Roger Cleveland is best known for the high-performance wedges he crafts, but his club design capabilities clearly go far beyond that category, as evidenced by the new X Utility Prototype irons by Callaway Golf.
Made with a hollow-forged construction of 1020 carbon steel and available in three lofts (18, 21 and 24 degrees), the X Utility Prototypes are intended to replace the 2-, 3- and 4-irons in a player’s bag. A tungsten sole is made to precisely dial in the Center of Gravity (CG) location and a high-strength maraging steel face is intended to promote high ball speeds. In addition, each X Utility iron features removable sole weights, ranging from two to eight grams, so players can make adjustments to fit individual needs.
Callaway first made the X Utility Prototype irons available only to its tour staff, prior to the 2012 U.S. Open, and Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els were among those who started playing with them. In fact, Els employed all three when he won the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes last July, and company officials say the clubs soon found their way into the bags of other tour professionals, including those who were not under contract with the equipment maker. It wasn’t long before Callaway decided to release the clubs commercially.
“Utility irons are not new to the game, but the X Utility Prototypes feature state-of-the-art forged construction that delivers a combination of distance, speed and control that has been lacking in this important area,” says Luke Williams, Callaway’s global director of woods and irons.
“Many players have replaced their long irons with hybrids, which are easier to hit. But the X Utility Prototypes offer a level of precision that our tour staff has been very pleased with. Plus, these clubs offer a tighter dispersion than hybrids on miss-hits.”
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