© Callaway Golf

If we can talk about a trend in distance irons engineering, using technologies derived from woods into irons would be it. For example, golf gear companies tried to increase their irons capabilities in terms of distance and forgiveness by manufacturing a flexible face which features a deep CG (center of gravity). This trick came with some disadvantages (like having an iron with a big booty), but with the latest Callaway XR Irons, all the disadvantages are a thing of the past. The XR Irons use Callaway’s woods design, i.e. the face cup and internal standing wave but in a form factor that doesn’t distinguish itself from the regular, normal irons. Yet, it comes with all the cool advantages of woods, and that represents an outstanding achievement for Callaway Golf, don’t you think? The XR plays in the game improvement irons category and retails for $800/$900 (steel or graphite shafts). The key technology incorporated into their build is Callaway’s proprietary 360 degree cup face which is aimed at improving the speed of the ball, regardless the point of contact.

And trust me, it really works folks! How does it work? Well, being a single piece of metal (the Cup 360 thing) that wraps around the face from top to bottom, it allows the face to be more flexible at ball impact and it works like a spring of some sort, increasing the speed of the ball significantly. Hence, more speed for the ball translates into more distance with less effort from your part. And that’s pretty cool, don’t you think? The XR Irons benefit from another “imported” feature, the Internal Standing Wave respectively, a feature that increases the moment of inertia and moves the iron’s center of gravity lower. Featuring a lovely large head and state of the art technologies, the XR Irons offer you a slingshot feel at ball impact and a meaty sound. Being one of the best game improving irons I ever tried, the XR iron looks, sounds and feels awesome and it comes with loads of forgiveness at a very competitive price tag.