Callaway Golf Company’s highly-publicized X Utility Prototype irons will be available at retail beginning Dec. 1. The X Utility Prototype irons, designed by Roger Cleveland and introduced on the PGA Tour at the 2012 U.S. Open, are intended to replace the 2-, 3- and 4-irons.
Callaway's X Utility Prototype iron
Players have been gravitating away from those irons in favor of hybrids the past few years anyway, so it will be interesting to see if those players – especially average players – will look at a club that looks more like and iron than a hybrid club.
Ernie Els used all three X Utility Prototypes en route to capturing his fourth Major victory at the 2012 Open Championship.
“Utility irons are not new to the game, but the X Utility Prototypes feature a state-of-the-art forged construction that delivers a combination of distance, speed, feel and control that has been lacking in this important area of a player’s bag for some time,” said 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 Protoypes offer a level of precision that our Tour staff has been very pleased with, plus these clubs offer a tighter dispersion than hybrids on mis-hits.
“The amount of excitement that our X Utility Prototype Irons have generated on Tour and among the avid followers of golf equipment has been overwhelming and underscores our commitment to develop and introduce exciting new designs through work with the best players in the world.”
Williams said the X Utility Prototype iron, which will be available in three lofts (18, 21, 24 degrees), is made with a hollow forged construction of 1020 carbon steel, a tungsten sole to precisely dial-in the CG location, and a high-strength maraging steel face that promotes high ball speeds. Each iron also features removable weights on the sole that range from two to eight grams in two-gram increments that allow players to make swing weight adjustments to fit individual needs surrounding specific length, shaft and grip options.
Callaway’s X Utility Prototype Irons will feature a new product introduction retail price of $199/steel and $229 with graphite shafts.
