Engineering for Uncompromised Performance

According to Steve Ehlers, vice president of innovation and development at Callaway Golf (callawaygolf.com), there are two things the average golfer looks for in a driver: Length and forgiveness. For those of you who aren’t up to par on golf terminology, length refers to the distance a golfer can hit the ball, while forgiveness is how a driver performs in the case of an off-center ball strike. Back in the day, these were mutually exclusive. Today, engineers have reached a compromise between the two: They’re developing larger, more forgiving clubheads out of lightweight materials like titanium and graphite. At Callaway, they’re taking things a step further. They’re using an even lighter, stronger material: “Forged Composite.”

Developed in collaboration between Callaway and Automobil Lamborghini, Forged Composite is a carbon-fiber like material that’s one-third the density of titanium. It’s composed of microscopic sheets of turbostratic fibers—intertwined carbon atoms aligned with carbon fibers—to enhance club strength and durability. Each of Callaway’s RAZR Hawk drivers contains 23 million turbostratic fibers. Overall, that’s 67% of the clubhead, with nickel and aluminum alloys making up the remaining 33%  in the club’s sole and as back weights; the clubface is made from titanium. Forged Composite allowed greater design flexibility. Engineers used the material’s weight savings to optimize club aerodynamics and clubface features, which directly impact the club’s driving length and forgiveness.

Aerodynamics
A goal is to create fast clubhead speed, as that becomes kinetic energy when the club meets the ball. So, says Ehlers, objectives are to get the club moving as fast as possible and to reduce drag as the clubhead moves through the air. The use of the Forged Composite material allowed the engineers to redistribute weight to other areas of the clubhead to maximize swing aerodynamics. This, along with a streamlined surface contour aerodynamic design, reduces drag energy loss by 43% compared to previous Callaway clubs. Compared to titanium and graphite drivers, that translates to a 1.5 mph increase in clubhead speed.

The Clubface
For the clubface, engineers deployed “Hyperbolic Face Technology,” which includes chemically milling the titanium clubface, removing any excess material for precision thickness control to generate a 3.1 mph increase in ball speed compared to conventional clubfaces. The face also features a 10% bigger “sweet spot” compared to conventional drivers. This helps compensate for off-center ball strikes.

Callaway’s RAZR Hawk woods are engineered using Forged Composite, a carbon fiber-like material that’s one-third the density of titanium. The material makes up 67% of the clubhead. The clubs offer a 43% reduction in drag energy loss compared to previous models due to the lightweight Forged Composite material and an aerodynamic design. The titanium clubface is designed to accommodate off-center ball strikes and generate more ball speed than titanium and graphite drivers.