The long-iron/hybrid/high-lofted fairway wood slot in my bag is constantly up for debate and so I was particularly intrigued to see how the new Callaway Elyte hybrid would perform when putting it through its paces, not just on a GCQuad Launch monitor but also out on the golf course.
As a golfer who plays regularly on different golf courses and in different conditions, the top end of my bag is ever-changing to suit the conditions of my environment at any given time. However, I can’t help but feel I would be more consistent if I had a ‘go-to’ club that I could call my Mr Reliable, no matter what conditions I’m faced with.
While I’ve been using a Titleist U505 driving iron for some time now, I’ve always been a fan of a lofted fairway wood, such as the 9-wood I enjoyed testing last year. Despite being a +3 handicapper and confident ball striker, smaller hybrid heads just don’t do it for me and so when I saw the slightly larger profile of the Elyte hybrid, my eyes lit up.
The Elyte hybrid is what Callaway is calling its most adjustable hybrid ever. It features a new 4-way Optifit hosel compared to the one seen in the past with Paradym and Ai Smoke hybrids and it features two weight ports on the sole. In these ports, you’ll find a 13g tungsten weight and a 3g aluminum weight, both of which fit into either slot so you can tailor the club to be more draw-biased or kept to promote a neutral ball flight. I often find hybrids too easy to turn over and so the neutral setting is what I stuck with during my testing.
So what was the performance like and does this club warrant a place in my bag? Without beating around the bush, the numbers were good... really good. 149mph was my average ball speed and that combined with 3810rpm of spin saw my carry number constantly fall around the 233 yard mark. It’s always been a lack of consistency in strike with hybrids that have seen me rarely keep one in the bag for much longer than a couple of weeks but the Callaway Elyte feels different. The new Ai10x face has seen 10 times the amount of sweet spots positioned on the face compared to Ai Smoke hybrids and that felt noticeable, particularly on shots that were hit low and towards the heel. The ball speed and carry barely dropped on these hits, which is crucial for when you’re not quite in your rhythm on the golf course and proved to be comparable to some of the most forgiving hybrids I have tested.
The Elyte hybrid felt very lively off the face and that feeling was backed up by the fast ball speed numbers it produced. It offers up a slightly firmer feel than the Elyte fairway wood, which will be largely down to the Thermoforged crown on the fairway wood. Considering the Elyte X hybrid is the higher launching of the two new models, I was impressed with the ease of launch from the regular Elyte hybrid. The towering ball flight descended as if it had been hit by a pitching wedge and so if you’re a slightly shorter hitter who regularly uses hybrids playing into greens, this club could be a fantastic option.
Despite the X forming a larger footprint, the standard Elyte hybrid any of the most forgiving hybrids from last year, particularly when playing from the rough. The mid-sized profile tore through the first cut exceptionally well and saw the ball pop out with ease.
There was very little to grumble about with the new Callaway Elyte hybrid. If I were being uber critical I would say the aesthetics could look a little more premium or spruced up, particularly when looking down at the club behind the ball. The satin black is by no means offensive but I feel could be made to look a little more premium given the $299/£299 price tag.
If you’re looking to update your current hybrid or perhaps are diving into the hybrid market for the first time, you’ll do well to find one more well-rounded than the Callaway Elyte. It has all the performance features of one of the best hybrids and thanks to the additional adjustablility, you can easily tailor the clubs specs to suit your golf swing or the course you’re teeing it up on.
