In a lot of ways, “fairway” has been taken out of the traditional wood you might have previously hit into a green on a long par-5. That’s because as fairway woods have increasingly become utilized off the tee—and allow the golfer to more readily move the ball from right to left or vice versa more readily than a driver—they’ve often become a challenge for amateur players when struck from the short grass. That’s what Callaway is trying to address with its Elyte fairway and hybrid line.
“We focus up to the areas where golfers tend to struggle the most, and low in the face is one of those, especially if you’re getting off the deck,” says Zack Oakley, Callaway’s Senior Product Marketing Manager. The result? “Hitting it thin and then just making solid contact in general can be a challenge for a lot of players when it comes to fairway woods,” he adds.
Callaway acknowledges some golfers struggle to make solid contact, often hit the ball lower on the face of fairway woods, resulting in poor strikes and a loss of distance. That was the problem Callaway tried to tackle with Elyte. Using some of the lessons learned from Apex utility woods, Callaway didn’t want Elyte fairways to skip through the turf, which often results in off-center and weak strikes.
More Tungsten
Found in the 3 to 7-woods, Callaway’s Tungsten Speed Wave is a 35-gram weight that moves the CG low and forward to faster ball speeds. The other benefit is that it adds speed to misses low on the face, a common challenge facing amateur golfers.
Improved Turf Interaction
A fairway wood with 57% less turf interaction than Paradym Ai Smoke—that’s what Callaway has come up with in its Elyte fairway woods. The result is cleaner contact, with the new Step Sole technology minimizes skidding, ensuring smoother, more solid strikes. The new turf interaction improving low on the face strikes by 25%.
Face Enhancements
Like the Elyte driver, the fairway woods use artificial intelligence to further refine the clubface. The Elyte fairway is designed with C300 Face cup to produce exceptionally fast ball speeds, tight dispersion, and optimized launch across the face.
Adjustable Hosels
Found in the 3-wood, this allows the golfer to dial in loft and shot shape.
Which one is for me?
Elyte
Designed to fit most golfers, the Elyte uses the new Tungsten Speed Wave to create consistent ball speeds, even on low-center strikes. This version makes it really easy to get the ball in the air.
Elyte X
Slightly larger and more forgiving, with a great draw bias, this is the ideal fairway wood for those who slice the ball.
Elyte Triple Diamond
With a slightly deeper face, this will appeal to the better player who often uses it off the tee.
Elyte Max Fast
Created for the slower to moderate swing speed golfers seeking more distance from the tee and the fairway.
Elyte Hybrid
With three different models, the Elyte Hybrids offer adjustability, with heel weights for the first time. That makes these hybrids easy to dial in—something that hasn’t always been the case for this segment of clubs. “f you want more of a draw bias, and you can swap that 13 [gram weight] into the heel and you’ll see up to 12 yards of shot shape adjustability,” says Williams. “And then for the player who’s really struggling with hooks in their hybrid, which we know there are a lot of players out there who do struggle with that, there’s seven unique loft combinations where you can really straighten out and and neutralize that ball flight.”
Overall, Callaway feels they’ve made significant improvements with their hybrids in an area other companies aren’t paying that much attention to.
Which one is for me?
Elyte
Best suited for golfers with a neutral ball flight. This version has a mid-size profile and fits nicely in a mixed set with Elyte and Elyte HL irons.
Elyte X
With a taller face and more forgiveness, this is the version that fits golfers seeking a more draw bias option with an oversize head.
Elyte Max Fast
Ideal for golfers looking for a lightweight and easy to swing hybrid, the shallow face height and stretched back shape make this model forgiving and easy to launch.