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Today I’ll be reviewing the Callaway Apex forged iron, which has sold extremely well since its initial release.
Although the Apex irons might be considered to be in the game-improvement class, they have characteristics of both players and game-improvement irons.
Callaway is one of the best golf brands out there and these irons just reinforce that fact. Read on to find out what you need to know about these top-quality golf irons 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 reception for these irons are tremendously positive. They have a 4.6/5 on Global Golf and a score of 4.9/5 (95% recommended) on the CGPO website with thousands of reviews.
Golfers have lauded these irons for their premium construction, excellent soft feel, versatility and reliability out of tight lies, extra distance and very solid mis-hit forgiveness.
You’re certainly getting quality with the Apex irons, but this does mean that they’re a little pricey.
What are the features?
Callaway’s top-of-the-line “distance” irons feature forged carbon steel heads which help deliver a soft and responsive feel.
They also have what Callaway calls an “ultra hot face” — a thin 455 Carpenter steel face that increases ball speeds by 1-2 mph across the entire face for added distance and a penetrating ball flight.
Shots hit with these irons get up in the air quickly and without ballooning.
The long irons have weighted tungsten inserts in the soles that lower the center of gravity (CG); this increases the launch angle and provides excellent forgiveness for shots that are not hit solidly.
The irons have “high performance” wide space grooves which help produce a more consistent spin and control over a variety of different lies.
Stock Info
You can choose the lightweight True Temper XP 95 steel shaft for your irons, which deliver higher launch angles and a more controlled ball flight than other steel shafts.
If you’ve ever used clubs that seemed a bit too heavy for you, you will love these premium quality shafts.
The available graphite shaft, UST Recoil, has higher flex points which produces a better feel and workability.
Below is a table of the iron specs (loft, lie, etc.) if you’re interested.
| Name | Loft | Bounce | Length | Lie | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 19° | 2° | 39" | 60° | 0.22 |
| 4 | 21.5° | 3° | 38.5" | 60.5° | 0.2 |
| 5 | 24° | 4° | 38" | 61° | 0.18 |
| 6 | 27° | 5° | 37.5" | 61.5° | 0.16 |
| 7 | 31° | 6° | 37" | 62° | 0.15 |
| 8 | 35° | 7° | 36.5" | 62.5° | 0.14 |
| 9 | 40° | 8° | 36" | 63° | 0.13 |
| PW | 45° | 9° | 35.75" | 63.5° | 0.12 |
| AW | 50° | 10° | 35.5" | 63.5° | 0.11 |
| SW | 55° | 11° | 35.25" | 63.5° | 0.1 |
How do these irons perform?
Are these irons all that they are hyped up to be in terms of distance and forgiveness? The answer is yes!
In terms of distance, I was, for example, hitting the Apex 5-iron roughly 190 yards on average, which is almost 10 yards farther than my normal distance with a standard 5-iron.
I also found that distance loss was negligible even from more severe misses on the face.
The Apex irons do a good job of suppressing sidespin and at the same time are workable enough to be able shape draws and fades quite easily. Long irons are easy to get up in the air.
So, distance? Check. Forgiveness? Check. Great look and feel? Check. Things are looking pretty good so far.
Now, relative to standard iron lofts, these lofts on these irons are lower by a few degrees, but the higher launch angle I mentioned earlier compensates for this to produce a solid trajectory. If you’re one who traditionally hits it either high or low, you need not worry.
What about look, sound & feel?
The Look
Although this mostly comes down to personal preference, I think these irons look wonderful.
The head of the club is marginally bigger than those you might find in other irons, while the top line is thinner than what you would find in many other game improvement irons. The offset for these irons is minimal, and this may benefit lower handicap players.
I feel I should say that these irons turn some heads; I got several compliments when I was using these out on the range.
The Sound & Feel
When I tested these clubs, I thought they felt fantastically soft at impact with a satisfying “flush” sound, and the ball seemed to rocket off the clubface with ease.
It does not feel hollow and clicky at impact like other irons in a similar price range that have slotted soles.
Where should you buy these irons online?
At one point, you needed to be cautious with any supposed new set being sold at a much lower price (over $300 less in the same configuration) compared to what was listed on the brand website.
Now, however, these irons are many years old, and you can get them at massive bargain prices online.
If you’re looking to buy a used set, I highly recommend checking out this page on Callaway Golf Pre-Owned.
They have a fairly large selection with a 12-month warranty, 90-day buy-back policy, and condition guarantee.
You can also check the current stock on Global Golf (check their current coupon deals).
Aside from that, the best place to find new and used Apex irons is eBay. You can find some pretty amazing deals there.
Conclusion
Pros
- very high quality
- easy to shape shots and hit different trajectories
- forgiving
- long and consistent
- great feel
Cons
- could be a bit more forgiving
- trajectory may be slightly lower than your norm
The Callaway Apex forged irons are terrific. High-handicappers can certainly have success with them as game-improvement irons, and better players can also get a lot out of them.
If you’re someone who wants any of:
- great forgiveness, more consistency and more distance on your iron shots
- modern-design, quality golf irons with the latest technology
… then these irons are definitely an option you should consider. They are still among the best that Callaway currently has to offer.
A quality set of irons such as these can help you play better golf for many years and more than pay back their value over time.
These irons are arguably better than other game improvement irons at similar price points, but the best thing you can do is try them out yourself and discover whether or not they are for you.
If you have any thoughts or opinions about the Apex irons, go ahead and leave a comment below!
See… I love your review, and I love how you make the club sound like it’s the answer to every golfer’s problem, and I’m sure it has some contribution… but for me…. if I hit a great shot it’s me that’s done it, not the club…. :):):) Having said that, I do actually own an Apex PW and it’s great stuff. So maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s the club. I reckon it’s me :):):)
I never said that it was the answer for every golfer, but I’m sorry if it sounded like that. I did say that they’re excellent irons — they give great forgiveness and distance. Bad shots are inevitable no matter the equipment, but irons like these help to minimize the damage. As I said in the post, the best thing to do is try them out for yourself and determine whether or not they’re “worth it” for you. It also helps if you have a preference for the Callaway brand.
Apex? Excuse me if I’m in the dark, but are these a recent or newer release by Callaway? I typically like to keep up, but time seems to get the best of me.
Seems like a decent investment, great set of irons, good reviews, great quality from what I read.
The Apex is a forged iron line Callaway first rolled out in 2014, known for its integration of their Face Cup Technology. They have since come out with a newer, slightly more expensive Apex 16 line which I have yet to review. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Paul.
There’s a lot of good details here. I would like to know why the manufacturer protects the price from someone who would like to get a set of irons. That doesn’t seem like a convenient way to do business. Is the price quoted on Amazon close to the manufacturer’s price?
Do you have any tips for people that are beginners? As a beginner, I would definitely head over EBay and try to get a deal on these.
John,
I took out the little blurb regarding the manufacturer price protection as it was getting a little outdated. As of right now, Amazon seems to be selling new Apex iron configurations at substantially lower prices than elsewhere, including the Callaway website. If you’re thinking about getting a new set, I would recommend you follow the link I provided to eBay and look for new sets being sold in the configuration you want; there’s a chance that one of those prices could beat Amazon’s. For used sets, you should give eBay and Global Golf (links above) a look.
These Apex irons are awesome for beginners. I’m not sure what tips you’re looking for specifically, but in terms of the golf swing, you can check out this article. For other instructional content, you can go through the posts under the tips and guides drop-down menu near the top of the page.
Golf really doesn’t have to be that expensive, especially if you work out a budget and make informed buying decisions. The most expensive equipment will generally last you many (5+) years.
Thanks for the comment, and feel free to shoot any more questions if you have them.
Hey
Thanks for the great review. I’ve been searching for Irons recently to replace the Thrift store ones I currently play with. I’ve decided it’s time to not use bad clubs as an excuse for high scores!
I definitely like the fact the the Apex irons compensate for hitting high or low. I have trouble with hitting too low so that’s a plus in my book. Being forgiving and having good distance also sounds awesome.
You mentioned at the start that these are in the game-improvement class. This isn’t a term I’ve heard, what does this mean?
Nathan,
Glad to see you’re looking at a quality iron like the Apex. “Game-improvement” refers to a class of iron that’s designed to prioritize distance and mishit forgiveness over things like workability and feel. They typically feature larger heads with more offset, thicker soles, top-lines, etc. and are favoured by beginners, high handicappers or other amateurs.