Equipment

Callaway XR and XR Pro Irons

Published

11 years ago

Jan 14, 2015

Callaway ‘s new XR iron line, which includes the XR and XR Pro irons, uses the company’s new Face Cup 360 technology that improves ball speed and forgiveness for longer, more consistent iron shots.

Cup 360 technology was first introduced in the fall with the company’s hollow-bodied Big Bertha irons. The XR irons have a slimmer, cavity-back profile, however, and the XR Pro irons are even slimmer — some golfers would call them blade-like, or players irons. That made engineering the Cup 360 an even greater challenge.

The reason Callaway engineers went through the trouble?

“WE THINK IT’S THE BEST TECHNOLOGY FOR DELIVERING BALL SPEED,” SAYS LUKE WILLIAMS, CALLAWAY’S SENIOR DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL STRATEGY FITTING AND IRONS.

Cup 360 works because it allows Callaway engineers to better control the face thicknesses of the irons, creating more ball speed on good shots, but especially on mishits. According to Williams, they particularly shine on shots struck low on the face.

While the XR Pro has a thinner topline and narrower sole, both irons also use Callaway’s Internal Standing Wave — a weight pad (see it in red above) that better positions the irons’ center of gravity (CG). Because the Internal Standing Wave is unattached to the iron’s face, it gives the face the freedom to flex more that Callaway’s previous irons.

XR irons

Price:

Steel: $799
Graphite: $899

Design Features:

Cup 360 Face Technology
Internal Standing Wave for higher MOI and ball speeds
2-piece construction that includes a dual heat treatment

Release Date: 2/20/15

XR Pro irons

Price:

Steel: $899

Design Features:

More compact, thiner top line and narrower sole width than XR irons
Cup360 Face Technology
Internal Standing Wave for higher MOI and ball speeds
2-piece construction that includes a dual heat treatment

Release Date: 2/20/15

Related Topics:Callaway irons

Up Next

Callaway XR Drivers, Fairway Woods and Hybrids

Don't Miss

SeeMore releases Giant FGP putter

Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

55 Comments

Don

Nov 3, 2015 at 11:22 pm

Spent about 2 weeks trying different heads and shafts. Both Titleists (AP1 and 2), RSi, Ping i, Mizuno, and the Callaway Apexes. Have owned Callaway X18s for 12 years and go by the mantra ‘you need to beat the champ for me to buy you’. My swing isn’t consistent enough for anything like a blade (am a 12 with hopes…) but didn’t find anything I hit well enough to take the plunge.

I went last week and tried the poorly badged XR Pros (add me to the list of guys who hate the red and blue on the back). Oh. My. God. I hit my 7i about 170 yds, and I gained 10-14 yds with XR Pro. I don’t care about distance very much but I care about accuracy a lot, and these were also more consistent with their dispersion. I was back and forth between the Ping i and these, tried them both multiple times on different days (my fitting guy loved me coming back and coming back ; ) and went with the XR Pros. I completely share the concern about what you do when you get to the PW and you’re hitting it 150 – how the heck do you gap down to 100 yards with 3 wedges (or even 4)? Well, once I figure that out I’ll let you know. They’re coming in the next 2 weeks and I’ll take all 90 days to determine whether I can work with them or not. I hope so. Long and straight – for me, what a concept! ; ) Happy playing, guys.

Reply Report comment
Kujan

Apr 27, 2015 at 8:16 pm

I looked over a number of irons today in Golfsmith and the Pros were my favorite. Smaller head and shorter in length than RSi2.

Reply Report comment
- Kujan
  
  Apr 29, 2015 at 5:16 pm
  
  Oops my bad. Checked the store again after checking specs. I must have been looking at the RSi1. The RSi2 is compact like the XR Pro and the club length is the same. The RSi2 has a thinner top line.
  
  Reply Report comment
stephen

Mar 18, 2015 at 6:37 am

I just demo the xr pro yesterday what abeautiful club much nicer looking then the xhot 2. I currently have cg 16s and I know what I will be changing too the xr pro that’s for sure topline is not that thick and the sole was good with the interaction to the turf get your self fitted then you find out how good they are . they mightn’t suit every one but someone who wants to step into the players iron area its a very good glub to look at

Reply Report comment
Kurt

Mar 12, 2015 at 3:02 pm

I hit the XR Pro irons a few times and was getting more distance than many of the other irons I was hitting and was pretty much ready to buy them. I starting looking around at the specs and noticed the loft or face angle was at least usually a few degrees steeper. For example, on the 7 iron, the Callaway XR Pro is 31 degrees while the Nike Vapor Pro is 35 degrees, the Pro Combo is 34 degrees, the Titliest AP1 is 32 degrees. When I was hitting, I was also hitting the two Nike 7 irons mentioned above and was getting about 10-15 yards extra carry with the XR Pros. Since the Nike XR Pro 6 iron is a 31 degree club, I guess this would be a more comparable club to hit XR Pro 7 iron.

Is this some kind of little game they are playing so that when you compare various makes of irons the XR Pro’s will appear to travel a lot further?

Reply Report comment
Rick

Mar 1, 2015 at 7:02 pm

Playing Callaway irons for all these years, I am used to a little wider soles. I’m with LB, they look better than the resent Callys.

Reply Report comment
Rick

Mar 1, 2015 at 5:50 pm

I can’t wait to try these out. I have been using x14 irons since they came out. I keep hitting them well but now I’m getting older and have lost a half club or more in distance. I’m hoping these irons help me out. Sounds like they might even open up room for another club in the bag with the 6 iron being as long as a typical 5 iron. Just need to hit both models.

Reply Report comment
Sd

Feb 19, 2015 at 6:23 pm

Compared the xr pro irons to the 714 titleist ap2 on trackman. The loft of the xr 7iron (31) is the same as the ap2 6 iron (31). The callaway goes 5 yards further. Great feeling club but let down by this need for distance. Writing 7 iron on a 6 iron club is not how distance should be gained.

Reply Report comment
Dave

Feb 19, 2015 at 5:38 pm

I had just bought a set of X2hot Pro’s 4-AW, they are very good irons and solid, I have not put them into play yet however I made the mistake of hitting the XR and the XR Pro at GolfSmith today. Unbelievable feel at impact, it is like hitting an AP-1 in steel only more solid, with the same impact sensation and sound, similar distance and control to the X2hot, I F’d up again I am going for the 5-AW in the Pro model, I thought this was going to be a gimmick, IT ISNT! I am an 8-10 handicap so a descent player and I am falling for it again! (cheaper than boating but expensive), old Chinese proverb, THE PROOF IS IN THE TEST- take your wallet and trade in’s with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and they are to my dislike .25 of an inch over on the X2hot for those interested in that model, the pro is 38″ 5 iron. Callaway has done a complete make over from just 3 years ago. It is remarkable really, I thought they were done!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply Report comment
David

Feb 18, 2015 at 2:45 pm

To the folks who are deriding these clubs without having hit them, here are the facts:

1. The lofts and lengths of the standard set are the same as last year’s models. No gamesmanship there.
2. The XR heads are actually an innovation in that the have a trampoline cup face adhered to a thin steel shell. The bottom of the club also flexes quite a bit. This is useful for amateurs, like me, who will miss low on the face.
3. The shaft offerings are quite nice and are currently a free upgrade. I purchased a new set of XR irons with recoil 680s for less than it would have cost to reshaft my Mizuno JPX. My need to switch to graphite prompted my iron purchase in the first place.
4. Distance gains are variable depending on how well you strike the ball. The better you strike it, the less distance increase you will see as compared to a standard set. However, I expect you will see 5-7 yards minimum for the same loft. If you consistently mishit your current irons, as many amateurs do, you will see large gains. This is because the areas of the face that would otherwise be miss hits, have a similar trampoline effect.
5. My clubs were standard length with the 680s and Callaway achieved a consistent (within less than 0.5 SW) of D3 SW for all of the clubs, as I had requested. They are not, in fact, overly lightweight heads.

I haven’t played Callaway clubs since the X18 irons and FT-5 driver days. While I will continue to play Ping woods, Callaway got my iron purchase.

I encourage others to do their homework before posting their ignorance on the Internet.

Reply Report comment
Teaj

Feb 11, 2015 at 12:41 pm

I agree its great for the consumer if they are willing to wait. But if your looking to purchase last generation Titleist through my experience you will have to do some looking around as Titleist seems to control their inventory a little better then the rest so if you want titleist your most likely going to have to buy new or hope that the 1 offs they have on the shelves fit your spec. A month before launching the new driver we were out of the previous model.

Reply Report comment
JoeJoe

Jan 28, 2015 at 4:47 pm

Not seen these in person but does anyone know if the lofts are still about the same as the Xhots (I’ve attached the Xhot lofts below)? I’ve played those for two years and really like the club and forgiveness and I typically replace (or get the itch to replace) my clubs about every two years so I’m looking. XR seems to be about what I’m used to and XR Pro maybe not as much confidence at address as I might like. I’ll be demoing soon once I find somewhere that has these available.
3 18°
4 20°
5 23°
6 26°
7 30°
8 34.5°
9 39°
PW 44°
AW 49°
SW 54°
LW 59°

Thanks.

Reply Report comment
Steve

Jan 17, 2015 at 1:42 pm

They look like the xhot line. Hated the look of the x2 hot irons. I don’t play callaway, but I don’t see a lot reason to upgrade from the previous models.

Reply Report comment
- sam
  
  Jan 17, 2015 at 5:08 pm
  
  Interesting that you take the time to comment at all being you do not play Callaway. Myself? I’ve been with Callaway since 1990 and do comment from time to time, pro or con, but I feel I can because I play Callaway.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Steve
    
    Jan 19, 2015 at 9:47 am
    
    Interesting that you take the time to comment on my post. Since you having been playing Callaway since 1990, but make no reply to the article itself or the clubs. I appreciate that I interest you more then the article. I feel I can comment since I live in th U.S and have the freedom to do so. And you are yelling at kids to get off the lawn. Your a troll.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - JT
      
      Jan 23, 2015 at 7:40 pm
      
      LOL!
      
      Reply Report comment
KT

Jan 16, 2015 at 7:49 am

Looks like X hot pro.

Reply Report comment
- sam
  
  Jan 17, 2015 at 5:11 pm
  
  OK, So what?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Birdeez
    
    Feb 16, 2015 at 1:37 pm
    
    you seem like a miserable person to be around
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Rick
    
    Mar 1, 2015 at 5:20 pm
    
    Right on Sam. First off you did not say Steve had no right to give his comment. Steve is just not smart enough to realize that this is about people that are interested in Callaway irons. But he has to make a comment that tells everyone that he doesn’t think much of the Callaway iron lineup. you know, to put down the people that do like Callaway irons. He probably won’t get what I am saying either unless I make it simple for him.
    So Hey Steve, Try being more of a gentleman, After all, golf is a gentlemans game. What you said in your post shows you are not a gentleman. And Sam was pointing this out without going through all this explaining. So really Steve, you are the troll.
    
    Reply Report comment
Tom

Jan 15, 2015 at 11:16 am

There seems to be a lot of suedo club engineers on this blog. Try the clubs then post your opinions.

Reply Report comment
Gogio

Jan 15, 2015 at 1:53 am

Really wish McGregor golf could have capitalized on this tech since it really does work. They had “360° cup face technology” (their exact slogon also) in their irons back in the early 2000’s and most people who hit them know they were crazy long. Mac tec nvg2 irons were one set with 360 cup face technology but they had a couple others also. Callaway won’t say this obviously but wonder why it took so long for another manufacturer to pick up on this? It’s probably the only technology left that will legitimately give anyone more distance imo.

Reply Report comment
- DSD
  
  Jan 15, 2015 at 4:27 pm
  
  As someone who worked in golf retail at that time (03-04), I can tell you the public thought those products were awful and we returned them all to MacGregor.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Gogio
    
    Jan 15, 2015 at 7:08 pm
    
    I never said anything about them looking good. Go ahead and google 360° cup face technology or nvg2 and you will get a bunch of info regarding McGregor. Hell the photo above is almost identical to theirs from 2004. Quite a few old wrx threads about them to. I didn’t imply about anything except for the (tech) involved. It works and Callaway knows that very well.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - DSD
      
      Jan 16, 2015 at 10:46 am
      
      Cool, thanks!
      
      Reply Report comment
  - TJF
    
    Jan 16, 2015 at 2:55 pm
    
    The ORIGINAL NVG2 irons were very awkward, Way too much offset and too long from heel to toe, but the NVG2 MIDS were a much improved design…. powerful and solid thru the 7 iron. midsize head, and minimal offset in relation to the original NVG2. The 8-pw though was the weak leak in the set. I used a combo set back them of NVG2 mids 4 thru 7 , and PING I3 8-pw. I remember hitting a 205 yard par 3 in 42 degree weather with a NVG2 MID 6.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - JT
      
      Jan 23, 2015 at 7:45 pm
      
      Rick Shiels has a good video on youtube.. that brought me here.. he hits the the 6i around 200y in the vid, and temp is probably in the 40’s.. I couldn’t believe that kind of distance so I guess you guys validate
      
      Btw, I picked up an Adams dhy hybrid iron in 2014 (2013 model) with a matrix white tie and love it.. so easy to hit.. Is that concept (hollow body) what Callaway is going for here?
      
      Reply Report comment
Andrew

Jan 14, 2015 at 7:55 pm

I hit the XR and XR PRO 7 iron tonight on the LM at Edwin Watts with Project-X 6.0 steel shaft and KBS C-Taper steel shaft. I currently game Ping I20’s with CFS X-stiff steel shafts. I can carry the XR and the PRO an average of 10 yards longer than my Pings. I normally carry my Ping 7 iron about 160 – 163 yards, with roll out to 170 – 173 yards. I consistently carried the XR and PRO 170 – 174 yards, with roll out to 185 yards. Not to say I can do this every time, my last swing carried the XR head with C-Taper shaft 188 yards, with roll out to 199 yards. These irons are extremely long and forgiving, with an outstanding feel to the face. I think the PRO’s are going to be in my bag this year.

Last note, the numbers I quoted were produced with the new Callaway Chrome Soft golf ball. I alternated between the new Chrome Soft and the Speed Regime 2, and the Chrome Soft is incredible.

Reply Report comment
- Andrew
  
  Jan 20, 2015 at 12:32 pm
  
  A 10 handicap is going to have a little inconsistency in distance. Instead of commenting on other people without knowing anything about them, maybe you should test the irons for yourself and post your own commentary on the irons.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Simon
  
  Feb 5, 2015 at 8:05 pm
  
  These types of irons are not made for precise yardages and functional gapping. This is why the philosophy of modern golf companies (or just Callaway and TM if you like) sucks big time. All the gaps in the long irons are squashed up and the scoring irons have large gaps – and these are the irons you need to be precise to score. There should be rules around what a 7 iron loft should be. This will also end the confusion around advertising distances.
  
  Reply Report comment
Tom

Jan 14, 2015 at 6:58 pm

I hit these today. My pro did not have the XR Pro heads yet. The regular XR heads felt great once he put a DG S300 shaft in them for me. I could tell about miss-hit location and got good distance and reasonable dispersion on my miss-hits. The XR 7I was comparable to the AP2 6I with equivalent shaft for me today in distance and actually launched a bit lower. (could be the Indian…) Anyhow these stand a real good chance of being in my bag come spring.

Reply Report comment
WILSON

Jan 14, 2015 at 4:42 pm

A guy in our men’s league just barely bought a set of big bertha irons. I’ll have to ask him what it feels like to have obsolete irons already.

Reply Report comment
- LB
  
  Jan 14, 2015 at 8:25 pm
  
  They release new irons all the time, what exactly are you mad about?
  
  Reply Report comment
- Jafar
  
  Jan 16, 2015 at 9:29 am
  
  They still work. It’s golfers that are obsolete, not the clubs. If you know how to strike a ball with a golf club, it doesn’t really matter who made it or when it was made. I’d take a set of Big Berthas ten years from now.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Shallowface
    
    Jan 16, 2015 at 8:21 pm
    
    Or a set from ten years ago.
    
    Reply Report comment
- Dave
  
  Feb 11, 2015 at 5:36 pm
  
  Wilson, he doesn’t have obsolete irons. In fact the set he has are very good. The BB have more of a hybrid look with a deeper bounce that offers more forgiveness than standard irons. He’ll be able to score quite nicely with his clubs.
  I fit and sell clubs. I hit everything in my Edwin Watts store. They feel great.
  If your buddy bought his clubs from us he has 90 days to play them. If he’s not satisfied, bring them back and get full credit towards something else; but I’m pretty sure, if I fit him in the irons, he’ll have no complaints. You might when he starts taking the pot every week. 😉
  
  Reply Report comment
Rich

Jan 14, 2015 at 3:16 pm

What are the stock shafts please?

Reply Report comment
Golfraven

Jan 14, 2015 at 2:35 pm

Can someone stop this marketing BS? We know those are the best irons, drivers ever build – nobody wants to go back in evolution. Like the Pro model, looking sharp and seems like there is enough tech stuff in them.

Reply Report comment
Corey

Jan 14, 2015 at 2:33 pm

The PRO Model is unreal. I played apex pro all last year and thought those were long. I got 12 yards more with xr pro 7 iron over apex pro same specs.

Corey
PGA Fitter

Reply Report comment
- WILSON
  
  Jan 14, 2015 at 4:41 pm
  
  Way to be another shill, Mr. Corey. We definitely need more of those around.
  
  Reply Report comment
Troy

Jan 14, 2015 at 2:27 pm

The irons look nice overall, but do not like the red and blue inside the iron cavity, makes the iron look a bit cheap.
I have the XHot Pro Irons and have loved them from day one, am not seeing anything with these irons that would make me want to give up what I have.

Reply Report comment
- KT
  
  Jan 16, 2015 at 7:48 am
  
  I second that.
  
  Reply Report comment
other paul

Jan 14, 2015 at 2:12 pm

Bertha irons are super game improvement to the extreme. These are as well, just less so.

Reply Report comment
Ron H

Jan 14, 2015 at 12:25 pm

colour me skeptical. The kind of golfer who wants more distance on gross mishits will just push/slice/pull/hook shots even Further off line and into trouble. A little help on mild mishits is a good idea. Too much help too far off the sweet spot and toe and heel strikes produce much worse problems, not better outcomes.

Reply Report comment
harleyweewax

Jan 14, 2015 at 11:56 am

“Bladelike”?…….ummmmm, no. That topline is an immediate turn-off. Nice though that Cally is already out with their “latest and greatest”, sucks for all you guys with the new berthas that have barely gotten dirty yet. Any difference b/w TM and Cally anymore?

Reply Report comment
Gregg

Jan 14, 2015 at 11:52 am

So what is the point of the Big Bertha irons at an extra $200 retail? Good job on Callaway pushing that iron on the retailers before bringing these out

Reply Report comment
- Corey
  
  Jan 14, 2015 at 2:45 pm
  
  Recoil shafts……material
  
  Reply Report comment
Eugene Marchetti

Jan 14, 2015 at 11:40 am

At least the price of these irons are more in line with other brands. The Big Bertha’s were over priced and, in my opinion, over hyped.

Reply Report comment
Teaj

Jan 14, 2015 at 10:21 am

if you need a little extra distance with a pro model these will most likely fit the bill as the previous ones for me anyways were a club longer. Most likely due to them being delofted

Reply Report comment
BL

Jan 14, 2015 at 10:01 am

The XR Pro irons are slim and blade-like? I must be looking at the wrong pictures.

Reply Report comment
- jgpl001
  
  Jan 14, 2015 at 4:50 pm
  
  Me too, don’t see any blade like characteristic or slim top line here….
  
  These are just rehashed x hot 2 pros and will be clearing at half price in March
  
  Reply Report comment
Ian

Jan 14, 2015 at 9:44 am

cast club mean inconsistent distance control, also the heads are sooooo light that you lose all swing timing because you cannot tell where the head is on the down swing.

Look pretty, though that top line is still too thick, the sole unit is too thick so turf interaction plays a huge part

If I were callaway I would look at the AP2 714 iron range and look to replicate what Titleist do, this would increase their market share

also stop launching new clubs every year, I mean come on last year the V series, big bertha, big bertha alpha, big bertha 815 and now the XR range

what is wrong with every two years, jeez it was just two years ago you launched the Xhot pro

Reply Report comment
- Rick
  
  Mar 1, 2015 at 5:43 pm
  
  I agree Ian. but they want as much market share as they can get I guess.
  
  Reply Report comment
LB

Jan 14, 2015 at 8:32 am

these look good! much nicer than Xhot and X2hot releases

Reply Report comment
James

Jan 14, 2015 at 8:10 am

Still a pretty wide sole and a thick topline on the Pro than what I would prefer but as always I will demo them like I do most new clubs.

Reply Report comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

1 hour ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Titleist Vokey Proto Wedges 54M, 60T

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @Putt4Dough is selling some prototype wedges from Vokey Wedgeworks. These include a 54 degree wedge with the M grind and a 60 degree wedge with a T grind.

From the listing:

(1) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 54M with a Tour Issue DGS400 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet (logo down). Standard length, lie, and loft. BB&F ferrule. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

(2) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 60T with a KBS Tour 130X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Standard length, lie, and loft. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.