It comes as no surprise to our readers that Callaway launched a whole family of golf gear in 2020, i.e. besides the Mavrik drivers, we also have complementary Mavrik fairway woods and hybrids. Just like the drivers, the new fairway woods and hybrids take design cues and various improvements produced with a little help from artificial intelligence. Also, the adjustable hosel has been canned, and the nomenclature is consistent with the drivers, i.e. we have 3 new Mavrik Fairway Woods: Mavrik, Mavrik Sub Zero, and Mavrik Max.
The hosel was eliminated in order to save discretionary mass, i.e. to position it around the head, and the end result is an interesting head weight: between 212 and 218 grams for a 3-wood. Another common technology shared with the drivers is the Flash Face SS20, this time the fairway wood edition: basically, there are some similarities between the fairways and the driver, things like faster, lighter and stronger faces, but that’s about it. Since fairways and drivers are different animals, the same goes for face insert designs and all that jazz, hence there are big differences between the two of which we must mention impact location variations, mass distribution and materials, and, obviously, overall size and face height. That means there are big changes in how the faces are built, and since we’re at it, say hello to C300 maraging steel. What, no titanium alloy, what’s up with C300? Here’s the breakdown: maraging 300 alloy steel is a very interesting material, making for a low carbon nickel-cobalt-molybdenum high-temperature nickel alloy, vacuum induction melted and vacuum arc re-melted, and yes, we know, this sound pretty much esoteric for our readers. However, C300 is used due to its inherent qualities, not to mention its cheaper price compared to exotics like titanium: it delivers immense strength, i.e. yield strengths in excess of 270 ksi, good ductility at high strength levels, not to mention impressive ductility and outstanding weldability. So, C300 is cheap, easy to work with, relatively soft, very tough, resists crack propagation and corrosion, keeps its high strength and toughness, has ultra-high tensile strength and it’s easy to weld. Compared to conventional steel, C300 is a match made in heaven for engineers looking to create the ultimate fairway.
Just like with the drivers, each new face in the new Mavrik Fairway Woods is different, and there are good reasons for that. Using AI, Callaway managed to craft variable face thickness patterns, in order to improve ball speeds on both on and off-center hits for every single model in the Mavrik family, and for every single loft. Moreover, this new technology works in tandem with Jail Break and the discretionary mass resulted from a fixed hosel configuration, thus making for a new generation of fairway woods that are aimed to help players of all skill levels and swing speeds.
The Mavrik Fairway Wood is aerodynamically shaped to be the fastest of the bunch and comes with a 174cc head (the 3-wood), which is ideal for golfers seeking a relatively compact and confidence-inspiring look from address.
The Mavrik MAX Fairway Wood features 2 adjustable weights, just like the complementary driver. The weights are located in the sole and allow for an extremely high moment of inertia or extra draw bias, while the head volume is 13 percent higher (or 200 cc) compared to the “vanilla” Mavrik fairway wood. Finally, the Mavrik Sub Zero Fairway Wood is designed for faster golfers looking for low spin and improved workability, and this baby comes with a lower moment of inertia compared to its brethren and a lower 169cc head. The Sub Zero features the same 2-weight system as the Max in an identical configuration, thus allowing you to alter spin by moving weight from front to back, and yes, it’s a great addition considering the fact that Callaway eliminated the adjustable hosel.
The new Mavrik fairway woods come with a wide variety of shaft options which can be ordered via Callaway Customs, and they include Project X EvenFlow Riptide 50g, 60g in A-Flex, Regular, Stiff, and X-Stiff, Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI 60g, 70g, 80g, in Regular, Stiff, and X-Stiff, and UST Helium 40g, 50g, in Women’s, A-Flex, Regular, and Stiff. Each model in the Mavrik range is priced at $299.99.
Now let’s have a quick talk about the 2020 Callaway Mavrik Hybrids, and to make a long and boring story short and concise, the new hybrids are basically more precise and compact/smaller versions of the fairways woods, yet they benefit from all the technological bells and whistles available in the current year, things like artificial intelligence enhanced design, the Flash Face 2.0 and all that. There are three different models to choose from, as usual, but the nomenclature was finally changed: you get the Standard, Max, and Pro hybrids, each of the models boasting Callaway’s latest Flash Face SS20 technology, which features the exact-same face cup design to each loft of each model family. The Standard model features a traditional Callaway midsized design, and truth be told, this hybrid looks great and very confidence-inspiring from any angle, without getting too bulky or “in your face” awesome. Basically, the Standard hybrid was built “for the masses”, featuring a squared-off toe which helps with alignment issues.
The Mavrik Max Hybrid, on the other hand, is more of a specialty, i.e. it's bigger, more forgiving and higher launching compared to the Standard variety, and even if it comes with a respectable footprint, it's not as big as the current Callaway Super Hybrid. The Max has a larger face profile though than the Standard and a lower leading edge being basically a game improvement hybrid, provided such a thing even exists, making for the perfect tool if you're looking for green-hold control and easy launch.
The Pro Hybrid is very interesting design-wise, as it looks more like a fairway wood, but there’s a good reason for Callaway departing from traditional shaping. The Mavrik Pro make for the smallest hybrid in the family with the flattest lie and a design that promotes a neutral ball flight. The new hybrids can be ordered with stock shaft offerings as it follows: Standard: Project X Catalyst 55g, 65g, 75g, Max: Project X Catalyst 55g, 65g, 75g, and Pro: KBS Tour Prototype Graphite Hybrid for $249.99 per club at all major US golf retailers.
