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Today, I’ll be reviewing the Callaway Apex Ai300 irons.
The Ai300 is the most forgiving model in Callaway’s 2024 Apex line. Compared to the Ai200, it has a larger profile and a cavity-back design instead of a hollow body. It’s designed to deliver the speed, forgiveness and consistency of a game-improvement iron with a tour-caliber feel.
How does the Apex Ai300 actually perform when put to the test? How does it compare with the Apex Ai200? Is it worth putting a set in the bag?
Here’s what will be covered in the review:
Read on to find out what you need to know to make an informed purchase.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The Apex Ai300 irons have received critical acclaim and enjoy average ratings of 4.8/5 (94% recommended) on the Callaway store and 5/5 at Global Golf. Users praise them for their accuracy, distance, forgiveness and feel.
What People Like
- confidence-inspiring look with great aesthetics
- exceptional accuracy
- long and forgiving
- premium forged feel with responsive face
- easy launch
What People Don’t Like
- significant offset and chunky profile are off-putting to some
- some feel there isn’t as much forgiveness as there should be
The Features
The Apex Ai300 is the only iron in the Apex line to have a forged cavity back construction, designed for high ball speeds and consistency across the face.
Ai Smart Face
Like the Apex Ai200, the Apex Ai300 irons feature Ai Smart Face technology.
This face was developed using artificial intelligence and uses data (swing speed, face orientation, club delivery) from real golfers. It’s designed to maximize ball speeds across the face, tighten dispersions, and produce more consistent spin.
455 Face Cup
The Ai300’s forged 455 Face Cup is found through the entire set.
Made of a high-strength stainless steel, it contributes to high ball speeds and power across the face and creates a tour-caliber feel and sound.
MIM Back Weight
A metal-injection molded (MIM) back weight allows club fitters to find a swing weight that works best for you. It also allows for consistent visuals when building a mixed set with Callaway’s other Apex 24 models.
The Apex Ai300 irons also benefit from a Dynamic Sole for easier and more consistent turf interaction, and urethane microspheres which help produce a quieter impact sound.
Stock Info
The Apex Ai300 irons come in 4-AW (20°-47°). Sets and singles are available.
The iron is also available as part of an Apex Sweet Spot Combo Set which consists of Ai300 long irons (4-6) and Ai200 short irons.
The stock shaft options are the UST Mamiya Recoil DART HDC 70 in graphite and the True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 90 in steel. The stock grip is the Golf Pride Z-Grip.
If you’re interested, more information on shafts, grips and other customizations can be found here.
Below are the specs of the Apex Ai300 irons (click to enlarge):
The Performance
In the sections that follow, I’ll talk about my experience with the Apex Ai300 irons. Let’s jump right in.
Distance
I was getting slightly higher ball speeds and a few more yards of carry than the Ai200. The difference is very small, but it’s real.
I prefer more spin in my irons than what the Ai300 was giving me, but I imagine many higher handicappers won’t have an issue.
Ball speeds and overall distance are comparable to Callaway’s non-Apex irons like the Paradym Ai Smoke, which means they’re pretty darn long.
Forgiveness
The Apex Ai300 can be considered the most forgiving iron in the 2024 Apex family, ahead of both the Ai200 and Ti Fusion. My field test results were consistent with this.
The iron preserves distance, spin and trajectories exceptionally well in mis-hit regions. Overall forgiveness seems to be nearly as good as the Paradym Ai Smoke.
You might often find that your minor and moderate mis-hits find the green easily. I found during my testing that smash factor across the face tended to vary by no more than 0.15 or so, with the exception of the extreme perimeter regions.
Playability/Trajectory
When hit solidly, trajectories with the Apex Ai300 irons are mid, with a noticeable draw bias. Spin is quite low: I was getting RPMs in the low-mid 4000s with the 7-iron.
Despite the fact that the lofts of the Apex Ai300 are slightly stronger than the Ai200s, I was actually experiencing a slightly higher launch angle (about 1-2° on average). This is expected, and it’s mainly due to a lower center of gravity.
The Apex Ai300 is the least workable iron in the 2024 Apex family, and thus the potential for shot shaping is limited. However, the irons are very playable in the sense that competent players can produce very accurate results from shot to shot.
While the ability to apply spin and precisely control your ball coming into the greens is also limited, the higher launch helps mitigate this, so I would consider stopping power to be average.
The Look
The Apex Ai300 is the largest, chunkiest iron in the 2024 Apex line — it has the longest blade length, thickest top line, widest sole, and most offset. The lofts are slightly stronger than the Apex Ai200.
Going by looks alone, you wouldn’t think this kind of iron should even be called an Apex. It’s a larger profile than many game-improvement irons, which will inspire a lot of confidence when addressing the ball but also turn off many better players.
The iron boasts a luxurious satin finish and relatively clean aesthetic. Despite the fact that it has a cavity back design, it doesn’t appear very obvious given the shape of the back of the iron, which looks rather similar to other Apex models.
The Sound & Feel
Feel and sound are the two areas where you really know you’re hitting an Apex iron rather than a typical game-improvement iron.
The feel is very soft and responsive. In fact, I had a hard time distinguishing the overall feel of the Ai300 from its Ai200 sibling, despite the differing constructions. It’s a very premium feel that is almost as enjoyable as a blade when you make solid contact.
The sound is a bit sharp and on the quiet side, but I found it to sound a touch more “clicky” than the Ai200 even though it doesn’t actually feel clicky at impact. The sound in mis-hit regions (heel or toe) is typically not as crisp as sweet spot strikes.
Feel in mis-hit areas is a bit firmer than center strikes, but not by much; this is the most consistent-feeling iron across the face in the Apex line.
Where To Buy These Irons Online
If you want a brand new set of (or individual) Apex Ai300 irons with custom shafts, grips, lengths, lofts, lies, etc., definitely head over to this page on the official Callaway website.
You can get the Apex Sweet Spot Combo Set, which contains Apex Ai300 irons, here.
The Ai300 irons are pretty expensive. If you want to find good savings, you can look on eBay. Alternatively, check out what’s available at Global Golf.
Final Thoughts
Callaway’s Apex Ai300 can be thought of as combining a game-improvement level of performance with the accuracy and signature soft feel of an Apex iron.
Speed and distance? Check. Forgiveness and accuracy? Check. Easy launch? Check. Add on a confidence-inspiring address look and draw bias, and you have a complete package that beckons out to golfers who have always felt that they weren’t good enough to use Apex irons.
These irons are best suited for handicaps in the mid to high teens (around 15-20), but anybody can realistically game them. While they’re a bit too chunky for my tastes, many golfers will feel right at home with them.
Are you interested in the Apex Ai300 irons? Have you played them? What’s your experience? Tell us about it in the comments below.
