Review: Callaway X 20 irons

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cost: $1,145.00 CDN 3 – PW (steel) – tested
$1,329.00 CDN 3 – PW (graphite)

What they say:
The X Series is about giving serious golfers total performance with enhanced forgiveness. Using the Progressive wall Reduction System, Callaway Golf engineers lowered the centre of gravity (CG) 6% more than the X 18 irons. Progressive Wall Reduction means the CG gets lower throughout the set The CG is lowest in the log irons to help you get the ball airborne more easily. Traditional styling and core Callaway Technologies (such as S2H2 and Variable Face Technology) in the X 20 help provide performance and forgiveness with enhanced confidence.

What we say:
About 3 ½ years ago I was ready to upgrade from my Tiger Shark irons to a quality name brand that could improve my game. After a ton of trial swings at Golf Town I narrowed the choices down to Callaway, Taylormade and Cleveland. In the end, I found a set of Callaway X 16s on sale and was lucky enough that my swing worked well with the factory pre-set. I was well on my way to game improvement.

Over the next few years my game improved substantially and I am confident that the clubs had a lot to do with it. Im not the kind of golfer that buys the latest and greatest thing when it first shows up on the shelf but I do start considering new purchases when I feel that I can gain some advantage. I bypassed Callaways X 18s but wanted to see what the X 20s offered two generations on.

Ive been playing a set of standard X20s 3 “ PW for about two months now. The clubs have the classic Callaway look and an offset that works better for a 9 handicapper like me. I have found the ball travels a little higher and with more distance consistently than with the X 16s. I have played with a number of golfers who have tired a few swings and have since gone out to try these clubs out themselves. Two have bought sets of their own.

One of the questions I have each season is, when does the technology that I have in my hand become obsolete. Whether its a driver, irons or a putter, when can advancements help my game? Last week, just before sitting down to write this review, Robert Thompson asked me if I thought that these irons were better than the X 20s. Marginally, I said. As I drove home I realized that that was the point. Callaway is a company that you can trust for the quality of their products so why shouldnt you expect their core products to improve incrementally as researcher find new ways to move weight and work with metal?

If youre wondering if the time has come for you to upgrade, Id say the answer is yes. If you have been thinking about Callaway X 20s, I would say the answer is an emphatic YES!

Rating: *****

* Dont bother
** If you really need this, go ahead but we warned you
*** You will neither be disappointed or thrilled
****This should be one of your final choices and you will happy you spent the money
*****Buy this now!!!