PREVIEW: Callaway Golf XR 16, XR 16 pro drivers and fairway woods
Equipment

PREVIEW: Callaway Golf XR16, XR16 pro drivers and fairway woods



Callaway Golf's XR line of drivers and fairway woods hit store shelves in early 2015 with the promise of delivering higher swing speeds and, therefore, more yards.

The company has teamed up with Boeing to refine the aerodynamics of the XR line and introduced them on Tuesday in the XR16 line of drivers and fairway woods.

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The team made the driver longer from front to back, adding additional time for air to drag along the club crown as opposed to the club fighting through air to get to the ball. The intent is reduced drag, which will offer increased swing speeds at impact.

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On top of the crown is what the company calls the Speed Step. It sounds somewhat like the turbulators found in the Ping G30 driver but has a much different shape. However, the intent is the same: It's designed to improve aerodynamic performance and increase swing speeds.

The company also put its updated R-Moto face in the XR16 line, which is, in places, 19 percent thinner than the first generation and lighter, too. Less weight? More speed.

The larger-profile head with a low-and-back center of gravity offers maximum forgiveness, using some of the weight saved from the lighter face. There's also a draw bias inherent to the design.

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The XR16 Pro driver, which also has the Speed Step, has a deeper face with a closer-to-neutral bias and is just 450cc.

Both drivers offer an eight-way adjustable hosel with four loft settings -- ranging from -1 to +2 degrees -- and two lie angles, one neutral and one more upright to promote a draw.

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The XR16 fairway woods are even bigger than the original XR model, using a scaled-down version of the driver design with an improved forged Hyper Speed face cup. A thinner crown has created discretionary weight that has been moved to improve moment of inertia and forgiveness.

The XR16 Pro fairway woods have a more compact design than the standard model.

The Callaway Golf XR16 line is available on Jan. 29, 2016. The XR16 driver will cost $350 and be available in 9-, 10.5-degree and 13.5-degree HT lofts. The XR16 Pro driver will retail for $300 and be available in 9- and 10.5 degree options.

The XR16 fairway woods will be available in 3-plus, 3-, 4-, 5-, 7-, 9- and 11-woods for $230 each, while the XR16 Pro fairways will cost $250 and be available in 14-, 16- and 18-degree lofts.

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Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

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