Equipment

Callaway launches XR16 and XR16 Pro fairway woods

Published

10 years ago

Jan 5, 2016

For its XR16 drivers, Callaway focused mostly on improving the aerodynamics of its crown for more speed. For the XR16 fairway woods, however, Callaway wasn’t singularly focused on improving just one facet of the club.

That’s because fairway woods take on different roles for different golfers, so simply making them “faster,” which is almost always the goal in driver design, isn’t necessarily a winning formula for fairways. Fairway woods also need to be forgiving and versatile, and move through the turf easily when hitting shots from the fairway or rough.

Therefore, when designing the XR16 fairway woods, Callaway wanted to increase ball speeds and lower spin compared to the XR fairway woods, but also introduce greater forgiveness and versatility to satisfy golfers’ every need.

Let’s see how Callaway accomplished that with its most “comprehensive and complete” line of woods ever, according to Callaway’s Senior R&D Woods Manager, Evan Gibbs.

Callaway XR16 Pro (top) and XR16 fairway woods.

For Callaway, fairway wood design starts with its bread and butter — Face Cup technology. Gibbs says Face Cup is the core technology that separates its fairway woods from competitors in terms of ball speed, and it serves as the “engine of the club.” And in its fourth generation, Face Cup continues to improve compared to its predecessors.

In the XR16 fairways, the Face Cup insert is made from a 455 Carpenter Stainless Steel alloy, a material that allows Callaway to make its face extremely thin and flexible; and its even thinner and hotter than ever, according to Callaway. Variable thickness — thinner around the perimeter and thicker in the center — also allows the club to produce higher ball speeds on shots hit across the face.

To maintain low spin and high launch of the XR’s, the XR16 fairways also have the familiar “Internal Standing Wave,” which sits behind the bottom portion of the face and drives CG low and forward.

A graphic of Callaway’s Internal Standing Wave technology.

Callaway also looked to increase moment of inertia (MOI), a measure of forgiveness, in order to make the “bad shots look more like the good shots,” as Gibbs puts it, with its new clubs. To accomplish that, the XR16 fairway woods were made with a larger profile with reduced weight in the crown — actually, the company’s thinnest cast crown ever — helping move CG lower and deeper.

Callaway’s XR16 fairway woods have more camber and heel/toe relief than its predecessors.

Additionally, their soles feature more camber and more sole relief than their predecessors, which allows the leading edge of the club to sit closer to the ground at address and helps keep the club from getting stuck in the turf at it moves through the ground.

The result of the improvements? The XR16 fairway woods boast 28 percent more consistent carry distance and 8 percent more consistent ball speed compared to the XR fairway woods, according to Callaway testing. For golfers who want higher ball speeds on off-center hits (that’s just about everyone), that’s a positive.

Specs

With such a wide variety of offerings, how should you go about choosing the right fairway wood for you?

Callaway’s XR16 standard fairway wood.

Loft for loft, the XR16 standard fairway woods (15.5, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25 degrees) are larger than their XR16 Pro counterparts. They’ll produce a higher launch angle, more draw bias and more forgiveness.

Callaway’s XR16 Pro fairway wood, with 14 degrees of loft.

The XR16 Pro fairway woods (14, 16 and 18 degrees) have a smaller footprint, will be slightly more fade-biased and will produce a lower-spinning, more penetrating trajectory.

An interesting option for golfers who rely on their fairway wood as a second driver off the tee to consider is the XR16 3+. At 14 degrees and 162 cubic centimeters, it has a head size that’s halfway between the 14-degree XR16 Pro and the 15.5 degree XR16. As far as its ball flight goes, it produces the low trajectory and low spin of the XR16 Pro, but has the draw-bias and forgiveness of the XR16.

Callaway’s XR Pro (left) and XR16 fairway woods from address.

Each of the fairway woods will be available on January 29. The XR16 woods will sell for $229.99, and come stock with a Fujikura Speeder 565 Evolution shaft. The XR16 Pro woods will sell for $249.99 and come stock with a Fujikura Speeder 755 Evolution II TS fairway shaft.

See more photos of Callaway’s new XR16 and XR16 pro woods here.

Equipment

Tour Edge unveils all-new Exotics mini driver

Published

1 day ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game.

The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag.

At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.

The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.

“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley

In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.

To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.

“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod

An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.

Pricing & Availability

The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026.

Equipment

Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:

“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly.

My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”

And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”

Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo

Published

2 days ago

May 12, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who 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, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.

From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo. 4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades. 5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft. Standard Length, Lie and Lofts. These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me. Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules