Callaway legitimately revolutionized irons when they first introduced the APEX lineup way back in 2014, the blending of forgiveness and all-out performance had never been done like that before. Not only that, but with each subsequent release the accolades have grown as has the amount of tech the company continues to pour into them.
What that has led to is an incredible amount of anticipation each time we edge closer to the unveil of the next iteration. Well, the Callaway Apex 21 lineup is coming, and it’s bringing a new friend with it.
The New Apex Family
Callaway has taken full advantage of the two-year lifecycle of the Apex lineup to not just bring forth two irons worthy of the family name, but they have brought a third to the party as well. Yes, a third.
This go-round the Apex and Apex Pro will be joined by their little-big brother, the DCB (deep cavity blade) which they believe makes their lineup reach more players than any other generation before it. But more on that very soon.
The Apex irons continue to be the crème de la crème of the Callaway iron umbrella, and with that it is no surprise that they continue to feature the best of all their iron technology developed over the years and rolled into each new version. This is after all the iron series that defined forged irons meeting true forgiveness and playability, literally blurring the lines of classification like never before.
This year the goal was to stretch the tech even more to hit an even broader player profile, while also in their minds not just retaining but increasing their hold as the “#1 Irons in Golf”. Performance and consistency of performance is the goal, and by implementing things like Flash Face Cup, Tungsten Energy Core, and Urethane Microspheres in all three irons, they definitely look poised to accomplish that.
Callaway Apex 21 Irons
It’s only right to start with the flagship iron, right? The Apex 21 is being hailed as a “21st Century Forging” by Callaway, and continues to be a shape and size that will fit the eye of a broad range of golfers. The shaping continues to let them put forgiveness into the iron, but without getting too big nor losing the shot-making potential that has endeared the line to so many over each release.
The goal was to further entrench the Apex as offering leading distance, launch, speed, feel, and most importantly consistency in all of those aspects. To do that they have implemented a “Big Three” of tech, if you will.
First, A.I. Flash Face Cup is here, and it is the first time that Callaway has implemented AI into a forged iron. It was a natural progression given the success A.I. has allowed them in the past couple of years, but it took a lot to implement it into these three sets of irons. This means more distance, but also with more forgiveness all while maintaining spin numbers better than previous iterations. It is also worth noting once again, each iron has a unique face design, both loft for loft as well as compared to the other two Apex sets.
Added to that is a “Massive” tungsten core with a unique split application system low in the iron with heel, toe, and center sections. The unique split placement allows for the increased MOI blended with a lower CG. In all, there is 5-times the Tungsten compared to the Apex 19 irons, ranging from 34g to 64g in the 3-9 while only 14 in the PW and AW to tune in the desired flight through the set. Rounding it out, the 1025 Carbon Steel with Urethane Microsphere technology that continues to be revolutionary compared to anything else on the market for performance and feel.
Callaway is claiming higher peak ball speed compared to the Apex 19, but more importantly the “sweet spot” is much larger and more centered as well as lower than previously which matches where most golfers tend to miss much better. The set will play off a 30.5° 7-iron and 43° PW, but Callaway notes that the A.I. design is allowing them to generate and retain more spin loft for loft than previously possible.
The Apex 21 will be available in 3-AW and paired with all new premium shafts in True Temper Elevate ETS 95’s (R, S) for steel and UST Mamiya Recoil Dart 75’s (L, R, S) for graphite. They are rounded out with Golf Pride Z-Grip Soft for the stock grip options.
Callaway Apex Pro 21 Irons
The Apex Pro irons have long thrived on being a unicorn of sorts, making a more players style iron impressively more playable for a wider range of golfers. Since they have been infinitely successful, Callaway did the only natural thing, they totally and completely redesigned them from the ground up. These are not like any Apex Pro before. Truly.
Welcome the Apex lineup to the age of the hollow body design.
The Pro’s are now a forged hollow body design that Callaway calls a player’s performance iron. For golfers from scratch to single digits who want performance mixed with forgiveness, this may be the ticket, fitting between the Apex 21 and the X-Forged CB.
Hollow is popular right now, but Callaway believes they have done it differently. They liked the hollow body design because it affords more stiffness in the rear of the club but allows a lot to be done internally with the application of the aforementioned A.I. Flash Face Cup, 1025 Carbon Steel with Urethane Microspheres, as well as a massiveamount of Tungsten.
The Flash Face cup is unique to this specific set as well as club for club within the set. When blended with the “Tungsten Energy Core” which has placed 53g to 90g in the 3-7 of the set you have an iron design primed for more speed, more forgiveness, and more spin consistency. Callaway also believes that thanks to the huge amount of Urethane Microspheres both low and higher in the club, and their ability to collapse and rebound without sacrificing energy transfer, they have produced a hollow body with feel like a one-piece forging. Now that is something that will perk up some ears.
The Apex Pro 21 will be available in 3-AW and the set plays off of a 33° 7-iron and 45° PW. Additionally, the premium stock shaft offerings are the all-new True Temper Elevate ETS 115 (R, S, X) in steel as well as the Mitsubishi MMT (R – 85, S – 95, TX – 105) in graphite and paired with the Golf Pride Z-Grip.
Callaway Apex DCB Irons
Rounding out the Callaway Apex 21 irons lineup, the new kid on the block, the Apex DCB.
DCB stands for “Deep Cavity Blade” and the name says it all, this is an even more forgiving forged iron that Callaway wanted to create in order to allow golfers who need a wider sole, longer blade length, and a bit more offset a way to still be part of the Apex family.
All of the above traits meet up with the A.I. Flash Face Cup, 1025 Carbon Steel with Urethane Microspheres, and Tungsten Energy Core just like the other two irons in the lineup, simply in a more forgiving and easier launching package. Though they feature a progressively large sole than the rest of the Apex offerings, they look a lot like the Apex 21’s and visually blend well enough to make a golfer happy when looking down at the clubs.
The Apex DCB will be available in 4-AW and playing off of a 30° 7-Iron and a 43° PW with the set being practically the same as the Apex 21 other than the long irons. Premium shaft offerings for the DCB are True Temper Elevate ETS 85 (R, S) as well as UST Mamiya Recoil Dart 65 (L, R, S) and finished with the Golf Pride Z-Grip Soft.
Combo Time!
Some of you were reading along and wondering, so this is for you…
YES, Callaway will be offering a combo sets for the Apex 21 lineup.
The main option will be the same we saw last time around blending the Apex 21 3-7 with Apex Pro 21 8-AW through the use of unique tooling in the Pro’s to make the set flow as seamlessly as possible. However, they are fully anticipating the possibility of other combo’s created by the consumer or during fittings with the “Apex Sweet Spot” having DCB 4-5 and Apex 21 6-AW, the “Apex Triple Play” with DCB 4-5, Apex 21 6-9, and Apex Pro 21 9-AW, as well as the “Apex Player” featuring Apex Pro 21 3-7 and Callaway Apex MB 8-AW.
The Details
The Callaway Apex 21 irons lineup will begin fitting on 1/28/21 and have a retail date of 2/11/21. Pricing will be $185 per club for steel and $200 per club in graphite.
Be sure to keep an eye on THP for a lot more to come on the entire Apex 21 lineup.
Little Apex appreciation in me today. I played this setup on Sunday in a tournament, and had kind of forgot how much like it. I could honestly play this combo indefinitely and have near zero complaints. So much good Apex stuff.
Gonna take them dancing in the rain this afternoon.
I’m doing this for all my clubs next time I make it by PGA SS just for the peace of mind. Haven’t had any major issues, but I also didn’t get this set checked before putting them in play. The 19s I had them checked before I took them home.
? ? 8 with that setup today. Like I said, I’d have very few complaints. So good. Help to extreme control all in one series.
Did you have a Callaway driver under that driver headcover?
Yes, but I ended up ditching the UT and bringing the TSi3 too. Played the Speed the first few and when I was loose switched to it.
Sorry, I don’t want to hijack this thread, but one more question. Which driver now gives you better ball speed, the Speed or the TiS3?
Nothing’s beat my TSi3 setup on course or monitor. It’s faster in the end for me, because it manages my miss better. They’re both great, it’s just a better fit in multiple small ways.
View attachment 9031390
You won’t hate ’em. The 8-AW are a little bit much for me when I’m having a rough day but man are they awesome when I’m on.
I want to hear more about this.
Oh it’s nothing on my end personally haha, I just thought about them this morning as I was reading through some Grandaddy commentary, thinking they’d probably be what I would pick if I was heading to Cali in December (products we are not aware about not considered).
I want to hear more experiences from people with them.
I was planning to do the split set but the standards were just too good so I set my ego aside and have not regretted passing on these. In testing, the good shots with these felt very good and the flight was amazing but the standards did much better with my miss (low & toe side)
Yes, they are pretty killer as well. Did you go DCB at all?
Even over the XForged you picked earlier this year?
While I loved the previous version of those the Apex pro are so much better, especially in the long irons. At least for someone looking for some help.
Oh man, I love those irons. They are back at the THP Club Lab resting, waiting lmao
There’s something about forgiveness though.. I’ll probably always chase it.
I tried them but my miss is a hook and I was fore left with the DCBs when I let my hands go early. They sit really closed for me and I didn’t have an option to set them up a little flat with more loft. I may build one like that as a driving iron to experiment with.
Pros are ????? Best feeling iron and best turf interaction I’ve had. Toe side misses still get where they are supposed to go and the overall forgiveness is fantastic. I know there has also been some feedback on the durability of the finish but I’ve put these through hell on a range that has a sandy base and these still look great to me. Obviously not brand new but nothing that would ever turn me off of them.
I’d be totally happy gaming these for the next few seasons!
2 GIR from off the fairway was also a nice bonus! So what I do on the range is put impact tape on my irons that I usually warm up with (P-8-5). So far so great.
I always fight a slice/leaky fade, and too much spin and moon balls. My Mavrik set from the grandaddy helped me with that quite a bit, I loved the 4-6 irons, but I always just felt I was coming in a little too hot to greens in the mid irons with the flatter ball flight, and I struggled a lot with contact in the 9-AW spots, which I think in some part was due to the offset, and my swing, because once I got to the Jaws wedges I hit them great. They served me well, but I knew once the combo sets for Apex 21 it was going to something I wanted to move towards, as it would address multiple issues I had, plus……new/shiny.
I went back and forth over shafts for a while and wanted something a little lighter than X100, and with some long winter research and lots of peer pressure, pulled the trigger sight unseen and went for the combo set.
My results this season have been great, and I have been extremely happy with them, and the PX 6.5 shafts.
4-5 Iron – Apex 21 DCB have been phenomenal, hit them off the tee, off the deck and into greens. No issues at all with holding greens with them either, I have had several sniffs at eagles, thanks to the 4 iron. They are very forgiving when they need to be (which is often) but unlike the Mavs, I can feel the toe side miss, but they perform just as well. For me that is important, and I get the mishit feel, but the minimal affect to distance.
6-9 Iron – Apex 21 – Again much better performance, I lost a bit of distance over the Mavs which is expected given the lofts, but the ball flight is much better for what I want. I have by far hit the most GIR this season than in past, due to reducing how much I leak to the right, part of it I think is the shaft change, also more practice. But more GIR is what I was after and haven’t had as many issues, blowing it off the back of the greens.
PW-AW – Apex 21…..I was almost talked into the 3 way combo set and put in the Apex pros for these, but I think I made the right choice to stick with the Apex 21 standard. We are back. No issue with these and I am able to cleanly strike them again. I have confidence in the AW again, which was a club I had to put on the bench in the last set. An extra Jaws wedge solved that problem, but its nice to have the set AW again, as it’s mainly a full swing club.
Overall very happy with these and they have earned their way into next season easily.
My buddy I have played with this year finally got new clubs after 23 years as well. After seeing mine, but not trying (a lefty) he did a 2 hour fitting and ended up with Apex 21 full set. He just got his Thursday, took them out the wrapper, and won his work tournament the next day, needless to say he is also happy with the performance.
I’m torn between the sweet spot combo and straight up Apex 21s. I haven’t had a 4 iron in the bag for over 5 years though. If going straight up Apex, I’d probably start at 5 iron. Then, the triple play also is whispering in my ear too, lol. But, I just missed a hole in one today with my Apex 19 PW, so not like I need the pros…
Nice feedback!
I’m torn between the sweet spot combo and straight up Apex 21s. I haven’t had a 4 iron in the bag for over 5 years though. If going straight up Apex, I’d probably start at 5 iron. Then, the triple play also is whispering in my ear too, lol. But, I just missed a hole in one today with my Apex 19 PW, so not like I need the pros…
It probably doesn’t matter either way, i think i could have gone either way even DCB up to 6 or no DCB at all. The differences between standard and dcb are not as pronounced so if your only getting 5 iron and up could probably just stick with the Apex. I use 4 iron for all sorts of shot types so its nice having it.
Love this?? (though obviously not the long lead time lol)
I would say yes. Mainly because they have broken the Apex line up so much that it got watered down. Marketing department did a bad job with the run away segments and giving too many options. Plus they have not pumped up the forging process and feel marketing of why someone should pay 40% more for a big clunky forged club compared to a sim 2 or ping. Still stuck in the rodney dangerfield level of Tech and gizmoes.
I’m not sure how they can be underrated. There was huge anticipation and initial reception, and they’ve lived up to the hype. I don’t know the sales numbers, but they’re definitely the most common ‘this year’ line I see out there, and the stores here are still moving them like crazy.
do you think most golfers buy on feel? Asking genuinely because the top sellers in golf would not exactly be what would be considered “feel irons”
What constitutes them being underrated, overall?
The sheer depth of iron quality out there not pumping these immediately to the top of every discussion like the OG?
Perhaps. Maybe the search and post numbers comes to mind, although I know on places like THP many times that’s the newest. A number of Grandaddy guys moving off nearly immediately. Just a general sense was my thought?
We see them a ton here at our club.
I know they have been quite popular at my course, but mostly the Apex specifically.
The only reason they’re not in my bag right now is because I couldn’t wait three months to get them when I ordered them back in February. But I’m still pondering them I will probably pull the trigger on a used set or a black Friday deal. I would be surprised if a lot of the Granddaddy guys don’t get fit it into these, there’s just so many options. I say that without knowing what else might be out there that we don’t know about, of course.
I would say that the people that would be shopping the apex line it would influence their choice. Mizuno sells tons of clubs based on "feel" marketing alone. Plus the Apex line seems like it has taken over almost their whole line. Lost are the days of having the new Apex line that is special and ties back to the Hogan days. Now it is more Ho Hum than ever because there is so many different models all carrying the Apex name and some letters. The work Apex no longer carries the same shock and awe factor. Apex name has become a " Me too" club, like the Harley street glide. "Oh what club you have there?".. "oh the Apex (insert letters here)" " Me too" but one is a TCB and one is a DCB not even close to the same club in size or shape. It has been watered down to the point people only care about the two or three letters after the word Apex.
interesting. I’m not sure I agree, but I get it.
At least here on THP it feels like there is a good amount of discussion. I’m a little surprised some of them haven’t worked out for others because of my own experience and how much I have enjoyed them. Then again I didn’t get along with the CF16 and those were well loved.
Out in the wild though I haven’t seen a single other set of ‘21 Apex in any variety. I’ve had a couple people ask about mine but that is it. I do see a lot of P790.
Saying that though, I personally haven’t seen any other Apex irons except mine at my course. I don’t go scoping bags often but when I have, I haven’t seen many. Drivers on the other hand, at least one out of three bags has some sort of Callaway big stick from the Mavrik line forward.
I think there’s just more clubs available in the space traditionally served by the Apex line. Could also be that the average golfer playing the 19s is still happy enough with them not to upgrade. I see plenty of Callaway clubs in people’s bags, but I’ve only seen one set of 2021 Apex that I can remember. Should be said that I don’t play too much golf with people outside my standard group often, other than league. What I do see a bunch of is P790s, Mizunos and Titleist irons. Few Srixons and Cobra iron sets here and there, but fewer/farther between.
I would have to see the sales numbers to know but this seems like the most complete Apex lineup to date. They nailed it on looks, feel, and performance.
View attachment 9032532
I am currently comparing:
Apex Pro/MB Combo (5-6 Pro, 7-PW MB with PX 6.5) – gamers for the last 3 months and have been enjoying them immensely
Apex DCB (5-AW with Dart Recoils) – missile launchers but still on the fence as I can’t tighten the dispersion when increasing the distance.
Latest additions:
Apex Pro/TCB Combo (4 Pro, 5-PW TCB with Modus 120 X) – have been itching to try the TCBs, all thanks to @OldandStiff ! Arrived today, so looking forward to comparing them this weekend. Modus 120 is my second fav shaft behind the PXs
It’s a sickness!
Which is your favorite set?
Have not hit the TCBs yet, so will need to report back in those.
DCBs are point and shoot off the face; heel or toe strikes just travel. The lofts and the cup face (plus light graphite shafts) make these some of the longest and most forgiving iron heads I have ever played. However, I think they would be better for me personally in a different shaft. I’ve never played graphite and I wanted to try the Darts, but my dispersion sucks. Might be a weight thing, as I am used to 120-125g poles, or maybe I am just being overly sensitive and not giving myself enough time to adjust.
The Pros are a good middle ground and they combo nicely with the MBs in the short irons. I have really enjoyed playing this set and wouldn’t have looked elsewhere if it wasn’t for a) being tempted by all the TCB love on this thread and b) really wanting to try a Pro 4 iron. The chance arose for me to acquire a set in my specs that gave me option to try both. FTW!
That’s great feedback.. i cannot wait to hear how the TCBs perform for you! Have you thought about trying one of the heavier Mitsubishi MMT graphite shafts in the DCBs to see if that works better?