golfdawg
Well-known member
Adam i have to agree with Jman, these with the right shaft for you would only benefit you over the long haul.
Callaway XR Pro Irons Preview Thread
Adam i have to agree with Jman, these with the right shaft for you would only benefit you over the long haul.
sp00nman
Member
Still waiting for my irons... Thirteen working days today. I can't take this...
I love this. All of it.
- Staff
- #1,054
took 1 swing with Pete's 7 iron yesterday. Result was a toe-ish ball that didn't feel all the good and the result wasn't all that good either. Was kind of afraid to hit any more after that.
weeicemon
Active member
I played my first full 18 with these irons yesterday. Was absolutely thrilled. Had some great swings that were rewarded and some so -so swings that were forgiven. I hit a few 4 irons that were probably 210, which is long for me. I am coming from Hogan Apex Edge Pros and could not be more pleased.
Did I play these yesterday? Oof…
My first full 18 with the XR Pros was yesterday, but I will refrain from commenting on anything as I had a really, really, REALLY terrible day of ball striking across all clubs. Swing was just…off. And by off, I mean garbage.
golfdawg
Well-known member
This is a copy and paste from my own thread i had going comparing the XR pro vs. 545s, and since it's mainly about the XR Pro i thought i would place it here as well.
"Well at last minute I decided to go all in and use the XR pros for all 4 rounds. I am going to start off and say, my game is in dire straits , all phases need work(serious work), and there were points I was wondering why I was even on the course. I held these dire feelings for the first three rounds, and the start of the fourth round, then on hole 7 the final day I said what the heck and went from what I feel is a very two plane swing to something a little more simple(one plane-ish), and had a “ah-ha” moment.
My “ah-ha” moment was a 140 yard approach shot, pulled a 9 iron, which I expected to be short because it was death over the back, and all my irons have been weak this week. Well as I am over the ball I say what the heck, take it back inside, make a nice turn then turn through and I feel nothing, and smile because it’s been a while since I felt that “nothing”. Best iron of the week at this point and was not even close, a 3-5 yard baby draw that landed about 5 yards behind the pin, and this was with a slight breeze into us.
I go on to keep this swing the rest of the round, and while my driver remained horrid I did not have to worry about my short game because I made every green, or was just barely off the rest of the way in except 17 which i will explain in a bit.
Overall I really like the XR pros, and when flushed I can’t tell much difference between them and the Srixon 545s, I have a long way to go, and I am thinking my 545s are about a degree or two too upright, but I will work on that I hope in the next few weeks.
I had one great iron shot with the 4 iron after a horrible drive on #17, which was a 410 yard par 4. I was 200 out, ball below my feet sitting on some leaves, palms trees along the same side, and a tree in front of me. I had to play a 200 yard draw, right of the palm tree and under a tree, and I did not hesitate to try it with the XR pro at this juncture after about 10 holes of some great iron play. I ended up pin high, about 10 feet right of the green, and chipped in for birdie.
The XR pros are a great set of irons, I like the stock shaft for the most part but not sure on the PW and AW, as I saw some ballooning with those two irons, and it seems I would lose some pop if I hit them a little too high on the face. I would say the sweet spot on the XR pros are just a bit lower than the 545s, but again that really helped me on some very thin shots.
I am planning on devoting 15-20 hours of practice and maybe a few lessons before I step on the course again, but those last 10-11 holes or so helped me hold on to some hope.
Round 1 was a 96 (53 front / back 43)
Round 2 was a 101 (56 front/back 55)
Round 3 was a 98 (51 front /back 47)
Round 4 was a 87 (48 front / Back 39)"
"Well at last minute I decided to go all in and use the XR pros for all 4 rounds. I am going to start off and say, my game is in dire straits , all phases need work(serious work), and there were points I was wondering why I was even on the course. I held these dire feelings for the first three rounds, and the start of the fourth round, then on hole 7 the final day I said what the heck and went from what I feel is a very two plane swing to something a little more simple(one plane-ish), and had a “ah-ha” moment.
My “ah-ha” moment was a 140 yard approach shot, pulled a 9 iron, which I expected to be short because it was death over the back, and all my irons have been weak this week. Well as I am over the ball I say what the heck, take it back inside, make a nice turn then turn through and I feel nothing, and smile because it’s been a while since I felt that “nothing”. Best iron of the week at this point and was not even close, a 3-5 yard baby draw that landed about 5 yards behind the pin, and this was with a slight breeze into us.
I go on to keep this swing the rest of the round, and while my driver remained horrid I did not have to worry about my short game because I made every green, or was just barely off the rest of the way in except 17 which i will explain in a bit.
Overall I really like the XR pros, and when flushed I can’t tell much difference between them and the Srixon 545s, I have a long way to go, and I am thinking my 545s are about a degree or two too upright, but I will work on that I hope in the next few weeks.
I had one great iron shot with the 4 iron after a horrible drive on #17, which was a 410 yard par 4. I was 200 out, ball below my feet sitting on some leaves, palms trees along the same side, and a tree in front of me. I had to play a 200 yard draw, right of the palm tree and under a tree, and I did not hesitate to try it with the XR pro at this juncture after about 10 holes of some great iron play. I ended up pin high, about 10 feet right of the green, and chipped in for birdie.
The XR pros are a great set of irons, I like the stock shaft for the most part but not sure on the PW and AW, as I saw some ballooning with those two irons, and it seems I would lose some pop if I hit them a little too high on the face. I would say the sweet spot on the XR pros are just a bit lower than the 545s, but again that really helped me on some very thin shots.
I am planning on devoting 15-20 hours of practice and maybe a few lessons before I step on the course again, but those last 10-11 holes or so helped me hold on to some hope.
Round 1 was a 96 (53 front / back 43)
Round 2 was a 101 (56 front/back 55)
Round 3 was a 98 (51 front /back 47)
Round 4 was a 87 (48 front / Back 39)"
- Staff
- #1,058
We will agree that you didn't play them. Fresh start tomorrow.
golfdawg
Well-known member
So has the excitement died down a bit, how are these working for everyone.
I have not been back on the course or range since getting back two weekends ago from my golf trip, but hope to get out this weekend and work on the XR pro and Srixon 545s with the new feeling swing i found the tail end of my golf trip.
I have not been back on the course or range since getting back two weekends ago from my golf trip, but hope to get out this weekend and work on the XR pro and Srixon 545s with the new feeling swing i found the tail end of my golf trip.
weeicemon
Active member
Not for me. I still love my forged Hogan Apex Edge Pros, but there is no question what I will game this year. The added distance and forgiveness of the XR Pros are just impossible to pass up. I have never had so many misses still end up on or around the green. The 4 iron is a monster off of the tee for me. It will definitely be in play on tight, shorter par 4s. I hit one of the best shots of my life with it two weeks ago. I had just over 200 to a very tight green and I hit it probably 10 yards past the pin. It was just so sweet feeling. I am incredibly impressed with the flight pattern off the tee. When I am dialed in, I hit these big arching draws that are just lovely. I had a tough 210+ yard shot into the wind on another par 3. A 5 wood would have just ballooned on me. The 4 iron was perfect. I missed the green, but only because I pushed it right. I wasn't quite pin high, but was just off the green by 8-10 yards or so.
- Staff
- #1,062
They'll be my go to irons all year, and the Programs are staying in them.
I still very much enjoy them. When I put a good swing on the ball, the distance is silly.
sp00nman
Member
I'm still getting dialed in with mine but it is a treat to hit the long irons. Had some serious aha moments with my coach the other day. Golf is really fun now. =)
- Moderator
- #1,066
When struck perfectly, these irons have the capacity to be foolishly long. 185 yard 7 irons.
I still think the biggest benefit is how well they perform on less than perfect strikes. The shots you probably shouldn't see going a normal, reasonable distance that carry that far off the bottom couple grooves. And it's not so much that this concept of forgiveness around the face is new, but rather, that they could package it into the profile of the XR Pro without the cost of these distance and forgiveness benefits.
Also, I think the Tour V 90 shaft is heavily underrated.
I still think the biggest benefit is how well they perform on less than perfect strikes. The shots you probably shouldn't see going a normal, reasonable distance that carry that far off the bottom couple grooves. And it's not so much that this concept of forgiveness around the face is new, but rather, that they could package it into the profile of the XR Pro without the cost of these distance and forgiveness benefits.
Also, I think the Tour V 90 shaft is heavily underrated.
- Moderator
- #1,068
You should have hit them yesterday, although I think your SpeedBlades achieve a similar experience, just in a larger package.
weeicemon
Active member
I adore love irons! I played 9 yesterday and think I hit every green! My mishits shockingly still found the green. They are incredibly forgiving. I played forged Hogans for years and years. I still love them, but they are out of the bag for good.
weeicemon
Active member
Damn typos!
I really am intrigued by these. Ever since they were released I told myself I would start a serious ponder during the winter when prices came down a bit but I almost don't want to wait until next year. These looked so good in person
I'm loving mine after 20 rounds with them. 6 of my last 7 rounds have counted towards my index so they are definitely helping me score better. I hit 14 GIR with them on Friday and had I been playing my old irons that would have been 12 GIR no doubt because I hit two very thin iron approach shots that still made it on the green. I also hit another thin gap wedge that would have been about 5-10 yards short of the flag with my old irons and it finished only 5 feet from the hole with my XR Pro. I'm saving about 1-2 shots per round with these irons over my old ones.
