Callaway Apex CF 16 Irons Review Thread

I have these irons, along with a set of MD3 wedges sitting in the cart on the website waiting for me to pull the trigger... Someone push me over the edge!
 
I have these irons, along with a set of MD3 wedges sitting in the cart on the website waiting for me to pull the trigger... Someone push me over the edge!


Do it.
 
On course update:
So I had the chance to get in some golf last week on the bookend of the PGA Show, only 13 holes on Tuesday AM and 9 holes Friday afternoon. However, both outings were my first real on course use of the irons, other than a few holes of practice at my course the week they came in.

Looks:
Many have seen the pics, so not a whole lot to say about them, other than some personal observations. They look really nice at address, not super thick and so thin I get uncomfortable. I love the brushed metal look of the recoil shafts, many people thing they are stell shafts when they first see them. The Green grips, just really stand out on these and are a nice contrast to the shaft.


Feel:
Is a topic that draws a lot of conversation. I'll admit right up front, as a higher cap (20) I don't focus on feel as much as results and forgiveness. That said, like anybody I do like a club that feels soft or solid on impact with the ball, not clicky or hard. These fit the bill perfectly there. On the pure hits, I don't know how to describe it, you don't really feel it, but the sound and sight of the ball jumping off the face, leaves know doubt you hit it on the sweet spot and compressed it nicely.

On the not so perfect strikes, you do notice more of a contact, but not in a harsh way. My miss with irons tends to be low on the face, as my big swing fault is early extension/coming out of a shot. I had heard a lot about the forgiveness on these on that low face impact, and I definitely witnessed it a few times. In none of those cases was the shot horrible or costly, in two cases I still ended up on the front fringe, and another time, I ended up short of a green-side bunker to the right, which left me with a chance to still chip up for a par or bogey.


Distance:
Ok the final verdict of these is still out, but the early returns based on these two "rounds" are that I'm seeing two clubs more than my previous iron (Wilson D200) which is going to shock a lot of people. But I'm convinced that Callaway has something here with the CupFace technology.

In my demo of this iron last fall with Emarts, I hit a 5 iron 165 yards pin high on a par 3, normally that would have been a 4 hybrid for me. So naturally when I faced a shot of similar distance last week, I went for the 5, and it was one of the above shots I mentioned where I didn't have a great swing, but fell just a few yards short and left me in a good spot.

Later I teed the 5 iron up on a 185 yard par 3, I knew I wouldn't get there, but I wanted to see just how close it would be, a good swing resulted in a shot that was straight at flag and about 10 yards short of green. So that would be about on par with the 165 yard's I had previously seen.

They were consistently longer through the set. I ran into Chad Coleman (who I've know for a few years) at the show on Thursday and getting caught up I told him I had picked these irons up. He went on about how great they were, and that a lot of people were seeing 1 to 1.5 clubs more in distance. When I told him I was probably seeing closer to 2, he just smiled and said, I love it!!

I'm an old guy and have lost a lot of distance over the past 7 years due to age and injuries. It actually made me feel good to be hitting a 7 iron 150 yards again. Not a huge distance for some, but something that I can live with as very respectable.

Shorter Irons
Not a lot to say here, as honestly, Berumuda Grass can bite my A$$, oh wait a minute, it did!! I struggled a lot with the gap wedge and PW when I tried to hit a few bump and runs or short pitches around the green, with the club getting stuck in the grass. I know Bermuda is a different animal than i'm used to, so I can't really give a fair thought here. I will say, I like the feel of the 9 and PW and will work a lot this spring on using those for chipping and bump and run, as opposed to my 54 that I had been using for all green side shots.

Conclusion
So obviously there is a lot of golf to be played this spring and summer with these, I'm sure I'll have my ups and downs, mainly due to my HC level, and there will probably be days where I can't hit a solid shot (although I do have a much more indepth practice plan in place this year) but I'm very confident that these will really help me drop some strokes with the added distance and the incredible ability to just go straight.

Overall I'm very pleased with the early returns and will continue to update my thoughts here.
 
I have these irons, along with a set of MD3 wedges sitting in the cart on the website waiting for me to pull the trigger... Someone push me over the edge!

If you like good looks, sleek body, great forgiveness and performance to match, find a good woman...Or these irons.
 
If you like good looks, sleek body, great forgiveness and performance to match, find a good woman...Or these irons.
Haha, both of those sound right up my alley... I have been contemplating another fitting to try some additional shaft options before taking the plunge, but those PXI equipped irons were money... I may just have to go with that. I need these in my bag.
 
On course update:
So I had the chance to get in some golf last week on the bookend of the PGA Show, only 13 holes on Tuesday AM and 9 holes Friday afternoon. However, both outings were my first real on course use of the irons, other than a few holes of practice at my course the week they came in.

Looks:
Many have seen the pics, so not a whole lot to say about them, other than some personal observations. They look really nice at address, not super thick and so thin I get uncomfortable. I love the brushed metal look of the recoil shafts, many people thing they are stell shafts when they first see them. The Green grips, just really stand out on these and are a nice contrast to the shaft.


Feel:
Is a topic that draws a lot of conversation. I'll admit right up front, as a higher cap (20) I don't focus on feel as much as results and forgiveness. That said, like anybody I do like a club that feels soft or solid on impact with the ball, not clicky or hard. These fit the bill perfectly there. On the pure hits, I don't know how to describe it, you don't really feel it, but the sound and sight of the ball jumping off the face, leaves know doubt you hit it on the sweet spot and compressed it nicely.

On the not so perfect strikes, you do notice more of a contact, but not in a harsh way. My miss with irons tends to be low on the face, as my big swing fault is early extension/coming out of a shot. I had heard a lot about the forgiveness on these on that low face impact, and I definitely witnessed it a few times. In none of those cases was the shot horrible or costly, in two cases I still ended up on the front fringe, and another time, I ended up short of a green-side bunker to the right, which left me with a chance to still chip up for a par or bogey.


Distance:
Ok the final verdict of these is still out, but the early returns based on these two "rounds" are that I'm seeing two clubs more than my previous iron (Wilson D200) which is going to shock a lot of people. But I'm convinced that Callaway has something here with the CupFace technology.

In my demo of this iron last fall with Emarts, I hit a 5 iron 165 yards pin high on a par 3, normally that would have been a 4 hybrid for me. So naturally when I faced a shot of similar distance last week, I went for the 5, and it was one of the above shots I mentioned where I didn't have a great swing, but fell just a few yards short and left me in a good spot.

Later I teed the 5 iron up on a 185 yard par 3, I knew I wouldn't get there, but I wanted to see just how close it would be, a good swing resulted in a shot that was straight at flag and about 10 yards short of green. So that would be about on par with the 165 yard's I had previously seen.

They were consistently longer through the set. I ran into Chad Coleman (who I've know for a few years) at the show on Thursday and getting caught up I told him I had picked these irons up. He went on about how great they were, and that a lot of people were seeing 1 to 1.5 clubs more in distance. When I told him I was probably seeing closer to 2, he just smiled and said, I love it!!

I'm an old guy and have lost a lot of distance over the past 7 years due to age and injuries. It actually made me feel good to be hitting a 7 iron 150 yards again. Not a huge distance for some, but something that I can live with as very respectable.

Shorter Irons
Not a lot to say here, as honestly, Berumuda Grass can bite my A$$, oh wait a minute, it did!! I struggled a lot with the gap wedge and PW when I tried to hit a few bump and runs or short pitches around the green, with the club getting stuck in the grass. I know Bermuda is a different animal than i'm used to, so I can't really give a fair thought here. I will say, I like the feel of the 9 and PW and will work a lot this spring on using those for chipping and bump and run, as opposed to my 54 that I had been using for all green side shots.

Conclusion
So obviously there is a lot of golf to be played this spring and summer with these, I'm sure I'll have my ups and downs, mainly due to my HC level, and there will probably be days where I can't hit a solid shot (although I do have a much more indepth practice plan in place this year) but I'm very confident that these will really help me drop some strokes with the added distance and the incredible ability to just go straight.

Overall I'm very pleased with the early returns and will continue to update my thoughts here.

Good review Rob.....A lot of the things that I am seeing with these irons!!!!

Hit em straight,,,
Joe
 
3 rounds in with my Apexs, 79-79-81 after 3 rounds prior at 85-86-87 on the same course with Rsi2s. Been hitting greens at an astonishing rate. Distance is roughly in line with the Rsi2s, but the accuracy is something to behold. Only drawback is I've gotten a little overconfident in the irons from time to time. Trying to hit pinpoint targets and chasing tricky pins that really no one should be going directly at.
 
Good review Rob.....A lot of the things that I am seeing with these irons!!!!

Hit em straight,,,
Joe
Yes indeed, lots of good results. Glad you're liking them as well, and the shaft you have was a very close 2nd choice for me.
 
no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!!
 
no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!!
Then you are hanging out in the wrong thread :D
 
no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!! no i do not need new irons!!

I think you should look into new irons.


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I have these irons, along with a set of MD3 wedges sitting in the cart on the website waiting for me to pull the trigger... Someone push me over the edge!

Hate to break it to you but you came to the wrong place if you're looking for people to talk you out of a purchase lol especially these irons
 
I think I may be putting these back on the ponder list. I just put Cobra Forged Tec in play but after getting some more time on the simulator I'm not completely sold. These are stuck in the back of my head and I can't shake it!
 
If you like long irons, these are deceptively easy to hit for how pretty they are.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
Hate to break it to you but you came to the wrong place if you're looking for people to talk you out of a purchase lol especially these irons

Oh no, I came to the right place. I just don't feel as bad when others help me choose to spend more money. Especially when it involves golf stuff.
 
My comfort level with these grows with each visit to the golfing course. Today I worked on flighting the ball with half and 3/4 swing. Who ever says you can't work a GI, hasn't played these. It's fun to take dead aim and swing 3/4 and see a ball that stays it target. I was afraid I'd see too much spin and get up shots but not the case.
 
I have these irons, along with a set of MD3 wedges sitting in the cart on the website waiting for me to pull the trigger... Someone push me over the edge!

Just do it... Leave no yard behind...

Dax


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
these are on my mind along with their fine looking sisters the pro's
 
These shined yesterday for me on mishits. I didn't have my best iron game yesterday & the forgiveness built into these along with how ball speed retention on mishits is pretty impressive.

Several times I didn't hit it flush and still saw decent yardages and didn't get penalized as I would have thought.

I'm leaving some yards on the table bc of my crappy swing right now, but it's good to know once I get it strengthened out I have irons that will flat out perform. The confidence is sky high with these.
 
I think I may be putting these back on the ponder list. I just put Cobra Forged Tec in play but after getting some more time on the simulator I'm not completely sold. These are stuck in the back of my head and I can't shake it!

The king forged tec and the cf16's are two of the top irons I've been demoing. I'm close to ordering the KFT's with recoil 110 F4 shafts. I'm impressed with both. Both are considerably more forgiving than what I play now. I was swinging terribly yesterday and hit so many low of the face. Both irons performed admirably on the bad shots. My perception could be different to yours purely based on what I currently play to what you may have played prior to the KFT's. You can't go wrong with either irons. I think they are both on top in the iron market this year.

For me I noticed minor differences between both. The cf16 are softer feeling. I think distances are equal between both irons. I absolutely love the sound of the KFT's. The cf16 has a more muted sound to me. Neither is better than the other, I just prefer the sound of the cobra. I did seem to hit the KFT's a little more consistent. I can get the cobra's with the recoil 110's for $300 less than the cf16's. I can also get the winn dry-tac wrap midsize grip at no additional charge with the cobra's, so that's an added bonus.

Both are great irons. I don't think I would gain any significant performance advantage between the two, so I'm inclined to go the route that is a little lighter on the wallet. A thought would be to order one cf16 iron and take them out on the course to test.
 
The king forged tec and the cf16's are two of the top irons I've been demoing. I'm close to ordering the KFT's with recoil 110 F4 shafts. I'm impressed with both. Both are considerably more forgiving than what I play now. I was swinging terribly yesterday and hit so many low of the face. Both irons performed admirably on the bad shots. My perception could be different to yours purely based on what I currently play to what you may have played prior to the KFT's. You can't go wrong with either irons. I think they are both on top in the iron market this year.

For me I noticed minor differences between both. The cf16 are softer feeling. I think distances are equal between both irons. I absolutely love the sound of the KFT's. The cf16 has a more muted sound to me. Neither is better than the other, I just prefer the sound of the cobra. I did seem to hit the KFT's a little more consistent. I can get the cobra's with the recoil 110's for $300 less than the cf16's. I can also get the winn dry-tac wrap midsize grip at no additional charge with the cobra's, so that's an added bonus.

Both are great irons. I don't think I would gain any significant performance advantage between the two, so I'm inclined to go the route that is a little lighter on the wallet. A thought would be to order one cf16 iron and take them out on the course to test.

I really like both sets and am fortunate to have both sets. I will say that low on the face the CF16 is offering more forgiveness based on the FlightScope though.

That bottom groove on the cf16 is up there with the best I have tested to date in a package this size.
 
I really like both sets and am fortunate to have both sets. I will say that low on the face the CF16 is offering more forgiveness based on the FlightScope though.

That bottom groove on the cf16 is up there with the best I have tested to date in a package this size.
Seriously. I can vouch for the bottom groove. I've lived there on some rounds with these.
 
Seriously. I can vouch for the bottom groove. I've lived there on some rounds with these.
That seems to be the general consensus on the cf16. I imagine that I would probably find the same results once I got them on the course. I don't totally trust the simulator at my local golf store. It's no flightscope that's for sure.
 
Glad you found something you liked Freddy, thats the most important thing.
 
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