Review: Callaway 2013 X-forged Irons
On the course is where these irons are winners too. From my very first round to the subsequent rounds I have had my best ball striking days. There was no adjustment time necessary. Distance wise they were as precise as any iron I have ever played. They weren’t any longer, nor were they shorter, they were spot on for my yardages. What they did offer over my other sets was some additional height without ballooning, loss of distance or control issues, just a little more stopping power. There was less roll-out on iron shots into the green, not necessarily spin related but angle of decent controlled.
My control with these irons improved over my previous irons. I felt like I had great shots and poor shots before, these however offered a little more control in terms of distance and trajectory. I felt more in control of these irons rather than the irons controlling me. I could hit a variety of shots without too much difficulty; but yet auto-pilot, high and straight, was easy too.
I loved the turf interaction with these irons. I’m not a big fan of thick soles but unfortunately if they get too thin or sharp I tend to dig. These have the perfect radius leading edge paired with trailing edge relief. Just enough sharp to get into he ground behind the ball, just thick enough to keep from digging and just enough relief to exit cleanly. Because they are thinner, they are much easier to get through thicker rough too. This summer we had some significant rainfall and the rough on most courses were as thick as ever. These could cut in and dig the ball out with ease.
The X-forged irons are obviously forged, but Callaway calls them “triple net” forged. While I don’t know what that means in the process of making irons, I do know that these are as buttery soft as any forged iron I have ever hit. I think they are better feeling than previous x-forged models. They have a pure feel at impact and with a fairly decent sized sweet spot, they certainly feel good even if not dead center every shot. Now if you get to the edges you will have instant feedback in terms of feel.
The PXi 6.0 iron shafts were also a real treat as a stock shaft. I hadn’t been a fan of regular PX shafts because of their harsh feel. The PXi shafts are much, much smoother and have a higher ball flight. They are just a touch lighter too. They are much more like a KBS shaft or Nippon shaft in terms of feel and performance.
What I really liked about these irons was the top to bottom interaction of the set. The 4-6 irons were all easy to elevate yet have a flat high flight. At times I have struggled with long irons, but with these I have hit some of the best shots on long par 3s or long par 4s. I am very comfortable again with the a long iron in hand. The mid irons 7-8 probably get the most use of all my irons and these shine even more. They also have a high flat flight that ascends very quickly and lands softly. The 9-pw are excellent scoring clubs. These are the quickest in the air yet still flatten out nicely at the top to reach their consistent distance. I felt like I hit many “pro” type shots with all of these irons.
If you are interested I also wrote a Callaway X Hot Driver review to go with these irons.
Callaway has really stepped it up in 2013 with their product line from top to bottom. My bag is filling up with Callaway clubs. The Callaway 2013 X-Forged irons have won a spot in my bag. They offer everything I am looking for in an iron: easy to hit from all conditions, consistent yardages, players irons with some forgiveness and awesome forged feel. I am a single digit handicap and think these could be played by anyone from a + to a -12 handicap with success. There is a reason Phil has these in his bag and is winning with them; The 2013 Callaway X-Forged irons are winners!!
For more information: www.callawaygolf.com
Quick Hits
+Excellent control
+Great feel
+Perfect sole grind
+Balanced weighting
+Beautiful looks
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