'13 Callaway X Forged Iron Pics (updated 2/2/13 w/ more Pics)

[speeder757]

Does Callaway Offer Tour Issue DG Shafts Yet?

[toddba11]

Sticking with the DG S300 in mine. I prefer the additional weight and lower trajectory, never really noticed that much lower of a flight with the C-tapers compared to the KBS Tours. They feel good, but nothing wrong with the oldest most reliable shaft in the game. Ordered two weeks ago, but not sure when they will ship.....

[JB lefty]

[quote name='toddba11' timestamp='1358828168' post='6274627']
Sticking with the DG S300 in mine. I prefer the additional weight and lower trajectory, never really noticed that much lower of a flight with the C-tapers compared to the KBS Tours. They feel good, but nothing wrong with the oldest most reliable shaft in the game. Ordered two weeks ago, but not sure when they will ship.....
[/quote]
You are not Hans Solo here. I am still waiting for some clubs that were meant to ship on the 2 Jan and they are still on the production line somewhere, Still excited about the product.

[hardten]

[quote name='JB lefty' timestamp='1358850207' post='6275301']
[quote name='toddba11' timestamp='1358828168' post='6274627']
Sticking with the DG S300 in mine. I prefer the additional weight and lower trajectory, never really noticed that much lower of a flight with the C-tapers compared to the KBS Tours. They feel good, but nothing wrong with the oldest most reliable shaft in the game. Ordered two weeks ago, but not sure when they will ship.....
[/quote]
You are not Hans Solo here. I am still waiting for some clubs that were meant to ship on the 2 Jan and they are still on the production line somewhere, Still excited about the product.
[/quote]These are so nice looking ,at least from pics, that there will be a bunch of guys buying them that won't play them for beans and should be a good pick up at reduced prices mid season.

[toddba11]

[quote name='hardten' timestamp='1358856598' post='6275407']
[quote name='JB lefty' timestamp='1358850207' post='6275301']
[quote name='toddba11' timestamp='1358828168' post='6274627']
Sticking with the DG S300 in mine. I prefer the additional weight and lower trajectory, never really noticed that much lower of a flight with the C-tapers compared to the KBS Tours. They feel good, but nothing wrong with the oldest most reliable shaft in the game. Ordered two weeks ago, but not sure when they will ship.....
[/quote]
You are not Hans Solo here. I am still waiting for some clubs that were meant to ship on the 2 Jan and they are still on the production line somewhere, Still excited about the product.
[/quote]These are so nice looking ,at least from pics, that there will be a bunch of guys buying them that won't play them for beans and should be a good pick up at reduced prices mid season.
[/quote]
[quote name='hardten' timestamp='1358856598' post='6275407']
[quote name='JB lefty' timestamp='1358850207' post='6275301']
[quote name='toddba11' timestamp='1358828168' post='6274627']
Sticking with the DG S300 in mine. I prefer the additional weight and lower trajectory, never really noticed that much lower of a flight with the C-tapers compared to the KBS Tours. They feel good, but nothing wrong with the oldest most reliable shaft in the game. Ordered two weeks ago, but not sure when they will ship.....
[/quote]
You are not Hans Solo here. I am still waiting for some clubs that were meant to ship on the 2 Jan and they are still on the production line somewhere, Still excited about the product.
[/quote]These are so nice looking ,at least from pics, that there will be a bunch of guys buying them that won't play them for beans and should be a good pick up at reduced prices mid season.
[/quote]
I agree, but since I have to play my irons +1" and 3 up, I went ahead and ordered them. I currently play Wilson FG62s and they are a beautiful club and I bought them based on looks, in part, so I hope these will be a tad more forgiving and live up to early reviews and looks............

[Dscvrr St Louis]

As to the how easy are they to hit question...I came from TM 2009 Tour Preferreds, did a comparison shoot in one of the threads. The TM's are great irons, hence owning them for 3 years, and they were slight cavity undercut, thin top line, thinish sole. The X Forged are smaller in EVERY regard against my TM's. I have the same shafts in both of them. I have played two rounds since I returned from #Callawrx 12-12-12 and all I can say...that with all the great looks and all the great feel that the X Forged have...I have yet to feel like I cannot just hit these things so easily...all the time! I love the look so much, that when I pick them up...I don't notice the look....not distracting, just make the swing and put them back in the bag. They are just plain Classic looking irons in every sense of the word...just way more forgiving.

[birdiedoublebogey]

[quote name='Dscvrr St Louis' timestamp='1358900019' post='6279361']
As to the how easy are they to hit question...I came from TM 2009 Tour Preferreds, did a comparison shoot in one of the threads. The TM's are great irons, hence owning them for 3 years, and they were slight cavity undercut, thin top line, thinish sole. The X Forged are smaller in EVERY regard against my TM's. I have the same shafts in both of them. I have played two rounds since I returned from #Callawrx 12-12-12 and all I can say...that with all the great looks and all the great feel that the X Forged have...I have yet to feel like I cannot just hit these things so easily...all the time! I love the look so much, that when I pick them up...I don't notice the look....not distracting, just make the swing and put them back in the bag. They are just plain Classic looking irons in every sense of the word...just way more forgiving.
[/quote]

you are saying these are more forgiving than TM TP?

[anthony007]

set shipped today. pxi shafts

[Va_Golfer86]

[quote name='anthony007' timestamp='1358904796' post='6279863']
set shipped today. pxi shafts
[/quote]

Did you demo them against any other shaft? Specifically the C-Taper?

[Dscvrr St Louis]

[quote name='tigerslions78' timestamp='1358904399' post='6279837']
[quote name='Dscvrr St Louis' timestamp='1358900019' post='6279361']
As to the how easy are they to hit question...I came from TM 2009 Tour Preferreds, did a comparison shoot in one of the threads. The TM's are great irons, hence owning them for 3 years, and they were slight cavity undercut, thin top line, thinish sole. The X Forged are smaller in EVERY regard against my TM's. I have the same shafts in both of them. I have played two rounds since I returned from #Callawrx 12-12-12 and all I can say...that with all the great looks and all the great feel that the X Forged have...I have yet to feel like I cannot just hit these things so easily...all the time! I love the look so much, that when I pick them up...I don't notice the look....not distracting, just make the swing and put them back in the bag. They are just plain Classic looking irons in every sense of the word...just way more forgiving.
[/quote]

you are saying these are more forgiving than TM TP?
[/quote]

Not gonna lie...I hit all my irons sets very solidly...but the LA will vary quite a bit or I could pull them very easily. When I got back from Cali and was waiting on my Callie Bag to be shipped home, I did a little swing 're-vamping'..went from 2 plane to 1 plane, was actually really easy for me to switch..should have done it sooner!
In two rounds with the X Forged...I seriously can't think of a shot that I missed, or wasn't straight, and wasn't SOLID! I did draw a couple into the wind and the wind got them, I miss judged the distance on a couple of knock-down shots, but that was me. What I mean to say is this...I am as confident or even more confident over a ball with the X Forged than I was with my TM TP's...I think they 'LOOK' easier to hit in my minds eye due to the smaller size..like with the smaller hitting area I will get more 'sweet spot' on the ball...if that makes any sense..and right now that confidence just makes these irons easier to hit for me. I really think the design by Roger on these is insanely good...I was a very slightly apprehensive about going forged and this small...after just three total rounds with them...not at all anymore.

[andrevanderpost]

Unfortunately I am one of those people that really need to love the look of a head to play it, irrespective of performance. Because of this I have held off ordering a set of the x-Forged "unseen". Secondly I have been evaluating shafts and heads recently and to date did not like the PXi (I do accept that this might have something to do with what heads I tried the PXi in) and have been using c-Tapers. I also have come to the realization that I hit blade-like clubs (like the Musclebacks) better than Cavity backs, largely due to the lower launch/spin that comes with this type of head.

So all in all I was pretty undecided about the x-Forged with the stock PXI. Fortunately I had the chance to hit them this morning. I also had my Musclebacks with c-Tapers and a set of Musclebacks with KBS Tours for comparative purposes.

Key things that I wanted to see/test were:

1. Head shape - specifically how much offset there is throughout the set. Part of the reason I love my Musclebacks is the shape and very minimal offset.
2. Shafts - unfortunately I only got to hit the PXi in the x-Forged, but I was able to compare this to my Musclebacks with c-Tapers and Musclebacks with KBS Tour
3. Launch characteristics - basically looking to ensure that they did not launch much higher than my current gamers with hopefully a touch more spin but certainly not loads more.
4. Consistency - in the past when I have moved to a lighter shaft like the PXi (even though it is only about 8 grams lighter than the KBS Tours/C-Tapers in 6.0) I have felt that my swing is less consistent. I have also noticed a tendency to hit them a little more left than usual.

Here are the average numbers by club tested (6 iron in each set - Clubhead Speed, Launch Angle, Decent Angle, Back Spin, Carry Distance):

MB's with c-Tapers - 81, 19*, 45*, 4355, 174
MB's with KBS Tours - 81, 21*, 48*, 4800, 173
XF with PXi - 84, 19.5*, 46*, 4523, 181

First off, the club head looks amazing. The very slight increase in offset is not noticeable and you really only can see it if you set them up next to the MB's along a straight edge. Certainly there is no discernable difference at address, so my first concern was resolved. These are definitely heads I could put in play.

In terms of "pure" launch characteristics, the x-Forged with PXi's were the best performers. The increase in distance wasn't a surprise given the 1* stronger loft and the lighter shaft. What did surprise me (in fact it blew me away) was the fact that these heads with the PXi shafts didn't launch much higher than the c-Tapers (.5* higher) and had only a very small increase in back spin (< 200 RPM). Even more important was the consistency of strike and smaller amounts of side spin coming out of the x-Forged. Across about 10 shots with each club, the x-Forged had a much tighter dispersion and given that I play a strong (to be kind) draw I was pleasantly surprised to see the much tighter shape. I also loved the feel of the PXi's over both the c-Taper (which I find to be harsh on the elbows) and the KBS Tours.

Given my previous negative experiences with the PXi's, it certainly goes to show that how a shaft and head work together is diffferent from set to set.

I have ordered a set of x-Forged with the stock PXi 6.0................Should go nicely with my x-Utility prototypes.

[OrangeCrush]

Excellent review Andre!

[golfware]

Excellent review Andre!! I think others will find outstanding results with these as well.

[J13]

great reviw!

[bama11]

Agree, great review!

[Dave Feldman]

Nice, thanks for the pics. This line has always looked sharp.

[Va_Golfer86]

Thanks for the empirical analysis! I can't wait to get fitted for these bad boys!

[Dscvrr St Louis]

Great review Andre...sounds like you went in thinking...should be all the same and was totally blown away!! Welcome to the NEW CALLAWAY for 2013...!! The whole line up will blow you away...it is all that good...amazing to me a company can turn 180* like this and just leave the OLD them behind...congrats to Chip Brewer and the men in charge!!

[Bogey's Belly]

Thanks Andre. That is encouraging news about the PXi, you and Golfware now nearly have me convinced that I'll be OK w/out C-Tapers, not to mention $200 richer after this brutal spending spree I'm on.

[andrevanderpost]

[quote name='Dscvrr St Louis' timestamp='1359040350' post='6288667']
Great review Andre...sounds like you went in thinking...should be all the same and was totally blown away!! Welcome to the NEW CALLAWAY for 2013...!! The whole line up will blow you away...it is all that good...amazing to me a company can turn 180* like this and just leave the OLD them behind...congrats to Chip Brewer and the men in charge!!
[/quote]

Needless to say that I have also put the RFX 8.5 and 4w in the bag along with the 18, 21 and 24 x-Utility Prototypes, Copper wedges and a Versa #7 putter!!! I am really excited to see what the new wedge looks like when it comes out later in the year....

[Dscvrr St Louis]

[quote name='andrevanderpost' timestamp='1359045913' post='6289357']
[quote name='Dscvrr St Louis' timestamp='1359040350' post='6288667']
Great review Andre...sounds like you went in thinking...should be all the same and was totally blown away!! Welcome to the NEW CALLAWAY for 2013...!! The whole line up will blow you away...it is all that good...amazing to me a company can turn 180* like this and just leave the OLD them behind...congrats to Chip Brewer and the men in charge!!
[/quote]

Needless to say that I have also put the RFX 8.5 and 4w in the bag along with the 18, 21 and 24 x-Utility Prototypes, Copper wedges and a Versa #7 putter!!! I am really excited to see what the new wedge looks like when it comes out later in the year....
[/quote]

Nothing NOT REALLY GOOD coming from Callaway this year...all of it will fit the right person if they check out the whole line!! SO GOOD!
If the wedges are even close to the Phil Proto we saw on the trip...save up some more money, the Coppers will be replaced...just saying!!

[hayzooos]

[quote name='Bogey's Belly' timestamp='1359042621' post='6288959']
Thanks Andre. That is encouraging news about the PXi, you and Golfware now nearly have me convinced that I'll be OK w/out C-Tapers, not to mention $200 richer after this brutal spending spree I'm on.
[/quote]

You can add me to the list of people who played C-Tapers before and have zero qualms about moving to PXi right now.

[birdiedoublebogey]

when do the new callaway wedges come out?

[Va_Golfer86]

[quote name='hayzooos' timestamp='1359057281' post='6290723']
[quote name='Bogey's Belly' timestamp='1359042621' post='6288959']
Thanks Andre. That is encouraging news about the PXi, you and Golfware now nearly have me convinced that I'll be OK w/out C-Tapers, not to mention $200 richer after this brutal spending spree I'm on.
[/quote]

You can add me to the list of people who played C-Tapers before and have zero qualms about moving to PXi right now.
[/quote]

Yea- I hope this is true for me when I get fitted. $30/club adds up.

[StarFleetGolfer]

You guys who are playing pxi, what do you play in your wedges?

[birdiedoublebogey]

[quote name='Golfjunki71' timestamp='1359064757' post='6291517']
You guys who are playing pxi, what do you play in your wedges?
[/quote]

I would like to know too....

I asked in the titleist thread as well.

[hayzooos]

I'm actually playing PXi 6.0 in my wedges as well. First time I've gone with a shaft like that in a wedge. I've always been more of a stock/S300 kind of guy. Always wanted to try out S400 in wedges but never got around to it. Rarely do I ever take anything near a full shot with a wedge (52/58) in my hands so I never needed anything as still as what I'm playing in irons.

Normally, I would've picked the 6.5s in my irons like I did with the X-Utility, but I dropped it down a flex just because I know lately I've been swinging softer with irons in particular to maintain better distance control. I'll step on an iron if I have to, but I'd much rather take an 80% iron shot over a 95-100% one any day. I think I started doing that when I was having so many problems going left with irons, that I just started taking more punch or 3/4 shots to keep them online. Been doing that for a handful of years now I suppose.

[birdiedoublebogey]

[quote name='hayzooos' timestamp='1359067476' post='6291855']
I'm actually playing PXi 6.0 in my wedges as well. First time I've gone with a shaft like that in a wedge. I've always been more of a stock/S300 kind of guy. Always wanted to try out S400 in wedges but never got around to it. Rarely do I ever take anything near a full shot with a wedge (52/58) in my hands so I never needed anything as still as what I'm playing in irons.

Normally, I would've picked the 6.5s in my irons like I did with the X-Utility, but I dropped it down a flex just because I know lately I've been swinging softer with irons in particular to maintain better distance control. I'll step on an iron if I have to, but I'd much rather take an 80% iron shot over a 95-100% one any day. I think I started doing that when I was having so many problems going left with irons, that I just started taking more punch or 3/4 shots to keep them online. Been doing that for a handful of years now I suppose.
[/quote]



how do the xhot pros play with the pxi 6.0? Looks like a nice combo!

[Dscvrr St Louis]

[quote name='VAGolfer86' timestamp='1359061783' post='6291179']
[quote name='hayzooos' timestamp='1359057281' post='6290723']
[quote name='Bogey's Belly' timestamp='1359042621' post='6288959']
Thanks Andre. That is encouraging news about the PXi, you and Golfware now nearly have me convinced that I'll be OK w/out C-Tapers, not to mention $200 richer after this brutal spending spree I'm on.
[/quote]

You can add me to the list of people who played C-Tapers before and have zero qualms about moving to PXi right now.
[/quote]

Yea- I hope this is true for me when I get fitted. $30/club adds up.
[/quote]

If the PXi felt like the PXi but was 130 grams...I would play them in a heartbeat..! I think they are almost as smooth as the Ctaper for my tastes but I can't do light weight. Like Hayzooos said, I too don't take full out swings, more like 3/4 controlled flighted shots for distance control, and I can do it wonderfully with the Ctapers at 130. But I cannot emphasis enough how good the PXi feels...I don't think it is anywhere near as load-dependent as the PX's.

[Teedogg]

Thank you Calloway and Roger for a sweet iron. My old X Tours are getting replaced. I also have a back up set but they had KBS and those shafts are to soft and flew to high. Xtours with Rifle 6.0s are my favorite but I think I got talked out of them today. Both Roger and another big guy from Calloway said 6.0 PXIs are the way to go. Hey can't argue with those guys. LOL!

Thank you again Calloway for making the best irons again.