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Callaway Apex CF 16 Irons Review Thread

SuperStroke
Finally had the CFs on the course, yesterday, for 2 full rounds. I loved the OG Apex, and these are better...

Ball flight is higher. Sound is a little bit better (though the prior version was nice as well). I don't know how they did it, but the forgiveness on thin misses is better, too... So much so, that I actually saw some decent height on thinned shots.

I'm not really worried about distance changes, and the conditions weren't conducive to that kind of comparison, anyway. I do think I might have a slightly larger gap between the 7 and 8 irons, but more time needed there.

Full swings with the AW, were OK, but once I used it for partial swings, it really shined.

They worked very well with my right to left shot shape. The former factor is just really "comfortable"... Small enough to look like a players iron, but a little bit of chunk on the top line, a lot of meat down low, and a bit of offset really suite my eyes.
 
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Jman said:
I've said it 1,000,000 times, and will again, coming back to these after working out other irons for reviews is always like coming home. The feel, the sound, the look, the ball flight, the distance, its all there and truly fit by the best in the business to me.
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James, talk me into changing from XR Pros to the CF16s. I've been playing XR Pros since they came out and nothing has been able to kick them out of the bag. They seem like the complete package to me. I know you too played the XR Pros and made the switch. What makes the CF 16s worth switching to you? I appreciate your feedback!
 
Olliebollie said:
I went to the Callaway demo day in my area (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) this weekend. It was held at a large golf retailer, together with a Wilson demo day. I called in advance, about a week before, to see if it was necessary to book a time slot. The store said this wasn't necessary. When I arrived there were 2 reps from Callaway, they didn't have any customers. The Wilson rep (1 guy) was busy, he actually had a waiting line.

I decided to try the CF 16 first. The Callaway rep that helped me was a young guy, cocky, arrogant even. He asked me what my handicap was. I told him what my handicap was and that I wanted to try the CF 16s. He advised me to first try the new XR OS instead. I tried them and didn't like the feedback on impact, quite hard. Then he let me try the XR Pro. Didn't like them either. I asked him if we could use the flightscope. He said it wasn't connected. Then a store rep came and said it is working just needed to be hooked up. Finally the young guy let me try the CF 16, 7-iron graphite shaft. It was very nice at impact, and the ball flight was great. According to Flightscope, 150 meters carry with good dispersion, with the XR OS it was 130 meters with bad dispersion. I asked him if I could try another loft CF 16, or any other loft. He said it was 7 iron only and that that was normal for demo days. Ok.

I was already ticked off by this point. Maybe he doesn't want to sell. Or maybe he wants to help other customers (there weren't any other for Callaway). Overall a bad experience. I told him I would try the Wilson C200 next first and come back later. The Wilson waiting line was still there and after 45 minutes waiting I gave up. Frustrating if you read about them on THP since January 1st and then finally the demo day comes and you can't hit them.

A friend of mine called me while I was at the store, he is also interested in the CF 16s. He wanted me to ask for the price of the CF 16, maybe we could get a deal if bought together. The young guy from Callaway and the other Callaway rep were nowhere to be seen. Nobody testing the Callaways. I waited for close to 10 minutes, then they returned from outside the store. I guess they went for a smoke or I don't know what. I asked for a price on the CF16s, for me and a friend. He said Euro 171 per club, which is list price over here. That was it for me.

A total disappointment this was for me. It's a shame I didn't get to try the Wilson C200s, but I had to go and by that time I was just so annoyed by the Callaway rep. I don't understand this attitude. I will take my business somewhere else now and also my friend. I read about golf companies and golf retailers having hard times, I understand why. In the end I liked hitting the 7i CF16, but with this kind of treatment I am not spending my money (I am an impulse buyer but wanted to get a good fit at the demo day, to me it was obvious the rep had no interest in selling to me and wasn't able to provide a good fitting experience).

You might think stop complaining or go to another thread. But I actually liked the reviews about the CF 16 and I liked hitting that 7-iron. But if this is how Callaway expects to sell to me- maybe it was because I was a high handicapper - then my money goes somewhere else. I try and find a brand that still has genuine interest in their customers. Shame I didn't get to hit the C200 but I was no longer in a mood anyway to test them.
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Don't let poor customer service deter what kind of club you want to play. I've found that at demo days you tend to find people who aren't the most enthusiastic to help, but then sometimes you do find helpful individuals, their actions don't necessarily reflect the brand, perhaps job training and genuine customer service is a lost art now a days, but don't fret, just find some good deals on the clubs elsewhere. I certainly don't buy anything retail, much less from a demo rep.
 
Olliebollie said:
I went to the Callaway demo day in my area (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) this weekend. It was held at a large golf retailer, together with a Wilson demo day. I called in advance, about a week before, to see if it was necessary to book a time slot. The store said this wasn't necessary. When I arrived there were 2 reps from Callaway, they didn't have any customers. The Wilson rep (1 guy) was busy, he actually had a waiting line.

I decided to try the CF 16 first. The Callaway rep that helped me was a young guy, cocky, arrogant even. He asked me what my handicap was. I told him what my handicap was and that I wanted to try the CF 16s. He advised me to first try the new XR OS instead. I tried them and didn't like the feedback on impact, quite hard. Then he let me try the XR Pro. Didn't like them either. I asked him if we could use the flightscope. He said it wasn't connected. Then a store rep came and said it is working just needed to be hooked up. Finally the young guy let me try the CF 16, 7-iron graphite shaft. It was very nice at impact, and the ball flight was great. According to Flightscope, 150 meters carry with good dispersion, with the XR OS it was 130 meters with bad dispersion. I asked him if I could try another loft CF 16, or any other loft. He said it was 7 iron only and that that was normal for demo days. Ok.

I was already ticked off by this point. Maybe he doesn't want to sell. Or maybe he wants to help other customers (there weren't any other for Callaway). Overall a bad experience. I told him I would try the Wilson C200 next first and come back later. The Wilson waiting line was still there and after 45 minutes waiting I gave up. Frustrating if you read about them on THP since January 1st and then finally the demo day comes and you can't hit them.

A friend of mine called me while I was at the store, he is also interested in the CF 16s. He wanted me to ask for the price of the CF 16, maybe we could get a deal if bought together. The young guy from Callaway and the other Callaway rep were nowhere to be seen. Nobody testing the Callaways. I waited for close to 10 minutes, then they returned from outside the store. I guess they went for a smoke or I don't know what. I asked for a price on the CF16s, for me and a friend. He said Euro 171 per club, which is list price over here. That was it for me.

A total disappointment this was for me. It's a shame I didn't get to try the Wilson C200s, but I had to go and by that time I was just so annoyed by the Callaway rep. I don't understand this attitude. I will take my business somewhere else now and also my friend. I read about golf companies and golf retailers having hard times, I understand why. In the end I liked hitting the 7i CF16, but with this kind of treatment I am not spending my money (I am an impulse buyer but wanted to get a good fit at the demo day, to me it was obvious the rep had no interest in selling to me and wasn't able to provide a good fitting experience).

You might think stop complaining or go to another thread. But I actually liked the reviews about the CF 16 and I liked hitting that 7-iron. But if this is how Callaway expects to sell to me- maybe it was because I was a high handicapper - then my money goes somewhere else. I try and find a brand that still has genuine interest in their customers. Shame I didn't get to hit the C200 but I was no longer in a mood anyway to test them.
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This story is so weird, I went to a Callaway Demo Day here in Nashville, 3 weeks ago and they had more different types of their clubs than anyone there (Cobra, Titleist, Mizuno, Callaway, and Taylor Made were all there). Callaway had a full set of every irons set (Apex CF 16 included), I even hit some of the more non-traditional clubs in the Callaway offering, like the Divine Nine and the 11 wood.


Dax


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Anyone use the 6 & 5 irons in CF16 and pros in the 9-7 irons? I'm thinking of replacing my apex pro 16 5 iron with cf 16 6iron.


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alez367 said:
Anyone use the 6 & 5 irons in CF16 and pros in the 9-7 irons? I'm thinking of replacing my apex pro 16 5 iron with cf 16 6iron.


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I dont use the pros in the irons you listed, but have the 5 & 6 in the bag and they are solid. The cup face is legit and while it does give me longer yardages, it's nothing that crazy that makes me adjust the top of my bag. It just bridges the gap closer.
 
mikeg_74 said:
I dont use the pros in the irons you listed, but have the 5 & 6 in the bag and they are solid. The cup face is legit and while it does give me longer yardages, it's nothing that crazy that makes me adjust the top of my bag. It just bridges the gap closer.
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That's what I'm looking for. I'll have to go the KC720 way and get two 7i (1 apex pro 16 and 1 apex cf 16) then cf 16 6 iron.
 
Tysdad said:
James, talk me into changing from XR Pros to the CF16s. I've been playing XR Pros since they came out and nothing has been able to kick them out of the bag. They seem like the complete package to me. I know you too played the XR Pros and made the switch. What makes the CF 16s worth switching to you? I appreciate your feedback!
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Maaaaaaan, that one is tough.

I still love the xrp and think they're phenomenal irons, and performance wise I don't think there's much difference. For me, the big things are looks as the finish on these is exponentially better, and more than that they feel phenomenal on comparison. Much more plush and "soft" feel to what most might say. A 7i in these just feels like you've marshmallowed the ball and it'd addicting as hell.
 
Jman said:
Maaaaaaan, that one is tough.

I still love the xrp and think they're phenomenal irons, and performance wise I don't think there's much difference. For me, the big things are looks as the finish on these is exponentially better, and more than that they feel phenomenal on comparison. Much more plush and "soft" feel to what most might say. A 7i in these just feels like you've marshmallowed the ball and it'd addicting as hell.
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For me, the forgiveness in the mid irons , especially low on the face, is a pretty big difference for me.
 
Last weekend I had the chance to play with Puttin4bird and Hox30 and hit the most pure feeling shot I think I've ever hit. It was an 8 iron that was absolute perfect feeling. Unfortunately I misjudged the heavy wind and flew the green but that feeling was simply perfection.
 
Jman said:
Maaaaaaan, that one is tough.

I still love the xrp and think they're phenomenal irons, and performance wise I don't think there's much difference. For me, the big things are looks as the finish on these is exponentially better, and more than that they feel phenomenal on comparison. Much more plush and "soft" feel to what most might say. A 7i in these just feels like you've marshmallowed the ball and it'd addicting as hell.
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I have to agree with James here. I too came from the XRPro's. I'm not seeing the big Gaines in distance as they had the cup face also. This is a good thing as I don't need to figure out yardage all over. However I love the brushed/dull finish and the feel is so much better even on mishits. Much closer to a forged buttery feel than the clickiness of the XRP. And so far the finish is holding up much better than the original Apex. Win/win for me. Only small complaint I've had is I had to get them bent back to spec as lofts and lies where off when they came.

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Does anyone have the CF16 SW? I am contemplating going with the CF16 AW and SW versus the mack daddys. Or the CF16 AW and a mack daddy SW to pair up with my mack daddy lob wedge.
 
Golds said:
Does anyone have the CF16 SW? I am contemplating going with the CF16 AW and SW versus the mack daddys. Or the CF16 AW and a mack daddy SW to pair up with my mack daddy lob wedge.
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Ive thought about picking one up and seeing how it works for me because i love the AW but i use the MD3 56* so much around the greens that i would really struggle to take it out of the bag.
 
PhillyV said:
Ive thought about picking one up and seeing how it works for me because i love the AW but i use the MD3 56* so much around the greens that i would really struggle to take it out of the bag.
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I can get a 56* MD2 for $70 on CPO with like new condition, major contemplation!
 
I took the plunge and bought the CF16 SW and AW. Would have saved some money getting the MD2 in 56* but I did well with my wedges at 50/55/60 in my prior set and I think I will have more confidence doing full swings with the CF16 SW.
 
Golds said:
Does anyone have the CF16 SW? I am contemplating going with the CF16 AW and SW versus the mack daddys. Or the CF16 AW and a mack daddy SW to pair up with my mack daddy lob wedge.
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I've got a CF16 SW and have enjoyed it so far. I use it a lot for full swings and having it match my set gives me some additional confidence, and I haven't found any issues with touch shots around the green with it or out of bunkers so far. I think you'll enjoy it if you use it for full swings regularly.
 
Played my first round with these irons yesterday, on the simulator unfortunately. The pxi 6.0's feel great in these clubs, I can feel the weight of the iron heads and I can be pretty aggressive on my downswing. Shot a 83 and won closest to the pin (8 ft). Next week will be the first time I play outside with them and according to my callaway confirmation I should have the SW and AW in my hands!

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Finally got to see these irons in person. Didn't have time to hit them but they look much better in person than in most of the pictures I've seen.
 
RNG said:
Finally got to see these irons in person. Didn't have time to hit them but they look much better in person than in most of the pictures I've seen.
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Ya they aren't as bulky as some photos make them look. Really a beautiful set of irons
 
Now I need to find the time to actually evaluate them for my swing. Lot's of good info in the thread!
 
These irons are legit...

I'm having to adjust to a better carry distance than my old X2 Hot irons through out the set.

Still love these irons...

Dax


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After spending a couple of weeks with these I have a couple of observations. I would say if you are satisfied with your irons don't hit these or a couple of things will happen. You will either buy them or have that nagging thought in your head that you really want to. I had contemplated changing to graphite shafts to deal with some elbow issues but had no intention of changing irons. Since there were no Mizzys with Recoils I hit the Apex. After just a few swings thought holy crap, these are sweet irons. But, mentally could not get past the price point. And until I hit them was really satisfied with the irons I had. After buying another set of irons and put in Recoils I came to realize they were better than what I had because of the shafts, but not as good as the Apex. So finally said screw it, and ordered them. Really glad I did, they are legit.

So, if you like your irons don't try these. You might not think you need new ones until you do. Then it's too late.


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That's how I got hooked, went in to get for new Mizzys with recoils and happened to see an Apex sitting near me and took one swing - school was out!
 
These irons are so damn good. Played a round today and fell in love with them again. There is honestly nothing about them that I would change. IMO the perfect set of irons. Forgiveness, feel, looks it has it all.
 
TLeishman34 said:
These irons are so damn good. Played a round today and fell in love with them again. There is honestly nothing about them that I would change. IMO the perfect set of irons. Forgiveness, feel, looks it has it all.
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Its funny, I had the same revelation again just while in a practice session. I lean towards a smaller profile in my heart, I always have, and I always will, I truly believe I play them more consistently (which I know makes NO sense and I'll be called crazy for) but these always make me forget that. The topline is rolled so that it appears much smaller to the eye, heel-to-toe they are in range with some designs always credited for being compact (AP2), and the sole width is just right. Add to it they sound/feel fantastic and the ball-flight off of them is just ludicrous for me.

I love these irons. Seriously.
 
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