skysports.com reviews the latest Callaway RAZR Hawk fairway woods & RAZR X hybrids.
skysports.com reviews the Callaway RAZR Hawk & X woods and hybrids
Callaway, one of the biggest names in golf, have made a real impact in the fairway woods and hybrids market with their superb RAZR Hawk and RAZR X creations, leading on from their acclaimed driver in the same family.
RAZR Hawk Driver Review
We were lucky enough to get hold of the fairways woods and a hybrid club here at
skysports.com, and it must be said that there is an instant attraction when you look at this classy collection.
Looks aren't everything, of course, but these clubs in their polished, stealth-like black finish have a real expert look about them and you can't help but take a least a couple of ounces of confidence just from being able to pull them out of the bag.
Not being the longest hitter around, probably not even in my own household, the need for fairway woods and hybrids is greater with players of my lowly standards than with the bigger more consistent hitters, although even they need the big clubs they can trust.
Even relatively low handicappers are straying away from the longer irons, and even professionals are becoming more and more dependent on them - just look at USPGA champion YE Yang who carries a bag load!
Woods
The RAZAR Hawk fairway woods are sleek, low-profile woods which fit low to the ground but have plenty of club behind them, making them seem a lot easier to hit off the deck - something every players likes to see.
These clubs are packed with the same space-age technology as their driver counterpart, namely being the Forged Composite material they developed in conjunction with supercar manufacture Lamborghini - which simply put they say is a lighter but stronger material than titanium.
The aim, as always in club development, is to spread the sweet spot as far as possible across the club face but to maintain and improve clubhead speed.
"For the first time in the development of a fairway wood, we have engineered a configuration that allows the golfer to benefit from a Forged Composite crown," says Callaway club guru Dr. Alan Hocknell.
"The significantly lighter crown and subsequent repositioning of weight around the club's perimeter promotes considerable performance advantages, such as increased ball speed and accuracy."
Certainly looking the business, these fairways are a lot of fun to use when you get it right, especially the five wood which for me offered a more consistent strike without sacrificing much distance - you certainly feel like the real deal using these woods.
RAZR X
The RAZR X hybrids come in a multitude of loft options ranging from a standard 21 degrees to a lofty 30 degrees for those who really, really don't like using the irons!
We tested a 24 degree model, which was an ideal compromise between getting good distance but also being a solid option out of the rough and still almost always guaranteeing a good connection - the holy grail of all average golfers.
Callaway's new 'Zero Roll Design' on these clubs is meant to promote a higher launch angle even on shots coming off the bottom of the club face, and there was certainly a consistency of height that normally evades me - especially when using a long iron.
The result for me was being able to stand at distance and still be hopeful of getting a soft landing on the green, something which would hardly ever happen with a low, skippy five or four iron!
A solid, morale-boosting sound with a good contact is always music to my ears, and the RAXR X delivers just that, and with the 24 degree at least it seems almost impossible to not get a good connection, now if I could only just aim it in the right direction I might have half a chance...
For more information go to www.callawaygolf.com.
