Callaway Apex 19 and Apex Pro 19 Irons

The Apex Pro looks amazing!!!! :bulgy-eyes: That would be the way to go between the two.
 
Yeah I sold my mizunos yesterday, these are getting ordered next Friday.
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I expected to keep and play my PTx irons forever. Within a week of gaming the Apex Forged those clubs were sold.
 
Very impressed by the fact that these were said to be the biggest tech story from this release cycle, amazing! They are definitely all over my radar...
 
For those that gamed them in the grandaddy how was the spin on the irons?
thoughts?

I saw one of the guys mentioned the pros spin about 500rpms less than the X-forged. Which really puts these high on my list for irons this year. I’m gonna need to buy a new set for 2019 and I’m liking the pros!


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For those that gamed them in the grandaddy how was the spin on the irons?

I loved the distances that I saw with the CF16, but the lack of spin on the 5-6I made it tough to hold greens, combined with the occasional popular "flyer" that people were experiencing as well made them tough to hold on to. Which was a shame cause I enjoyed my time with them for the most part.

thoughts?
I am seeing more spin and action on shots with scoring irons than I've ever seen. After one round I came back and told the guys I might need to change balls because I was getting too much spin.
 
I saw one of the guys mentioned the pros spin about 500rpms less than the X-forged. Which really puts these high on my list for irons this year. I’m gonna need to buy a new set for 2019 and I’m liking the pros!


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Im going to have to get my swing changed drastically then, cause I went Xforged in the grandaddy over rogue pros to get more spin.
 
For those that gamed them in the grandaddy how was the spin on the irons?

I loved the distances that I saw with the CF16, but the lack of spin on the 5-6I made it tough to hold greens, combined with the occasional popular "flyer" that people were experiencing as well made them tough to hold on to. Which was a shame cause I enjoyed my time with them for the most part.

thoughts?

I can only speak to the Pro model but the spin was extremely impressive. I am a very low spin player and I was actually backing some up. The regular version of course have me lower spin during the fitting but I also didn't try it with the shaft I ended up in so that may have helped some.
 
For those that gamed them in the grandaddy how was the spin on the irons?

I loved the distances that I saw with the CF16, but the lack of spin on the 5-6I made it tough to hold greens, combined with the occasional popular "flyer" that people were experiencing as well made them tough to hold on to. Which was a shame cause I enjoyed my time with them for the most part.

thoughts?

For me in the 7i:
Xforged - 5500
Apex Pro - 5000
Apex - 3700

Hope that helps and gives you a good idea where the models sit. Fair warning though, I don't generate spin worth a damn so my numbers will be lower than most. Also spin isn't the entire story. For me the Pros have so much speed that they rip to a massive peak height.
 
Curtis, you spoke about the longer irons in the Apex Pros. Any issues getting launch/height out of them?

The Apex Pros are quite possibly the best looking Callaway iron I've seen in a long time, and are now on my ponder list.

~Rock
 
Love that the look between the two models (or even the 3 models if you add in the Bertha), is so similar.

Want SGI with that look, no problem. Same for Game Improvement and Players Irons. Love love love that you can have it all looks wise no matter the model you get into.
 
They look nice and sleek, not a monstrosity, with crisp lines. Really liking the look!

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I expected to keep and play my PTx irons forever. Within a week of gaming the Apex Forged those clubs were sold.

Coming from the PTx (which I am also currently gaming) - which model fit that shape/offset profile more? What I've been thinking a lot about recently is trying to get something with maybe just a little more help in the 4-5-6 iron range and really staying with something similar to the PTx 7-GW.

Also, for anyone who has been lucky enough to get some early info on these: how are the lofts? Are the blend-able for a combo set?
 
I can only speak to the Pro model but the spin was extremely impressive. I am a very low spin player and I was actually backing some up. The regular version of course have me lower spin during the fitting but I also didn't try it with the shaft I ended up in so that may have helped some.

Good to know, did you notice any huge forgiveness differences between the 2 during your fitting/on course play?

For me in the 7i:
Xforged - 5500
Apex Pro - 5000
Apex - 3700

Hope that helps and gives you a good idea where the models sit. Fair warning though, I don't generate spin worth a damn so my numbers will be lower than most. Also spin isn't the entire story. For me the Pros have so much speed that they rip to a massive peak height.

Same as above, thought on forgiveness? And how do the pros look at address to say the x forged (Im a visual guy).
 
Man look wise these have been well worth the wait for those who loved and have been clamoring for the new Apex line.

My eyes went immediately to the Black/Chrome finish, A because I'm not a Pro nor will ever be good enough to hit that, but the Black and design on the cavity looks awesome. I've never played a forged club but these look fantastic.

Happy for those who got fit for them and looking forward to reading about their progress with these beauties!
 
Callaway Apex 19 and Apex Pro 19 Irons

Callaway Apex 19 Irons Initial Thoughts / Review / Feedback

Introduction

A little bit about my golfing self before diving into the irons. I am currently around an 11-12 handicap. I'd consider myself an average ball striker. I swing my driver around 95-98 mph and my 7i around 82-83mph according to my most recent fitting at the ECPC. Before gaming the new Apex 19 irons (which I was extremely fortunate to receive at The Grandaddy brought to us by the incredible folks at Callaway and THP), I had been playing the Apex CF 16 irons for over 2.5 years. During that time, I played both a satin set with Project X 5.5 steel shafts (which I was fit into) and an Apex Black set with UST Mamiya Recoil 110 F4 graphite shafts (I was also fit into these shafts on a separate occasion). I have been playing only the Apex Black + Recoil combo for at least the last year or so. I don't think I have a consistent miss, but I do probably miss toe side more often than heal and thin more often than fat. I have loved the profile and forgiveness of the CF 16s the entire time I've used them so expectations are high going into the Apex 19.

Technology & Looks

Enough about me, let's talk about this beautiful set of irons. Even though they are 3 years old, the Apex CF 16s are still some of the best irons available. They were undeniably a breakthrough in the game improvement category thanks to their combination of performance and a relatively slim profile. Callaway's brilliant design teams set out to create a worthy successor to these tremendously popular irons, and an entirely new iron with even more technology was born. In other words, they didn't just take the CF 16 and make one change and call it something new. They learned from and used a bunch of tech from previous iron designs to create an incredible package.

- 360 Cup Face to promote higher ball speeds across the entire face

- VFT Face in the scoring clubs for improved spin control

- MIM'D tungsten weights for more precise CG location on each iron

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The previous Apex offerings boasted not only impressive performance but great looks, and the new Apex irons definitely deliver in both departments again. Like the previous generation, the new version has a satin finish (while the Pro version is chrome) and black / silver badging in the cavity. If you are a fan of the CF 16 looks, you will no doubt dig these too. They look great at address as well of course. I haven't measured the top line to confirm this, but they look maybe a bit thinner. This could be due to more rounded edges or other subtle changes.

Performance & Forgiveness

During my fitting at the ECPC, my fitter John and I landed on 5i-AW with the Project X Catalyst 80 graphite shafts in stiff (6.0) flex. These shafts weigh 85g, which makes them 20-25g lighter than what I've been using the last couple years. My 7i swing was around 82-83mph and carry distance was around 167 yards. This is around 5 yards longer than the distance I've been playing my 7i. On the course, these irons do seem to be 5-7 yards longer than my CF 16s, which may be due to the lighter shafts, but I'll have to play with them longer and also try to get them on a launch monitor to know for sure. So far, the overall performance and gapping between each iron has been very solid. I don't know if I like the Catalyst as much as the Recoils, but I'm willing to give them a long term test since I trust my fitter.

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I've also tested the forgiveness more than I would have liked during the rounds I've used them. The low / thin miss seems to be just as good as the CF 16s, which is to say it's quite impressive. Misses towards the heel or towards the toe also remind me of the CF 16's excellent level of forgiveness.

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Feel / Sound / Feedback

This is obviously very subjective, so take my thoughts (and anyone's) with a grain of salt since your feel and hearing is not the same as mine.

Not surprisingly, the well struck shots feel and sound amazing. Mishits definitely provide harsher (more noticeable) feedback, so you should be able to have some idea where you hit the ball on the face, which is important to many golfers.

Durability

Longer term testing is required to provide a really meaningful report on durability, but so far, the satin Apex 19 irons seem to wear very similarly to the satin CF 16s, which is good news. I haven't seen anything concerning at this point.

For more info, check out the THP home page article here: https://www.thehackersparadise.com/callaway-apex-19-apex-pro-19-irons/

Apex CF 16 5i (left) vs Apex 19 5i

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Apex CF 16 7i vs Apex 19 7i

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Apex CF 16 PW vs Apex 19 PW

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Good to know, did you notice any huge forgiveness differences between the 2 during your fitting/on course play?



Same as above, thought on forgiveness? And how do the pros look at address to say the x forged (Im a visual guy).
The Pros are smaller at address than the Xforged.
Thinner sole, thinner top line, maybe a shorter blade length too.
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Anyone have pics of the smoke finish?


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The Pros are smaller at address than the Xforged.
Thinner sole, thinner top line, maybe a shorter blade length too.
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That doesnt look bad at all. I may have to see in hand, cause there were days standing over the X-forged where I was like "WTF these look tiny"
 
Coming from the PTx (which I am also currently gaming) - which model fit that shape/offset profile more? What I've been thinking a lot about recently is trying to get something with maybe just a little more help in the 4-5-6 iron range and really staying with something similar to the PTx 7-GW.

Also, for anyone who has been lucky enough to get some early info on these: how are the lofts? Are the blend-able for a combo set?
I can't speak to the Pro model - it's out of my league and I had a dog poop swing at the fitting, so I didn't even touch the Pros. The Apex Forged irons feel very familiar to me with the PTx. To my eye they are extremely similar profiles. But that said, I never put them side by side to compare (stupid).

These irons offer similar to better feel, at least through the 7i (I just have hit the 6i and down very much); 1/2 to full club more distance; and at least equal spin on approach shot with scoring clubs and no isssues with ballooning when playing into wind (as I saw with the PTx's). To me these are an upgrade across the board.
 
Anyone have pics of the smoke finish?
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No, they aren't released yet and we were all scared straight about taking pictures on site.

Heads up they are Smoke, not black. Think dark gray. IIRC Its a different process from what was used on the Berthas, too.
 
I can't speak to the Pro model - it's out of my league and I had a dog poop swing at the fitting, so I didn't even touch the Pros. The Apex Forged irons feel very familiar to me with the PTx. To my eye they are extremely similar profiles. But that said, I never put them side by side to compare (stupid).

These irons offer similar to better feel, at least through the 7i (I just have hit the 6i and down very much); 1/2 to full club more distance; and at least equal spin on approach shot with scoring clubs and no isssues with ballooning when playing into wind (as I saw with the PTx's). To me these are an upgrade across the board.

Thanks so much! So you found the offset between the "regular" Apex and the PTx to be similar? How about launch?
 
clean looking irons. These are a great example of the internal conflict I always have with irons. The Apex would serve me perfectly with the forgiveness and tech. But the pros look so good.

Superficiality is my weakness.
 
So I had some free time at ECPC in between fitting groups and I went over and grabbed an 8 iron. Stupid easy to hit, very smooth feel and right at the distance of my current CF16 8 iron. I went to tell dacatalyst about how awesome the new Apex is, looked at it and realized I was hitting the Apex Pro. I couldnt believe it. I will have a set as soon as they are out and I cant wait
 
No, they aren't released yet and we were all scared straight about taking pictures on site.

Heads up they are Smoke, not black. Think dark gray. IIRC Its a different process from what was used on the Berthas, too.

Is it like the finish on the X-24’s?


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One more cool tidbit of info, and not all of the Grandaddy guys know this, but they were literally some of the first in the world to hit these irons. There was a real good chance the heads werent going to be even shipped to Callaway in time for the Grandaddy. But, no surprise, they did and the guys loved them
 
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