Fernando H. Green Blog: FIRST LOOK: 2017 Callaway Steelhead XR Irons

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

FIRST LOOK: 2017 Callaway Steelhead XR Irons

Do you remember the year 2000?

Tiger completed his career Grand Slam and we first heard the term “hanging chad.” Brad was married to Jen and, for reasons I still can’t figure out, Angelina Jolie married Billy Bob Thornton. Britney Spears was still hot, and Callaway gave us the Steelhead X-14 irons.

Well, to borrow a phrase from Ms. Spears…

Oops, they did it again.

Meet the 2017 Callaway Steelhead XR’s.

Something Old, Something New

Callaway's new Steelhead XR irons will replace the soon to be 2-year-old XR irons. Yes, nostalgia freaks, that's a 2-year product cycle, a veritable eternity for a Game Improvement iron. And as Cally’s recent tradition shows us, the new clubs combine nostalgia with modern technology.

“The Steelhead X-14 irons were one of the most successful Callaway irons of all time,” says Dr. Alan Hocknell, Callaway’s Senior VP of R&D. “An iconic shape in the game improvement area known for its sole width, topline, offset, technology known as bore-through that takes weight out of the hosel.”

The new Steelhead XR’s borrow the slightly longer blade length, more rounded face and signature hosel-to-face transition from its Y2K predecessor. It’s a throwback with some new tech under the hood.

"We wanted to use all these features that these irons benefited from in terms of creating distance and feel, and add to it our Face Cup technology.” – Alan Hocknell

This is very much a game improvement iron with many of the same concepts we see in other GI/distance irons, such as the PING G, the Wilson C200 and Cobra F6 – specifically weight distribution to maximize forgiveness and hot, flexible faces designed to maximize ball speed.

Return of the Bore-Though

Callaway is bringing back the hollow bore-though hosel in the Steelhead XR’s. The purpose is to get some weight out of the hosel and reposition it so that the center of gravity is right in the center of the scorelines.

“You might think all irons have that, but it’s not the case,” says Hocknell. “We’ve used the lightness of this hosel to get that weight distrbution and put the CG right there.”

Moving weight around in any golf club is an ongoing battle in R&D. The weight saved in the hosel allows Callaway to increase MOI for forgiveness and move the CG around in the long, middle and short irons.

Callaway is essentially flighting the CG throughout the set, which they say is unique for game improvement irons. The CG is very low and far back in the long irons to make them easier to get airborne and go farther. The mid irons have the CG very low and mid-back, again for easy launch but also more control, and the short irons’ CG isn’t quite as low and in the middle of the iron for lower, higher spinning shots. Basically, as the irons get shorter, the CG gets a wee bit higher and moves slightly forward.

New Gen 360 Cup Face Technology™

Thin, flexible faces that push COR (Coefficient of Restitution – essentially how long a ball can legally stay on the face of the club) closer to USGA limits is where OEM’s are finding distance for the irons. Callaway’s method to make the face flex is its 360 Cup Face Technology™.

The Steelheads feature the latest generation of Cup Face Technology, with a lightweight, thinner perimeter. This allows for higher ball speeds with on-center strikes while minimizing ball speed loss as you stray from the sweet spot. Cally says this gets the Steelhead’s COR right up to the USGA’s COR limit.

“The forgiveness of this iron is really, really good, especially for ball speed when you don’t hit the center of the face. You’ll see added distance and the ability to launch the ball effectively, even when you don’t make center contact.” – Alan Hocknell

There’s also what Callaway is calling a steel-infused layer of polyurethane in the club head. Its purpose is twofold: absorb vibration and add weight, which allows Callaway to lower the club’s CG.

Specs, Pricing, and Availability

So Callaway has reached into its past once again, resurrecting another iconic product name. We suspect it will again be well-received.

The new irons will list at $799 in steel and $999 in graphite. The stock steel shaft is True Temper XP 95 Stepless, and stock graphite is the Matrix F15. Several no-charge alternatives are also available. The Universal Callaway grip is standard, and a Callaway offers a full line of premium aftermarket shafts and grips.