Can You Play With A Cracked Callaway XR Driver?
UGSA rules will not allow a golfer to participate in a tournament with a cracked Callaway XR driver. Playing with a cracked golf driver is a bad idea since it will hamper your play significantly.
The Callaway XR driver comes with an iron body and an aerodynamically designed driver head to maximize speed. It also comes with a forgiving R. Moto face, which helps you get a good distance even through a mishit.
A crack in the driver’s head will affect speed as well as feel, sound, direction and distance. Even a fine crack can affect feel and sound, which will hamper the experience of your play. If the crack is caused despite proper use, that is, exclusively hitting a golf ball, Callaway advises getting it replaced for free before the crack worsens.
Why Is My Callaway XR Golf Driver Cracking?
The main cause of a Callaway XR golf driver cracking is due to repeatedly hitting hard surfaces while swinging the golf club.
- Hitting a hard surface like the ground or rock while putting.
- Hitting the golf ball with the heel of the driver’s head instead of the center of the face. This often results in snapping of the shaft at the hosel.
- Improper storage, like leaving your club in extremely hot places such as inside your car or cart or exposure to sunlight.
- A weak shaft tip prep.
- A poor countersink with a sharp edge where the shaft was cut.
- A series of misses, improper hits cause weakening of the shaft at the hosel.
Can You Fix A Cracked Callaway XR Driver?
A cracked Callaway XR driver cannot be fixed in most cases and you will need to replace it.
Most external DIY techniques, especially if done incorrectly, would affect the center of gravity of the whole driver. Thankfully, Callaway gives an umbrella warranty of up to two years for all proper use damages. This means you can simply swap your cracked driver for a brand new one.
If your driver cracks after the warranty, you can still contact Callaway for replacement or take your driver to a club technician for repairs. Replacing your cracked driver can cost you anywhere between $60 and $160.
How to Fix a Cracked Callaway XR Golf Driver?
Replacing a driver professionally can cost you a fortune, especially when the warranty cannot cover it. Thankfully, with a few handy tools and the right technique, you can repair your Callaway XR at home.
Alternatively, some users suggest shopping for a used Callaway XR at retail outlets that help you swap your cracked driver for a reduced price.
Tools needed
- A heating torch
- Pair of pliers or a screw wrench
- Synthetic steel wool for refurbishing
- Ethanol or spirit
- Epoxy glue
- Tape
- WD 40 degreaser
- A vice to secure the driver
- A new replacement part
How to Fix a Cracked Callaway XR driver head?
To fix a crack on your driver head, you need to replace the driver head.
The Callaway XR driver head comes with a full metal body and an R.Moto face to improve flex on impact. It has no gravity core or movable weights. It also comes with a detachable head, so replacing the driver’s head is thankfully hassle-free and easy.
Causes of a Cracked Callaway XR Driver Head:
- Improper use, that is, hitting the floor, rock, tree, or anything other than a golf putt
- Improper hitting, which is, hitting with the heel of the driver instead of the face
- Exposure to harsh elements like soaking in water for too long or leaving it out in the sun.
How to Fix the Callaway XR Driver Head
- The head is held together with the shaft by strong epoxy glue. The easiest way to separate the head is to fix the shaft in a vice, and apply constant pressure to the head. Do these while applying constant heat to the hosel with the help of a propane-fueled torch.
- Once the head loosens up, discard the cracked head. The head can also be detached by removing a screw. Wipe the tip of the shaft clean with an ethanol solvent to remove the remnants of epoxy glue.
- Clean the inwards of the hosel in the new driver head with a clean cloth dipped in WD-40.
- Use steel wool to roughen up both the hosel as well as the edge of the shaft to be inserted.
- Dip the shaft in epoxy glue and put it inside the hosel.
- Turn the shaft to align it properly.
- Lock the clubhead in place by tightening the screw loosened earlier.
- Leave the golf driver aside for 24 to 48 hours for the epoxy glue to set properly.
Why Does My Callaway XR Driver Head Break Off?
One of the main reasons the Callaway XR driver head breaks off is due to loose screws at the hosel.
The following are the other causes:
- Loose screws at the hosel
- Damage due to improper use
- Propagation of a hairline crack towards the hosel
How broken driver heads affect swing:
- Decreased speed
- Decreased stability
- Less distance
How to fix it:
If you notice any decrease in the performance of your driver, inspect the driver. Tighten loose screws and replace the head if it’s damaged. Use epoxy to seal small cracks.
How to Fix a Callaway XR Driver Face That Is Cracking?
A crack in the driver’s face means your driver’s head needs to be replaced since it can affect your game.
The Callaway XR driver face is made up of a flexible surface that is 19% forgiving. However, the metal on the face tends to wear out with repeated use, which results in cracking of the driver’s face.
The best way to delay this wear and tear is to putt wisely and use only the golf ball as the hitting surface. Inspect if the face has become flatter or even concave. If that is the case, your driver’s head needs replacing too, and Callaway usually covers such replacements.
How to Fix a Small Hairline Crack in Golf Driver?
Since your Callaway XR has an iron body, you can repair a small hairline crack by applying direct heat.
Causes of a hairline crack:
- Damage due to hitting any hard object
- Improper usage
- Normal wear and tear
- Too much sun exposure
A golf driver with a hairline crack can be used to play a tournament. However, the hairline crack eventually propagates to widen, which can result in a shattered golf driver.
Drivers that have hairline cracks caused with proper use can be replaced with Callaway for free. If that isn’t an option, you can also quick fix a hairline crack at home using a propane heat gun and some fresh epoxy.
Steps on how to fix a hairline crack on your Callaway XR at home:
- Wipe your golf driver with a WD-40 to dissolve the gunk.
- Apply a thin coat of epoxy glue over the crack. Wipe the excess with a solvent such as acetone.
- Alternatively, if you’re proficient in using a propane heat blower, you can simply use low-set heat to fuse the hairline crack.
Advice from users on golf forums suggest the following:
- Since a hairline crack is almost always the result of normal wear and tear, contacting Callaway for replacement before attempting DIY is a good option.
- Make it a point that you do not apply excessive heat or epoxy as that can cause more harm than good to your Callaway XR golf driver.
Can You Fix a Broken Shaft on a Callaway XR driver?
The Callaway XR golf driver features an iron body, so it is impossible to repair the driver shaft without causing any effect on your performance. The driver shaft also offers the center of gravity for the driver. So, it’s best to contact the service center and get it professionally replaced.
How to Fix a broken Callaway XR Driver Shaft?
If your golf driver is beyond the warranty period, it might cost you a few hundred dollars to replace the driver’s shaft. In such a scenario, you can contact your local technician for a spare driver shaft.
Since the Callaway driver shafts are interchangeable, you can also choose to replace your driver shaft with another used driver shaft of the same model.
Why Is My Callaway XR Driver Head Making A Rattling Noise?
The most common reason for rattling noise in your drive ahead is a broken piece of epoxy glue inside.
Callaway XR driver heads don’t have any movable weights inside them. The heads are also lined with industrial rat glue to ensure that any detached piece of epoxy usually sticks to the glue lining and becomes immobile.
Other causes of rattling:
- Broken metal inside the driver’s head
- Loosening of any part of the driver’s head
How it can affect your swing
Rattling noise due to a loose piece of glue epoxy glue does not affect your swing. However, if it is due to any loose parts, for example, the hosel, then you would notice an effect on your driver stability and swing.
How to fix it
- Check for any loose joints and tighten them.
- Replace the driver head if needed.
- Remove the broken bits inside the driver head.
How to Replace a Callaway XR Driver Shaft?
You can replace the driver shaft by contacting the service center if you are under warranty. If you need replacement after the warranty, you can be charged anything between $80 and $150 for the same.
If you’re keen on saving some bucks, there’s some good news for you. You can also replace your driver shaft at home using basic tools in your garage.
Tools needed:
- Vice
- Tape
- Sandpaper or steel wool
- WD-40
- Ethanol solvent
- Drill & short drill bits
- A propane or butane fuelled blow torch
- A new driver shaft
- Screwdriver & wrenches to remove screws, if any
How to Remove Driver Shaft of a Callaway XR driver
- Use a propane-fueled gun to direct heat over the hosel of the driver, while applying constant pressure to the driver’s head. This will help melt the epoxy binding glue and help detach the driver head without any damage. In some cases, you can also remove the head by loosening the screw at the rear of the head and sliding it.
- Discard the cracked driver shaft.
- Soak the driver head in solvent to dissolve gunk and any residual glue.
How to Replace the Driver Shaft of a Callaway XR driver
- Adjust the height of the new driver shaft according to the instructions by Callaway.
- Using the sandpaper, roughen the inner area of the hosel and the inserting end of the new driver shaft. This will help the glue stick better.
- Wipe the hosel and the inserting end of the shaft with WD-40 to dissolve oil and other dust remnants.
- Mix fresh epoxy according to the instructions specified on the pack.
- Dip the end of the shaft into the mixed epoxy to evenly coat it. Ensure a blob of epoxy resides at the end.
- Insert the shaft into the hosel in a semi-twisting motion to evenly coat the insides with glue.
- Align the shaft and let it dry for 24-48 hours to allow the epoxy to set.