Equipment
Review: Callaway XR 16 Sub Zero driver
Pros: Like other ultra low-spin drivers, Callaway’s XR 16 Sub Zero has huge distance potential for high-spin, high-speed golfers. Adjustable weights allow golfers to fine tune CG location. No upcharge for premium shafts.
Cons: Compared to Callaway’s other XR 16 drivers, the Sub Zero lacks forgiveness. Bad mishits can produce head-scratching trajectories. Available in only one loft (9.5 degrees), and for righties only.
Who it’s for: This a niche product for better golfers. If you miss the center of the club face with any consistency, give one of the other XR 16 drivers, or Callaway’s Great Big Bertha a try.
The Review
Callaway extended its line of XR 16 drivers with the new XR 16 Sub Zero, which was designed for high-spin players, from Phil Mickelson to gifted amateurs. It measures 440 cubic centimeters, and uses a new Carbon Triax Crown to lower center of gravity (CG), ultimately placing it below the neutral axis line, or “Sub Zero,” according to the company. Here’s what that looks like as a graphic:
Related: Learn more about the technology in the Sub Zero.
As you probably know by now — whether it’s from our stories or the TV commercials — Callaway and Boeing teamed up to create a line of aerodynamic drivers, coming to fruition in the XR 16 and XR 16 Pro drivers. On those drivers, there are “Speed Steps” on the crown, which allow air to flow tighter against the club head to help golfers swing faster.
Although Callaway’s new XR 16 Sub Zero driver was given the “XR 16” name, it wasn’t given the Speed Steps, which weren’t able to be added because of the Sub Zero’s lightweight Carbon Triax crown, according to a Callaway representative. The XR 16 platform still makes branding sense for the Sub Zero, though. While it has two adjustable weights, it’s much more similar to Callaway’s XR 16 and XR 16 Pro than it is the company’s Great Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha 816 drivers, which use complex adjustability systems.
Callaway’s XR 16 Sub Zero (right) and XR Pro drivers.
Think of the three different XR drivers this way:
- XR 16 (460 cc): Maximum forgiveness, highest ball flight.
- XR 16 Pro (450 cc): Medium forgiveness, medium ball flight
- XR 16 Sub Zero (440 cc): Least forgiveness, lowest ball flight.
In terms of looks and feel, the Sub Zero is also noticeably different than its XR 16 brethren. Its crown is glossy rather than matte, and it has no graphics or sight lines on its crown. At impact, the sound is also much more dense; it makes a crunch, rather than a higher-pitched ting like the XR 16 and XR 16 Pro. The Sub Zero does have a similar head shape to the XR 16 Pro, albeit 10cc smaller. To my eye, the Sub Zero looks clean and compact at address, more so than the XR 16 Pro and much more so than the XR 16.
Callaway XR 16 Sub Zero (right) and XR 16 Pro drivers.
Related: GolfWRX 2016 Gear Trials, The Best Drivers in Golf
The Sub Zero ($449.99) will create a disproportionate interest in the golf equipment world because of its use by tour players. In reality, though, it’s a highly limited release that targets the top echelon of better golfers. It’s only offered in one loft (9.5 degrees) and available for right-handed golfers only.
The Sub Zero does have an adjustable hosel that allows golfers to switch the loft to 8.5, 10.5 or 11.5 degrees, however, and each loft can be paired with a neutral or upright lie angle setting, which expands the target audience. It should also be noted that the Sub Zero has a slightly flatter lie angle at address than the other XR 16 drivers, which many better players prefer, as it creates more fade bias.
The Sub Zero has two interchangeable weights (2 and 10 grams) to help golfers fine-tune trajectory and spin.
For those who fit the “high-speed, high-spin, right-handed” mold, the Sub Zero lowers spin as well as any club on the market, and has a nice fade bias that may greatly benefit those whose miss is a hook. If you hit the center of the club face consistently and you’re fighting a hook, this may be the driver for you. An added perk is that Callaway is offering golfers their choice of 20 different premium shafts with purchase, which you can view here.
The Test
The Sub Zero has what is called a “deep,” or tall club face, which is preferred by many better players. Its club head measures 440cc.
I tested the Sub Zero against the only other club on the market hovering at the neutral axis line, Cobra’s King LTD, which is said to boast a “Zero CG.” And I hit it against the XR 16 and XR 16 Pro drivers, too. Each of the drivers were set to 9.5 degrees with the same shaft; a Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 7X.
The test was performed at The Launch Pad at Carl’s Golfland in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., with Trackman. After deleting outliers, I averaged the results of three drives with each club. The data was normalized, and premium golf balls were used. For those of you curious, I am a 1-handicap, former college golfer coming off a winter of not hitting many range balls.
Observations
- Callaway XR 16’s draw-bias was noticeable and effective. As someone who fights a hook, however, this was not ideal.
- XR 16 and XR 16 Pro felt very light compared to the other drivers, which may explain the boost in club head speed. Or maybe the Speed Steps did have a positive effect on club speed?
- Callaway’s XR 16 Sub Zero, with the weight in the forward position, was the second-lowest spinning driver in the test just behind Cobra’s King LTD.
- XR 16 Pro was nearly as low-spinning as the Sub Zero, but provided more forgiveness and more launch and height.
- The forward setting in the Sub Zero was noticeably fade-biased, and produced the most fade spin of any driver in the test.
- The highest balls speeds were produced by the XR 16 (168.7 mph) and the Sub Zero in the forward setting (164.7 mph).
It must be noted that these numbers do not tell the entire story. For example, with the XR 16 Pro, I had zero outliers. The club was extremely easy to hit, despite it having nearly the same profile as the Sub Zero.
Want another opinion? Here’s what Rick Shiels has to say
With the Sub Zero, on the other hand, I had numerous outliers, and my mishits were squirrelly at best: low hooks, low slices, high pushes, etc. It was ugly at times, but when I hit it on the screws, the Sub Zero was possibly the best performing driver of the bunch. Cobra’s King LTD didn’t seem to offer any more forgiveness than the Sub Zero, and had just as many outliers. Zero, or below zero CG is not for the weak-hearted, apparently.
I’ll admit, I’m probably not consistent enough to play the Callaway XR 16 Sub Zero. I certainly can see why there’s a need and demand for it, as it does a phenomenal job knocking down spin, but it’s definitely demanding from a ball-striking standpoint. Maybe it would be a better fit after a summer of hitting tour-sized buckets of balls. If I were playing in a tournament tomorrow, I would take the XR 16 Pro driver to the first tee.
The Takeaway
The Sub Zero is available in one loft (9.5 degrees) and for right-handed golfers only. It is adjustable to 8.5, 10.5 or 11.5 degrees.
If you tried the XR 16, XR 16 Pro or Great Big Bertha drivers from Callaway, and just can’t seem to lower your spin rates, the XR 16 Sub Zero could be an answer. When you catch one on the screws, it’s one of the lowest spinning drivers you’ll ever hit. Its lack of forgiveness makes me cautious to suggest this club to anyone that plays to higher than a scratch handicap, however. That being said, the Sub Zero plays the role it’s meant to play quite nicely. And it looks fantastic, and feels like most better golfers want their driver to feel: muted and solid.
Tour players, accomplished amateurs and big hitters will fall in love with this club. Weekend golfers, this one just probably isn’t for us.
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GolfWRXers are as fanatical about their accessories as they are about the rest of their golf equipment. Naturally, the world’s largest online retailer, Amazon, has plenty of options to choose from. These products are among the best-selling golf accessories on Amazon at the time of publication in the “golf cart accessories,” “on course accessories,” and “golf club bag accessories” categories.
Also, we’re leaning on our partners at 2nd Swing for some additional best-sellers, which we’re including as well.
We hope you find this list valuable!
We may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Prices are accurate and items are in stock as of publication.
Best-selling golf accessories
Jiskan Pro Golf Club Brush Cleaner
Product description: “Jiskan Brush with Squeeze water bottle’s body 7.5 inches, holds 4 Ounces of water, It allows you to switch between washing and dry brushing when you play golf in the field”
Notable review: “Quickly, easily, effectively, and efficiently cleans yours clubs in seconds. Great value for the price and quality of this item.” – Noah K.
Bulex Golf Club Groove Sharpener
Product description: “Portable golf club groove sharpener, easy to clean and restore your wedges, irons. Suitable for U-grooves and V-grooves. This golf groove cutter can grind and clean grooves very quickly.”
Notable review: “Unlike the other people if you use it smoothly versus digging the absolute crap out of you grooves it’ll last. Did all 7 of my irons and didn’t even make a dent. Great product for the price.”
Champkey Pro Retractable Golf Club Brush
Product description: “The area of the nylon & wire bristles of Champkey brush is significantly larger than of a regular golf brush…Our retractable groove cleaner can clean individual grooves and hide them when not in use.”
Notable review: “Good value, attachment with string works great. Will order again when this one wears down but I don’t see that being real soon.” – Gordon
Grooveit “The Wet Club Scrub” Golf Water Brush
Product description: “Elevate your game with our Golf Club Cleaning Brush. Its large nylon-bristle brush head makes cleaning a breeze, so you spend less time scrubbing and more time perfecting your swing. A must-have for precision and cleaner shots.”
Notable review: “Love this lightweight golf club brush that is well made and very easy to use. I love how it attaches with a strong magnet. I can quickly and easily pull it off my golf bag after every shot. The best part you just hold near the bag and it snaps right back on. It has never fallen off my bag. The water sprayer does not leak and last multiple rounds and practice sessions without needing to refill. I would buy this again!” – Jeremy
Pride Golf Tees 135 Count
Product description: “100% Multifilament. Made in USA and Imported. #1 Tee on the PGA Tour. 100% Natural Hardwood.”
Notable review: “TL;DR: Perfect height for drivers, visually aiding colors, wood’s natural fragility, ideal for golf purists, plastic alternative for modernists.” – Chicago Dan
G4Free Automatic Open Golf Umbrella
Product description: “With a 47/54/62/68-inch canopy and heavy-duty design, the G4Free Ultimate Golf Umbrella is an ideal companion for golfers, and business professionals, or for daily life. With its sleek all-black design, comfortable EVA grip, sturdy frame, and auto open mechanism, the G4Free Ultimate Golf Umbrellas are perfect in a metropolitan city or a sports field!”
Notable review: “With its thick, high-density cover, this umbrella stands up to the heaviest downpours no matter what. Not only is it functional, but it also has a sleek and stylish look. Ample protection, making it ideal for my family.” – Steven C.
SlopeMaster ProGreen Reader
Product description: “The SlopeMaster ProGreen Reader is the ultimate tool for accurately reading the slope of the green. Its high precision bubble level ensures that you get the most accurate reading every time. The more you use it, the better your putting game will be.”
Notable review: “Really great quality materials and solid build. Unfortunately it does not work well on greens that may be bumpy or greens that are not pure/true. I’d find myself reading a 3 degree difference on a straight out due to where I placed the chip. Try and use it in the middle of your line on the flattest part you can find.” – Dan
Desert Fox Golf Phone Caddy
Product description: “Keeps your phone and favorite golf app right at your finger tips. Once adjusted your phone slides in and out for easy access. Slide your phone out, take that photo or answer that text message, then slide it back in.”
Notable review: “I purchased this for my husband and he loves it. It has become a staple for golfing. He keeps it in his golf bag. It easily and securely mounts the golf cart. There are others out there that are magnetic, but this felt more secure and it is. This allows him to keep his range finder and golf app visible while playing.” – Ashley C.
Roykaw Golf Cart Fan
Product Description: “This golf cart USB clip fan has 3-speed settings. The portable fan is super quiet and super strong airflow; The adjustable head of this golf cart fan can rotate 360 degrees, So you can direct the air however you would like.”
Notable review: “Just what was needed for the golf cart. My husband loves it and says it works really well. Easy to attach to golf cart.” – SParker
On 2nd Swing
Ping Moonlite Stand Bags
Product description: “An enduring favorite, the updated Moonlite bag is a model of ultra-lightweight efficiency, weighing less than 2 ½ pounds yet offering four pockets, room for 14 clubs, an adjustable standing strap to make lifting easy, and a water-resistant belly. Converts easily to a single strap, too.”
Get it from 2nd Swing for $74.99
The Stack Swing Trainer
Product description: “5 milled Stack weights enable 30 weight combinations between 0g and 300g. Dual-purpose weight case / phone stand. Highly engineered training club – Adult (41.5″).”
Get it from 2nd Swing for $299.99
Bushnell Tour V6
Product description: “Utilizing new and improved electronics, Tour V6 is the most accurate, consistent and longest ranging Tour series laser Bushnell Golf has ever released.”
Get it from 2nd Swing for $299
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Every week we spot some really cool and custom putters out on the putting green and in tour players’ bags. This week is no slouch with some really interesting and beautiful putters being tested. Let’s take a look at some of the standouts we found.
Tyler Duncan: Scotty Cameron Phantom T-11.5
The Phantom 11 is a pretty wild putter by Scotty’s standards with a multi-material design that boosts MOI for more forgiveness. Duncan’s T-11.5. takes the stock model and moves the shaft to the center of the putter head. We don’t mean a center shafted version, but the shaft is installed in the center, behind the face as well. We don’t have any official details on this T-11.5 but it looks like that setup should create a putter where the face points towards the hole or target, similar to a L.A.B. putter.
Zac Blair: Scotty Cameron 009.M Cameron & Co. “Longneck”
Blair might be in possession of the largest Scotty collection on tour! It seems like every week he has something new, and flat-out gorgeous, that he is trying out. I have seen a lot of 009.M putters over the years, but never one with a long plumbers neck on it. This 009 is a Masterful that utilizes additional CNC machine work to reduce the amount of hand polishing needed to complete the putter. The long, or tall, neck on the putter usually is used to reduce the amount of toe hang and make the putter more face balanced. The face contains a very shallow milling while the sole features a tour truck, tour only, diamonds, and the rare Circle L stamp. The Circle L was made for Scotty’s close friends who lost matches or games and was meant to poke a little fun at their misfortune.
Paul Barjon: PXG Prototype
There are a lot of putters out there that become so widely used and popular that other manufacturers will borrow some of the design cues. The Spider is one of those putters and it looks like PXG has made a prototype putter for Barjon that has some similar features. This proto has a tapered mallet shape with twin wings that come out from either side of the rear. Twin movable weights sit in each wing on the sole and the sole features a plate that is bolted in place at the corners. The top contains a single siteline and the face uses PXG’s advanced pyramid face structure.
Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Broomstick #7
More and more long, counterbalanced, and alternative putters seem to be showing up recently. The long, or broomstick, putter is making a comeback and more than a few players have joined Adam Scott in using that style. Odyssey has thrown its hat in the broomstick arena with a new Ai-One Cruiser model. The head shape is the very familiar #7 model, but with the shaft going into the center of the club head. An Ai-One face is there to help keep ball speed consistent on off-center hits and three white lines are on top for framing ball and aligning the putter.
TaylorMade Spider Tour S Broomstick
Another option in the long putter is TaylorMade’s Spider Tour S broomstick that we saw around the putting green. The head looks to be a little larger than the standard Tour S and that makes sense with the broomstick-style putters demanding heads near or over 400g. A TPU Pure Roll insert is installed in the face and the shaft is a more traditional double-bend design, just much longer! There isn’t the True Path alignment on top, just a full darker grey finish with a single siteline. Two moveable weights are out in the wings of the putter to dial in the specific weight a player might want.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 3M Open
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (7/25/24): Mint Scottie Cameron GOLO putter
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Mint Scottie Cameron GOLO putter
From the seller: (@PatrickCantLayUp): “Mint Scottie Cameron GOLO Putter (Black) 36 Inch with Headcover – $500 + Shipping“
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Mint Scottie Cameron GOLO putter
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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p atrick,connell
Nov 28, 2016 at 4:31 pm
why are thare no prices mentioned,,also no shipping costs mentioned,,in English currency,might help .thank you.ps, I only use G clubs and driver,aged 72,approx 20 handicapper is the xr 16 any good for me
Corey
May 11, 2016 at 4:56 pm
You need to try this driver with a qualified fitter. I run a Callaway Performance Center and I am selling quite a few of these to players who are not tour caliber. It is not as hard to hit as this article states. It’s all about the numbers and this is one of the best heads I have ever seen.
Corey, PGA
Master Club Fitter
JJVas
May 6, 2016 at 11:59 am
Thanks for this!!! I was ogling the Sub Zero for awhile and finally hit it indoors on a FS. My specs are very similar to yours, and the gamer is still a 9.0* XR Pro (played at 8.0*). I really liked the SZ, and i actually played the Cobra LTD Pro for a month, but neither was the combination of fast, somewhat forgiving, and consistent as the XR Pro for me. Question for you guys… does any XR Pro fan see a really worthwhile difference between the XR Pro and the XR Pro 16? Just wondering. The look of the new head is a little… um… yeah…
joro
May 6, 2016 at 11:58 am
I would say it is just another Money maker for Callaway and nothing special. Not the Driver for anyone and especially not Phil who can’t hit many fairways to begin with. Who says it is not good to hit the short grass. With my RX16 I average 12 a round. Very easy to hit.
Rob
May 6, 2016 at 10:56 am
“I’ll admit, I’m probably not consistent enough to play the Callaway XR 16 Sub Zero.” Very surprised a 1 handicap golfer that played in college can say something like this.
Brad
May 5, 2016 at 12:54 pm
“I am a 1-handicap, former college golfer coming off a winter of not hitting many range balls.”
^Us Midwestern WRXers know this pain all too well
CTGolfer
May 5, 2016 at 12:26 pm
High speed players…………what does that mean? 100mph? 105? 110+………….what is the industry standard definition on high speed player?
TR1PTIK
May 5, 2016 at 2:04 pm
I’m thinking you’re looking at players with a swing speed of 110+. My swing speed averages around 105 and I still need a bit more spin than sub zero provides to get maximum distance.
Sq
May 6, 2016 at 11:50 am
Quiet, you little girl
Wow.....
Nov 13, 2016 at 10:04 pm
Hahahahahaha