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Callaway X Forged CB Irons Review

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McLovin said:
i'm not @Canadan (in spite of my nightly wishful prayers) but he did mention in the video that the ball he was using was specifically chosen to greatly reduce his spin. so the right ball in the player's hands will likely bring spin into their desired window.
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I don't think many players these are geared towards are going to be willing to give up the things you do to play a soft, low spin ball though. I think Dan is pretty unique in that way with his choice, where the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for his game.

Oh wait, were you saying that a different ball would bring it UP to where someone else might desire it? I might have missed that part.
 
OldandStiff said:
I don't think many players these are geared towards are going to be willing to give up the things you do to play a soft, low spin ball though. I think Dan is pretty unique in that way with his choice, where the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for his game.
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Im not sure I agree with this honestly.
Ball, like everything else is about fit. While there are places that say that a soft ball is slower, that is not a hard and fast rule, nor has any testing we have done beared that out. Distance and more importantly consistency with irons is about the entire makeup of launch, speed and spin and that comes from a myriad of things, most importantly being impact. Over the last 3 years, we have seen more and more golfers switch to softer golf balls.
 
buckeyewalt said:
Not a big fan of the looks, but I doubt that these were designed with a player like myself in mind. That said, just some more good choices for golfers.
That plate though is interesting. Could be hollow or could be filled with microspheres....be curious!
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I haven't seen any mention of Microspheres on them. The UT has them I believe.
 
OldandStiff said:
I don't think many players these are geared towards are going to be willing to give up the things you do to play a soft, low spin ball though. I think Dan is pretty unique in that way with his choice, where the benefits outweigh the drawbacks for his game.

Oh wait, were you saying that a different ball would bring it UP to where someone else might desire it? I might have missed that part.
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exactly, i was saying if someone was worried about dan's spin numbers, they could use a spinnier ball (since dan is using a low spin ball) to bring their spin up into a window they prefer to see. personally, i will play the csx20, a ball i believe has great spin. that ball paired with this head should give great spin numbers. hopefully i'll be able to confirm next week!
 
Probably too much of an iron for my game right now, but I kind of like the look. The shaft pairing is intriguing too!
 
JB said:
Im not sure I agree with this honestly.
Ball, like everything else is about fit. While there are places that say that a soft ball is slower, that is not a hard and fast rule, nor has any testing we have done beared that out. Distance and more importantly consistency with irons is about the entire makeup of launch, speed and spin and that comes from a myriad of things, most importantly being impact. Over the last 3 years, we have seen more and more golfers switch to softer golf balls.
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I get what I think you're saying, but he says it himself in multiple videos that his launch and spin are unique. And they are for his ability. And that it guides his ball choice/fit. I wasn't talking about distance loss, I was talking about spin reduction outweighing control mostly. I don't know, I stand by it. I don't believe it's common for a plus cap at his speed to play a soft, low spin ball. It's unique. I feel like he's used that exact word in the past. ??
 
OldandStiff said:
I get what I think you're saying, but he says it himself in multiple videos that his launch and spin are unique. And they are for his ability. And that it guides his ball choice/fit. I wasn't talking about distance loss, I was talking about spin reduction outweighing control mostly. I don't know, I stand by it. I don't believe it's common for a plus cap at his speed to play a soft, low spin ball. It's unique. I feel like he's used that exact word in the past. ??
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Im not here to argue with you, but I definitely disagree.
I also don't believe that ball spin reduction overreaches control, it can actually add more control, but again that is about fit and finding the acceptable range. But Im not here to change anybody's mind, just present facts as we have them.
 
OldandStiff said:
I get what I think you're saying, but he says it himself in multiple videos that his launch and spin are unique. And they are for his ability. And that it guides his ball choice/fit. I wasn't talking about distance loss, I was talking about spin reduction outweighing control mostly. I don't know, I stand by it. I don't believe it's common for a plus cap at his speed to play a soft, low spin ball. It's unique. I feel like he's used that exact word in the past. ??
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i think spin is always dan's enemy, even though he isn't someone who generates spin by cutting across the face. iirc he did a ball fitting at the bridgestone facility, and the direction they went was unexpected and finally gave him some numbers he's been chasing for quite awhile.

i know this thread is about the irons and not about ball fitting, but i think it's important to call attention to the ball dan chose for the testing, since it is somewhat unique to him and his desires. personally, i'll play a spinnier ball and will hopefully see spin in the low 6k range with a 7i.
 
JB said:
Im not here to argue with you, but I definitely disagree.
I also don't believe that ball spin reduction overreaches control, it can actually add more control, but again that is about fit and finding the acceptable range. But Im not here to change anybody's mind, just present facts as we have them.
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Yeah, I didn't want to argue either. I actually struggled to respond so that it wouldn't necessarily sound like it. I get that it's the right ball for him, and everybody has one that's right them, and we're all good in the world doing our own thing. No issue there. And I love seeing what works well for Dan, especially if I already know or get to find out if they do or do not work well for me too. I place a ton of value on the overlaps we have because our swing positions and dynamics are pretty different. (y)
 
For those that watched the video, what did you think about the sound?
 
Always been a fan of the X-Forged lines of yesteryear, but the back end of these do not do anything for me from a looks department - almost as if they have put a trunk on them to put some junk in. Every other angle though, they're phenomenal.
 
JB said:
For those that watched the video, what did you think about the sound?
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I noticed you mention it in the UT thread too. It's hard to tell on a phone though. Sounded pretty good here, but was it?? The UT definitely had more of a crack to it in the videos.
 
OldandStiff said:
I noticed you mention it in the UT thread too. It's hard to tell on a phone though. Sounded pretty good here, but was it?? The UT definitely had more of a crack to it in the videos.
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To me yes. I think it sounds incredibly full, rather than muted. Obviously pretty subjective.
 
JB said:
To me yes. I think it sounds incredibly full, rather than muted. Obviously pretty subjective.
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how would you compare to apex pro 19?
 
McLovin said:
how would you compare to apex pro 19?
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This is what I want to know...except in every way lol. I'd love to hear Callaway's take on where the X-forged CB can be expected to differ from Apex Pro 19.
So far I've gathered they have a longer blade length, and no cup face (in the long irons).
 
McLovin said:
how would you compare to apex pro 19?
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A little more crack to me. Not necessarily harsher, but a bit more crack. Apex Pro sounds full and dense and even a bit muted to me. In some ways a lot like MAVRIK Pros do.
 
radiman said:
I haven't seen any mention of Microspheres on them. The UT has them I believe.
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I read a review today saying the microspheres were in the CB irons too.
 
These definitely pique my interest. Not sure I could utilize them to the fullest but would love to get a chance to do some compare and contrast. The more I see the insert, the more I am taking a liking to it.
 
Saw a video where they took off the plate. Looked like a standard wrench. 12, 17, and 22 weights. Feel like they'll have to be made available outside of fitters at some point. Someone will always want to order them in just to sell them at markup, too.

I definitely feel like you could slide a bit of lead tape under there to dial it in, now that I've seen it come off and go back on. I like that.
 
OldandStiff said:
Saw a video where they took off the plate. Looked like a standard wrench. 12, 17, and 22 weights. Feel like they'll have to be made available outside of fitters at some point. Someone will always want to order them in just to sell them at markup, too.

I definitely feel like you could slide a bit of lead tape under there to dial it in, now that I've seen it come off and go back on. I like that.
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on the fitting room podcast @DNevsCG said that the intent is for consumers to not mess with these themselves. i wonder if the screw is not designed to be removed and replaced a bunch of times, and if not whether it's not as sturdy as the screw in a driver shaft adapter that can withstand lots of tightening and loosening.
 
OldandStiff said:
Saw a video where they took off the plate. Looked like a standard wrench. 12, 17, and 22 weights. Feel like they'll have to be made available outside of fitters at some point. Someone will always want to order them in just to sell them at markup, too.

I definitely feel like you could slide a bit of lead tape under there to dial it in, now that I've seen it come off and go back on. I like that.
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A standard wrench that adjusts drivers does not remove. You can tell by the middle piece sticking up in our hi res pictures.
 
McLovin said:
on the fitting room podcast @DNevsCG said that the intent is for consumers to not mess with these themselves. i wonder if the screw is not designed to be removed and replaced a bunch of times, and if not whether it's not as sturdy as the screw in a driver shaft adapter that can withstand lots of tightening and loosening.
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I wondered about that too. I think they're always overly cautious and really don't want any regular consumer messing with things, but I did wonder how many people would strip one out and jack up a head. I feel like most of us would probably be fine, but a certain member, a graphite shaft, and a belt sander is always in the back of my mind. :LOL:
 
JB said:
A standard wrench that adjusts drivers does not remove. You can tell by the middle piece sticking up in our hi res pictures.
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Okay, it looked like a standard club torque wrench. Thanks.
 
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