The intention of Callaway’s Elyte fairway woods and hybrids is the same as the driver: take a good product and make it exceptional. It’s the sort of lofty rhetoric that looks great on a whiteboard but faces due criticism once all the cards are placed face-up.
What’s working in Callaway’s favor is a design objective that treats each equipment category as unique. So for as much as some brands arrange fairway woods and hybrids as matching luggage (smaller, uninspired designs that carry over a key feature or two from the driver), Callaway believes the absence of “follow on” technology is primarily what makes this line top-shelf.
What evidence do they have to support this claim?
Consider the three following bullet points.
- Updated Tungsten Speed Wave
- Smart Sole
- Revamped 10X Ai Face
Notebooks out, pencils sharpened. Let’s dive in.
With Elyte, you won’t hear much about aerodynamics or new materials. Chiefly, that’s because fairway woods have smaller (and shorter) faces and less volume, rendering the category already aerodynamically efficient. Beyond that, Callway’s tech story this year centers on design elements that work synergistically to provide clear and measurable improvements over the previous Paradym Ai Smoke family.
Key Element #1 – Ai 10X Face
By this point, you might have “Ai fatigue”, my term for consumers who have heard a marketing rallying cry so often that it starts to lose its impact. So instead of discussing what AI is ad nauseam, let’s broach the “what it does” piece of the conversation.
When Callaway leverages AI in face constructions, it’s using computers to best determine face topography using “control points.” Each discrete point is moderated (made thicker or thinner) based on what the computer modeling determines to be optimal. In this case, the “10x” refers to the number of control points Callaway can leverage with Elyte as compared to Paradym Ai Smoke. The logical thought would be that a more advanced face should deliver better performance. In this case, Callaway points to slight improvements in ball speed (more on that in a bit) and tighter downrange dispersion (aka accuracy). It would also suggest that the Ai 10X Face expands the percentage of the face that can deliver launch conditions consistent with (or damn near) center-face contact.
Key Element #2 – Tungsten Speed Wave
We mentioned a boost in ball speed as one outcome of the 10X Ai Face but the Tungsten Speed Wave is doing most of the heavy lifting here. The Tungsten Speed Wave is a 35-gram weight affixed to the sole of the club that sits close to the face. For reference, the previous version weighed 14 grams so, yes, this is a little bit more than a 2x increase in weight which is a good bit of what allows for a more forward CG location than before.
As we’ve discussed, getting mass closer to the face is great for ball speed but tends to negatively impact forgiveness. To mitigate this tradeoff, Callaway engineers were able to place the Tungsten Speed Wave in front of the L-Cup face weld. It might seem like a small detail but by doing so, the C300 steel L-Cup face exhibits more sole-hinge deflection, leading to better ball speeds on shots struck below center-face
In fact, consider this: In concert with the Step Sole design, Callaway’s testing indicates Elyte fairway woods generate more ball speed on low-center strikes (roughly .0015″-.0020″) than Paradym Ai Smoke did on center-face hits. To be fair, we’re talking about 10ths-of-miles-per-hour ball speed but that’s still damn impressive.
Step Sole
How often do you think about fairway woods like your wedges? Likely somewhere between never and the percentage chance my 2025 fitness goal makes it past February. That said, Callaway’s premise, though not revolutionary, makes sense. If we can agree the correct wedge grind is paramount in creating optimal performance, it stands to reason that if Callaway can improve fairway wood turf interaction, it could prove beneficial to both touring professionals and recreational golfers.
According to Callaway, the Step Sole design reduces sole contact area by 57 percent which leads to a 25 percent reduction in shots struck below face center. Put differently, when less of the club interacts with the turf, contact is more efficient and closer to the center of the face. Though quite popular, but super niche, the Apex Utility Wood features a similar sole design which led Callaway to incorporate it in this generation of fairway woods.
Golfers work off myriad definitions of forgiveness. In my book, forgiveness is anything that helps a shot perform as close to ideal as possible. It can be materials, mass properties or design elements that allow the golfer to improve the quality of impact.
4 (really 5) Elyte fairway models
The model lineup for Callaway Elyte fairway woods traces that of the driver family.
Callaway Elyte
Though Callaway dropped the “Max” from the name, Elyte should still address the needs of the largest portion of consumers. Of the five models, it’s the most balanced regarding shot shape bias and footprint.
The OptiFit hosel is available on 3/15° and 3HL 16.5° models.
The Callaway Elyte fairway is available in 3/15°, 3HL/16.5°, 5/18°, 7/21°, HVNWD/20°, 9/24° and 11/27°. Optifit adjustability is only available on the 3/15° and 3HL/16.5° models.
Stock shafts are the Project X Denali Charcoal and MCA Vanquish PL. As a brand introduction of sorts, the premium/exotic Aretera EC1 Blue is being offered for an upcharge of $100.
Callaway Elyte X
In this case, X=D. The Elyte X is Callaway’s dedicated draw-enhanced model featuring a shallower face and slightly larger footprint as compared to the standard Elyte. The reason I shy away from designating the Elyte X as a purely draw-biased model is because I think that plenty of golfers can benefit from a bit of heel-biased weighting even if they don’t consider themselves
The Callaway Elyte X is available in 3/15°, 3HL/16.5°, 5/18° and 7/21° models.
Stock shafts mirror those of the Elyte with the addition of an R flex offering in the MCA Vanquish.
Callaway Elyte Max Fast
Whenever I read this model name, I think of Eli Manning’s spoof workout trying to join the Penn State football team as a walk-on. “Fast Chad…Chad fast” – That aside, the Max Fast fairway wood is the model designed for golfers who need a lighter overall club to find improved performance. It’s essentially the Elyte X, but with lighter components including a 21-gram Winn grip, 40-grm MCA Vanquish shaft and slightly lighter headweight.
The Elyte Max Fast is available in 3/16°, 5/19°, 7/22° and 9/25°. All models are non-adjustable.
Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond
Finding the right fairway wood is about matching the tool with the intended task. So while I understand if golfers want to immediately associate the Elyte Triple Diamond with better/faster players, I’d caution against drawing any grand conclusions. Yes, the Elyte Triple Diamond is the most compact and lowest spinning of the Elyte fairway wood models. It also features a deeper face and enhanced workability.
But given that it’s available in 3/15°, 5/18°, and 7/21°, it’s a good reminder to consider the job requirements for each fairway wood in the bag. A lower trajectory and less spin might not be ideal in a 3-wood, but could fit the bill in a higher loft.
Stock shafts are the MCA Tensei 1K Black, PX Denali Charcoal and Aretera EC1 Blue ($100 upcharge).
Callaway Elyte Ti
Say what? Yep, the fifth Callaway Elyte fairway model features a titanium construction, which frees up plenty of discretionary weight. In this case, Callaway mated the Triple Diamond performance profile (lower trajectory with less spin) with the standard Elyte footprint. Put differently, if you want to think of the Elyte Ti as a slightly larger version of the Triple Diamond, that’s fair.
My sense is that this will be attractive to the golfer who is looking for a fairway wood primarily for tee shots, but can also benefit from a lower spinning trajectory from the fairway. As is customary, a full titanium construction does come with a cost bump – in this case, it’s an extra $100.
Callaway Elyte Hybrids
Callaway bills its three Elyte hybrid models (Standard, X, Max Fast) as its most adjustable ever, providing up to 13 yards of shot-shape correction. Swappable heel and toe weights along with the OptiFit 4 hosel system allow for +/- 2° of lie and +/- 1° of loft adjustment.
The basic description of each model tracks with Elyte drivers and fairway woods. As such, the standard Elyte hybrid is the core model offering a neutral flight and mid-sized footprint. It’s worth noting that the standard weight configuration is 13 grams in the heel and three grams in the toe. To increase fade bias, golfers can move the 13-gram weight to the toe. Beyond that, the Elyte hybrid is designed to work as a one-to-one long-iron replacement for Elyte and Elyte HL irons.
Slightly larger than the Elyte hybrid, the Elyte X offers more draw bias and a marginally larger footprint. As expected, it features a taller face to pair with Elyte X irons.
Finally, the Elyte Max Fast hybrid is the lightest of the three models, geared towards golfers who can benefit from increased launch and spin via a club that’s a bit easier to swing. And if you’re paying attention to the theme, it serves as the perfect complement to the Elyte Max Fast irons.
My $0.05
Callaway is a major equipment brand, routinely vying for the No. 1 or No. 2 slot in plenty of equipment categories and I don’t expect the Elyte family is going to alter Callaway’s market standing substantially in 2025. The brand is going to sell billions of dollars of golf equipment and I won’t be surprised if it maintains or improves its market share across the major equipment categories. That said, if I had to wager a guess, I’d opine that, compared to expectations, hybrids will exceed and fairways will slightly underperform.
That said, I do have a bone to pick regarding two noticeable omissions. The first is a lack of OptiFit hosel adjustability in higher-lofted fairway woods. I get that Callaway has its reasons for this but, as a consumer, it’s clear higher-lofted fairway woods continue to show up in the bags of touring professionals and competitive amateurs. If fitting is as important as the industry continues to tell us it is, fairway woods with adjustable hosels should be as commonplace as new cars with a push-button start. Call it a modern necessity.
The second issue is that while I appreciate the enhanced adjustability on the Elyte hybrids, a #2/16° model would have softened the blow a bit. And, yes, I get that we’re not talking about the high-volume SKUs that drive the majority of the revenue. But if you solve issue No. 1, issue No. 2 doesn’t exist.
Pricing and availability
Retail price for the Callaway Elyte, Elyte X, Elyte Max Fast and Elyte Triple Diamond Fairways is $349.99. The Elyte Ti will sell for $449.99.
Retail price for the Callaway Elyte, Elyte X, and Elyte Max Fast Hybrids is $299.99.
Pre-sale begins Jan. 17 with full retail availability on Jan. 24 (Elyte Fairways) and Feb. 7 (Elyte Hybrids) * The Elyte Ti fairway will be available on Feb. 21.
For more information, visit CallawayGolf.com.
Don’t Sleep on Last Year’s Model
With the release of the new ELYTE line, the Paradym Ai Smoke Woods and Hybrids are now significantly discounted.
The post Are Callaway Fairway Woods and Hybrids Deserving of an “Elyte” Label? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
