Callaway Apex Irons Review | Callaway Apex, Apex DCB, Apex Pro, Apex MB

Callaway recently announced its brand new Apex iron range, featuring five new models to provide golfers with plenty of option sto suit their game or craft their own combo set.

These irons aim to provide exceptional forged performance and A.I.-designed ball speed technologies for a wide range of players.

We put four of the new models to the test, the Apex 21, Apex DCB, Apex Pro and Apex MB - with a full review of the TCB model coming soon.

The Apex Pro was our favourite of the bunch and as a result went straight into our best golf irons guide. 

Our equipment editor Alex took the new Callaway irons to the Swing Suite at Croham Hurst Golf Club and put them through their paces.

WATCH OUR CALLAWAY APEX 2021 REVIEW BELOW:

THE DETAILS

Apex 21: Apex is widely recognised for establishing the forged distance category, and the Apex 21 Irons deliver an exceptional level of performance and craftsmanship. They’re the first forged Apex irons with an A.I-designed Flash Face Cup, for high ball speeds and increased spin robustness across the face. Increased forgiveness comes from a massive Tungsten Energy Core, while the 100% forged body and propriety urethane microspheres deliver remarkable sound and feel at impact. Callaway has also enhanced the shaping for even better turf interaction.

Apex DCB: In the game-improvement category, new Apex DCB Irons extend the forged Apex offering to a wider group of golfers than ever before. They combine the look, feel and performance of a forged players club with the forgiveness of a deep cavity back. The deep cavity back design and enhanced sole width promote easy launch and solid turf interaction out of a variety of lies. The irons are engineered with an A.I.-designed Flash Face Cup, up to 50 grams of tungsten per iron for outstanding launch and forgiveness on off-centre hits, and forged feel.

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE FULL APEX RANGE

Apex Pro: In the players category, new Apex Pro 21 Irons promote Tour distance and performance for scratch or single-digit handicap golfers. They also utilise an A.I.-designed Flash Face in each iron for high COR’s and fast ball speeds, along with extremely soft feel from an all-new forged 1025 hollow body construction and urethane microspheres. There are up to 90 grams of tungsten in the longer irons, the most ever for any Apex model, to improve launch characteristics while simultaneously improving forgiveness.

Apex MB: For elite players, new Apex MB Irons are beautifully compact, classic chromed forged blades that benefit from modern high-performance 20V grooves for high levels of control and consistent spin. A new changeable weight system has also been engineered in the centre of each blade for precise swing weight changes, without sacrificing CG positioning.

GOLFMAGIC VERDICT

Apex DCB: The first iron from the new Callaway Apex range that we put to the test was the DCB, the latest game-improvement iron from the brand. Compared to other game-improvement irons released lately, the Callaway DCB certainly stands out as one of the better looking irons on the market. They have a typical thick cavity and although they weren't quite as long as other irons in this category, such as the new SIM2 irons, the Callaway DCB's had a surpringly nice feel, something you don't often get from a game-improvement club.

Apex 21: Another solid iron from Callaway but in all honesty, we were left a little confused as to where this club sits as it doesn't really offer anything different to the DCB iron, other than a slightly more compact head. We would have liked to see a bigger gap between the Apex 21 and the Apex DCB, but if you're looking for technology of a game improvement in a slightly more compact shape, then this might be the one for you.

Apex Pro: The new Apex Pro iron feels like a real step up from the previous Pro model, with this year's looking like much more of a tour cavity, rather than a commercialised cavity irons. It's definitely the best looking iron of the lot and you'll struggle to find a players iron that looks much better than this one in 2021. The data was solid too, with Alex averaging around 190 yards with a 7 iron, which for a players iron is possibly a little longer than expected. The feel was excellent too and the Apex Pro was very responsive in terms of club face feedback and surprisingly forgiving with off-centre strikes. This iron is aimed at lower handicap golfers, but we think anyone from around a 15 handicap and lower could really benefit from this club.

Apex MB: With blade irons there's not much room for too much technology, but the new changeable weight system certainly makes the MB irons more customisable. We were impressed with the distance on offer for a blade iron and as expected, they weren't too forgiving, but these are for the very best ball strikers.

Overall verdict: We awarded the Callaway Apex range a GolfMagic gold medal for the range as a whole, as when it comes to creating combo sets, Callaway has ensured there is no stone left unturned, providing golfers with the potential to make the ultimate set to compliment their game. In our personal opinion, our ideal combo set would see the Apex MB irons in PW-8, with the Apex Pro in 7-5/4 and then the Apex DCB in a 4 iron and perhaps a 3 iron too.