Callaway X-Hot & X-Hot Pro Driver Preview Thread

[MWard]

having a brain cramp this morning. What are the closed/open settings on this, 2 degrees closed and 1.5 open?

I haven't seen any of those stats anywhere to be honest. I think it's kinda funny that I've been hitting nice little cuts with it and it's a draw weighted driver

 

[Jman]

having a brain cramp this morning. What are the closed/open settings on this, 2 degrees closed and 1.5 open?

Open sets it to 2.5* and 1* down in loft. Closed sets it to 1.5* and 1* up in loft buddy.

Going to work on putting my thoughts on this one so far down into a post now.

 

[ddec]

I haven't seen any of those stats anywhere to be honest. I think it's kinda funny that I've been hitting nice little cuts with it and it's a draw weighted driver

I havent't either. The wife is a fan of the ladies version. She currently plays her dymo at 2 closed. So thats why Im wondering. There is a chance 2 of these end up in this house

 

[Jman]

I should add, that is on the standard not the Pro. Those are the spec's I've read everywhere for it myself.

 

[MWard]

I havent't either. The wife is a fan of the ladies version. She currently plays her dymo at 2 closed. So thats why Im wondering. There is a chance 2 of these end up in this house

Oh man, doooo it! What model and what shaft?

 

[ddec]

Open sets it to 2.5* and 1* down in loft. Closed sets it to 1.5* and 1* up in loft buddy.

Going to work on putting my thoughts on this one so far down into a post now.

Thanks buddy

Oh man, doooo it! What model and what shaft?

I think I could go with the stock setup and be happy, perhaps loft at 9.5. The nice thing about these is that you know you can get the adapters and set yourself up however you want down the road. The problem with her is that she wants the ladies head, because of the color, and then needs the senior shaft. But since we have one in her current driver, and one that you kindly sent our way, we could be all set for that as well. She wants to hit the AMP Cell again though.

 

[MWard]

I think I could go with the stock setup and be happy, perhaps loft at 9.5. The nice thing about these is that you know you can get the adapters and set yourself up however you want down the road. The problem with her is that she wants the ladies head, because of the color, and then needs the senior shaft. But since we have one in her current driver, and one that you kindly sent our way, we could be all set for that as well. She wants to hit the AMP Cell again though.

That combo would be pretty good for her I think. The Amp Cell does feel pretty good too. Tough decision for her! As for you, you should go with the pro model in a 6.0 unless you have a shaft that works better. In that case, get that shaft anyway and send it my way haha

 

[Jman]

So, as mentioned before I've been a bit, "tight lipped" about my time with the Xhot in the bag. I assure you this was unintentional, I've just had the bulk of my focus on other clubs for the sake of the frontpage.

Anyways, I'll throw this out there immediately. I freaking LOVE the sound of this driver on the screws. I also love the fact that I get enough audible tone change to tell when I'm a little inside (which has been a LOT lately, swing, not the club) or out on the toe. But, to me this is what I want every driver to sound like for the rest of my life (this or the Xtreme), Callaway just "gets it" when it comes to acoustics and I really wish more companies would take note of what a difference a good sound makes to consumers.

Forgiveness? Its there heel to toe for me for sure, I've been battling some swing demons and when I catch it WAY heel side I certainly lose some distance, but the ball is still pretty dang straight which is a great thing. I really get that feeling of the ball just melting into the face and then off like a rocket with this one. The R&D has blown my little mind.

I am teeing it a bit lower with this than I was my Fit(s) and in all honestly it reminds me a LOT of my old 4DX Evolver...I mean a LOT...that's a great compliment too. Distance wise, its there for me with the B.Asha plugged in, on the sweetspot the ball just goes. I'm seeing a bit higher 11.5 flight than my Razr Fit 11.5, but not in a bad way and it is a bit longer for me. Most importantly, It feels more forgiving to me than my Fit was.

I will admit that I am going to toy with some lead tape on the sole this week as I'm not feeling the head through my swing as much as I would like. But, I'm different than most in that regard (its why I liked the Fit so much, the head was a bit heavier and I even added one of the heavier weights to up it 4 grams more) as a bit more weight lets me feel the face through the swing and really helps me keep my tempo. That's not a knock on the Xhot, its just a little fine tuning for me personally.

So far, I'm pleased as can be with the buy. Yes, I do still want to hit the Xtreme, but it will take quite the feat to move this one out of the bag for me this season, especially with the shaft combo I've got in it.

Callaway really did #bringit with this one.

 

[#Cookie]

Very nice thoughts here James, you definitely have me anxious to hit this thing next month! Forgiveness heel to toe is just so dang important to me these days.

 

[ddec]

that heel/toe forgiveness was something I really liked about the Razr Hawk from a couple of years ago. So I really like hearing you mention that about this one as well.

 

[MWard]

That's funny, I also thought about throwing some lead tape on it for the exact same reason. Maybe toe, maybe just back center

 

[Jman]

Very nice thoughts here James, you definitely have me anxious to hit this thing next month! Forgiveness heel to toe is just so dang important to me these days.

Thanks buddy. You'll get your crack at it! I know you had a bad run-in with the 4x, but in the 11.5 head, I think you'll see an entirely different shaft.

that heel/toe forgiveness was something I really liked about the Razr Hawk from a couple of years ago. So I really like hearing you mention that about this one as well.

Indeed dude, my miss on the driver is heel side, I can pound the heel side of a driver on an off day so its HUGE for me too. I can deal with the distance loss, but keep me in play!

That's funny, I also thought about throwing some lead tape on it for the exact same reason. Maybe toe, maybe just back center

Exactly what I'm thinking, I'm going to weigh the heads here in just a sec actually to compare it to my 11.5 Fit.

 

[InHartWeTrust]

Great thoughts, Jman. Paired with Freddie's thoughts it makes me even more apt to keep the XHot/XHot Pro on a level playing field with the Extreme head going in to my testing (along with OEM's). I really think Callaway is getting their feet back and producing some very, very solid clubs this year. I know one thing for sure, they all look fantastic.

While I am excited to try the XHP side by side with the RFE, that RFE is just so damn pretty that a big part of me just wants it to work for me.

 

[Puttin4Bird]

Good stuff Jman. I haven't had the instant love with the X Hot after my first couple times hitting it in the sim at the golf shop but I've definitely seen enough to know that I need to get one spec'd out to me and it could very well rock. Keep the updates coming as you are able, I know you have homepage reviews that you're working on so I'll try to remain patient!

 

[Jman]

Great thoughts, Jman. Paired with Freddie's thoughts it makes me even more apt to keep the XHot/XHot Pro on a level playing field with the Extreme head going in to my testing (along with OEM's). I really think Callaway is getting their feet back and producing some very, very solid clubs this year. I know one thing for sure, they all look fantastic.

While I am excited to try the XHP side by side with the RFE, that RFE is just so damn pretty that a big part of me just wants it to work for me.

I think it deserves a fair shake though dude. I'm not a fan of the stock shaft, but as Blu says I'm apparently a snob that way.

Cally is EXCITED about this one for a reason, that's for sure. Perhaps go someplace that will let you swap the shafts and play the same on in each head to even the playing field a bit?


For reference, I weighed the heads:

Razr Fit 11.5 - 196g (stock weights), 200g (my tuned weight setup)
XHot 11.5 - 187g

This explains a good bit for me personally.

 

[Jman]

Good stuff Jman. I haven't had the instant love with the X Hot after my first couple times hitting it in the sim at the golf shop but I've definitely seen enough to know that I need to get one spec'd out to me and it could very well rock. Keep the updates coming as you are able, I know you have homepage reviews that you're working on so I'll try to remain patient!

Pshhhhhh, I'm always a text away for brain picking!

 

[MWard]

For reference, I weighed the heads:

Razr Fit 11.5 - 196g (stock weights), 200g (my tuned weight setup)
XHot 11.5 - 187g

This explains a good bit for me personally.

About 10g light, that makes sense. I was thinking of adding 10g to it haha

You don't like the PXv? Is it the made for or legit? I love it in the pro 3w and kinda want it in the driver same flex just to try it out.

 

[Jman]

About 10g light, that makes sense. I was thinking of adding 10g to it haha

You don't like the PXv? Is it the made for or legit? I love it in the pro 3w and kinda want it in the driver same flex just to try it out.

I've got a long standing battle that goes on with PX shafts, they just don't do well for me, plus I just know I have something that fits my swing well and that I'm extremely comfortable with. I will say the PXi in the Utility is trying to change that.

Yep, I'm thinking of trying 10g now and then seeing if I want/need the extra 3g. I'm also betting it makes a world of difference for me personally.

 

[InHartWeTrust]

I think it deserves a fair shake though dude. I'm not a fan of the stock shaft, but as Blu says I'm apparently a snob that way.

Cally is EXCITED about this one for a reason, that's for sure. Perhaps go someplace that will let you swap the shafts and play the same on in each head to even the playing field a bit?


For reference, I weighed the heads:

Razr Fit 11.5 - 196g (stock weights), 200g (my tuned weight setup)
XHot 11.5 - 187g

This explains a good bit for me personally.

Oh, absolutely man....I am sure you've seen my posts where I preach not to let the looks of a club make the decision for you, IMO decisions should always be focused on results and/or numbers (assuming the looks aren't to the point of becoming a distraction, ala an Alien wedge or something outlandish).

As for the bold, I am lucky in this regard. I found a Callaway Fitting Center with a Trackman (the only one in Ohio and it happens to be only 15 mins from my home) that also fits for other OEM's; including TM, Ping, and Titleist. I will likely be dropping the $75 for the 90 minute wood fitting, where I will try all the Callaway, TM, Ping, and Titleist offerings do all the necessary drill downs on shafts until I feel I have it perfected. Once we settle on best heads and best shafts, I'll run one final test and let the Trackman tell me which club deserves it's spot in my bag. I can't wait for this fitting to be honest, I think it's going to be a hell of a good time.

PS - I don't mix well with stock shafts either. They don't build em right for my SS.

 

[MWard]

I just like the fact I'll be able to feel the head a little more with another 10g thrown on there.

 

[Jman]

I just like the fact I'll be able to feel the head a little more with another 10g thrown on there.

That's ALL it is for me too dude. I think it will make a huge difference for my swing. I'm a hopeless "feel" swinger, if I can't feel the head/face the whole way I'm just crazy sporadic.

I'm cutting strips of double density tape now.

 

[Tadashi70]

Jman did you ever hit the Great Big Bertha when it was released? It was the new kid in the block and had characteristic no other driver had. I think the Xhot is '14 NKOTB.

 

[MWard]

I don't have any tape right now. Do they sell lead tape at Home Depot? They have to right?

 

[Jman]

Jman did you ever hit the Great Big Bertha when it was released? It was the new kid in the block and had characteristic no other driver had. I think the Xhot is '14 NKOTB.

I never did Freddie, before my time in the game sadly dude.

I agree with the sentiment though, and you can TELL when you hear/see Harry & Co. talk about the Xhot line. Yes, they have to rep it as its theirs, but you can SEE that ir really isn't just all smoke and mirrors. They are truly excited by the Xhot line.

I don't have any tape right now. Do they sell lead tape at Home Depot? They have to right?

They should.

 

[Tadashi70]

Got the Xhot but had it re-shafted to an Oban Kiyoshi purple shaft. Tipped and pured. This thing can go especially with the shaft (mid launch, low spin). Definitely in the bag for the year.

Did you hit the kiyoshi before you had it tipped and pured?