By Connor Dillon, Club Fitter
In their annual search to provide maximum performance for every golfer, Callaway has introduced their new line of Mavrik irons. Instead of trying to find one iron that fits a wide array of golfers, they’ve chosen to produce 3 different models, Mavrik, Mavrik MAX, and Mavrik Pro. All share the same technology, but with slight differences in configuration, to achieve the goals of different types of players. They feature Callaway’s Artificial Intelligence Flash-Cup face designed to improve ball speeds across a larger portion of the face, tungsten infused weights position CG (center of gravity) to promote both more forgiveness and a higher launch, and patented urethane microspheres for exceptional feel off the face.
In this article, I’ll look at how each model performs differently and the benefits each can offer. For consistency purposes, I’ve tested a 7 iron in each model with an Elevate 105g steel shaft (mid trajectory), std length, and std lie. I used Pinnacle Gold range balls and took an average of about 6 shots per club with outliers removed as measured by Trackman.
The first iron I tested, Mavrik, was designed with speed and distance as a priority. Head shape, offset, and top line thickness are similar to past game improvement irons from Callaway (e.g. Rogue and Steelhead XR); however, the loft is noticeably stronger. This 7-iron reminded me of a 5 iron from years past, and for good reason. It has a mere 27° of loft, considerably stronger than even other new irons in the “distance/game-improvement” category. I could hardly wait to see what type of distance and speed these bombers might offer me. My results are as follows:
Club | Club Speed | Ball Speed | Smash Factor | Launch Angle | Spin Rate | Apex | Land Angle | Carry Distance |
Mavrik 7-iron | 88.9 mph | 125.5 mph | 1.41 ratio | 16.9 degrees | 4900 rpm | 101 ft | 46.0 degrees | 189.2 yds |
After my first shot, without even looking at the data, I knew what any golfer would recognize-this iron is LONG! The ball exploded off the face with a missile-like penetrating trajectory and seemingly ample peak trajectory. Upon inspecting the data my initial observations were confirmed. This Mavrik 7 iron produced 125.5 mph of ball speed at 88.9 mph club-head speed, equating to an exceptional 1.41 smash factor ratio. Smash factor measures efficiency of turning club speed into ball speed and a respectable 7 iron smash factor is between 1.35 and 1.40. The other notable data points are the apex (peak height) and landing angle. If the landing angle gets too shallow, typically less than 45° for average Michigan golf conditions, it becomes more difficult to hold greens. Every golfer knows how frustrating it is to perfectly strike an iron right at the pin only to watch it hit the green and bounce over into a hazard. A landing angle greater than 45° will help ensure this doesn’t happen to you, and the apex is what helps produce that desired landing angle. Returning to the data above we see an apex of 101 ft and a landing angle of 46°. These numbers ensure there is plenty of stopping power when this nuclear Mavrik 7 iron hits the green from 190 yds out. That’s right, 190 yds of carry. Need I say more?
The second iron is the Mavrik MAX. It has a slightly thicker topline and a bit more offset than its Mavrik counterpart. The difference in loft is also very noticeable. This iron is designed to be a higher launching, higher lofted version of the Mavrik. This type of iron is typically more advantageous to slower club head speeds, or players with uncommonly low ball flight. The loft of the Mavrik MAX 7-iron is 31.5° compared to Mavrik’s 27° loft. Results for Mavrik MAX are as follows:
Club | Club Speed | Ball Speed | Smash Factor | Launch Angle | Spin Rate | Apex | Land Angle | Carry Distance |
Mavrik MAX 7-iron | 89.4 mph | 120.8 mph | 1.35 ratio | 18.7 degrees | 5250 rpm | 104 ft | 48.1 degrees | 176.5 yds |
Despite the slightly “chunkier” look and more offset, this iron is a breeze to hit. I found that looking down at more loft inspired more confidence and allowed my shots to start on target more consistently. Although I have not included dispersion in these results, my original Trackman report shows a tighter dispersion pattern with Mavrik MAX versus Mavrik. There is a noticeable drop in ball speed without much change in club speed, resulting in a lower smash factor. This is clearly a result of the increase in loft from Mavrik to Mavrik MAX. Furthermore, a drawback for a player looking for pure distance and speed is that this iron launches almost 2° higher and spins another 350 rpms. Nevertheless, this is a perfect combo for a slower-club-head speed player or someone who needs to elevate their trajectory. The apex is 3 ft higher and the landing angle increases more than 2° compared to Mavrik. My carry yardage was nowhere near what it was with Mavrik but with a higher overall trajectory, increase in landing angle (stopping power), and tighter shot dispersion, this iron is great for a player who wants to hit higher, more consistent iron shots.
Finally, we have the Mavrik Pro. This iron sports a smaller overall blade, with a much thinner topline, and less offset to please better players. This iron is by far the sexiest from the Mavrik line. Obviously, this iron is the least forgiving of the three, but for better players, it still packs plenty in this small head. Off-center shots tend to lose more ball speed than the other two irons tested, but still tend to stay online. Also, with less offset and more spin this iron is significantly more “workable” than the other two. Overall, this is a good looking and feeling iron that has a lot to offer in terms of distance and trajectory for a slightly above-average ball striker. Results are as follows:
Club | Club Speed | Ball Speed | Smash Factor | Launch Angle | Spin Rate | Apex | Land Angle | Carry Distance |
Mavrik Pro 7-iron | 89.6 mph | 123.8 mph | 1.38 ratio | 18.5 degrees | 5460 rpm | 109 ft | 49.1 degrees | 180.1 yds |
As expected, the Mavrik Pro ball speed isn’t quite as fast as Mavrik, but the face feels just as hot. This is mostly due to loft. The Mavrik Pro is a 30° 7 iron. This iron is a good compromise between the nuclear Mavrik and the towering trajectory of Mavrik MAX. The Mavrik Pro, compared to the Mavrik MAX, is faster off the face by 3 mph, and spins 200 rpms more. Compared to the Mavrik, Mavrik Pro launches 1.6° higher and has nearly 600 more rpms. This leads to the highest apex and steepest landing angle in the Mavrik line, at my club-head speed. Categorized as more of a “distance players” iron, this iron is ideal for better players who are looking for more height and distance on their shots.
Overall, the Mavrik line of irons offers a wide variety of players a way to achieve optimal trajectory and performance with their irons. The easy to hit, high launching Mavrik MAX, buck’s industry trends by offering a weaker lofted iron to players who need extra loft to promote higher, more consistent shots. The Mavrik, however, is quite impressive with its explosive distance and boring trajectory, while still producing ample stopping power on the back end. This iron is a great option for players who are trying to add distance to their iron game. And for the single digit handicappers, Mavrik Pro offers the look that better players desire, and the performance to hit it high and long with drop-and-stop performance to those tucked pin locations.
Full list of results for comparison sake:
Club | Club Speed | Ball Speed | Smash Factor | Launch Angle | Spin Rate | Apex | Land Angle | Carry Distance |
Mavrik 7-iron | 88.9 mph | 125.5 mph | 1.41 ratio | 16.9 degrees | 4900 rpm | 101 ft | 46.0 degrees | 189.2 yds |
Mavrik MAX 7-iron | 89.4 mph | 120.8 mph | 1.35 ratio | 18.7 degrees | 5250 rpm | 104 ft | 48.1 degrees | 176.5 yds |
Mavrik Pro 7-iron | 89.6 mph | 123.8 mph | 1.38 ratio | 18.5 degrees | 5460 rpm | 109 ft | 49.1 degrees | 180.1 yds |