Equipment

Callaway to release Sub Zero driver, with the company’s lowest CG ever

Published

8 years ago

Mar 15, 2016

The chase for a lower center of gravity (CG) has taken Callaway below the neutral axis line with its new XR 16 Sub Zero driver. According to Callaway, the driver is made for better players with fast swing speeds, and boasts the lowest CG of any Callaway driver ever designed.

Imagine the neutral axis line as a line drawn backward, perpendicular from the center of the club face, as illustrated above. While most drivers have a CG above that line, the XR 16 Sub Zero, which measures 440 cubic centimeters, boasts a CG below it.

The XR 16 Sub Zero was lower spinning than Callaway’s Big Bertha Alpha 816 DBD driver in the company’s robot and player testing.

Drivers with low-CG positions can help golfers lower their spin rates, allowing those with fast swing speeds to achieve a more penetrating trajectory that can increase distance. The most notable example is Phil Mickelson, who is currently using the Sub Zero driver on the PGA Tour.

Related: Phil Mickelson WITB 2016

To achieve the Sub Zero’s lower CG, Callaway gave it a new crown, which is made of a “Carbon Triax” material. According to Callaway Senior R&D manager Evan Gibbs, the new crown is made from “fabric, or laminate,” which is different from the chopped fibers that are used to make the carbon fiber crowns for Callaway Great Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha 816 DBD drivers.

All three drivers use the same molding technique for their crowns, however, the Carbon Triax material is thinner and lighter, allowing weight to be displaced lower and deeper in the club head.

Compared to Callaway’s XR 16 and XR 16 Pro drivers, the XR 16 Sub Zero will not have as high of a moment of inertia (MOI), a measure of ball speed retention or forgiveness on off-center hits, due to the concentration of weight low and forward in the club head. That’s not ideal for golfers who struggle to make consistent contact, but skilled golfers can use the lower CG position to hit longer drives.

The XR 16 Sub Zero is also adjustable, allowing players to fine-tune their trajectory with a 10-gram and 2-gram interchangeable weights that are placed in opposing weight ports. Moving the heavier weight forward makes for a penetrating, lower-spinning trajectory, while moving it rearward setting will provide a higher launch and more forgiveness, but slightly raise spin in comparison.

Callaway’s XR 16 Sub Zero driver (9.5 degress, RH Only) will be available for $449.99 on April 15 with the choice of 20 premium shaft at no upcharge.

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Related Topics:Callaway drivers

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

17 Comments

Jim

Mar 17, 2016 at 11:47 pm

Uhhh, Cobra King LTD beat them to the market with the zero CG driver. Plus, the Cobra LTD has nice forgiveness unlike what Cally is claiming is lost with the Subzero. LTD for the win!

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299yards

Mar 17, 2016 at 12:43 am

“bro i hit it like 20* 1000rpm 380 yds.”
one release later: “not forgiving enough.”
another release later: “20* 1000rpm seems about right”

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Leftypro16

Mar 16, 2016 at 7:23 pm

If Phil is hitting it, what no lefty for the rest of us? What’s up with that?

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Tom Duckworth

Mar 16, 2016 at 4:56 pm

I don’t see the big deal. Ping has a low spin driver as part of the G series this just looks like a low spin XR 16.

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MIKEYP

Mar 16, 2016 at 1:10 pm

To all you nay sayers. I have been buying every new driver that has come out from callaway and taylormade and have really embraced the new technology. My average drives are between 680 and 700 yards and golf has become very easy for me.

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Steve

Mar 16, 2016 at 9:47 am

Finally they made a perfect driver until the next one. Just a joke. No wonder equipment makers are struggling. They flood the market, more supply then demand. Why would anyone buy at full retail from cally, tmag when in a few months it is on the clearance shelves.

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Ryan

Mar 15, 2016 at 8:47 pm

Jim, I have hit it.. lol

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ha ha ha

Mar 15, 2016 at 3:18 pm

if this were a taylormade there would be 80 comments about how many releases they have and a million m3 jokes…Callaway is king(of quick releases) ha ha ha

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moses

Mar 15, 2016 at 2:47 pm

Looks like Callaway is going to get the 17 1700 faster than Taylormade. 🙂

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Weekend Duffer

Mar 15, 2016 at 1:53 pm

Callaway should start leasing drivers so I can get the new one that comes out each month.

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Carson

Mar 15, 2016 at 11:18 am

Special release driver for right handers only.. Especially when they toat Phil for playing it.
Thanks Callaway.

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lew

Mar 15, 2016 at 10:07 am

So many delusional wrxers will buy it and then call them the worst driver ever made.

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Russell Jimmie

Mar 15, 2016 at 9:25 am

Another driver that people on WRX will go crazy about because it is low spin but nobody will be able to hit. Like the Slider 430

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- 299yards
  
  Mar 17, 2016 at 12:44 am
  
  hahha so true, sldr 430 is the lowest spinning least forgiving thing ever made
  
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Ryan

Mar 15, 2016 at 9:20 am

Come out with the 8.5 !!!!!

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Jacob

Mar 15, 2016 at 9:11 am

And people make fun of TaylorMade…

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Whats in the Bag

Adam Scott WITB 2024 (May)

Published

1 hour ago

May 1, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Adam Scott what’s in the bag accurate as of the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 TX

Driver: TaylorMade BRNR (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees), TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 9 X, Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 9 X

Check out more in-hand photos of Adam Scott’s WITB here.

7-wood: TaylorMade Stealth (21 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI Black 9 X

Irons: Srixon ZX Mk II (3), Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (5), Srixon Z-Forged II (6-9)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Check out more in-hand photos of Adam Scott’s WITB here.

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-12F, 54-08M), SM9 (LW), WedgeWorks (LW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-54), S400 (LW)

Putter: L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Proto

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

See the rest of Adam Scott’s WITB in the forums.

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Whats in the Bag

Pierceson Coody WITB 2024 (April)

Published

3 hours ago

May 1, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi 10 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 70 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi 10 Tour (15 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX

Check out more in-hand photos of Pierceson Coody’s WITB here.

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (3), TaylorMade P7MC (4-6), and TaylorMade P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 54-11SB, 58-08LB)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Check out more in-hand photos of Pierceson Coody’s WITB here.

Putter: TaylorMade TP Reserve Juno

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

Check out more in-hand photos of Pierceson Coody’s WITB here.

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Equipment

Why Ben Griffin is making the surprising switch to a Maxfli golf ball

Published

4 hours ago

May 1, 2024

Brian Knudson

Ben Griffin might be a little too young to remember some of the iconic Maxfli golf balls that won on tour, but that isn’t stopping him from putting the newest Tour X ball from the brand in play. Today, Maxfli and Griffin announced an exclusive partnership that will see the PGA Tour player using the company’s four-piece golf ball.

While Griffin might be the first PGA Tour player to put a new Maxfli golf ball in play, he isn’t the first profesional golfer to do so. Lexi Thompson has been playing the Maxfli Tour golf ball on the LPGA Tour since the beginning of the 2024.

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A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

We caught up with Ben at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas this week to ask him about the new ball switch.

“I was able to finally get my hands on some and try it and immediately I saw faster ball speed with the driver, which is always something every golfer wants to see.

“Then I had to test a lot around the greens and test irons, test spins, test everything like that. Basically, I came to the conclusion that I thought this was probably one of the best golf balls for my game.

“And so I decided to make it official and partner with them and very excited to help kind of launch this golf ball and see where it takes us.”

Griffin’s ball of choice is the Maxfli Tour X, a four-piece golf ball that is made for highly skilled players that want consistent distance off the driver and spin around the green. An updated core design helps add the ball speed that Griffin mentioned and two ionomer mantle layers separate low spin driver shots from higher spin iron and wedge shots. Maxfli uses Center Of center-of-gravity balancing to ensure each ball has consistent flight in the air and roll on the green. Like all golf balls on tour, the Tour X features a cast urethane cover for maximum performance, and it has a tetrahedron dimple pattern to enhance aerodynamics.

It is exciting to see a golf ball at a lower price point — $39.99 at Golf Galaxy — being used by a top 100 ranked player in the world like Ben Griffin, and equipment junkies will be keenly watching his performance with the new ball.

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