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The new XR Speed driver from Callaway takes everything the brand knows about driver aerodynamics and face technology and combines it in their best performing longest and most forgiving XR driver line ever.
It’s a driver designed to fill a price gap in Callaway’s line-up for 2018. Coming in at £339, it offers the brand’s loyal fans a cheaper alternative to the premium, Jailbreak-powered Rogue.
Although Callaway is happy to admit that the Rogue will offer you maximum performance, don’t expect to feel short changed by the XR Speed just because of the smaller price tag.
The technology packed into this driver helps to deliver both incredible clubhead and ball speed.
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The X Face VFT means that you retain this speed even on some major mis-hits, leading to a tighter dispersion and more fairways hit during the round. During my testing it was coming up a little shy of the Rogue’s ball speed numbers, but it was still up there with the fastest drivers on the market today.
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This great speed is also partly down to the refined Speed Step on the driver. Callaway’s R&D team has enhanced the aerodynamics of the its Speed Step Technology on the crown of the head, reducing air resistance and optimising clubhead speed.
It is the inclusion of a Triaxial Carbon crown, however, that helps to set the performance of the XR Speed apart from its XR predecessors. The proprietary composite crown on XR Speed is 45% lighter vs the XR 16 titanium crown. The weight savings results in a lower CG for a higher launch and lower spin, the perfect recipe for increased distance and forgiveness.
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When compared to the standard Rogue, I was seeing a slightly higher flight and higher spin numbers. The XR Speed also offers slight draw bias, so you can expect to see a right to left trajectory.
Down behind the ball this club looks fantastic and is bound to fill you with confidence when standing on the tee. It has a more rounded shape than Rogue, but still leaves a large footprint down behind the ball and the Triaxial Carbon crown only helps to add to the appeal.
If price is no obstacle, then the Rogue is the Callaway driver for you. If it is, however, then you have to check out the XR Speed for yourself. It delivers incredible all round performance for a driver in this lower price bracket.
Available: Now
RRP: £339
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