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New to golf and not sure what I wanted in terms of clubs. I had read that beginning golfers make the mistake of selecting club shafts which are too stiff. That combined with my buddies' preference for Callaway X-18 and X-22 clubs made my decision. I currently play with a mixed set of Affinity and Northwestern irons, steel shaft, unknown flex. Going to a graphite flex Callaway X-18 was a bit of a change. I did notice the "feel" of the club when making contact with the ball was very muted when compared to the steel-shafted clubs I have. Not necessarily good or bad, just different. The common thwack you hear when hitting the sweet spot is also different. What I do most like about this club is that it seems to be a little more forgiving than my other clubs. When I make a less-than-ideal swing and contact other than the center of the club, I am still rewarded with a nice straight flight and decent (160+) distance. That's just my distance with a 6-iron but I'm starting out. Your mileage may vary. All in all a great club for a good price. I will eventually complete my Callaway X-18 set (probably through Ebay). I do like the clubs that much. But, keep in mind I only have mediocre clubs with which to compare. Certainly those who have experience with Taylormade, Ping, or other big name brands may feel differently. Although I think the brand of club is a lot like car makers; some like Chevy, some like Ford. It's all in what you like and what helps improve your game. For me, it's the Callaway X-18 with the grahite shaft. Oh, and Ford, in case you were curious.Read full review
Strengths: Very forgiving, with good distance. Offset helps keep my shots straight. Weaknesses: The finish, while quite attractive, will easily show blemishes and scratches. Comments: I had been playing with King Cobra II oversize irons for the past six or seven years. Very nice irons but the golf bug, which had been lying dormant, sprang to life full-force this year and I got the "itch." You know what I mean. So the hunt was on. I stayed away from classic blades because as much as I like the way they look, I'm not good enough to wield these sticks on a regular basis. I looked at a lot of clubs like Callaway's own Fusion line, TaylorMade RAC, Ping G2s, etc. It was a tough decision since I would argue that beyond a certain price point, it's hard to find irons that are bad anymore. It's a matter of finding a set you feel comfortable with and pulling the trigger. And that's how I ended up with the X-18s after LOTS of personal testing. I find the X-18s to be very forgiving, with very good distance. On solid hits, I love the way the ball jumps off the face of these clubs. Callaway has also done a very nice job in the looks department. These irons are light years apart from the original Callaway irons, which to my eye were unattractive. Lots of features with these irons. Here are some that influenced my decision to purchase these clubs: * Perimeter weighting - the clubs (up to the 9 iron) has an actual hollow area in the back cavity to push more weight to the perimeter. According to Callaway, this thins the clubface so the hitting area is enlarged for more forgiveness. * Extreme notch weighting - This is Callaway's fancy term for pushing more of the weight to the heel and toe to help the clubhead resist twisting. The result should be a more forgiving club. Makes sense to me. If you have all the weight in the middle of the clubhead, solid hits will be great but any sort of miss will more easily twist the head left or right, resulting in poor accuracy and loss of distance. The more weight you can position towards the heel and toe of the clubhead, the more forgiving the club will be. From my results, I can definitely see the benefit of what Callaway has done. Mis-hits still travel a fair distance and this helps builds my confidence in these irons. * More traditional head design - Callaway irons have always been on the chunky side. They've improved with each new offering and the X-18 is svelte compared to the original Big Bertha irons. Let's just say that in my opinion, looks won't get in the way of people buying these irons. I ended up getting #5 to #9 iron, PW, approach wedge, and SW. I decided on hybrids to replace the #3 and #4 irons since I've always had a hard time hitting these clubs consistently. There are a lot of shafts options available in both graphite and steel. Lots of folks underestimate the impact of the shaft in club performance - don't make that mistake. I strongly suggest you get a professional club fitting (which should be free if you end up buying from the club fitter) since hitting with these different shafts is really the only way to decide which shaft is for you. Bottom line: The X-18s are a nice blend of forgiveness/performance for all levels of golfers. Low handicappers can still work the ball but may want to opt for the Pro Series.Read full review
I bought this iron to try out the x18's. Maybe it's because I grew up using old technology, but I just can't get used to looking down at the fat top edge of these clubs. The club is forgiving, but the feel just isn't there. When I hit my forged blade irons well, it's solid feedback that feels great in the hands. The callaways feel the same no matter how you hit the ball. This is great for cold days when hitting a thin shot normally feels like hitting a brick -- sending a nasty shockwave up your hands and arms. However, I enjoy getting the reward of a good sensation when hitting a great shot. That being said, these clubs are quite easy to hit, and would be a good choice for a beginning/high handicapp golfer wanting to improve his/her iron play.
I have owned a set of the x-18's for about a year now. The notch weighting system does give a more balanced feel to the club and adds forgiveness to mis hits. I have also noticed a 8-10 yard gain on each club based on my previous set. Pros - looks great and feels great on center hits Cons - set-up from top...clubs has a thick line and is harder to work right to left than a blade. Over-all the clubs have been great. Next year I will be trading for a set of forged irons in the x-20 model.
I really like these clubs.I've only ever had off brand sets and this was my chance to buy a really good club at a great price.This is my first graphite shaft set of clubs and I like the way they feel and hit.They are an older set from Callaway but still have that zing in them and they were in great shape.Some golfers say you can buy your game,not me.If you don't play good golf,a set of great clubs does not make you play great.Practice,practice,practice,and take a lesson if need be.This purchase prompted me to upgrade to a set of Callaway drivers off E-Bay and a nice used Datrek bag.I'm set for a long time now.Now I just need to find the time to golf.(hahaha)
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