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This is a full review of the Callaway XR OS iron, a Golf Digest Hot List 2016 gold medal winner designed to be forgiving, long and easy to hit.
With wider soles and Callaway’s leading 360 Face Cup technology, the XR OS iron is supposed to be a best friend to high handicappers. Is it really?
Read on to find out just what it’s really made of so that you can make an informed purchasing decision.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
Quick Verdict
Rating: 9.1/10 (Excellent)
Pros and Cons: See the review box at the bottom of the review.
Classification: Game-Improvement
Best suited for…
- beginners
- high-handicappers
- golfers who like large clubheads with a ton of forgiveness, high launch and reliability
Best Places To Buy Online
There are a couple of really good options. Because these irons have been out for a few years, you can get some pretty amazing deals (under $400).
Used Irons
If you’re looking to buy a used set, I highly recommend checking out this page on Callaway Golf Pre-Owned.
They have a fairly large selection with a 12-month warranty, 90-day buy-back policy, and condition guarantee.
Aside from that, the best place to find new and used XR OS irons is eBay. You can find some pretty incredible prices there.
Want a high-resolution look at the XR OS irons? Click on the composite image at the top of the page and navigate the photos on the left-hand side of the screen.
What are the reviews like?
The reviews are extremely positive overall, both in the consumer space and critic space.
Including the ladies version of the XR OS as well as the hybrids (not reviewed here), the iron has average customer ratings of 5/5 on the DSG website, 4.8/5 (96% recommended) on CGPO, and 4.7/5 on Global Golf.
What People Like
- added distance (high ball speeds resulting from hot 360 Face Cup)
- added forgiveness over the regular XR
- solid feel
- easy hit
- straight and high ball flight
What People Don’t Like
- large head can feel a bit clunky with touch shots around the green
- for some players (particularly strong swingers) trajectory is too high and distance is underwhelming
What are the features?
Not surprisingly, the features and technologies of the XR OS are similar to those of the XR.
360 Face Cup Technology
We start with Callaway’s “industry-leading” 360 Face Cup: they have designed it to produce faster ball speeds than ever before.
It has a multi-piece construction, has undergone a new heat treatment in the face cup for increased ball speeds and a soft heat treatment on the body for softer feel at impact.
Easy Launch
The center of gravity (CG) in these irons is positioned low and back for high launch and high MOI (and hence better forgiveness).
Further contributing to the forgiveness is a wider sole that squeezes more distance out of mishits.
Progressive Lofts & Lengths
Iron lengths and lofts are both progressive, with lofts increasing and lengths decreasing as you move from the long to the short, to optimize distance through the set.
Stock Info
You have the option of replacing the long XR OS irons with XR OS hybrids if you prefer; the hybrids are typically easier to get up in the air and are longer than equivalent numbered irons.
While I don’t discuss the hybrids in this review, you should look out for a full review of them to be posted on Golfstead some time in the near future.
The stock shafts offered are the True Temper Speed Step 80 in steel and the Mitsubishi Fubuki AT in graphite. I thought the TT shaft, which I used during testing, provided nice balance through the swing and was light yet stable, although this can depend on the flex and the individual.
Here are the specs of the irons:
| Name | Loft | Standard Length | Lie | Offset | Swing Weight (Steel) | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 22° | 39.125" | 60.5° | 0.260 | D2 | RH/LH |
| 5 | 25° | 38.5" | 61.25° | 0.250 | D2 | RH/LH |
| 6 | 28° | 37.875" | 62° | 0.240 | D2 | RH/LH |
| 7 | 31.5° | 37.25" | 62.5° | 0.230 | D2 | RH/LH |
| 8 | 35° | 36.625" | 63° | 0.220 | D2 | RH/LH |
| 9 | 39° | 36" | 63.5° | 0.210 | D2 | RH/LH |
| PW | 44° | 35.75" | 64° | 0.200 | D2 | RH/LH |
| AW | 49° | 35.5" | 64° | 0.175 | D2 | RH/LH |
| SW | 54° | 35.25" | 64° | 0.175 | D2 | RH/LH |
How do these irons perform?
Distance/Distance Control
The XR OS are definitely one of the longer irons I’ve tested in terms of pure ball speed potential, but perhaps not the longest. What’s important about these irons though is their ability to send the ball in the air with both speed and height for soft landings into greens.
It’s easy to control your distances once you groove in your swing; once I did that, I was hitting my numbers very consistently.
Forgiveness
This is arguably the iron’s strongest attribute. Hits toward the heel and toe often see minimal loss in ball speed.
How minimal? Well, for all but the worst of shots, mishits during my testing usually reached the green instead of coming up short. I can’t say the same for many other modern irons I’ve tested (even some GI irons).
The XR OS irons also tend to straighten out slices and hooks and keep your ball from sailing too far off line.
Yes, true to the claims, these are quite a bit more forgiving than the XR. Quite impressed overall.
Playability
Natural trajectories are high and straight, but with some effort, the flight can be altered.
The XR OS irons are terrific for getting the ball up in the air from a wide variety of lies; rough, bunker, fairway, you name it, I found them to be playable and reliable in just about every situation.
What about look, sound & feel?
The Look
As a more forgiving alternative to the XR, the XR OS naturally has a very thick top line, wide sole, large cavity and good amount of offset. This iron actually has one of the thickest top lines I’ve ever seen.
One thing I’m not really crazy about is the look of the short irons at address: the shorter, round blade coupled with the ultra-thick top line makes for a look that’s a little too fat and stout for my tastes, but I can understand how it would inspire confidence for beginners and high-handicappers. It’s larger than the XR, there’s no doubt.
Shape aside, the XR OS has a similar badge design to the XR with a Callaway logo in the bottom-left and a blue/red/white striped XR logo through the center. These irons really look awesome in the bag.
The Sound & Feel
The XR OS irons feel stable and solid across the entire face.
During my testing I found that center strikes tended to have a touch of “clicky” hollowness that differentiated it from mishits which felt more solid and muted.
This means that you get a confidence-inspiring feel at impact without completely throwing useful feedback out the window; kudos to Callaway for managing to pull this off.
Where should you buy these irons online?
As mentioned above, the best options are currently eBay for new and used XR OS irons and Callaway Golf Pre-Owned for used irons.
Back in the day, it was difficult to find prices lower than the manufacturer-set price for these irons. Now though, you can get some serious savings pretty easily.
Conclusion
The XR OS irons are perfect for the golfer who wants more forgiveness, excellent ball speed potential, more height on their iron shots, and a larger head than the original XR can provide.
This is a serious contender in the game-improvement market, one that I recommend all beginners and high-handicappers who have the budget at least try.
Have you tried the XR OS irons? Do you have any questions about them? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Are you sure you have the specifications correct. Yours are different than the Callaway PreOwned web site.
Please review.
I included the women’s stock iron specs instead of the men’s — sorry about that. I’ve corrected the information (the women’s specs can be found on the Callaway website for anyone interested). Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Thanks for the review of these clubs. I am a high handicap beginning golfer and am looking for a new set of irons to replace my current set. I was wondering how you would rank the XR OS vs the Cobra Max irons? Do you like one over the other? Of the two sets which one do you like more? I can find both in my price range but can’t find the XR OS near me to try them out. Thank you.
Well, these are both considered max game-improvement irons, and they are similar in many ways. Having tested both, for me, the XR OS irons produced a higher trajectory and were a touch shorter than the MAX irons. The off-the-rack MAX irons also felt a little heavier. Overall, I think they were both great, but I would probably choose the XR OS irons for my game. However, you may have a very different experience; it really depends on the individual. If you can’t find the XR OS irons anywhere in your area, I suggest getting a set online under a “try before you buy” type program and see how it feels. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks a lot for this great review, Paul. I got my set of XR OS irons (women’s) a few days ago. I tried them yesterday, and so far I’m really pleased with the results.
Great to hear it. Let us know how it works out for you.
I bought the Calloway XR irons for women. I have had three break where the head joins the shaft and all three times the sand (twice) and the pitching wedge (once) broke with normal swings. I had the both repaired and the sand wedge just broke again about a year later. I bought the woods about 2 years ago and the 4 wood also broke in the same place with a normal swing. It was replaced by the seller. I had to await repair on the others since Calloway sends their clubs overseas. SIX WEEKS!!. No reply. No apology. No offer to send new clubs. Never another Calloway for me.
Sorry to hear about your experience, Willa. If these aren’t horrible mis-hits or impacts that are causing the breaks, then it sounds like you got a bad set of irons. It can happen. Are you talking about the XR OS irons or the older XR model? If you haven’t already, I recommend calling Callaway, explaining your situation, and asking for a completely new set – perhaps a different model. However, I believe that warranty for defects lasts only for two years, so if you’re outside that window, your options may be limited. In any event, you should chat with Callaway or the seller and see what your options are. Good luck.
Great review, I have a question about the offset of the irons. I have a natural hook to my shots, would these irons make it worse or better?
Thanks
Thanks, Rob. Offset is designed to help those who slice or fade, so it may actually make your hook even worse, depending on several factors including how much offset your previous gamers had. To know for sure, you’d have to give them a few hits. Good luck!
Thank you for such a comprehensive review. Yours was one of the more important ones upon which I decided to purchase. The thousand balls that I have hit since purchasing a fortnight ago has borne out your recommendations. Congratulations on the accuracy of your analysis.
Your seemingly unbiased reference to CallawayGolfPreowned.com was another gem. What a fantastic experience I had with this business. Although the clubs were “preowned“, they were so well reconditioned and packed that it felt like opening up a box of brand-new clubs. Included but unexpected were wood covers and a Calloway driver torque wrench. (Or maybe I just didn’t read the fine print 😉 I hadn’t had so much fun in opening presents since I last believed in Father Christmas!
Thank you again for such a professional, pertinent, and accurate review.
Thanks Peter. I’ve only had good experiences with CGPO; many people don’t realize that they’re one of the best sources for used old model Callaway clubs. You can find a lot of steals there.
Thanks for the review. I have been looking for new irons for quite a while now, but couldn’t make up my mind on what should I buy. Helpful and I’ll be trying these very soon.
Thanks for reading, and good luck with them!
I currently play Taylormade burner plus irons. I they are an awesome set of irons however I’m in need of a change. Would like to switch to Callaway. I’m a 15 handicap with a swing speed of 85-95 I don’t want to break the bank so have been looking at the x hot. XR OS or the XR steelheads. My mind is going crazy I think I’ve been over thinking and researching to much comparing lofts ect… any response would be helpful and maybe make me sane again. Thank you
Hi Todd. I don’t know what your preferences are or what your swing looks like, but given your handicap, you may enjoy an iron with a decent amount of forgiveness that isn’t too thick or bulky. It’s ideal if you can go out for a fitting session and try different iron models (perhaps not possible in these times), and then if you know your optimal model and shaft, you can go online for the best deals. Otherwise, look for a fairly recent iron that most closely matches what you want in terms of forgiveness/distance/workability. Don’t overthink it; you can always return or resell your irons if they perform poorly for you.
Out of the models you mentioned, I would lean more towards the Steelhead XRs, but at the same time, the Burner Plus irons have very weak lofts that the XR OS irons come close to matching. For something that doesn’t go too heavy with the forgiveness, consider the Apex. You may also do well with the new MAVRIK iron. I don’t recommend choosing a model that was released more than six years ago unless your budget is really tight.
Hope this helps.