Callaway is back to being a speed company.
With the company’s new Quantum line of drivers, fairway woods and hybrids, the name literally implies a fundamental shift in what they are doing.
That’s evidenced by the powerhouse of the new lineup, the multi-material Tri-Force Face in the Quantum drivers, comprised of Titanium front and carbon fiber backing bonded by a Poly Mesh, a military-grade, high-strength polymer. It’s the first time the material has ever been used in a golf club.
“With Quantum, Callaway is taking a massive leap in innovation to the future of driver face construction with the first three-layer face,” Jacob Davidson, Callaway’s VP of Product Strategy, told GOLF. “We’ve been constrained by the world of single materials, but now with our knowledge of Ai, to be able to have three layers has opened up so many new opportunities for R&D.
“This is the next realm of where things can go to find more speed gains.”
Callaway has already seen major conversions to the new driver with 12 players in the 60-man Dubai Invitational on the DP World Tour gaming one this week. Xander Schauffele and Akshay Bhatia have also already converted to new Quantum Triple Diamond models.
Keep reading below for more on the Callaway Quantum Metalwoods, including my take on the release.
What’s actually new with Callaway Quantum Metalwoods — and why you should care
Tri-Force: Tension vs Compression
At the core of the new Quantum drivers is the multi-material Tri-Force face, which features titanium and carbon fiber bonded by the Poly Mesh.
Callaway used both materials in the face with titanium on the outside and carbon behind because each has a unique advantage to complement the other.
“During the collision that happens when a ball strikes the face, you’re seeing deflection in the face,” Brian Williams, Callaway’s VP of R&D said. “And that’s what this Tri-Force face is all built around, is the idea of deflection and forces that are in place.
During impact, the front of the face is placed under compression, where titanium is strongest. On the inside of the face, the back is being stretched out and put under tension. Tension is where carbon fiber is strongest.
Basically, the carbon fiber acts as a reinforcement to the titanium, which was made 14 percent thinner than in the Elyte drivers which Williams said allowed them to drive more ball speed without compromising durability.
The key was finding the Poly Mesh material not only bonds the two layers of the face but also provides optimal energy transfer.
“This is lightweight, it is strong and it allows the whole face to flex and recover faster,” Callaway Sr. Manager of Product Strategy & Category Management, Zack Oakley, said. “And so when we talk about Tri-Force, I think the key thing is, this isn’t just a single material face. This is a fully integrated performance system that is designed for maximum ball speeds.”
Speed Meets Smarts
More speed and all is great, but it doesn’t mean much if you have to sacrifice variables like forgiveness and optimal spin to get there.
One thing that Callaway’s investment in artificial intelligence allows them to do, however, was model how the new materials of the Tri-Force face would interact with each other.
While titanium and carbon deflect differently under varying amounts of stress, the Poly Mesh allows it to work as one unit and Callaway designers are able to tune the micro deflection rates with the help of the A.I.
That’s important because Callaway knows you’re not always going to hit the center of the clubface. So, while whatever you can do when you hit it out of the guts is great, the most meaningful gains are still getting speed outside of the middle of the face.
“What the A.I. is doing now goes way beyond shaping a face,” Oakley said. “We’re modeling how different materials deflect together at impact, which lets us control spin and launch across much more of the face, not just perfect strikes.”
The result is that Callaway can tune spin rates from different parts of the face to optimize carry distances. That means the ball is going to spin less when you hit it low on the face and spin more when you hit it on the high toe, giving you much more consistency.
Fairways and Hybrids that Fit You
One thing you constantly see on the PGA Tour is players who are afraid of hybrids going left and are bending both them and their fairway woods flatter to avoid that miss.
To help this, Callaway has actually taken the new OptiFit4 hosel from the Elyte hybrids, which allows seven loft and lie configurations, including the ability to go both upright and flat.
“A lot of players struggle with hybrids, specifically hitting it left,” Oakley said. “Being able to kind of neutralize that left miss by going flat was a big deal. It’s really kind of getting that start line where we want it. We wanted the same thing with Fairway Woods.”
All of the Quantum 3- and 5-woods will have adjustable hosels this year.
The fairway woods and hybrids also feature the upgraded technology from the Elyte line, including Speed Wave 2.0, which positions up to 40 g of tungsten low and forward to boost speed and reduce spin. The new Speed Wave 2.0 design increases the width of the weight, which increases the face flex more, especially on low strikes.
The Step Sole design has also been refined on the heel side to lead to more consistent vertical strikes.
The Callaway Quantum Metalwood lineup
There are five different driver models, four fairway woods and three hybrids in the family.
In testing conducted by our partners at True Spec Golf, all four standard-weight Quantum models produced all but one of the longest average distances for the high swing speed player (110+ mph).
Quantum Max Driver
What is it: A high-MOI and more rounded shape, the Quantum Max features a new adjustable weight in the back to dial in either draw or fade bias and a front adjustable weight to tune either swingweight or front-to-back CG.
Available lofts: 9˚, 10.5˚, 12˚
Who it’s for: Players who want a high-MOI driver that is unapologetically fast.
Quantum Triple Diamond Driver
What is it: The Triple Diamond remains the tour preferred, 450-cc, low-spin head option. While previous Triple Diamond heads were fade-biased, the Quantum Triple Diamond starts in a more neutral configuration with an 8 g weight in the back toward the heel, with the option to make it more fade-biased by moving that weight to the toe. Like the Max, there is also a forward weight port to adjust swingweight or front-to-back CG. Once again, the 360-carbon chassis saves weight in the Triple Diamond head, allowing it to be redistributed elsewhere. The neutral weight setting allows the driver to perform more like the popular Triple Diamond Tour Draw head that was introduced last season.
Available lofts [only for woods]: 8˚, 9˚, 10.5˚
Who it’s for: High-speed and high-spin players looking for a more neutral start line than previous Callaway Triple Diamond drivers.
Quantum Triple Diamond Max Driver
What is it: One of the most popular models on Tour, the Triple Diamond Max is available at the retail launch for the first time this year after coming out in the spring the last two years. The TD Max has the same features and profile of the Triple Diamond, but in a 460 cc head size.
Available lofts: 8˚, 9˚, 10.5˚
Who it’s for: Faster golfers who need just a touch more spin, like those who play a draw to maximize carry.
Quantum Max D Driver
What is it: A draw-biased version of the Max with weight mass concentrated in the heel to help the toe turn over faster. The only adjustable weight is in the sole for swingweighting.
Available lofts: 9˚, 10.5˚, 12˚
Who it’s for: Players who fight a slice or players who never want to see the ball start right.
Quantum Max Fast Driver
What is it: For the first time, the ultralight Max Fast model adopts the 360-carbon chassis of the Triple Diamond models to remove extra weight and allow players to swing as fast as possible. The only adjustable weight is in the sole for swingweighting. It also comes stock with a 40 g shaft and a lightweight grip.
Available lofts: 10.5˚, 12˚
Who it’s for: Slower players who need a boost in speed.
Quantum Max Fairway
What is it: The most forgiving fairway wood in the lineup, offering the most loft options. The Max has a larger, but shallow and streamlined profile to encourage high launch.
Available lofts : 3-wood* (15°), 4-wood* (16.5° (RH only)), 5-wood* (18°), 7-wood (21°), Heavenwood (20˚ (RH only)), 9-wood (24° (RH only)), 11-wood (27° (RH only))
*Adjustable hosel
Who it’s for: Players who want a versatile fairway wood option for the tee and the deck.
Quantum Triple Diamond Fairway
What is it: A more compact profile and forward CG to produce a flatter and more penetrating ball flight.
Available lofts: 3-wood* (15°), 5-wood* (18°), 7-wood (21°(RH Only))
*Adjustable hosel
Who it’s for: Players looking for a fairway wood with great tee performance and low spin.
Quantum Max D Fairway
What is it: A draw-biased version of the Max fairway wood to help fight a right miss.
Available lofts: 3-wood* (15°), 4-wood* (16.5° (RH only)), 5-wood* (18°), 7-wood (21°)
*Adjustable hosel
Who it’s for: Players who struggle with a right miss or who prefer a left start line.
Quantum Max Fast Fairway
What is it: The lightest and highest-launching fairway wood option, thanks to slightly weaker lofts.
Available lofts: 3-wood* (16° (RH only)), 5-wood* (19° (RH only)), 7-wood (22° (RH only)), 9-wood (25° (RH only))
*Adjustable hosel
Who it’s for: Slower golfers who need a speed boost to get the ball in the air.
Quantum Max Hybrid
What is it: A more compact and skinnier profile hybrid, the Max hybrid has a neutral CG but that can be adjusted with heel-toe movable weights.
Available lofts: 3-hybrid (19°), 4-hybrid (21°), 5-hybrid (24°), 6-hybrid (27° (RH Only)), 7-hybrid (30° (RH Only)), 8-hybrid (33° (RH Only))
Who it’s for: Players who want an alternative to a high-lofted fairway wood and a lower trajectory.
Quantum Max OS Hybrid
What is it: As the OS name implies, the Max OS is a larger version of the Max, with the same heel-toe adjustable weights, but with a natural draw bias.
Available lofts [only for woods]: 3-hybrid (18°), 4-hybrid (20°), 5-hybrid (23°), 6-hybrid (26° (RH Only)), 7-hybrid (29° (RH Only)), 8-hybrid (32° (RH Only))
Who it’s for: Steeper players who struggle with fairway woods or a right miss and could use more forgiving options further up the bag.
Quantum Max Fast Hybrid
What is it: A lightweight version of the Max OS head that is also shallower to encourage higher launch.
Available lofts [only for woods]: 4-hybrid (22° (RH Only)), 5-hybrid (25° (RH Only)), 6-hybrid (28° (RH Only)), 7-hybrid (31° (RH Only)), 8-hybrid (34° (RH Only))
Who it’s for: Slower golfers who need a lighter system to gain extra speed.
My take: Let the speed wars begin
With Callaway’s Quantum finally coming to market, we now have a full-blown speed war and Callaway has a very competitive entry.
Tri-Force is obviously the headline here and it should be. Callaway is switching to a multi-material face without losing the traditional look and feel of a titanium face is basically them taking the best of both worlds.
Quantum looks like a titanium driver and it sounds like a titanium driver, but you can definitely see the added speed benefits of the new Tri-Force face when you hit it on a launch monitor.
Not that there was anything wrong with Elyle, but Quantum feels like the successor to Ai-Smoke that we’ve been waiting for.
The all-black look only further pushes the idea of speed and word on the street is that Callaway staff stood up and cheered when the look of the Triple Diamond driver was unveiled internally.
The introduction of the Triple Diamond Max at launch also can’t be understated. That model, especially at the Ai-Smoke version, has been dominating on the PGA Tour as more players seek a touch more forgivess than the standard TD. Being able to stay in that more pear-shaped Triple Diamond profile is a huge advantage.
That shouldn’t discount the Max head, either, which in my initial testing seemed like a point-and-shoot driver that was going ridiculously far while not really spinning out of control. I ultimately ended up in the Triple Diamond Max head because of the new adjustable weight in the back, which allowed me to put weight in the toe and make it more fade-biased. Not everyone needs that, which is why it’s great that players can choose now.
On the adjustability front, allowing fairway woods to go flat like the hybrids did last year is going to open up so many more fitting applications.
But the main story here is raw speed and if you’re going to get a driver this year, there arent many faster than the Quantum.
Price, Specs and Availability
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Callaway’s new Quantum family of metalwoods are available for pre-order starting Jan. 16 and will arrive at retail locations on Feb. 13.
Quantum Max and Max D drivers will cost $649.99 while the Triple Diamond, Triple Diamond Max and Max Fast drivers each cost $699.99. The Max and Max D fairway woods are priced at $399.99, and the Triple Diamond and Max Fast are priced at $449.99. Quantum hybrids will cost $349.99, except for the Max Fast, which is $379.99.
