Callaway XHot Hybrid - Forum Testing Review

I gotta admit it sucks to not have it yet. But there's things that could be far off worse. So far I'm loving all the reviews and can't wait to unleash the beast!
Keep it up Gentlemen:)
 
Great start to this one guys, after hearing Tadashi say in TX that this is the "sleeper" or "hidden gem" of the X-Hot line, I have been eager to hear more about them.

As others have mentioned, I also really like the offset look at address. For some reason, I just have a bit more confidence looking down and seeing that face stepped back just a hair from the shaft. I also really like how PX is the stock shaft as I have become quite fond of them in my experiences.
 
I hit a few of these with various shafts during my fitting and I am still amazed at the ball flight and how easy it is to hit them. Low spin with a high launch that can worked, hello tucked pins on long par 3s.
 
Be patient Cal92, it will be there and you will join in the fray. Just saving the best for last!

I gotta admit it sucks to not have it yet. But there's things that could be far off worse. So far I'm loving all the reviews and can't wait to unleash the beast!
Keep it up Gentlemen:)
 
Great start to this one guys, after hearing Tadashi say in TX that this is the "sleeper" or "hidden gem" of the X-Hot line, I have been eager to hear more about them.

As others have mentioned, I also really like the offset look at address. For some reason, I just have a bit more confidence looking down and seeing that face stepped back just a hair from the shaft. I also really like how PX is the stock shaft as I have become quite fond of them in my experiences.

When I get some pictures tonight I am going to compare to my Mashie and my Razr X HL. I had alot of problems with pulling the Mashie because of the offset. The 20-30 swings I have put on the X-Hot on a LM have not been any pulls at all. It's something different about it at address for me and I dont quite know how to explain it. Going to try to hit the range tonight with it as well.
 
I hit a few of these with various shafts during my fitting and I am still amazed at the ball flight and how easy it is to hit them. Low spin with a high launch that can worked, hello tucked pins on long par 3s.

The size of the head is just so deceiving. When I was at GG a week ago and I hit it, I was talking to a few people there about it and all of them said they didnt like it because of how small the head was. People don't realize that just because it is a "smaller" head doesnt mean it's not forgiving. It is designed to be a hybrid between an iron and a wood so why does it always have to be closer to the wood part of that equation? People don't want iron heads bigger do they? I hope that makes some semblance of sense.
 
I hit a few of these with various shafts during my fitting and I am still amazed at the ball flight and how easy it is to hit them. Low spin with a high launch that can worked, hello tucked pins on long par 3s.

Again, the talk of the higher launch had me pretty dang excited.
 
Again, the talk of the higher launch had me pretty dang excited.

That's why I went with the Razr X HL hybrids last year. I think we both have the same ball flight issues. I cant tell you how excited I was to see the ball flight on this when I hit it on the LM. Cant wait to get it to the range tonight.
 
I'm intrigued by this club, will any of you be in Branson? I would love to try this, and then let you try the RBZ Stage 2.

The offset isn't pleasing to my eye as much, and it looks like it's much smaller than the RBZ. But I've always had good luck with Callaway clubs and stock shafts.

Great initial write up guys.

~Joseph~
via Tapatalk
 
Enjoyed getting caught up on this one, testers.

Dev, I agree that the profile fits right in that sweet spot between too big and too small. Definitely doesn't mean that it's less forgiving either in my opinion.

War Eagle, I do think you'll see nice height out of it. I was able to really put the ball up there off of grass.
 
Just received my X Hot 19* hybrid with a Project X PXV 6.5 shaft. I really wasn't expecting to receive the "Pro" shaft in the non-Pro head, kudos to Callaway for that!! Looking forward to putting this little sucker up against the i20-20* and see just how they compare...

Rain here tomorrow and possibly Wednesday but I have a practice round scheduled for Thursday and a weekend tournament Saturday and Sunday. So I'll put it through its paces and report back as I can. Hopefully, I'll have a full review together by Monday (Sunday night, possibly).

Initial thoughts I'll hold off on but I'm cautiously optimistic. Love the sock... :D
Sounds like a great combo!!!
 
I'm intrigued by this club, will any of you be in Branson? I would love to try this, and then let you try the RBZ Stage 2.

The offset isn't pleasing to my eye as much, and it looks like it's much smaller than the RBZ. But I've always had good luck with Callaway clubs and stock shafts.

Great initial write up guys.

~Joseph~
via Tapatalk

I'll be in Branson. Feel free to give the XHOT a whirl
 
Initial Thoughts - First off, I would be re-missed if I didn’t take a second to thank THP and Callaway for giving me this opportunity. The fact that this is the first forum testing Callaway has done on THP has me not only excited but humbled as well. As corny as it may sound, this is an absolute honor to represent THP on this. My personal belief is that whatever the product that is being tested, it is in the best interest for the reviewer, the readers, and most importantly the company, that the reviewer be completely unbiased and open and honest as possible, and that is what I am planning on doing.

Now, on to the hybrid. You have all seen the photos so I wont bother taking more stock photos. What I have done is taken some shots to compare it to some hybrids I have played in the past (Cleveland Mashie) and what I am currently playing (Razr X HL). Callaway Golf was nice enough to send me a 3 HY 19 degree with stock Regular flex shaft. The Mashie and the Razr X HL are also both in regular flex and will give me a good basis for comparison when I get to the range.

Looks: The first thing that jumps out at most people, myself included, is how small the head of the club is. We are all used to "bigger is better" when it comes to club heads. I guess with this we need to think more of "good things come in small packages." The design and the sleekness of the head is just something that is really appealing to me. From the paint scheme, to the shaft color, right down to the grip (which I am a HUGE fan of).

Feel: For me, this club just feels right. Most hybrids I have played are a little on the heavier side, presumably to help with shots from tougher lies. The XHot seems to balance that very well. It is definitely designed to help with the difficult shots from tougher lies but also to help get the ball up in the air in a hurry which is something that will benefit me greatly.

Address: The big question for me going into this is how am I going to handle the offset. I struggled with the Mashie soley for that reason. As you will see in the pictures coming, the offset is "different" than with the Mashie. Same goes for with what I am currently playing. It is offset without question, but the way it is offset is what makes it different for me. It is set back a little but still straight at address (sorry if that doesnt make sense). The 20-30 swings I have put on this club at various stores have shown no effects me of hooking the ball which is what I was nervous about.

Photos:

XHot 3 Hybrid vs Cleveland Mashie 4 Hybrid:

Side by side view:
IMG_1679_zpse75cae6b.jpg

As you can see, the face of the Mashie is much larger but the shape of the XHot is what catches my eye. The "U" shape so to speak should add a little more forgiveness at the toe and at the heal.

View at address:
IMG_1675_zpse275cd29.jpg

As you can see, here is the offset I was talking about earlier. Looks like the XHot is almost set back a little further but square.

XHot 3 Hybrid vs Razr X HL 3 Hybrid:

Side by side view:
IMG_1683_zps26b81f29.jpg

Aside from the obvious cosmetic differences, you can see the difference in these clubs is slight but noticeable. The Razr X HL is a little longer, where as the XHot is a little deeper.

View at address:
IMG_1681_zps0b040387.jpg

Again, here you can see the offset. Looks like there is a little more offset this year than with the Razr X HL.

Sole Comparison:
IMG_1686_zpsbdcdd881.jpg

Love the design changes and the way the XHot just pops as compared to last years offering.


Closing thoughts: Planning on heading to the range to get some real comparisons of these clubs outdoors and not on a simulator. The biggest thing that excites me about what I have been reading about this club is the high ball flight. The reason I went with the Razr X HL version of last years hybrids is because I wanted something that would get the ball in the air quickly and give me that nice high ball flight. Compared to other hybrids I hit last year, I saw some distance loss but do get the nice high ball flight. From everything I have read and some limited in hand experience, it seems that this club takes that same high ball flight and adds not only distance, but forgiveness and it flat out looks great. Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you have any questions or requests, I would be more than happy to answer or help in any way I can. Again, thank you Callaway Golf, Josh, Morgan, and THP for the opportunity.
 
Solid initial thoughts Ricky. Can't wait to hear what you think when you give it a spin on the range and the course. Feel free to hit shots from all sorts of lies and different trajectories etc. The more difficult the better (that you know you can pull off with your other clubs of course)
 
This has been a great start to testing IMO (with the exception of Phil's shenanigans hahaha)!!! I'll definitely be tuned in because I believe in the XHP line and am fully intrigued by the hybrid.

Pretty excited to see comparisons on course.
 
Good stuff Ricky, great initial thoughts. Cant wait to hear how it compares to your hybrids that are currently in the bag.
 
was at dicks tonight and was looking at the Hybrids at address i thought the pics online and even on here it look offset but in person i don't think it looked as bad. i wonder if the pro model looks any different at address something that might make my decision on what model i go with in my bag this year.
 
Great job Ricky. I look forward to your range time and play reviews.
 
Did a final round of LM testing tonight and my home page review will be coming up shortly. In all, a very solid hybrid, especially for those folks wanting something easy to hit off the turf, that gets up in the air, and stays straight.
 
Shark: Great write up. I'd love to hear a bit more about how this compares with your Diablo Edge hybrid. I have owned a LOT of hybrids and the DE is probably the best all around one that I've had. It wasn't the longest, or the straightest, or the best out of the nasty stuff, or the best off the tee, or the best looking, or the best sounding, but it was just solid at everything.
 
Awesome first write-up Ricky.

Tomorrow I'm gonna do some comparison pics from my old to my new hybrid as well.
 
Links to earlier comments:
Initial thoughts and pics
First Range outing


Second Range outing with the XHOT 3 Hybrid

Tonight after work I got another chance to get in a range session with the XHOT hybrid. Two sessions in two days, and I'm looking forward to more time with this club. Now, to start with, I have been struggling in the last couple weeks, so during today's session I spent most of my time working on fundamentals with my irons rather than just swinging away. I'm very glad that I did, because about half way through the bucket, things started to come back together in a good way.

When things came back together, I went to a comfortable club to get a feel for where I was at. I started hitting my 8 iron towards the target mound near the 150 marker, and my ball flights with the 8 were high and straight, coming in just shy of the mound and rolling out to the base. I had some left and right dispersion, but no fades or slices. Since I don't have a rangefinder, I don't know the exact distance to the mound from where I was at the range, but I wanted to use this as a basis for judging the ball flight with the XHOT.

When I switched to the XHOT, I aligned my shots so that I would be hitting over that same target mound. The trajectories were encouraging, and again the sound of this club is just solid. It's hard to judge exactly, but the apex of the ball flight appeared to be past the mound where my 8I was landing. And the good thing is that these were not balloon up and fall out of the sky ball flights. After the apex, the ball still seemed to stay in the air. Even though I know it's a five club difference between the two, I was pretty impressed.


After that, I decided to take 10 balls to the grass area since it was open today. I took a couple tees and tried to find a decently level area. That wasn't easy, as the grass area was pretty chewed up still. I hit both off the grass and off the tee, and I can definitely say that off the grass this club is very easy to hit. The transition from the mats did let me manage to hit my only really fat shot of the session here, but the shot actually turned out okay. It wasn't crushed, but the ball still got up in the air and would have still advanced probably about 120 yards. Four more shots off the grass carried about the same as when I was hitting off the mats. Then I tried 5 balls off the tee. I typically tee for my hybrids about the same as I do for irons, very low. I'm honestly not sure I could tell a discernable difference between hitting off the grass and the tee. The ball really moved off this club in both situations.


Closing thoughts

Since I spent so much time working on my swing today, I didn't hit as many balls with the XHOT Hybrid today as I would have liked to. The last 15 balls of the bucket today were all with the XHOT, and they were all well struck. I finished the bucket feeling more energized (and encouraged) than when I started. That's surely not entirely the work of the club, since some of was due to my swing coming around. But it sure didn't hurt either. One thing that I can say for sure is that I definitely want to hit more. A lot more.
 
was at dicks tonight and was looking at the Hybrids at address i thought the pics online and even on here it look offset but in person i don't think it looked as bad. i wonder if the pro model looks any different at address something that might make my decision on what model i go with in my bag this year.

It's a point I am trying to get across but unless you hold it at address its hard to describe. Yes, there is an offset but at address you don't really notice it.
 
Awesome stuff dudes (especially the lefty pics)! I love the shape of the face on this thing. I'm not sure why but when looking at woods that's a big thing for me.
 
It's a point I am trying to get across but unless you hold it at address its hard to describe. Yes, there is an offset but at address you don't really notice it.


yeah for some reason the pictures make it look really bad IMO but it wasn't anywhere close to that when i held it in hand.... does anyone know what differences are with the Pro and the regular model? not much on the website.
 
Back
Top