Callaway Iron Comparison: XR Pro vs X2 Hot Pro

Another year of tremendous advancement in iron technologies has pushed Callaway back to the forefront of the iron set market. Previously Callaway’s X2 Hot irons pushed the envelope for performance to higher levels than the X Hot irons, which were extremely hard to beat considering the incredible results that it produced. Now the Callaway XR Pro irons have upped the ante, especially in the player’s iron category. Let’s take a look at what separates the XR Pro iron from the X2 Hot Pro iron.

XR Pro

The Callaway XR Pro iron set is one sharp looking club. It features the same 360 face cup technology that began in the Callaway XR iron, which makes the clubface extremely flexible. The 360 face cup also produces faster ball speeds than you’ve ever seen from a player’s iron regardless of where you hit it on the face. This technology wasn’t easy to incorporate into a traditional player’s club as the face itself is supported by an extremely thin piece of steel which is bonded to the body through a special heat treating process during manufacturing. Thus, you have a player’s club with a 2-piece construction, something that is more commonly found in purely game improvement irons and not typical of an iron designed for the eyes of a better player.

Not to be forgotten is the introduction of the internal standing wave which has been the engine behind Callaway’s fairway wood technology. This material stretches from heel to toe and pushes the level of forgiveness, one that is thought to be un-achievable in clubs designed for better players. Another byproduct of the wave is a lower center of gravity (CG) for improved launch conditions, especially for the long and mid-irons, thereby giving the player the ultimate in drop and stop control.

With these types of improvement, you’d think that you may lose some of the player’s iron appeal. However, Callaway used the X14 Pro Series iron as inspiration behind the shape and scope of the head design. So, despite its game improvement characteristics, the XR iron certainly presents itself as the traditional players iron featuring a smaller head with shorter blade length and thinner top line.

Essentially what they have done is create the most forgiving players iron ever engineered in their assortment without sacrificing the preferred softer feel and performance of a forged type club.

X2 Hot Pro

The Callaway X2 Hot Pro iron has several enhancements incorporated into the iron to improve it’s performance over its predecessor. First off, the X2 Hot Pro iron features a new Central Mass Bar located behind the clubface and in the clubhead’s minimalistic cavity. This technology increases the iron’s forgiveness by placing weight lower in the club head for an easier launch and more consistent distance on center and off-center strikes.

Additionally, there is a stabilizing arch which improved the club’s overall stability and reliability with distance and keeps ball speeds up, especially seen on the mishits, and improves the club’s sound and feel across all contact points on the face. Finally, the clubhead features a thinner face that extends closer to the sole, which is thinner than any Callaway iron has featured before, and a progressive offset design through the set. Thus, by the time you get down to the short irons, it’s a similar design to Callaway’s wedges, providing you with more control and workability like a forged wedge but with a level of forgiveness more closely associated with a game improvement iron.

Which One Is For You

The Callawy XR Pro iron is for you if…

You’re looking to keep up with technology and play the most forgiving players iron design.

The Callaway X2 Hot Pro iron is for you if…

You’re looking for consistency and forgiveness in an iron set.

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Chris Wadwick

Chris Wadwick has been a Class “A” member of the PGA of America since 2011. He is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in Business Administration. He brings a deep understanding of the inner workings of the golf business, especially club fittings, product knowledge, and visual merchandising, working for Dick’s Sporting Goods for over 7 years and Occoneechee Golf Club for more than three years, prior to that. When he is not in the office, you can always find him at a nearby golf course, attending games at his alma mater, or spending time with his wife and four dogs.