Equipment
Callaway’s XR 16 Drivers: Revealing photos from the Boeing Factory
Recently, I was lucky enough to partake in a tour of The Boeing Company’s Everett Factory near Seattle, and pick the brains of its Aerospace engineers and tour guides. But this is a golf website, why should you care, right?
Well, for its new XR 16 and XR 16 Pro drivers, Callaway Golf teamed up with engineers from Boeing to develop a more aerodynamically sound driver. Read more about the technology here.
Why Boeing? With a mutual interest in how things fly — whether it’s airplanes or golf balls — it “was a great opportunity for collaboration” between the companies, according to Evan Gibbs, head of metal woods at Callaway Golf.
Also, at Boeing, there exists a group of young engineers collectively named O.N.E. (Opportunities for New Engineers), who use their intelligence and passion for problem solving for projects outside their everyday work of making airplane wings more efficient. So when Callaway asked Boeing to help make its new drivers faster and more efficient for golfers, Boeing had just the group of engineers for the job.
So a group of about a half-dozen O.N.E. engineers were given 3-4 months — a significantly shorter period of time than aerospace engineers are typically provided — to design an “add-on” to the crown of Callaway’s new drivers.
As Boeing Aerodynamics Engineer Adam Clark explained, there are many differences and similarities between the aerodynamic puzzles of airplanes and drivers.
I paraphrase:
Both have to do with laminar and turbulent flow. An airplane wing needs to be streamlined to reduce friction, as does the relatively rotund body of a golf driver head. The solution is very similar.
Here’s what the Boeing engineers came up with:
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- Callaway’s XR 16 Pro driver crown, with protrusions, or “speed steps,” designed for better aerodynamics.
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- Callaway’s XR 16 also has “speed steps,” with a slightly different design than the XR 16 Pro.
Below, I relay some ridiculously interesting facts, photos and information I learned about Boeing, its Everett facility, its airplanes and its engineering processes. I hope the photos below do Boeing’s airplane assembly factory justice, because the visuals were nothing short of breath-taking.
So we begin, Revealing Photos: The Aero Edition.
Welcome to Boeing
It’s difficult to explain just how big the Boeing Factory really is. You can see how small the plane in the parking lot looks in comparison to the building, but maybe these facts will give it better perspective.
“Two hangar doors… approximately the size of an American football field.”
That means the Seattle Seahawks could play a football game on two of the hangar doors on the outside of the building (although it would probably be safer to put the doors flat on the ground first).
And in case you ever doubted the passion of Seahawks fans, it’s rare to be at Boeing’s Seattle factory without seeing a flag with the number 12 (12th man) somewhere in your line of site.
So welcome to Boeing’s Seattle Facility, home of Seahawks’ 12th men and women. Lets go inside, shall we?
An “aerial” look
Rows of Boeing’s 737s, 747s, 767s and 777s — some of which are made from over 1 million parts — are built by troops of men and women. Contrary to popular belief, the number of the plane refers to when it was designed, not its size. The bigger the number, the newer the design.
For example, the 777 took its first flight in 1994, while the 737 took its first flight in 1967. Boeing’s first active plane was the 707, which was airborne in 1957.
If you look closely at the photo above, you can see there are other rooms filled with multiple planes, as well.
And above is the process the planes undertake while inside the factory.
Here’s a look at a plane that’s nearing the end of the “assembly line.” Now, there’s a few interesting things of note in the photo above, so let’s zoom in and look.
A system of rails that come down from ceiling helps to transport plane parts across the factory, and they’re quite strong. Equipment No. M-3, for instance, has a capacity of 40 tons, or 80,000 pounds.
Hungry? There are 40,000+ employees at Boeing in its Seattle location, and they have the eat somewhere. One of the options is called the “Dreamliner Diner,” which is one of six different eateries inside the facility.
There’s also a dry-cleaner, movie rental shops, clothing stores, massage parlors and convenient stores littered throughout the factory. So employees never really need to leave.
The Dreamliner Diner is named after Boeing’s 787 “Dreamliner,” the most fuel-efficient airliner that Boeing produces, according to the company. Surely, it’s the most food-efficient diner at the Boeing Factory.
A final look before a plane flies out the door.
Going down
Now, let’s head to the first floor.
From the ground level
You don’t feel truly small at the Boeing Factory until you’re looking up at one of the 747s (Boeing’s biggest models), or really any of the planes during production.
The wheels were almost taller than me. Below is a short gallery of miscellaneous photos taken of planes while on the ground floor of the factory.
And yes, it’s really weird to see a plane inside of a building.
How do 40,000 people get around a 100-acre building?
Tractors, cars, vans, golf carts…
Or one of these weird 3-wheeled trolleys, which were commonly seen as a mode of transportation.
This guy was showing off how to casually stroll the factory with plane parts that stand nearly twice his height.
Off to the Dreamliner Gallery
This is where I learned how much goes into the design of the interior of airplanes. Unfortunately, I’ll never be able to take a flight again without noticing…
The type of carpeting in the cabin.
The material on the seats.
The seat styles.
Or the TV models. I will know, however…
What sitting in a cockpit feels like.
And where the flight attendees sleep on long flights.
No wonder the flight attendants are always in such good spirits; they get all this leg room while us normal folks are scrunched and miserable in coach. That made the flight back from Seattle even worse, since I knew what I was missing.
Unfortunately, that concludes my tour of Boeing’s Everett Factory.
In the end, how did the final product between Boeing and Callaway stack up against the best drivers currently on the market? Check out our 2016 Gear Trials: Best Drivers Club Test for a full analysis.
Spoiler alert.
Callaway’s XR 16 Pro (left) and XR 16 Pro drivers.
Callaway’s XR 16 and XR 16 Pro were awarded with 6 total medals (1 Gold Medal, 2 Silver Medals and 3 Bronze Medals), which stacked up nicely against its competitors.
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- 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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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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Lob Wedge
Mar 10, 2016 at 12:38 am
Is the Callaway-Boeing link more of a marketing tool than technology implementation? Yes.
Are the guys hating on this article knuckle dragging trogs? Yes
Expand your horizons kids.. Or don’t read it.
Not like the Title and pictures at the start of the article didn’t give away the subject matter.
scooter
Mar 8, 2016 at 10:17 pm
Thanks for the article Andrew. I’m probably in the minority, but seeing the immenseness of the Boeing factory and all that is required to produce the technological marvel that a modern day jet represents is pretty spectacular. Of course, I’m biased since I’m and avid golfer who also works in the aerospace industry. The modern day driver head, by comparison, is pretty low tech . . . I hope Callaway didn’t pay too much for that fancy CFD streamline picture at the start of the article. As another poster said, the feel and forgiveness is what will sell the driver to the golfing masses.
Birdy
Mar 8, 2016 at 12:20 pm
so which company will get Caterpillar to market the earth moving technology of their wedges or maybe Firestone to market improved traction and roll when it comes to the ball, waterproofing company to lend their support to weatherproof clothes.
add me to the list who think this is just a clever marketing scheme
Peter
Mar 10, 2016 at 12:05 am
hey maybe Bridgestone tires could help Bridgestone golf company make some golf balls. i bet bridgestone tire company knows a thing or two about rubber.
Barry S.
Mar 8, 2016 at 11:22 am
Played TaylorMade and Adams drivers for years and switched to a Callaway Optiforce 440 about 2 years ago because the sound and feel works better for me without giving up any distance. Last year I purchased an Alpha 815 which I promptly sold because it didn’t perform to the level of the Optiforce 440 for me.
The other day a guy showed up at the range with an XR16 driver with a Speeder shaft and I hit 4 or 5 balls with it. Just my opinion but this driver is one of the shortest, worst feeling drivers I’ve hit in the last few years.
Tom
Mar 8, 2016 at 10:46 am
Bunch of negative Nancey’s on here.
Matto
Mar 8, 2016 at 2:10 am
This article should be titled, *A closer look at how PING didn’t need Boeing 2 years ago.
Yaz
Mar 7, 2016 at 8:55 pm
Having worked in that factory for years, Particularly at 747 Final Body Join, (the picture from the ground looking at the 747 with the gear next to it), the pictures BARELY do justice to just exactly how impressive that facility truly is. All the armchair “experts” posting here have ZERO clue about that place or the amazing things that are done there.
ooffa
Mar 8, 2016 at 7:02 am
Ummmm. They build airplanes right. Airplanes are big. They have a big building to build the big airplanes. We get it. I wonder if the airplane hobbyist website is hosting an article on golf club companies seeking publicity today. I doubt they are.
Leon
Mar 7, 2016 at 8:16 pm
Great story and pictures of Boeing. Totally marketing gimmick of Callaway.
John
Mar 7, 2016 at 5:25 pm
For all the article didn’t have too much to do with golf I thoroughly enjoyed it, great insight into the Boeing factory, very interesting.
Ver
Mar 7, 2016 at 4:29 pm
I just flew it on a long distance.
Not too impressed.
Lots of rattles and squeaks like before, with the plastic bits clashing with metals bits that are meant to do that, flex and turn with the body shift. But I would have hoped that they would have somehow minimized it with newer materials but it feels the same inside. No improvement on the armrests, the buttons and latches and locks. The seats weren’t much of an improvement either.
Don’t believe the hype. They put out all this hoopla, yet it’s only slightly improved on the inside for passengers, because they can’t really afford to re-tool everything and create something completely new. I mean Boeing nearly went bust with this plane with all the battery compartment design and window cracking problems anyway.
Yaz
Mar 7, 2016 at 8:53 pm
Seats and seating configuration is the choice of the airliner, not the builder. Boeing puts in the interiors that the airline chooses.
Scott
Mar 8, 2016 at 10:12 am
the XR16? Where did you put your luggage?
Theo Erben
Mar 7, 2016 at 3:39 pm
“Both have to do with laminar and turbulent flow. An airplane wing needs to be streamlined to reduce friction, as does the relatively rotund body of a golf driver head. The solution is very similar.”
Boeing makes great planes. I had the pleasure to fly most of their models.
During my job to help introduce the 737-300 and 747-400 for a renown European airline I learned to know Boeing to use facts and fundamental research to improve the products.
It seems in this “driver drag” case, Boeing just had the marketing guys have a look at the “problem”
I think it is a shame for Boeing that they claim they improved something without quantifying what the improvement really is.
ooffa
Mar 7, 2016 at 12:52 pm
Written like the reports we had to give after our lower school class trips.
There might be an airplane website whose visitors would find this interesting. As a golfer I sure didn’t.
orangeology
Mar 7, 2016 at 12:51 pm
sure you seem to have had a great trip to the B factory. yet i have no idea what it does with the 2 shots of the golf clubs at the end. better yet, why the heck did i need to see this on golfwrx?