Equipment

Callaway’s XR 16 Drivers: Revealing photos from the Boeing Factory

Published

10 years ago

Mar 7, 2016

Recently, I was lucky enough to partake in a tour of The Boeing Company’s Everett Factory near Seattle, and pick the brains of its Aerospace engineers and tour guides. But this is a golf website, why should you care, right?

Well, for its new XR 16 and XR 16 Pro drivers, Callaway Golf teamed up with engineers from Boeing to develop a more aerodynamically sound driver. Read more about the technology here.

Why Boeing? With a mutual interest in how things fly — whether it’s airplanes or golf balls — it “was a great opportunity for collaboration” between the companies, according to Evan Gibbs, head of metal woods at Callaway Golf.

Also, at Boeing, there exists a group of young engineers collectively named O.N.E. (Opportunities for New Engineers), who use their intelligence and passion for problem solving for projects outside their everyday work of making airplane wings more efficient. So when Callaway asked Boeing to help make its new drivers faster and more efficient for golfers, Boeing had just the group of engineers for the job.

So a group of about a half-dozen O.N.E. engineers were given 3-4 months — a significantly shorter period of time than aerospace engineers are typically provided — to design an “add-on” to the crown of Callaway’s new drivers.

As Boeing Aerodynamics Engineer Adam Clark explained, there are many differences and similarities between the aerodynamic puzzles of airplanes and drivers.

I paraphrase:

Both have to do with laminar and turbulent flow. An airplane wing needs to be streamlined to reduce friction, as does the relatively rotund body of a golf driver head. The solution is very similar.

Here’s what the Boeing engineers came up with:

: Callaway’s XR 16 Pro driver crown, with protrusions, or “speed steps,” designed for better aerodynamics.

: Callaway’s XR 16 also has “speed steps,” with a slightly different design than the XR 16 Pro.

Below, I relay some ridiculously interesting facts, photos and information I learned about Boeing, its Everett facility, its airplanes and its engineering processes. I hope the photos below do Boeing’s airplane assembly factory justice, because the visuals were nothing short of breath-taking.

So we begin, Revealing Photos: The Aero Edition.

Welcome to Boeing

It’s difficult to explain just how big the Boeing Factory really is. You can see how small the plane in the parking lot looks in comparison to the building, but maybe these facts will give it better perspective.

“Two hangar doors… approximately the size of an American football field.”

That means the Seattle Seahawks could play a football game on two of the hangar doors on the outside of the building (although it would probably be safer to put the doors flat on the ground first).

And in case you ever doubted the passion of Seahawks fans, it’s rare to be at Boeing’s Seattle factory without seeing a flag with the number 12 (12th man) somewhere in your line of site.

So welcome to Boeing’s Seattle Facility, home of Seahawks’ 12th men and women. Lets go inside, shall we?

An “aerial” look

Rows of Boeing’s 737s, 747s, 767s and 777s — some of which are made from over 1 million parts — are built by troops of men and women. Contrary to popular belief, the number of the plane refers to when it was designed, not its size. The bigger the number, the newer the design.

For example, the 777 took its first flight in 1994, while the 737 took its first flight in 1967. Boeing’s first active plane was the 707, which was airborne in 1957.

If you look closely at the photo above, you can see there are other rooms filled with multiple planes, as well.

And above is the process the planes undertake while inside the factory.

Here’s a look at a plane that’s nearing the end of the “assembly line.” Now, there’s a few interesting things of note in the photo above, so let’s zoom in and look.

A system of rails that come down from ceiling helps to transport plane parts across the factory, and they’re quite strong. Equipment No. M-3, for instance, has a capacity of 40 tons, or 80,000 pounds.

Hungry? There are 40,000+ employees at Boeing in its Seattle location, and they have the eat somewhere. One of the options is called the “Dreamliner Diner,” which is one of six different eateries inside the facility.

There’s also a dry-cleaner, movie rental shops, clothing stores, massage parlors and convenient stores littered throughout the factory. So employees never really need to leave.

The Dreamliner Diner is named after Boeing’s 787 “Dreamliner,” the most fuel-efficient airliner that Boeing produces, according to the company. Surely, it’s the most food-efficient diner at the Boeing Factory.

A final look before a plane flies out the door.

Going down

Now, let’s head to the first floor.

From the ground level

You don’t feel truly small at the Boeing Factory until you’re looking up at one of the 747s (Boeing’s biggest models), or really any of the planes during production.

The wheels were almost taller than me. Below is a short gallery of miscellaneous photos taken of planes while on the ground floor of the factory.

And yes, it’s really weird to see a plane inside of a building.

How do 40,000 people get around a 100-acre building?

Tractors, cars, vans, golf carts…

Or one of these weird 3-wheeled trolleys, which were commonly seen as a mode of transportation.

This guy was showing off how to casually stroll the factory with plane parts that stand nearly twice his height.

Off to the Dreamliner Gallery

This is where I learned how much goes into the design of the interior of airplanes. Unfortunately, I’ll never be able to take a flight again without noticing…

The type of carpeting in the cabin.

The material on the seats.

The seat styles.

Or the TV models. I will know, however…

What sitting in a cockpit feels like.

And where the flight attendees sleep on long flights.

No wonder the flight attendants are always in such good spirits; they get all this leg room while us normal folks are scrunched and miserable in coach. That made the flight back from Seattle even worse, since I knew what I was missing.

Unfortunately, that concludes my tour of Boeing’s Everett Factory.

In the end, how did the final product between Boeing and Callaway stack up against the best drivers currently on the market? Check out our 2016 Gear Trials: Best Drivers Club Test for a full analysis.

Spoiler alert.

Callaway’s XR 16 Pro (left) and XR 16 Pro drivers.

Callaway’s XR 16 and XR 16 Pro were awarded with 6 total medals (1 Gold Medal, 2 Silver Medals and 3 Bronze Medals), which stacked up nicely against its competitors.

Related Topics:Callaway drivers

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

17 Comments

Lob Wedge

Mar 10, 2016 at 12:38 am

Is the Callaway-Boeing link more of a marketing tool than technology implementation? Yes.

Are the guys hating on this article knuckle dragging trogs? Yes

Expand your horizons kids.. Or don’t read it.

Not like the Title and pictures at the start of the article didn’t give away the subject matter.

Reply Report comment
scooter

Mar 8, 2016 at 10:17 pm

Thanks for the article Andrew. I’m probably in the minority, but seeing the immenseness of the Boeing factory and all that is required to produce the technological marvel that a modern day jet represents is pretty spectacular. Of course, I’m biased since I’m and avid golfer who also works in the aerospace industry. The modern day driver head, by comparison, is pretty low tech . . . I hope Callaway didn’t pay too much for that fancy CFD streamline picture at the start of the article. As another poster said, the feel and forgiveness is what will sell the driver to the golfing masses.

Reply Report comment
Birdy

Mar 8, 2016 at 12:20 pm

so which company will get Caterpillar to market the earth moving technology of their wedges or maybe Firestone to market improved traction and roll when it comes to the ball, waterproofing company to lend their support to weatherproof clothes.

add me to the list who think this is just a clever marketing scheme

Reply Report comment
- Peter
  
  Mar 10, 2016 at 12:05 am
  
  hey maybe Bridgestone tires could help Bridgestone golf company make some golf balls. i bet bridgestone tire company knows a thing or two about rubber.
  
  Reply Report comment
Barry S.

Mar 8, 2016 at 11:22 am

Played TaylorMade and Adams drivers for years and switched to a Callaway Optiforce 440 about 2 years ago because the sound and feel works better for me without giving up any distance. Last year I purchased an Alpha 815 which I promptly sold because it didn’t perform to the level of the Optiforce 440 for me.

The other day a guy showed up at the range with an XR16 driver with a Speeder shaft and I hit 4 or 5 balls with it. Just my opinion but this driver is one of the shortest, worst feeling drivers I’ve hit in the last few years.

Reply Report comment
Tom

Mar 8, 2016 at 10:46 am

Bunch of negative Nancey’s on here.

Reply Report comment
Matto

Mar 8, 2016 at 2:10 am

This article should be titled, *A closer look at how PING didn’t need Boeing 2 years ago.

Reply Report comment
Yaz

Mar 7, 2016 at 8:55 pm

Having worked in that factory for years, Particularly at 747 Final Body Join, (the picture from the ground looking at the 747 with the gear next to it), the pictures BARELY do justice to just exactly how impressive that facility truly is. All the armchair “experts” posting here have ZERO clue about that place or the amazing things that are done there.

Reply Report comment
- ooffa
  
  Mar 8, 2016 at 7:02 am
  
  Ummmm. They build airplanes right. Airplanes are big. They have a big building to build the big airplanes. We get it. I wonder if the airplane hobbyist website is hosting an article on golf club companies seeking publicity today. I doubt they are.
  
  Reply Report comment
Leon

Mar 7, 2016 at 8:16 pm

Great story and pictures of Boeing. Totally marketing gimmick of Callaway.

Reply Report comment
John

Mar 7, 2016 at 5:25 pm

For all the article didn’t have too much to do with golf I thoroughly enjoyed it, great insight into the Boeing factory, very interesting.

Reply Report comment
Ver

Mar 7, 2016 at 4:29 pm

I just flew it on a long distance.
Not too impressed.
Lots of rattles and squeaks like before, with the plastic bits clashing with metals bits that are meant to do that, flex and turn with the body shift. But I would have hoped that they would have somehow minimized it with newer materials but it feels the same inside. No improvement on the armrests, the buttons and latches and locks. The seats weren’t much of an improvement either.
Don’t believe the hype. They put out all this hoopla, yet it’s only slightly improved on the inside for passengers, because they can’t really afford to re-tool everything and create something completely new. I mean Boeing nearly went bust with this plane with all the battery compartment design and window cracking problems anyway.

Reply Report comment
- Yaz
  
  Mar 7, 2016 at 8:53 pm
  
  Seats and seating configuration is the choice of the airliner, not the builder. Boeing puts in the interiors that the airline chooses.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Scott
  
  Mar 8, 2016 at 10:12 am
  
  the XR16? Where did you put your luggage?
  
  Reply Report comment
Theo Erben

Mar 7, 2016 at 3:39 pm

“Both have to do with laminar and turbulent flow. An airplane wing needs to be streamlined to reduce friction, as does the relatively rotund body of a golf driver head. The solution is very similar.”
Boeing makes great planes. I had the pleasure to fly most of their models.
During my job to help introduce the 737-300 and 747-400 for a renown European airline I learned to know Boeing to use facts and fundamental research to improve the products.
It seems in this “driver drag” case, Boeing just had the marketing guys have a look at the “problem”
I think it is a shame for Boeing that they claim they improved something without quantifying what the improvement really is.

Reply Report comment
ooffa

Mar 7, 2016 at 12:52 pm

Written like the reports we had to give after our lower school class trips.
There might be an airplane website whose visitors would find this interesting. As a golfer I sure didn’t.

Reply Report comment
orangeology

Mar 7, 2016 at 12:51 pm

sure you seem to have had a great trip to the B factory. yet i have no idea what it does with the 2 shots of the golf clubs at the end. better yet, why the heck did i need to see this on golfwrx?

Reply Report comment

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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

1 day 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

1 day 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