Are you looking for a hybrid that offers the perfect mixture of forgiveness and distance? Well the Callaway Elyte X Hybrid might just be the perfect solution for your game with some extra help to fix your slice.
Callaway’s metalwoods have long been regarded as super reliable, with many tour players opting to include them in their setups due to how effortlessly they perform from the fairway.
So it will be interesting to see how it fares during our testing…
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Who Is It Aimed At?
The Elyte hybrid range features two models: the standard Elyte and the Elyte X.
Both offer forgiveness and distance, but the Elyte X adds draw bias to help golfers who often fade their shots. Each model includes adjustable weighting and loft options, allowing for fine-tuning of ball flight to suit individual preferences.
So if you’re somebody who does tend to slice the ball regularly then this review is definitely worth the read, but if you’re just looking for a standard Callaway Elyte hybrid click here.
The Tech
Callaway’s latest hybrid has been engineered to offer their highest level of adjustability yet, featuring heel-toe weighting designed to influence ball flight. Golfers can position 13g tungsten or 3g aluminium weights in the heel or toe to fine-tune between neutral and draw bias.
The latest iteration of Callaway’s Optifit 4 adjustable hosel provides seven distinct loft and lie configurations, helping to create precise gapping throughout the bag. Golfers can adjust loft up to two degrees flat, providing more flexibility for dialing in preferred performance and ball flight.
Callaway claims the new weighting system and Optifit 4 hosel together offer up to 13 yards of shot shaping.
The new Ai 10X face optimises launch and reduces dispersion, especially on off-centre strikes. According to the brand, this iteration features ten times more control points than the previous Ai Smart Face, enhancing overall consistency.
Callaway Elyte X Hybrid Review
Looks and Feel
After testing the standard Elyte hybrid, I was curious to compare it directly with the more draw-biased Elyte X. It’s fair to say I was struggling to see a difference straight away as there are only very subtle differences.
Just like the standard Elyte, the Elyte X features a pleasant oval shape at address that has slightly more surface area towards the toe and more of a point to it.
I was also thankful that Callaway hadn’t used the same carbon style two-step crown found in the fairway woods and stuck with the traditional matte black look. It’s a much more sleek design in comparison.
The sole of the club features two adjustable weights alongside Callaway’s Elyte branding, that I think looks very stylish in this compact form factor. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of the Elyte Driver sole but this does look better in a smaller head size.
Alongside the branding and green colour palette I couldn’t help but mention how much this design reminded me of 2019’s Epic Flash model.
Down at address just like the standard Elyte I loved the classic shape and design of the Elyte X head. It’s a classic matte black finish with a the Elyte branding featured on the heel alongside the brand’s iconic V logo for alignment. Matte black is a much better choice for woods these days with its anti-glare capabilities making it one less thing to think about other than hitting the ball!
Straight away from hitting I was getting instant feedback from how well this club was responding. It was really noticeable how much thought had been put into the acoustics and feel off the club face. So I was excited to see how this performed during further testing.
Performance
To test the Callaway Elyte X Hybrid properly we headed to HUKD to get some numbers and then headed out onto the golf course to see how it matched up.
First few shots were extremely impressive, I knew from testing the standard Elyte that this was one degree less in loft, but I didn’t think that one degree would gain me so much more ball speed and carry distance.
I usually hit my own Ping G410 17 degree 2-hybrid around 230 yards, so to see 244.8 yards from my third shot was impressive. Bear in mind this hybrid is only 18 degrees, showing it’s potential in distance.
I had three shots carry easily over 240 yards with the Elyte X, whereas in comparison to the standard Elyte it was hovering around 235 yards. I would put this down to the slightly more forgiving and longer head shape offering some impressive ball speeds.
Spin rates were also very similar to the standard Elyte hovering around 3200 mark which was slightly high, but depending what your use is for this club could actually be very useful.
On Course
On the course, the Elyte X was tested across tee shots, fairway lies, and in the semi-rough. As anticipated, the performance was impressive throughout. Off the tee, it was high launching and carrying around 5-10 yards further than the standard Elyte. For me the most satisfying part was the sound outdoors, very responsive and satisfying, and sounded like an absolute rocket when struck from the centre.
I experimented with a few different shot shapes, knowing that golfers tend to approach hybrids in various ways – some like an iron (steep), others like a fairway wood (shallow). Both techniques worked well, but personally, I preferred striking the Elyte X more like a fairway wood, gently sweeping the ball off the turf, which produced some excellent results.
From the fairway and rough, the Elyte X proved exceptionally easy to get airborne. Even in the rough, there was a noticeable boost in backspin, helping the ball stay in the air longer without losing too much carry. Personally I prefer the additional spin as it really is helpful when hitting shots from thicker lies. That said, this setup might be less suitable in windy conditions where a lower spinning ball flight may be needed.
Callaway Elyte X Hybrid Verdict
The Callaway Elyte X hybrid was extremely forgiving, high launching and produced exceptional distance. I loved the similarities it had and subtle changes from the near-perfect standard model. Personally I preferred the standard head shape but can see the help it would provide for golfers needing that extra help to straighten their slice.
As far as performance goes I was struggling to fault this club apart from maybe being too close to my G425 3-wood in distance, making me think that 22 degree may be a better option for me to fill that gap between 3-wood and 4-iron.
The beauty of the Elyte hybrid is that even if you do select the wrong loft, there’s seven loft/lie options for you to play about with too.
Would I Use It?
Yes for sure, great looking club that sounds and feels great as well as some impressive carry numbers!
