50 Words or Less
The Callaway Elyte X driver delivers on its promises of maximum forgiveness and help with a draw. Long, heel-leaning footprint. Loud, booming impact sound.
Introduction
Callaway has been on a torrid stretch when it comes to drivers. For the last two years, whenever I talk to fitters, Callaway drivers are among the best sellers, the best performers, and the default choice to reach for in any fitting. The Callaway Elyte X driver looks to continue that trend, boasting superior speed and heightened forgiveness for players who want more help off the tee.
Looks
The first thing that struck me when I looked down at the Callaway Elyte X driver is the Thermoforged Carbon crown. While carbon fiber materials are nothing new in driver crowns, something about the texture of the Thermoforged Carbon was very different to my eye. To be honest, I found it a bit distracting, though I expect I would have gotten used to it over time.
In terms of shape, the Elyte X driver is very long from front to back, noticeably longer than the standard Elyte driver. The face is slightly shut at address, and the shape leans toward the heel where the standard Elyte is symmetrical. These are the hallmarks of draw-biased, max-forgiveness drivers. They don’t appeal to my eye, that’s just subjective; others may find this look very attractive.
The sole of the Callaway Elyte X driver is fairly busy. Small slashes of green at the periphery give the driver some personality. The Callaway and Elyte X branding are at the toe and heel, as is common in modern drivers, and the middle is dominated by a large “E”. Also prominent is the movable weighting.
Sound & Feel
The Callaway Elyte X driver is one of the louder drivers I’ve tested recently. It’s not deafening – this is no Nike Sumo – but it seems that while many OEMs are going quieter and quieter, Callaway decided to let this one sing out. The sound is not unpleasant, and it offers plenty of feedback on strike quality – it’s a “crack” on mishits, a low-pitched “boom” on pure strikes.
Through the hands, the Elyte X feels solid on pure strikes. Mishits don’t feel bad or hollow, but they have less “oomph” to them. In terms of feedback, you can clearly distinguish a miss from a quality strike, but I had to really focus to locate impact with any precision.
Performance
The Callaway Elyte X driver is the successor to the Paradym Ai Smoke Max D and Paradym X drivers [review HERE]. This is the Elyte that’s built for maximum forgiveness and help fighting the slice. On both of those counts, it succeeds. This is easily the most forgiving of the Callaway Elyte drivers, offering solid ball speed across the face. Where it really shines is on the bigger mishits. If you put a ball on the extreme heel or toe, the Elyte X driver will give you a fairly decent result where even the standard Elyte will significantly drop your distance.
Moving to the direction and dispersion, Callaway is offering something new with the Elyte X. This driver has a movable weight, allowing you to choose between “Neutral” and “Draw.” I would argue that the choice is more like “Draw” or “Extreme Draw,” but either way it’s nice to have options. When paired with the adjustable hosel, it gives you good flexibility for choosing a shot shape.
The tech story on the Callaway Elyte X driver is more about iterative improvements than revolutionary change. The Thermoforged Carbon crown is a lighter material than other carbon fibers, which gives Callaway more flexibility with the CG and shaping. Callaway also continues to push the AI story with “Ai 10x Face” which has “10 times more control points” than last generation’s Ai Smart Face.
Overall, I think the Elyte X driver delivers on its promises. It launches fairly high with mid spin. The forgiveness is stout but not game changing. It will help a lot of players who slice, and the added flexibility of movable weighting is a meaningful upgrade over past generations.
Comparing the Callaway Elyte X driver to the other Elyte drivers, this one is built for players who need more forgiveness. This club has “Highest” forgiveness where the Elyte driver is “Higher.” That added forgiveness is reflected in the suggested handicap range: 0 to 30+. Additionally, the Elyte X is designed to launch higher and spin more than the Elyte. Players who want even higher launch – and lighter weight – should opt for the Callaway Elyte Max Fast driver.
Conclusion
If you’re in the market for a club that offers strong forgiveness and help fighting your slice, the Callaway Elyte X driver deserves to be in the mix. This is not a leaps-and-bounds improvement over previous generations, but the added flexibility of movable weights is a solid upgrade.
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Callaway Elyte X Driver Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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3 Comments
Hi Matt –
Love your site. The concise reviews are great and very helpful.
My question is this – your results when testing drivers are usually very much the same over the years – meaning 106, 157, 2100, and 260 carry very frequently. How then, with such consistent results do you determine that one product is better than another – especially when the physics of launch, spin, ball speed determine performance?
I suppose that simply consistency of results is really the key when comparing products?
Thanks
Mike,
That’s a really good question, and it’s one of the reasons why I’ve gone back and forth about the value of publishing those numbers.
Trying to be as concise as possible: the numbers we publish are not a representation of every swing, and the numbers are far less valuable to you, as a reader, than the text. The text of the review is where the reviewer can get into the details and nuance of the club. The numbers are very blunt instruments, and they exclude some elements of the testing.
Best,
Matt
Please keep the numbers! We’ll know something would be worth the upgrade when your SS is the same but your carry significantly changes 😂
Appreciate all you do.