Equipment
’13 Callaway Irons: In-hand photos, video and specs
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.
Click here for more in-depth photos and discussion in the “Tour/Pre-release equipment” forum.
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- Kevin Chappell what’s in the bag accurate as of the Valero Texas Open. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X Denali Black 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 HL (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Cobra King LTDx Prototype (21.5 degrees @20.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: Srixon ZX (3), Cobra King CB (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (52-08F, 56-10S), Cobra Snakebite (60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron SB-2, Scotty Cameron TourType TG6.2
Grip: SuperStroke Traxion Flatso 1.0
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Chappell’s clubs here.
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We have seen an uptick in longer putters out on the professional tours with players gravitating toward either counterbalanced or broomstick styles. As a refresher, A “broomstick” putter is a long putter that is usually built to a length that goes up to your chest. If you have seen Adam Scott putt in a tournament recently, he uses what is classified as a broomstick putter.
Axis1 might not be the most common brand in the world of putters but they have been around a while, most notably in Justin Rose’s bag.
Axis1 is known for a putter that doesn’t look traditional but a design is used to get the center of gravity to the center of the club face, aligned with the shaft. This technology keeps the face aligned with the ball throughout the stroke. More traditional putters rotate around the shaft axis, which doesn’t align with the center of the putter, making it easier for the putter face to not be square to the target at impact.
This week at the Valero Texas Open, we spotted a prototype Axis1 putter in a long broomstick version. The head shape looks very similar to the current Axis1 Tour-HM putter that the company currently makes, which is a more squared-off mid-mallet. The prototype looks to have a similar multi-material head with a 304 stainless steel face mated to a composite back. Twin site lines run together, on the topline and on the flange, to create a longer line for aligning the putter. The steel face has a fairly shallow milling to it, and the flowing heel hosel connects to the aggressive shaft bend.
A matching black shaft is installed, and at the grip end is Super Stroke’s Zenergy Tour 1.0 two-piece in white and black. No word on if or when this will come to retail yet.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Valero Texas Open
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/4/24): Mint set of TaylorMade Qi 10 irons
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 set of TaylorMade Qi 10 irons.
From the seller: (@ch1985): “Mint set of TaylorMade qi 10 irons 5-PW, AW (used 1 round and some range balls) with factory stiff steel shaft – $925 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Mint set of TaylorMade Qi 10 irons
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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Art
May 14, 2014 at 8:35 pm
Does anyone know if the Callaway X hot are bore through?
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!!!
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.
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!”
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.
FCM
Jan 13, 2013 at 5:48 pm
LMAO!! Great!!
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.
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.
cg
Dec 18, 2012 at 12:40 pm
they look just like titleist aps
Dominic Chong
Dec 19, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Exactly.
I am looking into the AP1 right now.
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.
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?
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.
luke keefner
Dec 17, 2012 at 5:28 pm
The Xhot 6 has a stronger loft than my Mizuno 5 iron