golfdawg
Well-known member
This will be a ongoing review over the next two months or so. I was in search of my next long term set, as I played my Epons for a number of years before one season with the Adams CB3s. I have had the ability to be high single digits, but to be 100% honest my game is in the upper teens right now.
Little history, I have played Mizuno, Taylormade, Callaway, Titleist, Bridgestone, Cobra and Epon just name a few, I have no real brand loyalty.
The Srixon 545s I bought sight unseen when a set came up on the bay in my specs (+1/2 inch, standard, KBS tour stiff) about 6 months ago. I am still learning with them as I have not had as much time really practicing and dialing them in as I would like, that is mainly due to a new baby in the house.
Callaway XR Pro, I actually got to hit the 7 iron on three occasions, and was impressed with the looks, distance in a simulator, and feel was VERY good for a cast club. So with globalgolf doing a trade in I cleaned out my golf closet and got this set in my specs(like above), with the stock stiff shaft, as I wanted to see how the 90 gram Tour V would do.
Now on to my view and comparison between the two.
Looks – They are significantly different enough to fit several wants , but alike enough to work for me. Callaway is shorter blade length, by about 1/6 of a inch, it’s corners are also more rounded, but when looking closer the size or thickness in the top lines are just about the same, they are very similar in overall appearance. I would describe the Srixons as a medical instrument meant to perform heart surgery, and the Callaways more of a soft paint brush meant to paint a Picasso. They both look great behind the ball, while I would give a slight nod to the Srixons from the backside, or as you see them in the bag.
Feel/Sound – This is so subjective it’s very hard, but I will do my best in putting down my thoughts. I will start out and say if you like a softer, forged like feel then the Srixon outpace the Callaways by a small margin. If you like a strong powerful feel, but also know where you hit the ball on the club face then both will work. The Callaways are the best feeling cast club I have ever swung, they are powerful, and send the ball screaming for its momma, while the Srixons are a little more gentle and fool the ball in promising it won’t be so hard on it next time.
Performance – This again is all based on my game and how I affect the ball with my swing, which right now my game rusty. I took out the PW, 8, and 6 of both sets yesterday, and about 100 balls, of which I tried 10 balls with each, alternating. I was so bad with both 6 irons, I am not going to even put either in the overall view on performance.I am usually very good with my irons down to my 5 iron, with the 4 iron showing positive signs when I do my part so i was surprised to see what i was doing with both 6 irons. With what I could see with my naked eye, I would say distance is very close to even, but again so hard to really see a difference unless it’s great than say 10 yards. These irons are matched spec wise about as exact as you can get, outside of the shaft weights. Ball flight was the one big difference, and I would say the XR pros are very much a strong mid flight for me, powerful and they just go, lot of pop to them. The 545s have a mid-high flight, and seem to have more spin as they should, nice rise to the zenith then a drop. The Callaways seemed to get up, flatten, then drop, so to very different flights but both getting to the intended target for me.
Side note: Turf interaction – Much as been mentioned about the 545s and its v-sole, and there is some merit here, I am not sure how it does it, but I know when a swing is fat, but the 545s still carry through the ball, almost like you are hitting off a mat. The XR Pros though are no slouch here, the sole is thick enough to prevent some digging, but not so big you feel like you can’t get through them on some tight lies, it’s a nice blend that will be playable in most situations.
Forgiveness: I am going to hold off on this part until i get a lot more swings with both sets.
I will have what I hope to be 5-6 practice sessions, and 3-4 rounds under my belt when I decide which one works best for my game. I will keep my observations going on this thread.
Little history, I have played Mizuno, Taylormade, Callaway, Titleist, Bridgestone, Cobra and Epon just name a few, I have no real brand loyalty.
The Srixon 545s I bought sight unseen when a set came up on the bay in my specs (+1/2 inch, standard, KBS tour stiff) about 6 months ago. I am still learning with them as I have not had as much time really practicing and dialing them in as I would like, that is mainly due to a new baby in the house.
Callaway XR Pro, I actually got to hit the 7 iron on three occasions, and was impressed with the looks, distance in a simulator, and feel was VERY good for a cast club. So with globalgolf doing a trade in I cleaned out my golf closet and got this set in my specs(like above), with the stock stiff shaft, as I wanted to see how the 90 gram Tour V would do.
Now on to my view and comparison between the two.
Looks – They are significantly different enough to fit several wants , but alike enough to work for me. Callaway is shorter blade length, by about 1/6 of a inch, it’s corners are also more rounded, but when looking closer the size or thickness in the top lines are just about the same, they are very similar in overall appearance. I would describe the Srixons as a medical instrument meant to perform heart surgery, and the Callaways more of a soft paint brush meant to paint a Picasso. They both look great behind the ball, while I would give a slight nod to the Srixons from the backside, or as you see them in the bag.
Feel/Sound – This is so subjective it’s very hard, but I will do my best in putting down my thoughts. I will start out and say if you like a softer, forged like feel then the Srixon outpace the Callaways by a small margin. If you like a strong powerful feel, but also know where you hit the ball on the club face then both will work. The Callaways are the best feeling cast club I have ever swung, they are powerful, and send the ball screaming for its momma, while the Srixons are a little more gentle and fool the ball in promising it won’t be so hard on it next time.
Performance – This again is all based on my game and how I affect the ball with my swing, which right now my game rusty. I took out the PW, 8, and 6 of both sets yesterday, and about 100 balls, of which I tried 10 balls with each, alternating. I was so bad with both 6 irons, I am not going to even put either in the overall view on performance.I am usually very good with my irons down to my 5 iron, with the 4 iron showing positive signs when I do my part so i was surprised to see what i was doing with both 6 irons. With what I could see with my naked eye, I would say distance is very close to even, but again so hard to really see a difference unless it’s great than say 10 yards. These irons are matched spec wise about as exact as you can get, outside of the shaft weights. Ball flight was the one big difference, and I would say the XR pros are very much a strong mid flight for me, powerful and they just go, lot of pop to them. The 545s have a mid-high flight, and seem to have more spin as they should, nice rise to the zenith then a drop. The Callaways seemed to get up, flatten, then drop, so to very different flights but both getting to the intended target for me.
Side note: Turf interaction – Much as been mentioned about the 545s and its v-sole, and there is some merit here, I am not sure how it does it, but I know when a swing is fat, but the 545s still carry through the ball, almost like you are hitting off a mat. The XR Pros though are no slouch here, the sole is thick enough to prevent some digging, but not so big you feel like you can’t get through them on some tight lies, it’s a nice blend that will be playable in most situations.
Forgiveness: I am going to hold off on this part until i get a lot more swings with both sets.
I will have what I hope to be 5-6 practice sessions, and 3-4 rounds under my belt when I decide which one works best for my game. I will keep my observations going on this thread.
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