Callaway XR 16 Fairway Wood - THP Review Thread

it is. I'm not sure how the height difference is with the regular GBB FW. But again, they slot them price wise where if you want more features, just jump 20 in price to get adjustable hosel. Even more, jump to the 816. As their lower cost FW option, it offers a lot of performance without the extra frills.

Interesting look. And I am a fan of price points to hit different customers with different features.
 
Nice info there ddec

I know this is a long shot, but does anyone have a chance to compare this against an older club (ie my TM RBZ 3W) to see how much things have moved on over the last few years

I do love my 3W and 5W but there is that little thought in the back of my head wondering if I am losing anything against the latest clubs and whether the time is getting closer to changing for something newer
 
I don not have access to that RBZ so I won't be able to.
 
I don not have access to that RBZ so I won't be able to.

I knew it would be a long shot, but even if you could, the best way for me to find out still is to find somewhere near me that has these in and go compare it to my clubs

Thanks for replying
 
Thanks for posting your results ddec. I'm looking forward to receiving my 4W after they ship next week. Hope to get on a simulator afterwards and give it some real swings. As long as it performs better for me than the XR did then I'll be a happy man. Still convinced the XR was a shaft deal for me, just don't get along with the Project X too often. X2 Hot conversely was great for me.
 
Thanks for posting your results ddec. I'm looking forward to receiving my 4W after they ship next week. Hope to get on a simulator afterwards and give it some real swings. As long as it performs better for me than the XR did then I'll be a happy man. Still convinced the XR was a shaft deal for me, just don't get along with the Project X too often. X2 Hot conversely was great for me.

looking forward to your thoughts when it arrives.
 
Nice thoughts Dean.
 
Solid thoughts Dean. Like you 220 off the deck from my 3w is what I like and it sounds like both are in that range.

Thoughts on the XR, and I'm skimming, is the shaft the same as your 816?
 
Nice thoughts Dean, now I really want to get out and give it some swings!
 
Great info Dean. Since both the 816 and XR16 are similar, price points not figuring, do you lean towards the 816 because of adjustability factor or are you a set it and forget it golfer and keep the XR16 in the bag?
 
Tried the XR 16 today. Really powerful club, but being ultralight may be an issue for some as mentioned by Marc Crossfield in its review.


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Great thoughts so far Dean. Did you hit the XR at all? Just wondering because I have the XR 4 wood and it's the best fairway wood I've ever hit. Curious how the XR16 compares to the XR.
 
Hit the 3w into a net today. The feel is very similar to my XR 4w. Obviously I didn't see numbers or flight...but I did like the weight and feel at impact. Looking forward to some decent weather so I can hit it outside.


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Took some swings with the 3+ today. Despite a rusty swing the XR 16 produced a nice ball flight and feel. I don't think the 3+ is ideal for my game but I'm intrigued to try the 3 at some point.

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I did a more thorough compare and contrast with the XR 3W, XR 16 3W and XR 16 Pro 4W. The latter had the lowest spin, but the XR 16 3W was around 21 yards longer than the XR 3W and my swing speed was around 5 MPH faster on average. Ball flight with the XR 16 3W was perfect, too. At first I thought the shaft was a bit too whippy, but after pounding about 40 balls on the GC2 I decided to make the switch.
 
Got my XR 16 4W yesterday that I pre-ordered. I must say that in person the red shaft is striking in appearance; I really like it visually. In hand this is a really good looking club.
 
Played a round with the XR 16 3W in my bag and man this sweet. The sound it makes when you make crisp contact is just satisfying!
 
Played a round with the XR 16 3W in my bag and man this sweet. The sound it makes when you make crisp contact is just satisfying!

sound is really good right?

Hit this side by side with my 816 on Sunday, and will do so again tonight in a sim. Both are really good fairway offerings, and you can throw the GBB fairway in there as well. The 816 has a much deeper, heavier sound to it, where as this is a louder, but pleasant crack. For me, the shallower face just aids in me getting the ball airborne on a more consistent basis. That's something I struggled with from the turf with the 816. Off the tee, I'm going to call them a wash as they both produce really good numbers and ball flights for me. One has all the bells and whistles, and this one does not. However, the face is hot, the finish looks good, and the shaft pairing seems to be absolutely perfect for this club.
 
sound is really good right?

Hit this side by side with my 816 on Sunday, and will do so again tonight in a sim. Both are really good fairway offerings, and you can throw the GBB fairway in there as well. The 816 has a much deeper, heavier sound to it, where as this is a louder, but pleasant crack. For me, the shallower face just aids in me getting the ball airborne on a more consistent basis. That's something I struggled with from the turf with the 816. Off the tee, I'm going to call them a wash as they both produce really good numbers and ball flights for me. One has all the bells and whistles, and this one does not. However, the face is hot, the finish looks good, and the shaft pairing seems to be absolutely perfect for this club.

It's seriously the best sounding FW I've ever hit! That's an interesting comparison between the 816 and the XR 16. Did the XR 16 do enough to dethrone your 816?
 
It's seriously the best sounding FW I've ever hit! That's an interesting comparison between the 816 and the XR 16. Did the XR 16 do enough to dethrone your 816?

Honestly that spot in my bag is the one that has always been a constant shuffle. Since I use the heavenwood a ton from the turf, I lean towards a mini driver in that spot(unless I'm playing a real long course), because it just works for me and I'm not really losing something that gets a ton of play. I haven't messed with the weights in the 816 since I got done reviewing it, and then at the grandaddy I set it and left it alone. So for me, having all the adjustable options there on a FW isn't a big factor for me. Callaway's FW lineup is overly solid with the 3 lines out there. This one reminds me more of X Hot than the other two do, and that's a good thing.
 
Honestly that spot in my bag is the one that has always been a constant shuffle. Since I use the heavenwood a ton from the turf, I lean towards a mini driver in that spot(unless I'm playing a real long course), because it just works for me and I'm not really losing something that gets a ton of play. I haven't messed with the weights in the 816 since I got done reviewing it, and then at the grandaddy I set it and left it alone. So for me, having all the adjustable options there on a FW isn't a big factor for me. Callaway's FW lineup is overly solid with the 3 lines out there. This one reminds me more of X Hot than the other two do, and that's a good thing.

Got ya. I'm the same way with the adjustable FWs. I just got the GBB Heavenwood, dropped it to N-1 and that's where it's going to stay. The switch from the XR to the XR 16 for me was based on the average 25 yards more I was getting with the latter. It took me about three trips to Golf Mart to decide on it, but I'm glad I pulled the trigger. On average, my swing speed was 5 MPH faster with the XR 16 so I'd like to think whatever changes they made do what they're advertising!
 
I put the XR16 3+ into play last Sunday, only got to use it 4x, 2x off the tee and 2x off the fairway. For some reason I couldn't hit it off the tee to save my life (was the case on the range as well), I think I had it tee'd up too high which is somewhat confirmed by the fact that the 2 instances I used it off the fairway were rocket launches. The lower profile lends itself nicely to off the deck shots and both times I needed the club it delivered and big.
 
I got to finally try out the demo at the old DSG. 3 wood with stock reg flex shaft. Accuracy was struggling a bit, but this thing is just filthy long. Nearing driver length numbers off the deck. 20* launch, just over 2k spin, ball speed was in the 150 range. If I didn't have something already I was supremely confident in, this thing sold me on some of the improvements they made in this line.
 
played 18 each of the past 2 days in a simulator and this club has remained my go to option off the tee. Just super impressed by this offering. Having spent time with a bunch of Callaway fairway woods in the past year, Big Bertha, V Series, 816, GBB, and now this, it's safe to say that Callaway has just continued to thrive in an area of equipment that not long ago was kind of an afterthought. Now I won't make a final call until spring most likely, but it can seriously give the 816 a run for its spot in my bag. Performance is completely on par with it, and personally I like the overall package a little better.
 
Has anyone tried this club with a different shaft than the stock option? What did you try and did it change the performance? I feel the stock shaft is way too light for my bad swing.


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