Enjoy your pondering but don't rule out the Ai200s - they are simply superb - you get the most amazing opportunity to try all of it, and are then expertly directed to what is going to be best for you.
Callaway Apex Performance Series Irons – Ai200, Ai300 and Ti Fusion
I hope to hit a lot and see where it ends up. I keep reading and watching reviews that compare the ai300 to my current ZX4s, which I enjoy. I’m kind of torn with wanting irons for my game now, or where it could be in the future.
- Moderator
- #3,803
Two weeks and you’ll have soooooo many options
What I still have to remind myself is we’ve seen the apex line, but there’s still more to come! Definitely a lot of options for the team!
- Moderator
- #3,805
Oh for sure! No way you don’t have other options coming! Apex will be in bags no doubt, but there’s always more to look forward to!
JimmyOhio
Well-known member
Does anyone think the new AI300 irons are substantially better than the APEX DCB 2021? More technology? I can save decent money by getting the DCB over the AI300 but will I regret not getting the latest and greatest? I need to hit them both to see if the difference is worth the price.
Black with chrome silver or gold stripes? For me I could see a cobalt stripeWhat could possibly be better on the TiF than black ferrrules on black shafts?
Also many wild bb&f colorways would look good on the black head.
He hit mine a couple times.
I got a chance to hit the Apex ai300 this weekend thanks to @AZHack. They definitely look and feel bigger than the TiF that I’m used to looking down at but they feel very nice. I was surprised at how nicely they get through the turf. I don’t know that they’re the right fit for me but they sure were easy to hit and launch high.
Song Dog
Well-known member
IMO hands down the ai300 is better than the DCB. I’ve hit both a lot tinkering around. Feel, flight , sound and so on
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I can only speak for myself but I agree with @Song Dog 100%. From my first swing the sound and feel blew me away. The forgiveness across the face made it easier for me to keep my spin rate in a good place. The looks are much more appealing than the DCBs in my opinion at address. Just the overall package I feel like they knocked it out of the park. I have no regrets about switching.IMO hands down the ai300 is better than the DCB. I’ve hit both a lot tinkering around. Feel, flight , sound and so on
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See above
- Moderator
- #3,815
Well yeah, that’s why I’m asking
I wasn’t trying to put words in his mouth. Maybe if we tag him again here he’ll answerWell yeah, that’s why I’m asking
@mtbloco
I just his on the range. I really like them. Love the good strikes. And the extra spin launch they give me. But I am too erratic on center contact to game them.
Another good round with the TiF gaining strokes slightly on approach vs a 10 hdcp. Distance control was great even when I missed greens.
Had a nice AW from light rough that left a perfect ball mark on the face.
Had a nice AW from light rough that left a perfect ball mark on the face.
@Jtubb17 has seeded the Anime Gods Logo ball at my course. Your spirit will live here.
When I started testing the Apex Ti Fusion irons, I was looking for something to help boost my iron performance. I found that pretty quickly with the stock setup, seeing a noticeable improvement in my launch window, spin, and surprisingly not sacrificing forgiveness. While the performance with the stock steel shafts was fantastic (I could absolutely game them) the switch to a composite shaft has unlocked an entirely new level of performance for me.
I went to get fit for a set of shafts that felt familiar in the swing. I also wanted a setup that would be a bit easier on my body, especially after feeling some strain with steel shafts over the last few weeks.
The difference has been immediate. With the new shafts, I’m seeing a higher peak height (about 8ft) and more spin (about 400 more) both of which have been game changers for my ball flight. Shots are coming in softer, holding greens more effectively, and giving me a bit more confidence to attack tough pins. It’s been exciting to see how this new combo takes an already impressive set of irons and elevates them even further.
That said, the forgiveness of the Apex TiF continues to completely blow my mind. In our league round this weekend, I hit a nice high draw that tracked directly at the pin of a 160 yard par 3. @MSEASU says in the middle of the flight “nice shot!” But the real story? I really mishit it. I turned to him and showed him the ball mark. It was so far out on the toe that I think 1/3 of the ball missed the grooves entirely. And yet, the ball still carried beautifully. A nice high baby draw off the bunker right at the pin right about the distance I expected.
Every round, these irons find new ways to impress me. The Apex Ti Fusion irons aren’t just about performance on perfect swings. They’ve given me the ability to trust my game even when the strike isn’t ideal. That kind of forgiveness, combined with the new ball flight I’m seeing, makes these irons a blast to play.
I went to get fit for a set of shafts that felt familiar in the swing. I also wanted a setup that would be a bit easier on my body, especially after feeling some strain with steel shafts over the last few weeks.
The difference has been immediate. With the new shafts, I’m seeing a higher peak height (about 8ft) and more spin (about 400 more) both of which have been game changers for my ball flight. Shots are coming in softer, holding greens more effectively, and giving me a bit more confidence to attack tough pins. It’s been exciting to see how this new combo takes an already impressive set of irons and elevates them even further.
That said, the forgiveness of the Apex TiF continues to completely blow my mind. In our league round this weekend, I hit a nice high draw that tracked directly at the pin of a 160 yard par 3. @MSEASU says in the middle of the flight “nice shot!” But the real story? I really mishit it. I turned to him and showed him the ball mark. It was so far out on the toe that I think 1/3 of the ball missed the grooves entirely. And yet, the ball still carried beautifully. A nice high baby draw off the bunker right at the pin right about the distance I expected.
Every round, these irons find new ways to impress me. The Apex Ti Fusion irons aren’t just about performance on perfect swings. They’ve given me the ability to trust my game even when the strike isn’t ideal. That kind of forgiveness, combined with the new ball flight I’m seeing, makes these irons a blast to play.
After getting a couple of range sessions, and 3 rounds, in with the Ai300's these past couple of weeks I'm finally starting to feel somewhat comfortable with them and starting to find a bit of a groove and getting the distances dialed in a bit. The shaft change has really helped with the ball strike consistency, and ball flight seems to be a little higher than it was with the DG's. My round this Friday felt really good with some amazing ball flight and green holding spin happening. Pretty much any approach where I actually hit the green, the ball would just hop and stop. One par 3 playing 175yd, I hit the 5 iron into a pretty decent head wind and the ball stopped about 6 feet right and back from the ball mark.
Again, the forgiveness of the Ai300 can't be overstated. On Saturday I had a somewhat blind 7 iron into a green with water protecting the front. I caught it thin and thought for sure it was in the water. After hitting a drop to the front of the green I ended up finding my first shot had gone about 5yds off the back of the green. A pleasant surprise as I thought for sure it was dunked. It's really quite amazing how a complete miss can turn into something decent.
Overall, I'm happy I'm finally starting to see some consistency in distance and dispersion. Yeah, most of the problem is my inconsistent swing but the Ai300 is certainly doing its best to alleviate my shortcomings.
Again, the forgiveness of the Ai300 can't be overstated. On Saturday I had a somewhat blind 7 iron into a green with water protecting the front. I caught it thin and thought for sure it was in the water. After hitting a drop to the front of the green I ended up finding my first shot had gone about 5yds off the back of the green. A pleasant surprise as I thought for sure it was dunked. It's really quite amazing how a complete miss can turn into something decent.
Overall, I'm happy I'm finally starting to see some consistency in distance and dispersion. Yeah, most of the problem is my inconsistent swing but the Ai300 is certainly doing its best to alleviate my shortcomings.
- Moderator
- #3,823
I totally may have missed it, but how has the gapping worked out for you with the shaft change? I think I remember you discussing gapping with these and your old set being close when you first started with these. Has a shaft change and getting more used to them dialed you in a bit more and opened up the gaps to proper distances?
It looks I may have picked up an extra 5 to 10 yards with the shaft change, which is fine. The ball flight is definitely better, and it seems I'm getting a bit more spin into the greens, which I like.
TBH, not getting a bunch of extra distance over the Pings, while somewhat surprising initially, doesn't bother me all that much anymore. I just want some consistency with the distances I'm getting now, which I'm finally starting to find. The extra forgiveness though, I'll take that any day.
- Moderator
- #3,825
Ti Fusion end of season thoughts
How do you start an end of season review on a set of irons you only got to use for two and a half months? Well, I guess you start by saying how much you miss hitting them. It's been just over three weeks since I have been able to swing these and I can't think of many other things I currently want to do, than hit these irons. It's just a game changing thought that is addicting in more ways than one.
First is the feel. You know that feeling when you all out center a driver...that same feeling translates incredibly well to these irons with the Ti Face. It's a plush, yet full, sensation that I can only compare to a smashed driver. Seriously, there isn't anything else like it in irons that I've ever felt before. There isn't a gross harshness on mishits as well. Not quite that centered driver feeling, but that would be almost impossible in such a small package. Hiding the feel of mishits is hard, but these are right up there with the best of the best.
Speaking of mishits, I lived all over the face in my 2.5 months with these. The second thing that is addicting (as referenced above) is the consistency I saw while making sure I used ever bit of iron face that I paid for. Living out on the toe isn't for everyone, but I made it work. The distance, spin, and launch retained on those very same mishits truly makes you wonder why the hell we put ourselves in less forgiving clubs. It was eye opening how far forgiveness has come since I switched to thinner irons back in 2021. I would secretly complain to myself ever time I thinned or toed a ball wondering why I don't see the distance I want to see. Well besides me being awful, the clubs just aren't designed for those kind of hits. I'm not good enough all the time, so why wouldn't I want irons that ARE good enough even when I'm not? These are as close to perfect as you can get without just using one of those automatic golf clubs powered by shotgun shells.
I know why people don't use those kinds of clubs regularly. I really do. I comes down to what you can stand to look at and let me tell you. Unless you've read all these pages before this post, or have hit these yourself, it's hard to comprehend the amount of forgiveness packed in to this package. GI and SGI irons are FAAATTT. They can be hard to look at. Stuffing all that tech in to such a small package is akin to Homer hiding all his fat with clothespins...except this will never fail.
The last thing to touch on is the looks. Out of the box, I don't know if I've seen a more beautiful set of irons from Callaway. The black finish and chrome badging on the Apex logo, the matte finish on the face. It's all just stunning. Now you expect these kinds of irons to show wear. Anyone who doesn't, is one of those golfers trying to convince you that loft is the only thing that matters in a club...both things are patently false. But the wear on these has been disappointing to say the least. It's been harped on. The horse has been beat many times. I will just add my before and after pictures and say I'm disappointed in the large amount of wear in such a short amount of time.
Before
7i
After
8i
Overall, I have been thoroughly impressed by what has been accomplished by Callaway when it comes to these clubs. They are a concept iron. The process will get cleaned up, the finish will get better, and the irons will push even more boundaries on their next iteration. I heard about the "concept" of these irons being worked on back in 2021. I knew I'd have to have them when it came time for release. The wait was worth it.
How do you start an end of season review on a set of irons you only got to use for two and a half months? Well, I guess you start by saying how much you miss hitting them. It's been just over three weeks since I have been able to swing these and I can't think of many other things I currently want to do, than hit these irons. It's just a game changing thought that is addicting in more ways than one.
First is the feel. You know that feeling when you all out center a driver...that same feeling translates incredibly well to these irons with the Ti Face. It's a plush, yet full, sensation that I can only compare to a smashed driver. Seriously, there isn't anything else like it in irons that I've ever felt before. There isn't a gross harshness on mishits as well. Not quite that centered driver feeling, but that would be almost impossible in such a small package. Hiding the feel of mishits is hard, but these are right up there with the best of the best.
Speaking of mishits, I lived all over the face in my 2.5 months with these. The second thing that is addicting (as referenced above) is the consistency I saw while making sure I used ever bit of iron face that I paid for. Living out on the toe isn't for everyone, but I made it work. The distance, spin, and launch retained on those very same mishits truly makes you wonder why the hell we put ourselves in less forgiving clubs. It was eye opening how far forgiveness has come since I switched to thinner irons back in 2021. I would secretly complain to myself ever time I thinned or toed a ball wondering why I don't see the distance I want to see. Well besides me being awful, the clubs just aren't designed for those kind of hits. I'm not good enough all the time, so why wouldn't I want irons that ARE good enough even when I'm not? These are as close to perfect as you can get without just using one of those automatic golf clubs powered by shotgun shells.
I know why people don't use those kinds of clubs regularly. I really do. I comes down to what you can stand to look at and let me tell you. Unless you've read all these pages before this post, or have hit these yourself, it's hard to comprehend the amount of forgiveness packed in to this package. GI and SGI irons are FAAATTT. They can be hard to look at. Stuffing all that tech in to such a small package is akin to Homer hiding all his fat with clothespins...except this will never fail.
The last thing to touch on is the looks. Out of the box, I don't know if I've seen a more beautiful set of irons from Callaway. The black finish and chrome badging on the Apex logo, the matte finish on the face. It's all just stunning. Now you expect these kinds of irons to show wear. Anyone who doesn't, is one of those golfers trying to convince you that loft is the only thing that matters in a club...both things are patently false. But the wear on these has been disappointing to say the least. It's been harped on. The horse has been beat many times. I will just add my before and after pictures and say I'm disappointed in the large amount of wear in such a short amount of time.
Before
7i
After
8i
Overall, I have been thoroughly impressed by what has been accomplished by Callaway when it comes to these clubs. They are a concept iron. The process will get cleaned up, the finish will get better, and the irons will push even more boundaries on their next iteration. I heard about the "concept" of these irons being worked on back in 2021. I knew I'd have to have them when it came time for release. The wait was worth it.