency and hitting fairways), my fairways HIT have been up, and gone is that wild slice that would show up every now again with my swing and my Razr Hawk Tour.

During my range session, I set the club in all of the settings. Just to give you an example, I set it to O and the neutral setup. For those that really close the face at impact and fear going left, this may be just what you are looking for. If Im not careful, Ill slice that ball like a Benihana Sushi Chef. No joke. When hit properly, the dynamic loft is indeed lowered as well, but you cant sleep on an open-faced driver. LOL. I changed the weights to 12-2 with the O, and the slice turned into more of a fade. Naturally of course, I wanted to see what the 12-2 and N position would do for me. Intuitively, my first thoughts were that the 12 gram in the heel would really help to close the clubface, but what I found was that the spin went up, giving me a much higher ballflight. Straight, but MUCH higher. After thinking about it, it makes sense in that the 12-2 provides a much more heel biased driver, similar to closing the clubface in some respects. Because its so heel-biased, it should increase the spin and promote a higher ballflight. I hit a good 5 drives in this configuration, and each result was similar to the previous.

I then switched to the extreme, 12-2 with C and would hit a high PULL draw, which made sense, because the face was so closed. For those that fight a slice, this IS your lucky day.



I went back to the original 2-12 (heel-toe) setting, set back to N, and voila, straight drives, all the time… all day long. HIGH trajectory that flattened out and went. I was impressed.



FEEL:

Feel is, of course, subjective. And Ill try my best to try to capture it as best I can with this driver. It is certainly much more metallic sounds than previous drivers that both the FT and RAZR nameplate. I liken it to the Octane Tour, I really do. I think that has a lot of do with the addition of the screws and the hosel. When I flushed one in the center, it felt like nothing. Im not kidding. It really did. Shots off the heel and toe tell me that that I hit it off the heel and toe. In stark contract, heel and toe shots with the Razr Hawk Tour are much more composite muted, if you know what I mean. Off the center, the RH Tour feels like nothing, just pure, and theyve captured that feeling with the Razr FIT. But for those that love a more metallic sound from their driver, this will be a hit.



Overall bottom line

Overall, Im thrilled to put these into play. The accuracy really wins out with the customization to ones swing. Simple, yet effective. The adjustments really work. And work well. Yesterday I played with a guy that had just bought one and was so excited to put it into play. On the first tee, he pipes it right down the middle with a little draw, and had a smile on this face from ear to ear. At that moment, I knew Callaway had a winner on their hands.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YrpZYk3Ch0

[golfware]

I will continue to update the review with my on course findings as well.

[Goldenhawk]

Nice review.

Really nice driver. It does generate some awesome ball speeds off the face. I think I'm going to get one.

[The GreekGrind]

[quote name='golfware' timestamp='1333392701' post='4631709']
I will continue to update the review with my on course findings as well.
[/quote]
You might want to prepare with the update: [i]2012 Masters Winner WITB. [/i][b]Fit[/b] for Mickelson’s Militia baby! Zip it Amigo!

Phil aside ... again yet another spectacular review golfware; thorough, precise, fun to read. And great pictures as well; the face looks deeper (good thing to my preference) like the Diablo Octane Tour (rather than the RAZR Hawk Tour).

PS: flowers > carpet

[golfware]

Great to know!! I'll add more flower pics!

[radiman]

I am loving mine also. With the DI7 I'm hitting more fairways for sure. I initially had it set with a draw bias in the neutral setting, but the 8.5 may be a little lower launching than I thought. I wanted to see if closing the face would make a big difference. I started hitting some really bad pulls, so I tried switching to neutral weighting. It dramatically changed how the club felt/sounded, which I was not ready for. Did you notice anything along those lines? I got better ballflight, but the feel was just odd. It got really loud too. Has anyone had a similar experience?

[golfware]

[quote name='radiman' timestamp='1333563071' post='4648799']
I am loving mine also. With the DI7 I'm hitting more fairways for sure. I initially had it set with a draw bias in the neutral setting, but the 8.5 may be a little lower launching than I thought. I wanted to see if closing the face would make a big difference. I started hitting some really bad pulls, so I tried switching to neutral weighting. It dramatically changed how the club felt/sounded, which I was not ready for. Did you notice anything along those lines? I got better ballflight, but the feel was just odd. It got really loud too. Has anyone had a similar experience?
[/quote]

Yes. I totally agree. Changing the weights changes the sound. At first, I really liked the sound with 12-2, howeve changing the weights back to 2-12, while giving to me, a higher pitched metallic sound, it felt great with the results I was getting.

[radiman]

Well, in the end, results are more important to me. I'll try to live with it. I'm just amazed how much distance I get off of my poor shots. Especially off the heal.

[golfware]

I hit an absolute CANNON today at the course. Downwind a bit on #1 at Harding Park, had 64 yards left. . The potential of the club is absurd!!

[donasu]

Didn't you throw something out of whack when you lowered your Callaway RZAR Fit swing weight of D9 down to D2 as you cut your shaft down from 45.5" to 44.5"? I am 76 years old and my daughter bought me a Callaway RZAR Fit driver with a Aldela RIP'D NV 60g A-flex. The D6 (or is it D9)has slowed my swing speed down quite a bit, and instead of getting 220 yards, which I get from my Adams Speedline FAST 10 driver, I am getting around 190 yards from my RZAR Fit. If I were to cut my shaft down from 45.5 to 44.5, and replace my grip from a standard size to a midsize plus 2-wraps, do you think I could get around the same results as you did? If you did more than cut the shaft down would you tell me what it was, so I won't get anything out of whack (i need a high launch, since my swing speed is around 85 mph). Thanks! Don.

[jonyim94]

Wow, sweet combo. Good review golfware. Is this longer than a 910 D3? Which spins less off the tee? I'm stuck between these 2 drivers now.

[golfware]

[quote name='jonyim94' timestamp='1342152026' post='5266490']
Wow, sweet combo. Good review golfware. Is this longer than a 910 D3? Which spins less off the tee? I'm stuck between these 2 drivers now.
[/quote]

Whoops. Sorry about the response delay. I had the 910D3 with a Tour AD DI7 stiff tipped 1" and couldn't control it to save my life. Also fit into the D3 with the Ahina 72 x, and much better, but still not on par for me as the Razr FIT. It's all about the shaft though. I've demo'd the FIT with other shafts and the results were night and day different depending on the shaft.

[2putter]

[quote name='golfware' timestamp='1344176575' post='5409384']
[quote name='jonyim94' timestamp='1342152026' post='5266490']
Wow, sweet combo. Good review golfware. Is this longer than a 910 D3? Which spins less off the tee? I'm stuck between these 2 drivers now.
[/quote]

Whoops. Sorry about the response delay. I had the 910D3 with a Tour AD DI7 stiff tipped 1" and couldn't control it to save my life. Also fit into the D3 with the Ahina 72 x, and much better, but still not on par for me as the Razr FIT. It's all about the shaft though. I've demo'd the FIT with other shafts and the results were night and day different depending on the shaft.
[/quote]

Great review Golfware. Distance wise, how does it compare with the Razr Hawk tour? Shafted correctly, would you say the Razr Fit is about the same?

[golfware]

[quote name='2putter' timestamp='1346209923' post='5552747']
[quote name='golfware' timestamp='1344176575' post='5409384']
[quote name='jonyim94' timestamp='1342152026' post='5266490']
Wow, sweet combo. Good review golfware. Is this longer than a 910 D3? Which spins less off the tee? I'm stuck between these 2 drivers now.
[/quote]

Whoops. Sorry about the response delay. I had the 910D3 with a Tour AD DI7 stiff tipped 1" and couldn't control it to save my life. Also fit into the D3 with the Ahina 72 x, and much better, but still not on par for me as the Razr FIT. It's all about the shaft though. I've demo'd the FIT with other shafts and the results were night and day different depending on the shaft.
[/quote]

Great review Golfware. Distance wise, how does it compare with the Razr Hawk tour? Shafted correctly, would you say the Razr Fit is about the same?
[/quote]

Hum. Tough question. I think the Razr Hawk Tour is still lower spin than the Razr FIT, although I need to try some different shafts again in the FIT. The FIT headshape is nearly identical to the Octane Tour. I'd say shafted correctly, the FIT will be a bit more forgiving, but the same distance.

[mosesgolf]

I just put into play a Razr Fit 9.5 w/ Ahina 70 x set to O and 12g on toe. It hits pretty low, it's low spin, and it's freaking long. I need to put this up against my R11S. I am VERY impressed with this driver. And to boot, it's very anti left with the current setup.

[golfware]

Okay seriously, the shaft makes an enormous difference of course. Just used a 9.5* Razr FIT with a Tour AD DI-7 stiff. Just STUPID LONG!! I've rarely been able to hit it 300+ on the Trackman, but not with this combo. Ball speeds on the low 160's, super low spin and ROLL. Just crazy!!