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Callaway Apex Performance Series Irons – Ai200, Ai300 and Ti Fusion

SuperStroke
I took my 7i out to the range during my lunch break to get some swings in. Not really focused on anything but more trying to put some swings in the bank, understand the results and start to draft out my next post in terms of what I am seeing so far.

The one thing I keep coming back to is feel at impact. Admittedly for the construction of the Ai200's I expected a firmer feel at impact and I am not seeing that. Also, I think I had a better day striking the ball which translated to some distances that were pretty cool to see and can really change my game if it translates to the course.

I am going to try and sneak out for 18 tomorrow afternoon, but I will be back out there for another range session to button up some thoughts and try to describe what I am seeing.

Any questions, fire away and I will try to answer as best as I can.
 
Jman said:
@Canadan hit Ti Fusion FAR.
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Was able to get out to the range today after work. Took my Garmin R10 with me to get some numbers to compare against each other. I don't fully trust the data the unit spits out in relation to real life, but it's useful for comparisons sake. It also seemed decently accurate today based on what I was seeing with my eyes.

The first thing that stood out was the feel. My word do the Ai200 feel good. The AiSmoke definitely don't feel bad, but they can be a bit stiff and clacky. There is none of that with the Ai200. Very pleasing, soft feel, and a full bodied "click" that is in no way overbearing.

First up was PW. I hit 5 shots with the Ai Smoke PW to get a base line and then it was time for my first hit with the Ai200. First opinion setting the club down behind the range ball was one of great anticipation. The sizing and shaping of the Ai200 is very, very close to the Ai Smoke, but it's a lighter, more matte appearance. It not only gives a bit more premium feel, but it's less distracting. I also immediately noticed the additional loft. It's only 1º difference in the 9i and PW, and 2º in the rest of the set, but it's still noticeable. I took my first swing and actually said "wow" out loud, earning me an eyebrow raise from the person next to me.

That first strike:
IMG_6235.jpg

I took four more shots before moving on to the 7i, very curious if what I was seeing in the PW was going to move up the bag. Took 5 shots with the Ai Smoke 7i and 5 with the Ai200 and say very similar things.

"But amarkabove, you didn't tell us what you saw." Well, what I saw was fantastic. On top of the improvement in feel, the first thing I saw was an increase in launch and apex height. I also was seeing the ball stop a bit sooner, which means more spin. This was later confirmed with the data from the R10. But the most interesting thing I saw is there was absolutely no loss in distance even though the Apex are weaker lofts. In fact, carry distance and total distance both slightly increased. This is in part to the added height, but also because I picked up a few mph of club speed and ball speed with the Ai200. The one thing I was marginally worried about was if I was going to have to reset my mental yardages on the course. In way too early results, I don't believe I will. So more spin, better launch, better feel, and no loss of distance? I'll take that every day of the week.

After finishing with the 7 irons, I decided to try the longest club in the set, so 4 iron. I didn't think to grab the Ai Smoke 4iron, as I didn't regularly bag it but I did compare it against the U•505 4i I recently added. It was entirely a fair comparison, but I was surprised with the Ai200 4i. Good contact strikes were getting almost as much distance, just with a more penetrating ball flight. Long irons are not really a strength of my game, but I don't think I will struggle with the 4i as I test the full set. I also hit a few with the 5 and 6 irons and noticed similar things to the 7 iron, but also noticed I wasn't getting fat with shots which has been a tendency of late with the slightly longer Ai Smoke irons. I've wondered if this was due to the extended length of the Smokes and since the Ai200 are standard length, maybe that will start being a thing of the past. It's definitely something I'm going to be keeping track of over the next few weeks as I settle in with these clubs.

I will be getting out for at least 9 holes at some point this weekend and looking forward to seeing how the Ai200 respond on course and with non range balls. To say I'm excited would be an understatement.
 
Jtubb17 said:
I’m right there with you on the finish but the performance is too good for me to let it bring me down on these. I just ordered the AW because the rest have been that good so I want to complete the set.

What would you be looking for from the TiF performance that would make you take that final step and get them?
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I’m just not sure yet. I go out today and hit my Apex Pro/CB combo set and ask myself why I’m even contemplating a new set.

For me I love the look of a dark iron and I tend to loose a little distance when I get out on the toe of the Apex Pro. From the feedback on the TiF there is forgiveness out there that I could use.
 
Not sure if this is old news but I got an email today about a 75% trade in bonus for old Apex toward new Apex. If it applied to non Apex irons I would be trading my T100s in.
 
MikeG_74 said:
I took my 7i out to the range during my lunch break to get some swings in. Not really focused on anything but more trying to put some swings in the bank, understand the results and start to draft out my next post in terms of what I am seeing so far.

The one thing I keep coming back to is feel at impact. Admittedly for the construction of the Ai200's I expected a firmer feel at impact and I am not seeing that. Also, I think I had a better day striking the ball which translated to some distances that were pretty cool to see and can really change my game if it translates to the course.

I am going to try and sneak out for 18 tomorrow afternoon, but I will be back out there for another range session to button up some thoughts and try to describe what I am seeing.

Any questions, fire away and I will try to answer as best as I can.
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Saturday, that's gonna be a looong Round. Enjoy though and can't wait to hear results.
 
Chef23 said:
Not sure if this is old news but I got an email today about a 75% trade in bonus for old Apex toward new Apex. If it applied to non Apex irons I would be trading my T100s in.
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Been in place since pre-order launched, yeah.


Speaking of trade-ins and bonuses - has anyone who did the trade in received the credit yet? (Just to two weeks today for mine, nothing yet - hoping maybe next 7-10 days.)
 
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Had an unbelievable day with the AI200s yesterday. Officially dialed with them. Stuck a shot ~150 into the wind from sand/fescue this far from the pin. Easily the shot of the day for me. I’m pretty sure this flirted with the cup

IMG_6136.jpeg
 
Any tried bending the AI 200s? Talking to my shop they are worried about the back specifically. Need to get them a little flatter.
 
bogeydown said:
Any tried bending the AI 200s? Talking to my shop they are worried about the back specifically. Need to get them a little flatter.
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I’ve not done it but don’t see or haven’t read where it would be an issue. I need to go 1* up but waiting to get some initial thoughts with the stock set up
 
bogeydown said:
Any tried bending the AI 200s? Talking to my shop they are worried about the back specifically. Need to get them a little flatter.
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Mine came 1 down from cally
 
hadi05 said:
@Jman great article! You successfully have me wanting all 3! 😂

I’ve got some real pondering to do. Obviously get fit for sure.

@vgolfman I’d like to see these in a triple play combo!

These look so good! Well worth the wait!

@Canadan we need an Off Course on these!
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Hey @Canadan... This still feels like a good idea. 🤔 🤔 🤔
 
PiratePenguin said:
Been in place since pre-order launched, yeah.


Speaking of trade-ins and bonuses - has anyone who did the trade in received it yet? (Just to two weeks today for mine, nothing yet - hoping maybe next 7-10 days.)
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I got mine Sunday.
 
Just got back from the first time out with the Ai200 in the bag. Played the shorter South course at my regular muni so didn't get a lot of oppuritnity to hit these, but the shots I did hit all felt great. I got 1 swing each with 7, 8, 9, and PW and all went the distance I had hoped except the PW which went about 5 yards farther than I expected. I am definitely going to need to find something to go between the PW and my 54º Vokey as there's about a 25 yard gap from a solid PW swing and stepping on the 54º.

The launch from the Ai200 is just so good. I'm not very used to seeing balls launch high and stop without blowing thru the green. I tend to pick the ball, even when I come in too steep, so fliers and low misses are very common things in my game. I caught the 7i thin, but wasn't overly punished for it. Still got decent height and the result was very playable. Best shot was with the 9i. I had 138 to the pin, nestled down in somewhat long first cut with some overhanging tree branches to the right. I aimed a little left of the green to avoid the branches, gave it a max effort swing because of the lie and the ball launched high with some cut and ended up pin high on the right side fringe. With the Ai Smokes, that shot wouldn't have worked back to the right for me. I feel like as I get more comfortable with trying to hit shot shapes, having the Ai200 will be a benefit. (The flip side of the coin is there is potential to slice the ball, but, I'd still take that)

I also did throw down a second ball on the 190 yard par 3 and hit the 4i off the tee. This shot was a low flying missile with lots of run that landed on the front side of the green and ended about 5 yards off the back. I think this was more of a case of me delofting the club too much when in my swing, but if I had to use that ball, I wouldn't have hated it.
 
bogeydown said:
Any tried bending the AI 200s? Talking to my shop they are worried about the back specifically. Need to get them a little flatter.
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Did the say what specifically they were worried about? And how far flat are you trying to go?
 
Gonna take these out for round two of an event, cause I seemed to hit them well during an E9 and I got nothin to lose at this point.

Let’s see what feedback I can give tomorrow
 
Well these never showed up yesterday. I guess I’ll have to wait until Monday and get a weeknight time!
 
amarkabove said:
Did the say what specifically they were worried about? And how far flat are you trying to go?
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They mentioned being concerned about the back of the club with it being hollow construction. I didn't think it would be a problem but made me rethink when they mentioned it. I was thinking of going 2 flat. Ordered as standard.
 
bogeydown said:
They mentioned being concerned about the back of the club with it being hollow construction. I didn't think it would be a problem but made me rethink when they mentioned it. I was thinking of going 2 flat. Ordered as standard.
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As long as they're careful with the amount of clamping pressure, I wouldn't imagine it being an issue. You can order as much as 3 UP or Flat directly from Callaway so it's definitely doable.
 
amarkabove said:
As long as they're careful with the amount of clamping pressure, I wouldn't imagine it being an issue. You can order as much as 3 UP or Flat directly from Callaway so it's definitely doable.
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That was my thought as well. Just their hesitation made me pause a little. Of course today I went and shot pretty well with them so now I'm not sure I should mess with it :LOL:
 
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