Well...here we are, I guess...(Callaway Elyte)

[chern]

After about a decade of convincing myself I did not need any help with my clubs and stuck with various sets of MB's, I bit the bullet and bought the core Callaway Elyte irons. They are the first set of GI irons that I think "look good" to justify the price. I did no fitting, went in cold to the store and bought everything stock off the rack. 

 

After a session in the trackman bay...I am rethinking everything. 

 

First photo is a driver (Elyte triple diamond with stock tensei black stiff 65 shaft) 

173.1 ball speed, 117.8 club speed, 314 carry, 333 total, 2359 spin, 48yd peak height, 5.4 up. 

 

Second photo is the Elyte core 7 iron - 80 gram regular (yes regular) stock shaft

201 carry, 204 total, 4971 spin, 50.8* land angle, 94.4 club speed, 0.0/0.0 path/face 

 

Third photo is the Elyte core 5 iron - again, 80 gram regular (yes regular) stock shaft

231 carry, 237 total, 3839 spin, 43.3* land angle, 98.3 club speed, 1.3/1.2 path/face

 

I am blown away. Whole set 5-AW was 14-15 yard gaps and remarkably consistent. 

 

I never thought I would play these type of clubs, specs - or stock (blasphemy!) anything. 

 

I guess tech has got that good? This is a joke. 

 

(I ordered the 4i (X), GW and SW in the truck on the way home...what have I become). 

 

Edited March 10 by chern

[Lobber]

I have 6 rounds on my Elyte Irons built to my specs +1/2 and 2 Up with midsize grips and stock Vector Stiff shafts. I have never hit a better iron in my life.  Looks, distance, forgiveness, ability to hit a variety of shots, feel and sound are unreal.  While they are GI irons they don’t really look the part.  In fact the sole width is smaller than the T200s they are replacing.  And not they are not forged but they sure feel like they are.  As I player who has always upgraded shafts (Steelfiber, PX, etc) I am blown away how well the stock set up performs for me.  I am also gaming the GT2 3HL Elyte X 3 woods and Elyte 5 wood and have been equally blown away.  

Edited March 10 by Lobber
Spelling errot

[PARETO]

I have never used a Callaway product in the 35 years I’ve played this game and never thought I would. But the core Elytes had my attention. Until I saw the spin numbers. Far too low for me (I need spin). Too bad. They look fantastic. 

Edited March 10 by PARETO
Edit.

[dmeeksDC]

They’re great irons. Game improvement in terms of tech, but they sure don’t look it. If you compare all the irons in that category, they are hard to beat. I thought the Paradym irons were underrated and the AI Smoke were a step back. Callaway dialed in this design with the Elytes. 

[Lobber]

8 minutes ago, PARETO said:

I have never used a Callaway product in the 35 years I’ve played this game and never thought I would. But the core Elytes had my attention. Until I saw the spin numbers. Far too low for me (I need spin). Too bad. They look fantastic. 

They launch high and hold the greens in my experience.  Have not had a flier or one fail to hold the greens in thus far

[swing33]

9 hours ago, chern said:

After about a decade of convincing myself I did not need any help with my clubs and stuck with various sets of MB's, I bit the bullet and bought the core Callaway Elyte irons. They are the first set of GI irons that I think "look good" to justify the price. I did no fitting, went in cold to the store and bought everything stock off the rack. 

 

After a session in the trackman bay...I am rethinking everything. 

 

First photo is a driver (Elyte triple diamond with stock tensei black stiff 65 shaft) 

173.1 ball speed, 117.8 club speed, 314 carry, 333 total, 2359 spin, 48yd peak height, 5.4 up. 

 

Second photo is the Elyte core 7 iron - 80 gram regular (yes regular) stock shaft

201 carry, 204 total, 4971 spin, 50.8* land angle, 94.4 club speed, 0.0/0.0 path/face 

 

Third photo is the Elyte core 5 iron - again, 80 gram regular (yes regular) stock shaft

231 carry, 237 total, 3839 spin, 43.3* land angle, 98.3 club speed, 1.3/1.2 path/face

 

I am blown away. Whole set 5-AW was 14-15 yard gaps and remarkably consistent. 

 

I never thought I would play these type of clubs, specs - or stock (blasphemy!) anything. 

 

I guess tech has got that good? This is a joke. 

 

(I ordered the 4i (X), GW and SW in the truck on the way home...what have I become). 

 

Wonder how these would perform if lots were adjusted 2* weak to be more in line with todays traditional lofts? Was the offset on mid-long irons off-putting?

[Kevmonton]

9 hours ago, chern said:

After about a decade of convincing myself I did not need any help with my clubs and stuck with various sets of MB's, I bit the bullet and bought the core Callaway Elyte irons. They are the first set of GI irons that I think "look good" to justify the price. I did no fitting, went in cold to the store and bought everything stock off the rack. 

 

After a session in the trackman bay...I am rethinking everything. 

 

First photo is a driver (Elyte triple diamond with stock tensei black stiff 65 shaft) 

173.1 ball speed, 117.8 club speed, 314 carry, 333 total, 2359 spin, 48yd peak height, 5.4 up. 

 

Second photo is the Elyte core 7 iron - 80 gram regular (yes regular) stock shaft

201 carry, 204 total, 4971 spin, 50.8* land angle, 94.4 club speed, 0.0/0.0 path/face 

 

Third photo is the Elyte core 5 iron - again, 80 gram regular (yes regular) stock shaft

231 carry, 237 total, 3839 spin, 43.3* land angle, 98.3 club speed, 1.3/1.2 path/face

 

I am blown away. Whole set 5-AW was 14-15 yard gaps and remarkably consistent. 

 

I never thought I would play these type of clubs, specs - or stock (blasphemy!) anything. 

 

I guess tech has got that good? This is a joke. 

 

(I ordered the 4i (X), GW and SW in the truck on the way home...what have I become). 

 

You have owned the same set of clubs for ten years? What are you doing on this website??!

[ChaosTheory]

8 hours ago, PARETO said:

Until I saw the spin numbers. Far too low for me (I need spin).

To be fair, the spin numbers probably correlate well with the lofts, but not the club numbers.

[RacineBoxer]

11 minutes ago, swing33 said:

Wonder how these would perform if lots were adjusted 2* weak to be more in line with todays traditional lofts? Was the offset on mid-long irons off-putting?

 

It's pretty predictable (not much to wonder). 2 degrees weaker would give OP about 400-500 rpm more spin and 6-8 yards less distance. 2 degrees is a half of a club, it'd perform halfway between a 7i and an 8i. 

[swing33]

2 minutes ago, RacineBoxer said:

 

It's pretty predictable (not much to wonder). 2 degrees weaker would give OP about 400-500 rpm more spin and 6-8 yards less distance. 2 degrees is a half of a club, it'd perform halfway between a 7i and an 8i. 

Any concerns with turf interaction?

[chern]

3 hours ago, swing33 said:

Wonder how these would perform if lots were adjusted 2* weak to be more in line with todays traditional lofts? Was the offset on mid-long irons off-putting?

 

I was always a big believer in traditional lofts are better and spin should always be # of iron + x 1000 (6i = 6000). After hitting these I am fully in the camp of lofts do not matter, and I am not sure what to think about spin. I mean, the 5i is landing at 44 degrees with 230 carry, 7i is landing at 50 degrees with 200 carry, 9i is landing at 51 degrees with 170 carry. Even if the lofts are strong and spin is 700-800 lower than it should be, I am landing these at 7-8 degrees steeper and hitting them 20-25 feet higher than previously traditionally lofted irons. They are going to hold any green. It's kind of silly honestly. 

Edited March 10 by chern

[Carolina Golfer 2]

1 minute ago, chern said:

 

I was always a big believer in traditional lofts are better and spin should always be # of iron + x 1000 (6i = 6000). After hitting these I am fully in the camp of lofts do not matter, and I am not sure what to think about spin. I mean, the 5i is landing at 44 degrees with 230 carry, 7i is landing at 50 degrees with 200 carry, 9i is landing at 51 degrees with 170 carry. Even if the lofts are strong and spin is 700-800 lower than it should be, I am landing these at 7-8 degrees steeper and hitting them 20-25 feet higher than previously traditionally lofted irons. It's kind of silly honestly. 

The old adage of club no. x 1000 doesn't really apply any more.  Yes, modern clubs have stronger lofts (that's an argument for another thread)  But due to their design they launch higher and fly higher even at the lower loft.  As long as you are getting Angle of Descent at 45* or higher and using a premium urethane ball, you will get more than sufficient stopping power.   

I don't have nearly your speed, more like mid 70's on 7 iron and my 28 degree 7 iron has an apex of 75 to 80 feet and landing angle of 44 and my ProV1 stops within a couple yards at most.  

[magnus7319]

You're going to need 6 wedges to cover from like 170 yards in... 

[chern]

15 minutes ago, magnus7319 said:

You're going to need 6 wedges to cover from like 170 yards in... 

 

I see this as a common sentiment like the spin/lofts as a negative for the set. I was in the same camp, but I am not too sure it matters with the numbers that come from these? Even with the four set wedge set up, this is pretty comfortable? 

 

9i is 170 carry

pw is 155 carry

aw is 140 carry

 

Ordered the set GW (51) and SW (55) which I would expect to be 122-125 and 105-108. 

 

 

[dmeeksDC]

3 hours ago, swing33 said:

Wonder how these would perform if lots were adjusted 2* weak to be more in line with todays traditional lofts? Was the offset on mid-long irons off-putting?

They would do great at 2 degrees weak if you need it. But I would play them first, get real yardages. And if you don’t like offset, going weaker in loft will very slightly reduce it too. 

[chern]

5 hours ago, swing33 said:

Wonder how these would perform if lots were adjusted 2* weak to be more in line with todays traditional lofts? Was the offset on mid-long irons off-putting?

 

If you are getting the right launch and a steep land angle, why does loft or traditional loft matter? 

[swing33]

9 minutes ago, chern said:

 

If you are getting the right launch and a steep land angle, why does loft or traditional loft matter? 

You got a point… could stop set at 5 on top end and add a wedge on bottom. Just used to pulling certain clubs at a number; ie. 9 iron at 150. 

[Ca3l]

6 minutes ago, chern said:

 

If you are getting the right launch and a steep land angle, why does loft or traditional loft matter? 

People are just fatigued with the disingenuousness in marketing of these GI/Super GI sets. This set has a 33* 8 iron — literally stronger lofted than the 7 iron in their player’s iron sets lol.

 

If you’re getting good launch and spin for the distances you’re hitting it, who cares. Just make sure you add one when your buddies ask what club you hit, else they might launch their shot over the green (half joking).

 

 

[NicholasP]

I play off a low single digit, and picked up a set of Elytes in my specs when they were released.  Have been very impressed with the looks, feel, sound, and performance in the sim, and hope to be playing real golf as early as this weekend.  I personally do not care about loft jacking etc., I am seeing very consistent and strong numbers, if what I am seeing indoors translates to outdoors, I will be thrilled.  Nice to see some positive reviews on these, I think people will dismiss them and pass what seems to be a very good set of irons.

[magnus7319]

3 hours ago, chern said:

 

I see this as a common sentiment like the spin/lofts as a negative for the set. I was in the same camp, but I am not too sure it matters with the numbers that come from these? Even with the four set wedge set up, this is pretty comfortable? 

 

9i is 170 carry

pw is 155 carry

aw is 140 carry

 

Ordered the set GW (51) and SW (55) which I would expect to be 122-125 and 105-108. 

 

 

 

4 wedges then. Or 5 if you need something higher lofted than 55*.

 

Yea, it's the drawback to hitting these GI irons so far - I guess as long as the height/spin can stop on the greens, you're golden. 

 

They really should just put the loft on the bottom not the # of the club. 

[onehopstopt]

Somewhat facetious question but one that I think makes an important point: if higher, longer, and steeper landing is always a good thing then why not play a bag full of hybrids? Or even a bag of just fairway woods?

[Double Dodger]

5 hours ago, chern said:

 

I was always a big believer in traditional lofts are better and spin should always be # of iron + x 1000 (6i = 6000). After hitting these I am fully in the camp of lofts do not matter, and I am not sure what to think about spin. I mean, the 5i is landing at 44 degrees with 230 carry, 7i is landing at 50 degrees with 200 carry, 9i is landing at 51 degrees with 170 carry. Even if the lofts are strong and spin is 700-800 lower than it should be, I am landing these at 7-8 degrees steeper and hitting them 20-25 feet higher than previously traditionally lofted irons. They are going to hold any green. It's kind of silly honestly. 

 

Serious question, why? It seems you have tons of speed and traditional lofts should be a breeze for you. Do you play extremely long tracks? 
 

I ask because the desire for bragging distances seems to be more important than actually playing and scoring. Have your scores shown a vast improvement? Not doggin’ ya just curious. 

[chern]

1 hour ago, magnus7319 said:

 

4 wedges then. Or 5 if you need something higher lofted than 55*.

 

Yea, it's the drawback to hitting these GI irons so far - I guess as long as the height/spin can stop on the greens, you're golden. 

 

They really should just put the loft on the bottom not the # of the club. 

 

Does the loft or number on the sole really matter though? Why is this a thing?

[chern]

1 hour ago, onehopstopt said:

Somewhat facetious question but one that I think makes an important point: if higher, longer, and steeper landing is always a good thing then why not play a bag full of hybrids? Or even a bag of just fairway woods?

 

Tough to argue against that. Higher, longer and steeper angle tends to correlate well with success in golf doesn't it? 

[chern]

1 hour ago, Double Dodger said:

 

Serious question, why? It seems you have tons of speed and traditional lofts should be a breeze for you. Do you play extremely long tracks? 
 

I ask because the desire for bragging distances seems to be more important than actually playing and scoring. Have your scores shown a vast improvement? Not doggin’ ya just curious. 

 

I can't think of a situation in the last 30 years of playing where I felt better or was in a position to boast because of hitting a certain iron a longer distance number wise. 

 

I never wanted to play a set of irons like these (which is why I played the MB's) but it's tough to think of a scenario where these launch monitor numbers are not beneficial on course relative to weaker lofted clubs? 

[POKeefe]

I appreciate that they kept realistic loft gaps between all the clubs, but I also don't get why the logic behind 3 degrees of loft at the bottom and 5 degrees at the top. If anything, I'd want a bigger gap at the top of the bag, not the bottom. Feels like something like this would be optimal: 

22 - 26 - 30 - 34 - 38 - 42 - 46

This might be me venting, though, because of the dumb decision to only have 2.5 degrees of loft between 4 and 5 iron on many game improvement clubs now. Speaking from experience where the Rogue ST Pro 4 and 5 iron barely have a 10-yard gap between them due to the loft similarities. 

[Ca3l]

2 minutes ago, POKeefe said:

I appreciate that they kept realistic loft gaps between all the clubs, but I also don't get why the logic behind 3 degrees of loft at the bottom and 5 degrees at the top. If anything, I'd want a bigger gap at the top of the bag, not the bottom. Feels like something like this would be optimal: 

22 - 26 - 30 - 34 - 38 - 42 - 46

This might be me venting, though, because of the dumb decision to only have 2.5 degrees of loft between 4 and 5 iron on many game improvement clubs now. Speaking from experience where the Rogue ST Pro 4 and 5 iron barely have a 10-yard gap between them due to the loft similarities. 

The marketers will tell you the engineers designed it that way because it provides the right gapping in the longer clubs. I think for most amateurs, esp those buying this category of iron, that is complete bs. The real reason is that fitters use a 6 or 7 iron, and oems want to create distance “gains” in fittings. The problem with this approach is when you have a 25* “6” iron, 4* gaps would leave you with a 21* 5 iron and a 17* 4 iron. Certainly nobody in the target audience for this club is making any magic happen with a 17* 4 iron, hence the reduced gapping in the long irons. My money says Callaway is assuming that most people buying this will switch to woods or hybrids after the 6 anyway.

[cardoustie]

As a zx4 guy, I enjoy this read 

 

my Srixons are far superior to my old s55’s into heavy winds .. this is with 3 months experience in Florida

 

the old spin a 7i at 7,000 is not relevant if you have the speed, apex and descent where they need to be

[Ca3l]

1 hour ago, Double Dodger said:

 

Serious question, why? It seems you have tons of speed and traditional lofts should be a breeze for you. Do you play extremely long tracks? 
 

I ask because the desire for bragging distances seems to be more important than actually playing and scoring. Have your scores shown a vast improvement? Not doggin’ ya just curious. 

You can’t really escape the loft jacking if you want to play GI irons nowadays. Not really the player’s fault.

[POKeefe]

1 hour ago, Ca3l said:

The marketers will tell you the engineers designed it that way because it provides the right gapping in the longer clubs. I think for most amateurs, esp those buying this category of iron, that is complete bs. The real reason is that fitters use a 6 or 7 iron, and oems want to create distance “gains” in fittings. The problem with this approach is when you have a 25* “6” iron, 4* gaps would leave you with a 21* 5 iron and a 17* 4 iron. Certainly nobody in the target audience for this club is making any magic happen with a 17* 4 iron, hence the reduced gapping in the long irons. My money says Callaway is assuming that most people buying this will switch to woods or hybrids after the 6 anyway.

Correct. It's frustrating to see a 9 yard gap from 4i to 5i and then a 15 yard gap from 9i to PW just because the manufacturer decided to create inflated lofts. All things being equal, club length and loft are the greatest drivers of distance and gapping. Sure, goo-filled irons do get you some extra ball speed and help with misses, but it doesn't change the gapping problem.