Equipment
Callaway upgrades a classic, introduces Steelhead XR fairway woods
Callaway is bringing back the Steelhead name that is already responsible for selling more than 2.3 million fairway woods; that includes the original Steelhead, Steelhead Plus and Steelhead III woods. As its most popular fairway wood line ever, the modern version of the clubs, which Callaway is calling the Steelhead XR, are packed with distance-enhancing technologies to go along with the classic shapes that Steelhead fans have come to adore.
Related: Callway’s Steelhead XR irons and hybrids
Steelhead woods had a cult-like following since their initial release in 1998, and GolfWRX members say they had the fairway wood in the bag well over a decade later. The steelhead designs were defined by a Hawkeye Sole that was rounded for versatility, a compact pear shape, a deep face, a light crown and low center of gravity for high launch and low spin. Also, according to Evan Gibbs, the Director of R&D for Metalwoods at Callaway, the Steelhead 4+ fairway wood — which was geared toward better players who wanted a slightly lower ball flight with lower spin than the standard models — was the most iconic fairway wood in the company’s history because it ushered in the new low-spin, high-launch philosophy.
“It was one of the first clubs that got people comfortable with launching the ball high with very little spin,” said Evan Gibbs, Callaway’s Director of R&D for Metalwoods. “When people were using low-lofted drivers, [Steelhead 4+ fairway woods] went as far as drivers for some people.”
While every equipment company has now embraced the low-spin, high-launch philosophy, the 2017 Steelhead XR fairway woods will be a welcome re-release for those who are nostalgic about the Steelhead shaping, and for those never played the woods, they may find versatility in the Hawkeye sole. Callaway also loaded the Steelhead XR fairway woods with its modern designs to help golfers produce more distance.
While the fairway woods will still have a club face made of steel for that familiar Steelhead-feel, the crowns are made from J-36 carbon to lower center of gravity and move it more forward; that will help it produce lower spin like the original designs. According to Callaway, the crowns weigh just 6 grams — that’s 20 grams lighter than Callaway’s XR crowns.
The Steelhead XR fairways will also have a Hyper Speed Face Cup that produces more ball speed across the face, and Speed Step technology, or the raised portions on the crown that was first introduced Callaway XR ’16 metalwoods, which improves aerodynamics to produce higher club head speeds.
The fairway woods are available in 3+ wood (13.5 degrees), 3-wood (15 degrees) , 4+wood (16 degrees), 5-wood (18 degrees), 7-wood (21 degrees), 9-wood (24 degrees) and the company’s “Heavenwood,” which will measure 20.5 degrees. They will be in stores July 14 and sell for $229.99. The stock shaft is Mitsubishi’s Tensei CK.
Discussion: See what GolfWRX members are saying about the Steelhead XR woods
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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Hap
Jun 23, 2017 at 10:12 am
I love cheap trailing edge technology. it also lets you find out what is staying in players bags and whats not from the previous versions. I’m still playing Mizuno 800 pros which I got for a song. Upgraded to a Cally 815 with a Matrix Black Tie from Cally pre-owned this year for around $180 I think.
Mr Poopoo
Jun 21, 2017 at 7:34 pm
I like that they are using the classic groove pattern.
Me
Jun 21, 2017 at 8:46 am
All the bitterness towards TM with their product release cycles 5 years ago, well now Callaway, Cobra and to some extent Ping are releasing product at quicker intervals than Taylormade ever did. Cobra is the worse, every 6-nine months- now being forced to give away free fairwaywoods to sell last March’s release.
My local retail golf shop has a ton of 1-2 year old Callaway that is collecting dust …Interesting also is the amount of Callaway Epic drivers on their trade in rack.
The automobile industry got caught up in this mess decades ago, constantly manufacturing and re-badging old as new
Americans Ruin Everything by Talking
Jun 21, 2017 at 10:56 am
You just compared cars to golf clubs lol
Ude
Jun 21, 2017 at 12:23 pm
love affair with cars and golf clubs same sxual thing
Was
Jun 21, 2017 at 2:31 am
Nope
Ude
Jun 21, 2017 at 12:12 pm
Yup
Minnesota golfer
Jun 20, 2017 at 2:06 pm
Anyone know if this is a replacement of the XR Hybrid which was first released in 2014? I am an all-Callaway-in-the-bag person but have found it harder to keep up with constant new releases.
Minnesota golfer
Jun 20, 2017 at 5:15 pm
Oops… it’s not hybrid. Never mind.
Was
Jun 20, 2017 at 12:55 pm
Why are they releasing the woods separate from the irons and not at the same time? Makes no sense
Ude
Jun 21, 2017 at 12:13 pm
confused? suck yer thum
Howard
Jun 20, 2017 at 12:43 pm
The Steelhead III 3 Wood nostalgia is flowing through me right now.
Ude
Jun 21, 2017 at 12:21 pm
release yer pent up nostalgia juices flowing through you right now abuse yerself
Chris
Jun 20, 2017 at 10:58 am
You guys have to remember that the XR ’16 product cycle is coming to an end and this is what is going to take its place. It may be weird for a mid-season launch but better now when people can use the clubs rather than at the end of the season.
TR1PTIK
Jun 20, 2017 at 12:46 pm
It’s also important to remember that these are part of a completely different line than Epic. I think people want to see release cycles like that of Titleist or Ping, but it’s honestly a smart move by Callaway IMO. Spreading the release of each line across the calendar year keeps Callaway in the news. Months ago it was the Epic drivers, weeks ago it was the Epic hybrids and iron. Now, it’s the XR fairway woods, and in a few weeks/months time I’m sure we’ll see something else. If you look at Callaway’s product portfolio, you’ll realize they aren’t much different than Titleist. The only real difference is how they release products. For that matter though, Titleist staggers their woods, irons, and golf balls for what I’m sure is the same reason. How relevant would a company be if they released all of their product updates once every 2 years?
Csmit82
Jun 20, 2017 at 10:57 am
Can’t wait for the release of the Epic Apex Steelhead XR hybrids and woods in 3 months.
JimmySmits
Jun 20, 2017 at 4:51 pm
I’m gonna hold out for the Epic Apex Steelhead XR BigBertha CF16 SubZero Fusion GreatBigBertha woods.
Robert Parsons
Jun 21, 2017 at 12:14 pm
The pro version of that will be even better.
Ude
Jun 20, 2017 at 9:47 am
I want those beauties in my bag fast.
Tom1
Jun 20, 2017 at 11:54 am
I loved the original, I’m sure these are good if not better.
Ude
Jun 20, 2017 at 1:51 pm
new is fresh, old is stale. i want new new new
AceW7Iron
Jun 20, 2017 at 9:26 am
Got the Epic driver last month….Real deal
Like the look of the Steelhead line so maybe upgrade to them from my XR’s in 2018.
Ude
Jun 21, 2017 at 12:15 pm
you are one wicked gearhead golf hound — arf
Dat
Jun 20, 2017 at 9:01 am
Another release? Callaway seems determined to go the way of Taylormade.
Timmy
Jun 20, 2017 at 4:54 pm
Callaway is Taylormade………Taylormade is Callaway. These companies are the same. Have been for a very long time.
Johnnythunders
Jun 20, 2017 at 8:22 am
The faster they launch products, the faster the last generation gets reduced in price. Since performc is
Pretty much the same we win.
rebfan73
Jun 20, 2017 at 7:29 am
Like ’em………but Callaway is turning into the new TaylorMade with constant product launches.
Beefhouse
Jun 21, 2017 at 4:35 am
Not turning, turned. Pro shops are flooded with Callaway stuff. They’ll struggle to shift the models from 6 months ago. Supply and demand is key. Not sure the demand will keep up with the supply.
Dave2017
Jun 21, 2017 at 8:21 am
If only the older models were reduced. Not in the NY Metro region. they still want high prices for stuff released almost 2 years ago. If they were to blow out the old stuff when new stuff comes in, I would be very happy. The places here are greedy and the golfers have to show off their new clubs along with their new BMWs and Rolexes.
Ude
Jun 21, 2017 at 12:18 pm
new clubs, new BMWs and Rolexes = status bling = sxual impotence