Equipment

2013 Callaway X Forged Irons — Pics and Info

Published

12 years ago

Oct 23, 2012

What’s better than a forged muscleback iron at address? Nothing, except maybe an iron that looks the same, plays the same and has more forgiveness.

Callaway has attempted to create such an iron for 2013 with its X Forged, a tour-inspired forged cavity back designed by Roger Cleveland that offers cleaner looks and better performance than its predecessor, the Callaway RAZR X Forged.

Luke Williams, senior director of global woods and irons for Callaway, said the most popular irons on the PGA Tour and European Tour right now for the company are not its forged cavity backs. It’s the company’s muscleback offerings — last year’s RAZR X Muscleback irons and their predecessor, the Tour Authentic X-Prototype irons that Callaway tour players are trusting in their bags.

The reason is not necessarily that tour players don’t need the added size and forgiveness of a forged cavity back, either. Yes, one of the reasons musclebacks are more popular with tour players than forged cavity back irons is because of their clean looks. But there are also performance reasons.

According to Williams, Callaway’s recent musclebacks have been a hit because of what the company is calling CG Height progression. CG (Center of Gravity) Height Progression puts the center of gravity lower in the long irons for the higher trajectory that tour pros want. It also places the CG higher in the short irons for a flatter trajectory. Callaway’s previous forged cavity back irons, the RAZR X Forged, had the opposite CG progression. The center of gravity was actually the lowest in the short irons.

Callaway also got feedback from tour pros that the RAZR X Forged irons had a tendency to dig through impact, while the muscleback irons went more smoothly through the turf. So the new X Forged were designed to have what Williams called “a slightly wider muscleback sole.”

Aesthetically, the 2013 X Forged look more like Callaway’s musclebacks as well. They have a shorter blade length than the RAZR X Forged, but it’s not quite as short as the musclebacks. The 2013 X Forged irons also lose the high heel and sharp toe that gave the RAZR X Forged a polarizing appearance, opting for a face profile closer to the musclebacks.

“Pretty much every player that puts the muscle back iron down like the way it looks,” Williams said.

They X Forged irons go farther than the RAZR X irons as well. They do so, according to Williams, for two reasons:

The clubs have one degree stronger lofts (21-degree 3 iron, 46-degree pitching wedge)
CG height progression

Despite what many believe about modern iron design, the lofts were not strengthened simply to make the ball go farther. Stronger lofts are a result of tour feedback. Williams said that Callaway sets the lofts on its tour irons based on tour trends. And it’s vital for Callaway to follow the loft trends on tour, since changing the loft of an iron also reduces the bounce on an iron, which can lead to digging. Bending an iron one-degree strong won’t change a iron’s response to the turf that much, but bending a club stronger than that can certainly change things.

“We really design a forged iron product like the X Forged for the tour,” Williams said. “But we know if we get them right, they will work for amateurs as well.”

CG Height progression makes the X Forged long irons go farther because since they’re launching higher, they’re also carrying farther. It also makes the short irons go farther thanks to a more piercing trajectory.

Golfers looking for a tour-quality ball flight will also be happy to learn that the new X Forged irons come stock with a Project X PXi shaft, a lighter weight model of the popular Project X shaft with similar flight characteristics.

“We felt that PXi was the best fit, given the trend of going lighter with iron shafts,” Williams said. “Players are recognizing the value of lighter shafts if [those shafts] can maintain the consistency.”

Williams expects that the X Forged will become Callaway’s most popular iron on tour, knocking some muscleback irons out of the bags of Callaway staff players. Callaway has already received a glowing endorsement from Phil Mickelson, who was not very interested in switching from his musclebacks. He showed up to a recent Callaway ad shoot with a full set of X Forged irons in his bag and said he might put them in the bag in China at the HSBC World Golf Championships.

The 2013 Callaway X Forged irons will retail for $999.99 per set and will be available on Jan. 25, 2013.

Click here for more discussion in the “Tour/Pre-release equipment” forum.

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21 Comments

Pingback: Golf-Patents.com | Is Callaway Golf Bringing Back the Powersphere?
Bart Knoch

Mar 2, 2013 at 10:54 am

Awsome clubs..far better than my ‘former clubs” Mizuno MP-67…soft feel, explosive off of the clib face, and deadly accurate. One of the best Callaway has ever produced

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SMSgt Kenneth Clouthier

Jan 3, 2013 at 5:45 pm

When are the new Callaway Irons be released?

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Nat Senior

Dec 31, 2012 at 4:51 pm

I bought RAZR X Forged in September 2012 and these are the best Irons I’ve ever hit for distance and workability… these look even better!

Reply Report comment
TJA

Nov 8, 2012 at 8:16 pm

Great looking iron. Long time Callaway user and can’t wait to add the newest iron to the bag. Well done Callaway!

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Aj

Nov 2, 2012 at 6:42 pm

I’d like to see this in a bore thru, like the 06 x tour forged.

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Pingback: Golf Inventions, Patents, and Technology via The IP Golf Guy (aka The Golf Patent Attorney): Is Callaway Golf Bringing Back the Powersphere?
Ray

Nov 1, 2012 at 8:57 am

Forged is forged and cast is cast. You play one or the other. Just because they change the design on the back of the club makes no difference whatsoever.

Reply Report comment
darren

Oct 28, 2012 at 10:52 am

My callaway razr forged have green writing on the head where it says forged x anyone have a idea why

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- Barry Goodman
  
  Mar 12, 2013 at 2:03 pm
  
  I believe it means that it is a custom order.
  Simple answer.
  
  Barry
  
  Reply Report comment
- Barry Goodman
  
  Mar 12, 2013 at 2:09 pm
  
  I believe that it means your clubs were a custom order.
  Simple answer.
  Regards,
  Barry
  
  Reply Report comment
Pingback: Friday Golf Mashup 10/26/12 - Golficity
Greg Capstick

Oct 26, 2012 at 1:25 am

These are sick!!, i really think Callaway has stepped up their game in the “better player” category recently in he last couple releases starting with the x prototype, if i didnt go titleist id either be going tCallaway or Mizuno

Reply Report comment
thegolfingboy

Oct 25, 2012 at 5:12 pm

These look really nice, I do agree though with prior comments. Definitely looks like a Mizuno typed iron, but if the shoe fits..

Reply Report comment
Tyler

Oct 25, 2012 at 12:44 am

It looks nice, but it also looks like a tweaked Mizuno MP64. It’s even got what looks like the Mizuno diamond muscle idea going on.

Reply Report comment
- Ikbal
  
  Dec 10, 2012 at 5:22 pm
  
  I’ve tested these clubs out and they work relaly well. I was shocked at how much control I had with the club. My favorite club is still the Nike clubs they have more power than any other club I’ve used. Check out the brand new Nike clubs in my profile.
  
  Reply Report comment
Zan

Oct 24, 2012 at 2:26 pm

These look great. I play the razr x forged now and love them. Can’t wait to hit these though. Not sure how I feel about project x shafts though. I love the feel of my x100s.

Reply Report comment
- Michael
  
  Feb 16, 2013 at 10:41 am
  
  I demoed these and the x-hot irons vs many other irons at the golfsmith store the other day. The lighter project x shafts (pxi and 95) made a huge differance. My clubhead speed increased 10-15 mph on average without changing my swing effort (i hit a LOT of balls with all if them so i had a pretty large sample group). I have been a DG guy for 20+ years and I have to say im completely sold on the px stuff. 18 yrds more for the callaway irons with those shafts is huge! Very good feel and control as well.
  
  Reply Report comment
Gman

Oct 24, 2012 at 3:00 am

That’s a very Japan-influenced design, it looks like, to me. Very Yamaha looking, know what I mean?

Reply Report comment
jgpl001

Oct 23, 2012 at 5:19 pm

Decent looking iron. I don’t like the extra grooves on all new Callaway irons, but they are good, solid clubs.

Much better offering than the new TM shovel

Reply Report comment
- Travis
  
  Mar 26, 2013 at 8:05 pm
  
  “TM Shovel” HAHAHAH!!!!
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

6 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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