We test the Callaway XR OS Hybrid to see how versatile it plays off the tee and deck or is it just too large to be effective at either role?
By Alex Gallemore
As various top coaches keep telling me, the best way for amateurs to reduce their handicap is to add more hybrids to the bag. Oh, and use putter grips on all their clubs. But apparently, that’s not in the rule book.
Playing off five, at the moment, I’ve found a way to get the ball round, mainly thanks to Pete Cowen sorting out my wedge game. Unfortunately, I tend to stay clear of my three and four iron in the bag and try to muscle a five iron instead.
Common sense says add a hybrid or two but I once tried the Olimar hybrid when it first came out in the early 2000s and my game went to pieces, as I tended to top most shots. So for the interest of science and out of sheer curiosity I’ve swapped my Callaway Apex four iron for a Callaway Steelhead XR 4H Hybrid.
Leave the TrackMan at home
I could have smashed a bucket or two into a net and just looked at the TrackMan number but you don’t get a true feel of how the club performs out of the fringe or even rarer in my case, the middle of the fairway.
The Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club was an ideal testing ground as a long iron off the tee is sometimes the better play and one I’ve struggled to master. The first is a great example as I tend to block my three wood and a driver is too long. So, what better time to give the Callaway Steelhead XR 4H OS Hybrid a thrash.
When I first pulled the club out of the bag on the range I was surprised just how large the clubhead was compared to an Adams hybrid, for example. It leans more toward a hybrid wood than a conventional iron hybrid, which given the circumstances was a huge bonus as standing on the first tee at any course, bigger is always better.
Off the tee
I hit my opening tee shot a touch out of the neck but made a solid connection down the left centre of the fairway. The flight wasn’t penetrating and gave the impression of stalling in mid-flight due to what I thought was additional spin. To keep the test consistent I used the Titleist ProV1X, which probably is a little too soft for a club that is normally paired to work with a two-piece low-spinning distance ball, but it’s my ‘go-to’ ball.
I was a little further back than my three wood at 214 yards but I was bang on the target line and left with only an 8-iron in looking down the length of the green from the left edge of the fairway. My 3-wood is longer but brings the rough into play or even the desert scrub and I rarely make par as a result.
The next true test is the short par-4 fourth. To play safe I’ve usually stayed clear of the water and desert area on the right by going into the semi-rough long and left. Off the tee with the Callaway XR 4H OS Hybrid the extra yards and larger head over a long iron gave me the confidence to take on the right side of the fairway to leave a wedge in.
Off the fairway
It wasn’t until the par-5 tenth that I could really try the XR OS Hybrid off the deck and this is where I found the extra bulk in the head a little clumsy, as you struggle to apply pressure to the ball in the way you would with an iron or a compact hybrid.
Having said that, even with a sloppy connection it still went an impressive 220 yards, and again, it was bang on line.
Overview
I found the club a little too large off the deck and the stock stiff shaft was a little light and not firm enough. It plays more like a mini-wood that gives you the confidence to just point and shoot. It’s not worth trying to work the ball with the club as it only knows one direction – and that’s straight!
From a feel point of view, as you would imagine, the face is hot but it gives you just enough feedback to let you know where you made a connection. The shafts are a little light and the stiff plays more toward firm-to-regular.
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— Callaway Golf (@CallawayGolf) December 15, 2016
What Callaway have to say
The XR OS Hybrids are designed to perfectly complement the XR OS Irons, and they’ll give players an extreme amount of forgiveness and great ball flight trajectories. We’ve combined our industry-leading, category-defining Face Cup for high ball speeds and maximum distance, more versatility, and a larger head shape to get the most forgiveness and great launch with more draw bias. It’s the perfect hybrid for golfers who are looking to elevate their game.
Would I put it in the bag?
Even though this club isn’t marketed at the lower handicap players I would definitely add A slightly stronger lofted XR 3H OS Hybrid as a regular club. Having done the test, you can’t beat a distance club that you can play safe off the tee and the fairways, safe in the knowledge that it’s going to go straight and to a consistent yardage. I shot my lowest round at the Faldo with the XR 4H OS Hybrid in the bag as, for once, I engaged the golfing brain and dropped the bombers’ mindset that normally gets me into trouble.
Spec sheet
Handicap Range: Mid / High
Hand Availability: Left, Right
Left Handed Lofts: 19°, 22°, 25°
Right Handed Lofts: 19°, 22°, 25°, 28°, 31°
Material: Steel
Lie: 58.5°
Club Length: 40.5 inches
Swing Weight: D1
Shaft Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Fubuki AT
Shaft Types: Graphite
Shaft Flex: Light, Regular, Stiff
Numbering and lofts: 3H/19°, 4H/22°, 5H/25°, 6H/28°, 7H/31°
