Equipment

’13 Callaway Irons: In-hand photos, video and specs

Published

11 years ago

Dec 17, 2012

Callaway’s X Hot and X Hot Pro irons were designed for two distinct categories of golfers, but they have one major similarity — they’re designed to fly a long way with consistent distance.

The X Hot is Callaway’s most forgiving iron in its 2013 lineup, featuring a deep cavity to improve distance and forgiveness. It’s a game-improvement iron, a category of irons that gets a bad rap for causing flyers — shots that are hit slightly above the center of the face and tend to fly unexpectedly far.

[youtube id=”OD5ltnU6GB4″ width=”620″ height=”360″]

That’s why Callaway removed the undercut that sits behind the top line of most cavity back irons. By reinforcing the top part of the face, engineers lowered the sweetspot to slightly below center (0.155 inches lower then than Callaway’s previous game-improvement model, the RAZR X), which is where most amateurs make contact with their irons. By doing this, Callaway engineers said they’ve removed the “high hot spot.”

“Golfers have a mortal fear of hitting the globe first, so they hit it thin,” said Dr. Alan Hocknell, vice president of R&D for Callaway. “That’s why these irons are very forgiving low on the face.”

X Hot 3 Iron

X Hot Pro 3 Iron

The X Hot Pro irons are designed for golfers who need forgiveness but don’t want to look at an oversize club. The Pro model has less off set, thinner soles, thinner top lines and 1-degree weaker lofts than the standard model. Like the standard version, engineers stiffened the upper part of the face to eliminate flyers and make the lower portion of the face more forgiving on mishits. The Pros also feature Callaway’s 20-degree close-spaced grooves, which Luke Williams, global director of woods and irons for Callaway, said increases backspin as much as 1000 rpms out of the rough.

“This is the first time that we’ve cast the groove that we’ve been forging,” Williams said. “It’s a harder, more expensive groove to make. But we wanted to put in in the (pro) line where players are more likely to notice.”

Both models are cast from 17-4 stainless and feature dual-material medallions in the iron cavities to improve sound and feel.

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

Availability: Jan. 25, 2013

Price:

X Hot Irons: 3-PW or 4-AW — $699 (steel), $899 (graphite)
X Hot Pro Irons: 3-PW or 4-AW — $799 (steel)

X Hot Shafts:

Steel — True Temper Speed Step 85 Lightweight, Regular (93 grams) and Stiff (95 grams)
Graphite — X Hot I-750, Light (68 grams), Regular (79 grams), Stiff (79 grams)

X Hot Pro Shaft:

Type: Project X 95 Flighted Steel [5.0 (R), 5.5 (S) and 6.0 (X)]
Weight: weight: 92.3 grams (R), 92.3 grams (S) and 97.3 grams (X)

Specs:

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

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14 Comments

Art

May 14, 2014 at 8:35 pm

Does anyone know if the Callaway X hot are bore through?

Reply Report comment
Ed

Apr 30, 2013 at 12:38 pm

Had a fitting for irons by a leading Pro Fitter. I tried out the new TM Rocketbladez and the Callaway X-Hots. I hit my current 6 iron further and with closer ball dispersion than any of the TM 6 irons I tried out using a number of different shafts. The Callaway X-Hot went 10 yards further with the bog standard off-the-shelf shaft with equally close dispersion to my own iron. My current irons? – Callaway FT Fusions. And yet both these new 6 irons have the same loft as my old FT Fusion 5 iron!!!

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FCM

Jan 13, 2013 at 5:48 pm

Hallelujah on everyone calling out the ridiculous lofts from Callaway and TM. Of course they will be longer than the other brands. Even the X Hot Pro iron’s have much stronger lofts than the other better player irons. Titleist and Ping are two of the big companies still making true honest products. None of the marketing BS needed to back up their products too.

Reply Report comment
Nick

Dec 20, 2012 at 11:56 pm

Golf Pro: “What makes your 2013 iron so good?”

TMaG Sales Rep: “With the addition of the speed pocket in the Rocketbladez, we were able increase the size of the sweet spot from a pea to a quarter.”

Callaway Sales Rep: “Forget about the sweet spot. We fixed the ‘high hot spot’ problem. You’ll never hit a flyer again!”

Reply Report comment
- Joe Golfer
  
  Dec 21, 2012 at 4:10 am
  
  Exactly, Nick. They fixed the mythological “high hot spot”, that thing that exists on courses where unicorns roam.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - FCM
    
    Jan 13, 2013 at 5:48 pm
    
    LMAO!! Great!!
    
    Reply Report comment
Lee

Dec 20, 2012 at 4:34 am

Certainly nothing special and cheap looking but at least Calli are using decent shafts especially in the Pro model. The loft specs get more and more rediculous every year however having grown up with a 50 deg PW they are now in a position I like. 5-AW is pretty much what 3-PW used to be so with these clubs you don’t need the 3 & 4 irons and can balance the business end of the bag accordingly.

Reply Report comment
Joe Golfer

Dec 20, 2012 at 2:19 am

Repeating the other posts, Wow, those lofts really got strong. “Gotta keep up with the boys at TaylorMade”, said the
Callaway R&D team, “even if it makes for a cruddier club”. Now even the “Pro” model has superstrong lofts.
And that garbage about flyers is ridiculous. They talk about hitting the ball above the center of the face? Maybe off the tee on a par 3, but not off the turf. You’re not going to get spring effect from an older Callaway iron no matter how much you hit down on the ball, EVER. C’mon, Callaway, cut the crapola. New Callaway motto ought to be “We can’t make a better clubhead, so we’ll just hype it with a bunch of mularkey.”
Want to hit a flyer? Hit out of rough and have grass get between ball and grooves, so you don’t get spin on the ball. That’s a flyer.
On the GolfWRX homepage, there’s an article by Tom Wishon called “Wishon: The way golf clubs are being sold has harmed golf”. Everybody should read that article, as it explains why Callaway has just jumped the shark in terms of making a better club.

Reply Report comment
cg

Dec 18, 2012 at 12:40 pm

they look just like titleist aps

Reply Report comment
- Dominic Chong
  
  Dec 19, 2012 at 4:43 pm
  
  Exactly.
  I am looking into the AP1 right now.
  
  Reply Report comment
cg

Dec 18, 2012 at 12:39 pm

just last year, we were told the slot behind the face helped us get it higher. I have never met a golfer who said that was bad…now we hate fliers? most people would love a flier so they can get to the green. I think the designers are laughing at the public as they go back and fourth with the ULTIMATE club design that will never be beaten..until next year.
forget a gap or a gap gap wedge..you need a gap gap gap wedge. Or else let us carry 16 clubs.

Reply Report comment
Jeff

Dec 17, 2012 at 10:01 pm

Wow, they got really aggressive with increasing the lofts. The pitching wedge is 44*. If you have a standard 52* gap wedge there will be an 8* difference. Are we approaching the point of needing a gap gap wedge?

Reply Report comment
Jay

Dec 17, 2012 at 8:14 pm

These are just ugly…
– not in the high tech new design type of ugly
– but in the cheap walmart type ugly

Please Callaway, you have to get a new design team.

No matter how the clubs perform, they are not going to sell well if they keep looking like this.

Don’t believe guys on this forum who say they don’t care about looks as long as they perform. That’s total BS.

Reply Report comment
luke keefner

Dec 17, 2012 at 5:28 pm

The Xhot 6 has a stronger loft than my Mizuno 5 iron

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Whats in the Bag

Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)

Published

2 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)

Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)

Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype

Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.

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Equipment

Putter Roundup: 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Published

3 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Brian Knudson

We always get some great photos of some phenomenal putters at tour events and love to share them. Here are a few from the 2024 Zurich Classic that caught our eye and seemed interesting. (And as a reminder, you can check out all our photos from New Orleans here)

MJ Daffue’s Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype

MJ is going with the new Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype this week. The putter is a multi-piece mallet that puts an emphasis on stability with the wings on the back. Daffue’s putter does have a design that differs from retail with a monotone finish, which eliminates the black paint on the aluminum parts that we see at retail. He also has a half siteline milled into the top and an L-neck welded on for some additional toe hang. The face features a deeper milling that should offer a softer feel and slightly quieter sound.

Scotty Cameron T-7.5 Prototype

We spotted a few different Scotty Cameron Phantom models with modified rear flanges. It looks like the straight black flange was cut into a half circle for a little softer look at address. On this T-7.5, you can still see the raw aluminum from the back view, so this might have been a last-minute job to get them out on tour. The semi-circle also has a white line on it, maybe to frame the ball differently.

Alex Fitzpatrick’s Bettinardi SS16 DASS

Alex’s SS16 is made from Bettinardi’s famous D.A.S.S., or double-aged stainless steel, for a softer and more responsive feel. The face has a unique diamond pattern milling and features a logo that I feel like I have seen before, but can’t put a name to. The putter is a classic mid-mallet style with a simple, single white siteline on the top. The sole is clean with just the SS16, DASS, and a green triangle logo on it.

Steve Stricker’s Odyssey White Hot No. 2

This putter has made some amazing putts in its long career! Stricker’s White Hot No. 2 might be in the top 10 of most famous putters in golf. When you see all the dents and lead tape, you know the heel will be up and it will be sinking putts! The soft White Hot insert looks to be in good shape and has less wear on it than the rest of the putter. We don’t know how much lead tape is on the sole, but it has to be multiple layers compacted down over the years.

Doug Ghim’s Scotty Cameron T-7 Prototype

This T-7 should win the award for “best color finish” in this list with its deep chromatic bronze. It looks like Scotty added a cherry bomb dot to the heel of the deep-milled face and filled it with a very dark blue paint. The rest of the putter looks pretty stock with its single site line on the topline and twin site lines down the “fangs” of the putter. Twin 5-gram weights are installed in the sole and the putter is finished off with a gloss black double bend shaft with a fill shaft offset.

Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic

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Equipment

Spotted: Project X Denali hybrid shaft

Published

4 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Brian Knudson

Project X’s Denali wood shafts have been seen in more and more golf bags this year as we start off the season. As a refresher, Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin model while Denali Black is for players seeking lower launch and spin.

Denali combines great feel with stability and increased ball speed. Currently, Project X only offers Denali Blue and Black in wood shafts, but we spotted a hybrid shaft in Daniel Berger’s bag at the 2024 Zurich Classic.

Check out in-hand photos of Daniel Berger’s full WITB here.

The shaft looks to be a Denali Blue 105G – HY in TX flex. No word on details from Project X yet but we can assume that this is a mid-launching shaft that weighs around 105 grams in Tour X-Stiff flex.

Berger has this shaft in his TaylorMade P770 3-iron, likely for some added launch and spin to hold the green from longer distances.

Hopefully, this means we will see some more shafts coming under the Denali name in the future, as I think many of us would like to try one in a hybrid or utility iron!