NEWS

Club Test 2011: Callaway RAZR Hawk and RAZR Hawk Tour Drivers

By Golf Magazine / Golf.com
Published on
Club Test 2011: Callaway RAZR Hawk and RAZR Hawk Tour Drivers

From Golf Magazine (March, 2011)
Callaway Golf RAZR Hawk
Category:
Game-Improvement Drivers
We Tested: 9.5° Draw, 9.5° Neutral, 10.5° Draw, 10.5° Neutral, 11.5° Draw with Aldila RIP graphite shaft

Key Technologies: Forged composite, a cutting-edge material (forging carbon fiber) co-developed with Lamborghini, allows Callaway engineers the freedom to precisely control wall thickness. As a result, specific body parts are made thinner (lighter) or thicker (heavier) as desired.

OUR TESTERS SAY: Among the top-rated models in the test. RAZR Hawk packs a big punch.

PROS
DISTANCE:
Several testers hit this 46-inch club longer than their current club — as much as 20 yards farther; very consistent results, misses get plenty of help distance-wise.

ACCURACY/FORGIVENESS: Useful directional correction; heel or toe hits are quite playable.

FEEL: Improved feel over previous Callaway composite drivers; very stable, head-heavy feel throughout swing; shots jump off springy face with a softer, lower-pitched crack.

PLAYABILITY: Testers hit all sorts of shots with ease; repeatable, hot flight.

LOOK: Pleasing head shape with black coloring; shaft has red arrow alignment aid.

CONS
The curved seam on the crown can be off-putting; impact is too muffled for a few testers.

RAZR Hawk Tour Driver
Category:
Tour Drivers
We Tested: 9.5°, 10.5° with Aldila RIP graphite shaft

Key Technologies: "Forged composite" is lighter and stronger than titanium. Using "forged composite" in the sole and crown enable the design team to precisely control wall thickness. The result is a lighter head with high MOI. The aerodynamic design ("streamlined surface technology") reduces drag during the downswing for increased head speed and distance.

OUR TESTERS SAY: Delivers very good performance with above average distance.

PROS
DISTANCE:
A few testers boom it while many others achieve acceptable distance.

ACCURACY/FORGIVENESS: Testers praise directional consistency on mis-hits all over the face; minimal distance loss on heel and toe shots.

FEEL: Solid feel without a loud sound; mis-hits can be detected but are subtle; light but stable sensation throughout the swing.

PLAYABILITY: Consistent, straight shots are the norm; subtle draws and fades occur with some effort; very good trajectory control.

LOOK: No nonsense all-black color scheme with unobtrusive sight lines and square setup.

CONS
Some testers can't shape shots as easily as with other models; feel on good and bad shots isn't always significantly different.

From The Shop Blog (January 3, 2010)

When it comes to tee shots, golfers tend to fall into one of two categories: players who simply want to crush the ball, and those who are willing to give up a few yards if they can shape their shots.

If you're all about distance, Callaway has the Diablo Octane driver. But if you like to draw the ball around a corner or fade it into the short grass, the company now offers the RAZR Hawk and RAZR Hawk Tour drivers.

Like the Diablo Octane, the RAZR Hawk and RAZR Hawk Tour are made with Forged Composite, a super-lightweight material Callaway developed in conjunction with Lamborghini. To create it, millions of ultra-thin carbon fibers are heated and pressed between two halves of a metal tool. The fibers melt in the heat and pressure of the tool and ooze into the exact shape Callaway desires. The final product is very strong, and very light.

Forged Composite was used in the crown of the Diablo Octane, but it's used to make the crown and body of the RAZR Hawk drivers, although none of the material is visible at address.

Some of the saved weight has been redistributed to a nickel weight in the rear of the club. This lowers the club's center of gravity and should help produce higher-flying drives. In the Draw version, the weight is slightly more to the toe side of the head.

Even with that weight, the RAZR Hawk drivers are still light enough for Callaway to pair them with 46-inch shafts, which should help golfers generate faster swings. Couple that with improved aerodynamics (the company says drag has been reduced by 43% compared to last season's FT-9), and Callaway says that the 460cc RAZK Hawk driver is more than 6 yards longer off the tee than the FT-9.

Like the FT-9 Tour, the RAZR Hawk Tour has a slightly smaller head (445cc), a slightly-higher CG and will come standard with a 45.5-inch shaft.

Both the standard and Tour versions of the RAZR Hawk have a cast titanium cup face that is chemically milled to be slightly thicker in the center and thinner near the edges to help golfers maintain ball speed on off-center hits. Along the bottom of both drivers, Callaway has also placed an aluminum skid plate for added durability.

In addition to the drivers, Callaway is releasing matching RAZR Hawk fairway woods. Unlike the drivers, the fairway woods are made with a Carbon Composite crown but a stainless steel body and face.

While the RAZR Hawk fairway woods come with standard-length shafts, they feature the same variable face thickness (VFT) found in the drivers for added pop.

You'll start to see all of these clubs in your local pro shops in the middle of February. Callaway's RAZR Hawk driver will be available in 9.5°, 10.5°, 11.5° and 13° versions while the RAZR Hawk Tour will be available in 8.5°, 9.5° and 10.5° models. Both models will cost about $399.

More Drivers on Golf.com:

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