Before we look at what makes the X Fairway so good… let’s stop and look at what our customers didn’t like about the Big Bertha. There were really two complaints that we heard over and over again… the Big Bertha fairway woods hit the ball too high and the stock shafts were falling behind the rest. A fairway wood that hits the ball high isn’t a bad thing but a center of gravity that is too low (combined with a shaft that is designed to hit the ball high) can cause some ballooning. We’ve seen a real movement towards shaft upgrades and a lot of companies now use some pretty “big name” shafts in their clubs. Most people that we talk to feel that the Callaway RCH shaft has had it’s day in the sun. It used to be a decent graphite shaft option but isn’t really a match against many of the stock shafts on the market today. Callaway had some areas that they could improve on and they have done just that…
So what makes the X Fairway woods so good? Callaway decided to build around some of their patented and proven technologies… things like S2H2 and Variable Face Thickness and then added additional perimeter weighting and a new “X-Sole” design… making the X Fairway a combination of past technologies and new ideas. The company then employed shaft giant Fujikura to create a new and improved stock graphite shaft. The head shape was tweaked and a X Tour fairway line was added to make the club more appealling to the better player. Add these all up and you’ve got one great fairway wood.
The Callaway X Fairway has been one of the most popular fairway woods at my shop this year. People love the forgiveness the feel that these provide and many consider this to be the best fairway woods that Callaway has ever produced. The X Fairway hits the ball slightly lower than Callaway fairway woods of the past and my customers find this new penetrating ball flight a welcome change. I’m also hearing a lot of very positive comments regarding the stock Fujikura shaft and most customers (and readers) are leaning towards this shaft over the stock uniflex steel. People also like the new cosmetics and head design. The head has a slightly lower profile and the new X Sole allows the head to sit the same way every time. The X Tour version of this fairway wood has done well with the better players… we’ll be sure to review this one separately. I can’t think of too many complaints here… some customers are upset that the company chose to reduce the number of lofts available. I’d chalk this up to the increasing popularity of hybrid woods. Others wish Callaway would dump the uniflex steel shaft that they’ve used for so many years. I don’t see this as a huge problem… other steel shafts are available from the Callaway custom department at a very minimal charge.
Let’s sum this one up in one sentence… the Callaway X Fairway wood is the best fairway wood that the company has ever created.
Overall Rating – 97%
Target Handicap – The two different head designs appeal to everyone
Ball Flight – Mid to High
Lofts Available – 15, 17, 19, 21 and 23 degrees. Other lofts available in the X Tour head
Stock Shaft – Fujikura 64 graphite, Callaway Uniflex steel