Callaway Elyte fairway woods: What you need to know

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Callaway Elyte fairway woods, all five of them (Elyte, Elyte X, Elyte Max Fast, Elyte ◆◆◆ and Elyte Ti), make use of distinctive internal and external elements to optimize launch and spin for different golfer types. Internally, a bridge-like structure weighted with heavy tungsten sits low and forward within the head to add launch and speed while reducing spin. Externally, all the models feature a stepped sole design that provides relief on the back half of the sole to reduce turf contact area by nearly 60 percent.

PRICE: Elyte, $350 (15, 16.5, 18, 20, 21, 24, 27 degrees, eight-way adjustable hosel on 15/16.5 degree); Elyte X, $350 (15, 16.5, 18, 21 degrees, eight-way adjustable hosel on 15/16.5 degree); Elyte ◆◆◆, $400 (15, 18, 21 degrees, with an eight-way adjustable hosel on 15-degree); Elyte Ti, $450 (15, 16.5, 18 degrees, with an eight-way adjustable hosel). Available for pre-sale Jan. 17, retail Jan. 24. Elyte Ti at retail Feb. 21.

3 COOL THINGS

1. Making impact better again. Fairway woods are particularly difficult to hit because impacts tend to happen low on the face, an area where the face is the least flexible. Compounding that effect, many fairway woods rightly are trying to force most of the discretionary mass low and forward to improve launch and spin. But push all that mass too far forward in the sole and it can restrict the lower part of the face from flexing optimally. To combat those effects, Callaway’s team contrived a bridge-like internal structure that includes a tungsten bar at the front of the body very near the face but hovering just above the sole.

“It's super low and forward, but it's sitting off the sole,” said Evan Gibbs, Callaway’s director of metalwoods research and development. “So it has all the mass property benefits of a low forward CG [center of gravity] and high [moment of] inertia (stability on off-center hits). But it also adds a lot more flexure into that part of the club face to help with speed when you don't hit the center of the face.”

On the 3-wood through 7-wood lofts on the standard Elyte models (Elyte, Elyte X, Elyte Triple Diamond, Elyte Max Fast) that tungsten bar weighs around 35 grams, or more than double the amount from last year’s Ai Smoke fairway woods, all while enhancing the wraparound cupface flexes.

“The position of the cupface is the same, but this design allows us to get our center of gravity lower and forward without adding stiffness,” Gibbs said, noting that Callaway’s testing showed that while lower face impacts were losing a mile per hour of ball speed on last year’s fairway woods, this year’s models saw no fall-off. “We’re seeing more deflection in the center of the face. We're activating more of the hinge more the center of the face because we’re not attaching this tungsten mass to the sole. And that's why we're seeing this increase in speed.”

That tungsten bridge feature takes advantage of even more mass savings and a lower CG on the Elyte Ti models. Gibbs said the bar structure weighs 70 grams, or about five times the mass of the Ai Smoke fairway woods from last year, making the Elyte Ti the lowest spinning fairway wood in the lineup.

2. Making impact smoother again. Fairway woods are hard enough to hit as a given, but if the clubhead is slowing down because it’s catching the turf before impact, it becomes doubly difficult to get the distance you need. The Elyte lineup of fairway woods attack that problem by redesigning the sole with extreme relief on the back half. Called a “step sole,” Gibbs said the sole contact area is reduced by nearly 60 percent.

While raising the aft section might seem like it would raise the center of gravity, the tungsten bar feature combined with the extreme lightweight carbon composite crown counteract that effect. Factor in that the face designs generally are shallower (except on the deeper-faced Elyte ◆◆◆) and the high-strength C300 steel alloy face itself has been redesigned with a new AI-generated multiple thickness design that further reduces mass, and any negative effect on the CG has been neutralized. Moreover, Gibbs said, the sole relief helps to increase the likelihood of more center face impacts for better ball speed. Callaway’s testing indicated that lower-face impacts were reduced by 25 percent. The idea for the design grew from the success of the company’s tour-proven Apex UW utility wood designs.

“We really saw a benefit of turf interaction that resulted in a higher impact location,” he said. “We sas a more centered impact location, the turf control basically allowed people to get through the turf, easily hit face center, especially players who hit down on it a little bit. It was consistently raising the impact location by thirty- or forty-thousandths of an inch, which is significant. That gets you more speed, it gives you higher launch, it gets you lower spin, and overall it's just a more efficient impact.”

3. Making impact specific again. The five models here all feature distinct shapes and performance attributes meant to align with specific player types.

The standard Elyte, which is offered in the broadest loft range that includes both a 20-degree Heavenwood (20 degrees with a 4-wood shaft length) and 9- and 11-woods, emphasizes neutral flight with easier launch and low spin.

The shallow-faced Elyte X is a larger model for increased stability on off-center hits and a built-in draw bias, including a more upright lie angle, for slice correction.

The Elyte Max Fast is built similar to the shaping of Elyte X but in a much lighter overall weight spec. Its one-degree weaker lofts also should aid moderate swing speed players looking to optimize flight and distance.

The Elyte ◆◆◆ offers a more compact option with a taller face, a recipe aimed at better players with faster swings who may be using the fairway wood more as an off-a-tee club than a from-the-fairway club. A weight screw in the front part of the sole helps to push the CG even more low and forward for both less spin and a lower launch.

The Elyte Ti offers a slightly larger frame and taller face to make it as compelling an option on tighter driving holes while still offering playability for long approach shots. Front and rear adjustable sole weights provide extra ability to tweak launch and spin.