First Look: Callaway Apex 21 Irons

[Kenomikes]

If I hit the DCB, Apex21 and Pros tomorrow with different MMT shafts are you guys interested in seeing any of the results?! It'll be a 7i on a GCQuad if they have availability. If you do have an interest should I post it here or make a new thread.

I’d like to see those results with MMT. Can’t find them anywhere to try around me. I bought a single 7 iron Apex 21 off CPO with MMT 95S and love the feel. CC didn’t have them in 95/105. I’m gonna reshaft my CF19s with 95S Recoils soon as my elbows can’t wait any longer for MMT inventory to get back to normal on Callaway.

 

[hadi05]

I’d like to see those results with MMT. Can’t find them anywhere to try around me. I bought a single 7 iron Apex 21 off CPO with MMT 95S and love the feel. CC didn’t have them in 95/105. I’m gonna reshaft my CF19s with 95S Recoils soon as my elbows can’t wait any longer for MMT inventory to get back to normal on Callaway.

@Kenomikes Okay I believe I'll be trying the following combinations. Can't remember if the 105 they have is a TX or S

DCB 95S
DCB 105TX/S
APEX 95S
APEX 105TX/S
PRO 95S
PRO 105TX/S

 

[ranger1989]

Had a great round with the TCBs yesterday. Had trouble finding the swing the last several rounds and these almost became a casualty of the poor play. However, yesterday they reminded me why they deserved their spot in the bag. Feel, flight, and sound are all so good. Now to keep the good vibes going. TCBs are so addictive.

 

[GraniteRoost]

@Kenomikes Okay I believe I'll be trying the following combinations. Can't remember if the 105 they have is a TX or S

DCB 95S
DCB 105TX/S
APEX 95S
APEX 105TX/S
PRO 95S
PRO 105TX/S

Good luck with your fitting today, have fun!

 

[Muchmore]

If I hit the DCB, Apex21 and Pros tomorrow with different MMT shafts are you guys interested in seeing any of the results?! It'll be a 7i on a GCQuad if they have availability. If you do have an interest should I post it here or make a new thread.

Absolutely want to hear. Especially after the GD when there was a lot of talk about how forgiving the Pros were and how more people should be looking that direction even when they think they don't have the game for them. The forgiveness on the Pros needs to be heard by more people because they are insanely forgiving for their supposed profile. Especially toe side with all the tungsten they were able to put in there

 

[hadi05]

I'll post more in a bit, but needless to say I'm impressed with the Apex line and graphite shafts. The APEX Pro is defintely more forgiving than it looks. I was able to get between 119 and 125 ball speed with each model and near a 50* descent angle. I can see how shafts with different torque and weight can impact ball flight left or right. Super cool!

DCB 7i
120 MPH ball speed
20* launch
5200 back spin
39 yd peak height
48* descent
180 carry 190 total

APEX 21 7i
122 MPH ball speed
20* launch
5600 back spin
39 yd peak height
48.5* descent
186 carry 194 total

APEX Pro 7i
123 MPH ball speed
20* launch
6300 back spin
40 yd peak height
175 carry 184 total

 

[hadi05]

I'll post more in a bit, but needless to say I'm impressed with the Apex line and graphite shafts. The APEX Pro is defintely more forgiving than it looks. I was able to get between 119 and 125 ball speed with each model and near a 50* descent angle. I can see how shafts with different torque and weight can impact ball flight left or right. Super cool!

DCB 7i
120 MPH ball speed
20* launch
5200 back spin
39 yd peak height
48* descent
180 carry 190 total

APEX 21 7i
122 MPH ball speed
20* launch
5600 back spin
39 yd peak height
48.5* descent
186 carry 194 total

APEX Pro 7i
123 MPH ball speed
20* launch
6300 back spin
40 yd peak height
175 carry 184 total

So a little more detail.

All tests were with the 2021 Callaway Chrome Soft X LS.

I was very impressed with the forgiveness of each club. They become a little less forgiving as you advance, but I say only a little. The APEX Pro was WAY more forgiving than what I would have thought, especially on misses off the toe (I think this is what @Muchmore18 alluded too with the tungsten weighting). Unfortunately today, they didn't have the MMT 105S or TX there. Apparently somebody broke it. So, I used the MMT 95 S and Recoil 110S. The 95S had faster ball speeds and a little more spin, but went to the right. The Recoil 110S was a little slower and to the left. My assumption here is if I would have been able to use the MMT 105S/105TX I would have been right about where I needed to be. This was consistent with all three Apex heads.

I don't have much feeling in my hands (from an injury), so the feel of the club head is important to me during my backswing. The Apex DCB is an AWESOME club for somebody who want's a GI forged iron. It personally won't be a fit for me, because something about the weight of the club head felt weird for me, but the results with it were spectacular. Launches high, a little lower spin, and nice roll and looks beautiful. A little more offset and "chunky", but if you play GI irons, they will look no different. Still an amazing club no less!

The APEX '21 is a little less chucky (slightly thinner topline) and has a little less offset and looks beautiful. This club is VERY forgiving. I was really impressed with it. I liked the weight of the club head I was able to "feel" it throughout my swing. It launched high, had more spin and had a little less roll. Dispersion wasn't bad either. Pretty forgiving on thin or toe misses. Highly recommend this club for a mid capper who wants a players iron with more distance.

The APEX Pro was off the charts amazing. It looks beautiful and is an awesome club. High launch, higher spin, plop and stop type roll and very forgiving. I am not a ball striker by any stretch of the imagination and it didn't punish me terribly. The lack of offset and topline were a little intimidating for me. It's something I'd have to get used too. Once, I settled in it worked well. It's just visibly different than the other two. The club head weight was a little bit different than the APEX '21, so I had a bit of a hard time controlling the face of the club., but I think I could work with it for sure if I plan to improve etc.

The fitter didn't know about mixing the APEX line, so this was very much a problem for me. He was trying to tell me that the lofts are VERY different between the APEX '21 and APEX Pro (which they are) and a mix and match set, wouldn't work correctly. So, I showed him some information from online to help me with other people who wish to be fit into a combination. Most likely, if I am going to invest into new irons I will get the mixed set of APEX '21 and APEX Pro's. The lofts on the '21s in that set are a bit weaker (than buying them normal) and the lofts on the APEX Pro's in that set are a bit stronger (than buying them normal). A big thanks to @vgolfman for pointing that out too me yesterday via Twitter.

Bottom line, the more I am going out and trying new clubs and different shafts just to tinker, I am learning that getting fit is extremely important. Find a good fitter and you'll enjoy your game. Thanks for reading my post.

 

[Muchmore]

So a little more detail.

All tests were with the 2021 Callaway Chrome Soft X LS.

I was very impressed with the forgiveness of each club. They become a little less forgiving as you advance, but I say only a little. The APEX Pro was WAY more forgiving than what I would have thought, especially on misses off the toe (I think this is what @Muchmore18 alluded too with the tungsten weighting). Unfortunately today, they didn't have the MMT 105S or TX there. Apparently somebody broke it. So, I used the MMT 95 S and Recoil 110S. The 95S had faster ball speeds and a little more spin, but went to the right. The Recoil 110S was a little slower and to the left. My assumption here is if I would have been able to use the MMT 105S/105TX I would have been right about where I needed to be. This was consistent with all three Apex heads.

I don't have much feeling in my hands (from an injury), so the feel of the club head is important to me during my backswing. The Apex DCB is an AWESOME club for somebody who want's a GI forged iron. It personally won't be a fit for me, because something about the weight of the club head felt weird for me, but the results with it were spectacular. Launches high, a little lower spin, and nice roll and looks beautiful. A little more offset and "chunky", but if you play GI irons, they will look no different. Still an amazing club no less!

The APEX '21 is a little less chucky (slightly thinner topline) and has a little less offset and looks beautiful. This club is VERY forgiving. I was really impressed with it. I liked the weight of the club head I was able to "feel" it throughout my swing. It launched high, had more spin and had a little less roll. Dispersion wasn't bad either. Pretty forgiving on thin or toe misses. Highly recommend this club for a mid capper who wants a players iron with more distance.

The APEX Pro was off the charts amazing. It looks beautiful and is an awesome club. High launch, higher spin, plop and stop type roll and very forgiving. I am not a ball striker by any stretch of the imagination and it didn't punish me terribly. The lack of offset and topline were a little intimidating for me. It's something I'd have to get used too. Once, I settled in it worked well. It's just visibly different than the other two. The club head weight was a little bit different than the APEX '21, so I had a bit of a hard time controlling the face of the club., but I think I could work with it for sure if I plan to improve etc.

The fitter didn't know about mixing the APEX line, so this was very much a problem for me. He was trying to tell me that the lofts are VERY different between the APEX '21 and APEX Pro (which they are) and a mix and match set, wouldn't work correctly. So, I showed him some information from online to help me with other people who wish to be fit into a combination. Most likely, if I am going to invest into new irons I will get the mixed set of APEX '21 and APEX Pro's. The lofts on the '21s in that set are a bit weaker (than buying them normal) and the lofts on the APEX Pro's in that set are a bit stronger (than buying them normal). A big thanks to @vgolfman for pointing that out too me yesterday via Twitter.

Bottom line, the more I am going out and trying new clubs and different shafts just to tinker, I am learning that getting fit is extremely important. Find a good fitter and you'll enjoy your game. Thanks for reading my post.

View attachment 9057038
View attachment 9057039

Love this man! And like you mentioned, the fitter was half right about mixing. You shouldn’t be mixing off the rack apex and pros. Gapping would be a huge issue. If you blend the set, you’ll have to order the specific blended set

 

[hadi05]

Love this man! And like you mentioned, the fitter was half right about mixing. You shouldn’t be mixing off the rack apex and pros. Gapping would be a huge issue. If you blend the set, you’ll have to order the specific blended set

@Muchmore18 you are absolutely correct! He wasn't aware that Callaway offered blended sets. So, I helped him understand that they did. Figured it was the least I could do to help.

 

[Muchmore]

@Muchmore18 you are absolutely correct! He wasn't aware that Callaway offered blended sets. So, I helped him understand that they did. Figured it was the least I could do to help.

I’m so glad you knew I meant fitter I don’t know how “gutter” was corrected in that spot

 

[hadi05]

I’m so glad you knew I meant fitter I don’t know how “gutter” was corrected in that spot

I can't take credit for knowing how the gapping changed on the blended sets, other than I knew it existed. @vgolfman posted the pictures above on Twitter for me. So, he set me on the straight and narrow path yesterday.

 

[Muchmore]

I can't take credit for knowing how the gapping changed on the blended sets, other than I knew it existed. @vgolfman posted the pictures above on Twitter for me. So, he set me on the straight and narrow path yesterday.

Haha I was speaking on how I wrote "gutter" instead of "fitter" on my previous post

But I'm not surprised @vgolfman helped you out. He's a good guy! Except when he's roasting me for going 0-3 a few weeks ago

 

[hadi05]

Haha I was speaking on how I wrote "gutter" instead of "fitter" on my previous post

But I'm not surprised @vgolfman helped you out. He's a good guy! Except when he's roasting me for going 0-3 a few weeks ago

Haha!! I didn't pay much attention to that. Guess that's how you know you are one of them when they rib you like that!

 

[Kenomikes]

Nice data @hadi05. What’s your driver swing speed? FYI the MMT 105S is 105g and the TX is 113g.

 

[blazinden]

So a little more detail.

All tests were with the 2021 Callaway Chrome Soft X LS.

I was very impressed with the forgiveness of each club. They become a little less forgiving as you advance, but I say only a little. The APEX Pro was WAY more forgiving than what I would have thought, especially on misses off the toe (I think this is what @Muchmore18 alluded too with the tungsten weighting). Unfortunately today, they didn't have the MMT 105S or TX there. Apparently somebody broke it. So, I used the MMT 95 S and Recoil 110S. The 95S had faster ball speeds and a little more spin, but went to the right. The Recoil 110S was a little slower and to the left. My assumption here is if I would have been able to use the MMT 105S/105TX I would have been right about where I needed to be. This was consistent with all three Apex heads.

I don't have much feeling in my hands (from an injury), so the feel of the club head is important to me during my backswing. The Apex DCB is an AWESOME club for somebody who want's a GI forged iron. It personally won't be a fit for me, because something about the weight of the club head felt weird for me, but the results with it were spectacular. Launches high, a little lower spin, and nice roll and looks beautiful. A little more offset and "chunky", but if you play GI irons, they will look no different. Still an amazing club no less!

The APEX '21 is a little less chucky (slightly thinner topline) and has a little less offset and looks beautiful. This club is VERY forgiving. I was really impressed with it. I liked the weight of the club head I was able to "feel" it throughout my swing. It launched high, had more spin and had a little less roll. Dispersion wasn't bad either. Pretty forgiving on thin or toe misses. Highly recommend this club for a mid capper who wants a players iron with more distance.

The APEX Pro was off the charts amazing. It looks beautiful and is an awesome club. High launch, higher spin, plop and stop type roll and very forgiving. I am not a ball striker by any stretch of the imagination and it didn't punish me terribly. The lack of offset and topline were a little intimidating for me. It's something I'd have to get used too. Once, I settled in it worked well. It's just visibly different than the other two. The club head weight was a little bit different than the APEX '21, so I had a bit of a hard time controlling the face of the club., but I think I could work with it for sure if I plan to improve etc.

The fitter didn't know about mixing the APEX line, so this was very much a problem for me. He was trying to tell me that the lofts are VERY different between the APEX '21 and APEX Pro (which they are) and a mix and match set, wouldn't work correctly. So, I showed him some information from online to help me with other people who wish to be fit into a combination. Most likely, if I am going to invest into new irons I will get the mixed set of APEX '21 and APEX Pro's. The lofts on the '21s in that set are a bit weaker (than buying them normal) and the lofts on the APEX Pro's in that set are a bit stronger (than buying them normal). A big thanks to @vgolfman for pointing that out too me yesterday via Twitter.

Bottom line, the more I am going out and trying new clubs and different shafts just to tinker, I am learning that getting fit is extremely important. Find a good fitter and you'll enjoy your game. Thanks for reading my post.

View attachment 9057038
View attachment 9057039

The 21 Pros are supposedly more forgiving than the 19 pros. I was fitted into the Pros, 4-AW. I believe @Muchmore18 and @Tevenor currently play Pros until the TCBs go into their bag.

 

[hadi05]

Nice data @hadi05. What’s your driver swing speed? FYI the MMT 105S is 105g and the TX is 113g.

The 105S is really what I need TBH @Kenomikes. My driver SS is 110+. The SS with the 7i was around 93ish

 

[hadi05]

The 21 Pros are supposedly more forgiving than the 19 pros. I was fitted into the Pros, 4-AW. I believe @Muchmore18 and @Tevenor currently play Pros until the TCBs go into their bag.

I can tell you from my single data point experience that they are defintely more forgiving.

 

[TheLutesMamba]

Finally got a chance to hit the Apex TCB and WOW. I didn’t want to leave. Best feeling irons I think I’ve ever hit. Want to make a purchase but still heavily deliberating over the shaft selection.

Tested the 7 iron Apex TCB tonight with the Dynamic Gold tour issue X100. Ball speeds were fantastic. Dispersion was great. But I just couldn’t get the spin and launch down. Was hovering between 126 and 129 ball speed which is great but spin was between 6900 and 7300 and launch average of 23 degrees. Carry numbers around 165-175. Not bad and more spin typically means more control (to an extent) but would love to get that spin down in the 6300-6500 range and lower that launch a bit.

My original plan has been to combo with the Apex 21 bent 1 degree weak and the TCB bent 1 degree strong. Which should lower that launch and spin a bit but not sure how much. The fitting place somehow didn’t have any of the Project X offerings in the 6.5 (extra stiff) range. Currently play Oban 115X and could put those in the TCBs but thinking I want to try something different to compare before swapping the shafts. Intrigued by X100, MMT105TX (wish the 125TX was a stock option), or maybe gambling with the Project X or Project X LS 6.5 (have gamed the regular 6.5 previously before the Oban shafts beat them out).

Continuing the major ponder mode for now

 

[Tevenor]

Finally got a chance to hit the Apex TCB and WOW. I didn’t want to leave. Best feeling irons I think I’ve ever hit. Want to make a purchase but still heavily deliberating over the shaft selection.

Tested the 7 iron Apex TCB tonight with the Dynamic Gold tour issue X100. Ball speeds were fantastic. Dispersion was great. But I just couldn’t get the spin and launch down. Was hovering between 126 and 129 ball speed which is great but spin was between 6900 and 7300 and launch average of 23 degrees. Carry numbers around 165-175. Not bad and more spin typically means more control (to an extent) but would love to get that spin down in the 6300-6500 range and lower that launch a bit.

My original plan has been to combo with the Apex 21 bent 1 degree weak and the TCB bent 1 degree strong. Which should lower that launch and spin a bit but not sure how much. The fitting place somehow didn’t have any of the Project X offerings in the 6.5 (extra stiff) range. Currently play Oban 115X and could put those in the TCBs but thinking I want to try something different to compare before swapping the shafts. Intrigued by X100, MMT105TX (wish the 125TX was a stock option), or maybe gambling with the Project X or Project X LS 6.5 (have gamed the regular 6.5 previously before the Oban shafts beat them out).

Continuing the major ponder mode for now

Have you considered the Apex Pro instead of the Apex for the combo set? Might be an easier blend.

For the spin issue, it might not be a spin issue. Might be to high of a launch. For example here is my 7i fitting on TCB. Spin, distance and ball speed are similar to yours but the launch is 10 degrees lower. Reduce that launch a bit and the spin number might not be so bad.

 

[OldandStiff]

Finally got a chance to hit the Apex TCB and WOW. I didn’t want to leave. Best feeling irons I think I’ve ever hit. Want to make a purchase but still heavily deliberating over the shaft selection.

Tested the 7 iron Apex TCB tonight with the Dynamic Gold tour issue X100. Ball speeds were fantastic. Dispersion was great. But I just couldn’t get the spin and launch down. Was hovering between 126 and 129 ball speed which is great but spin was between 6900 and 7300 and launch average of 23 degrees. Carry numbers around 165-175. Not bad and more spin typically means more control (to an extent) but would love to get that spin down in the 6300-6500 range and lower that launch a bit.

My original plan has been to combo with the Apex 21 bent 1 degree weak and the TCB bent 1 degree strong. Which should lower that launch and spin a bit but not sure how much. The fitting place somehow didn’t have any of the Project X offerings in the 6.5 (extra stiff) range. Currently play Oban 115X and could put those in the TCBs but thinking I want to try something different to compare before swapping the shafts. Intrigued by X100, MMT105TX (wish the 125TX was a stock option), or maybe gambling with the Project X or Project X LS 6.5 (have gamed the regular 6.5 previously before the Oban shafts beat them out).

Continuing the major ponder mode for now

What heads do you have on those Oban, and what launch and spin to you usually get with that setup?

 

[TheLutesMamba]

Have you considered the Apex Pro instead of the Apex for the combo set? Might be an easier blend.

For the spin issue, it might not be a spin issue. Might be to high of a launch. For example here is my 7i fitting on TCB. Spin, distance and ball speed are similar to yours but the launch is 10 degrees lower. Reduce that launch a bit and the spin number might not be so bad.

View attachment 9057374

Appreciate it! I have considered the Apex Pro but Johnny Wunder raves about his Apex bent weak blend with the TCBs and I’ve hit the regular Apex before and liked it a lot. The Pro version was good too but I like extra forgiveness in the 4 and 5 iron.

I wonder how much that launch might lower on actual grass as opposed to a mat. Feel like I can hit down and through the ball on the grass a bit better than off a mat where I tend to get a little more “picky”.

 

[TheLutesMamba]

What heads do you have on those Oban, and what launch and spin to you usually get with that setup?

Current setup with the Oban shafts is PXG Gen3T. Will be the first to admit they’re great irons. I feel they get a tad jumpy though. Looking for something like the TCB that will give me more consistent numbers and eliminate the fliers and extra hot ones that jump 10 yards on me.

I can’t remember the exact numbers on the fitting where I ended up with the PXG irons previously, but I know the spin numbers were down closer to the 6000-6500 range. Unfortunately, I’m a high ball hitter so I know the PXG launch was a tad higher than ideal but I know it wasn’t as high as the TCBs. Wanna say in the 17-19 range with the PXG. With that said, the PXG 7 iron is also 2 degrees stronger which should lower launch a bit.

 

[RealPretendPsychic]

I can’t wait to play these irons! Nothing against my trusty decade-old Adams irons, but I’m ready for a change. Heavier, stiffer shafts (Modus 120X) and the Apex Pros 1° flat in 4-PW are going to be a strong combo for me!

 

[Tevenor]

Appreciate it! I have considered the Apex Pro but Johnny Wunder raves about his Apex bent weak blend with the TCBs and I’ve hit the regular Apex before and liked it a lot. The Pro version was good too but I like extra forgiveness in the 4 and 5 iron.

I wonder how much that launch might lower on actual grass as opposed to a mat. Feel like I can hit down and through the ball on the grass a bit better than off a mat where I tend to get a little more “picky”.

Spin will change as well, remember once you hit on grass.

 

[TheLutesMamba]

Spin will change as well, remember once you hit on grass.

This is true. Doesn’t spin increase a bit on actual grass? If I’m not mistaken