I've now had the Apex Pro 19s in the bag since early Dec 2018 (Thank you GRANDADDY!) and I've recently started to have a wandering eye, so naturally it's time to reflect back on my time with them.
One thing to know about me is that I will never be considered a "ballstriker" or even a good iron player because I am extremely shallow and even tend to have a positive AoA with irons somehow. This gives me pretty unique launch conditions with plenty of launch and zero spin so the more speed the better for me.
Right from the start these irons blew me away. Beautiful forged package with a surprising amount of tech jammed in. I remember my first shot with them was a 5 iron on #17 Dye Course at Hideaway and instantly I knew we were going to get along just fine. Powerful feel, plenty of speed and height, and amazing to look down on. Since then I've gone through hot streaks and cold streaks with them but every time I pull one out of the bag I'm excited to hit it. The Pro 19 AW has easily been my best scoring club since the beginning. Point and shoot, hop'n'stop.
Conventional wisdom would probably suggest that a lousy swinger like myself should be in something a little more forgiving. During a particularly brutal cold streak I went out and bought a Smoke Apex 19 Combo Set with the Apex 5-7 irons and they just didn't work for me. I struggled to align them properly (I blame the offset but who knows) and I seemed to lose any semblance of distance control with them for some reason. So back to the Pro 19s.
What you ultimately find with the Pro 19s is an iron that punches above it's weight class. The speed coming out of the cup face irons 5-7 is right up there with other larger irons like JPX 919 Forged or P760 yet the profile uniquely maintains enough spin that they are functional for me. The short irons are as good as any other forged players cavity with an amazing feel and a beautiful look at address.
As far as negatives go I've only got a few after 1.5 years:
1) I'd prefer an aesthetic that didn't use badges or stickers
2) A few of the irons have browny-yellow stains from the sticker epoxy leaking out.
3) Chrome finish is peeling off a couple of them.
4) I needed to adjust the loft gap between the 8i and the 7i in order to maintain consistent gapping. I now have a 2* gap there and it works great.
I say I've had a wandering eye lately but honestly a large part of me is considering picking up a fresh set of Pro 19s. I'm not convinced that any other iron of the same size can outperform it.
One thing to know about me is that I will never be considered a "ballstriker" or even a good iron player because I am extremely shallow and even tend to have a positive AoA with irons somehow. This gives me pretty unique launch conditions with plenty of launch and zero spin so the more speed the better for me.
Right from the start these irons blew me away. Beautiful forged package with a surprising amount of tech jammed in. I remember my first shot with them was a 5 iron on #17 Dye Course at Hideaway and instantly I knew we were going to get along just fine. Powerful feel, plenty of speed and height, and amazing to look down on. Since then I've gone through hot streaks and cold streaks with them but every time I pull one out of the bag I'm excited to hit it. The Pro 19 AW has easily been my best scoring club since the beginning. Point and shoot, hop'n'stop.
Conventional wisdom would probably suggest that a lousy swinger like myself should be in something a little more forgiving. During a particularly brutal cold streak I went out and bought a Smoke Apex 19 Combo Set with the Apex 5-7 irons and they just didn't work for me. I struggled to align them properly (I blame the offset but who knows) and I seemed to lose any semblance of distance control with them for some reason. So back to the Pro 19s.
What you ultimately find with the Pro 19s is an iron that punches above it's weight class. The speed coming out of the cup face irons 5-7 is right up there with other larger irons like JPX 919 Forged or P760 yet the profile uniquely maintains enough spin that they are functional for me. The short irons are as good as any other forged players cavity with an amazing feel and a beautiful look at address.
As far as negatives go I've only got a few after 1.5 years:
1) I'd prefer an aesthetic that didn't use badges or stickers
2) A few of the irons have browny-yellow stains from the sticker epoxy leaking out.
3) Chrome finish is peeling off a couple of them.
4) I needed to adjust the loft gap between the 8i and the 7i in order to maintain consistent gapping. I now have a 2* gap there and it works great.
I say I've had a wandering eye lately but honestly a large part of me is considering picking up a fresh set of Pro 19s. I'm not convinced that any other iron of the same size can outperform it.
For that reason I’m also interested in some Nippon shafts. That said I’ve worked my way from a miss 20’s down to a 12 HC. If I didn’t make so many mental mistakes I would easily be single digit. The clubs perform great. That said I have a club with a Elevate Tour that I’ve had little to no success with. Granted it’s a 5 iron and again I’m sure my swing is the issue. My ball flight with it is opposite. Low and not good distance at all. I’ve actually taken it out of the bag where a hybrid has fit in nicely. I believe the Elevate 95 is supposed to work for the masses. I play stiff at plus 1 and really they have worked very well. Only reason I want to try the Nippon is for a lower ball flight. Actually I’m getting a fitting on Thursday so I will find out.
