The Utility Iron has long been a part of our modern golf vernacular, it’s a club that blends ideas together to make it more playable for a variety of skills.
But what about a Utility…Wood?
Curious? You and everyone else.
As the newest release from the minds behind Callaway Golf, this is another specialty club focused on doing things differently, and after months of whispers as well as Tour players like Phil Mickelson having it in the bag, its finally time to discuss this club.
Say hello to the new Callaway Apex UW.
What is in a name?
If you haven’t figured it out by now, Callaway will not simply slap the Apex name on just any club. They have shown us time after time that they will even push the entire release of the newest Apex irons a cycle if they aren’t demonstrably different and live up to what that Apex title stands for.
So, after working with their Tour staff to create something different, they have come up with a bridge club of sorts that takes the pluses of higher lofted fairways and blends them with the strongest performance benefits of low lofted hybrids. Take that concept and throw in all the tech that has made Callaway an industry leader, and they believe they had created something worthy of the name.
Callaway Apex UW
Yes, UW stands for Utility Wood. Is this a totally new concept? Not generally speaking, but there for sure hasn’t been anyone who has thrown this kind of design tech at this spot in the bag for a bridge club of sorts. The root of it all is simple, make a 5-Wood have a baby with a hybrid. Well, maybe it isn’t that simple, but it’s a pretty solid way to think about it.
The focus here is tee, turf, and rough. Callaway wanted a club that hits the trifecta for better players as usually for them it becomes a choice of only one, maybe two, of those things.
According to Callaway, the Apex UW has a higher launch and steeper descent angle which is more like a fairway wood than a hybrid. This means it becomes a point and shoot option from the tee but will hold the green when it’s being unleashed on a Par 5. However, the center of gravity is much more neutral in the Apex UW compared to Callaway’s 5-Woods which have some inherent draw bias, taking that away opens up comfort and confidence for the better player. Rounding it all out is spin, this isn’t meant to be a low spin monster like the Super Hybrid, rather, here the goal is for it to sit right between a hybrid and 5-wood.
While the concept is cool, a lot of clubs that have tried to establish themselves in this realm have suffered in technology as well as overall aesthetics. Frankly, most don’t look good, but that is something Callaway paid a heavy focus to through their Tour staff, and according to them, they are all raving about the UW. The shaping isn’t awkward, instead it is more compact than most will expect.
Internally, the three different lofts (17°, 19°, 21°) all feature the A.I. Flash Face SS21, all unique for this design to optimize speed generation and retention across the face. The same Jailbreak A.I Velocity Blades that were put into the Apex Hybrids are here as well to ensure maximized energy transfer through impact. Now, add in 18g of MIM’d tungsten on average to help create a neutral CG location and overall bias, you have the first players Utility Wood on the market.
While that is a lot to digest and get excited about, the performance will be most interesting to follow along with, and rest assured, THP will have a lot for you all on that front when the time comes. Is this a club that interests you? Do you have a spot in the bag for a design such as the Apex UW? Let us know below as well as on the THP Community!
The Details
Availability: 10/7/21 Pre-Order and 10/14/21 Retail
Price: $299.99
Shaft: Project X Smoke RDX
Lofts: 17°, 19°, 21°
Hey, if it doesn’t work, maybe we will pass it around the forum for folks to try out.
Which loft and what shaft you go with?
You can send it my way to try. Or even better we finally get out and get a round in.
I thought we blamed the clubs if/when things didn’t work out around here, not each other?!
17 degree, Hzrdus Smoke Black RDX 70 stiff (6.0). Total stock setup. That shaft just works for me. It is what I am currently using in my fwys.
You are on, either way. I was just thinking about it yesterday. I posted about getting a Utah group together and we never did. My bad.
I blamed you for seducing me into the purchase, not for the club’s performance. I will still give you credit if it works well. It would be awesome to take it to Florida in November for the THP experience, where Jason Finley will be present. I can only do it if it works and then, of course, you get credit. ?
To complement that though, I needed something I could use from the fairway and even OK lies in the rough. To that end, I now have a Hy-Wood which I really like. Then I go to a 21* hybrid. I really had to think carefully about the shots I needed to fill those spots. I only wish this UW was out so I could have compared it head to head with the Hy-Wood.
I’m totally on board with that. I need me some Finley credit!
I hope it works great for you. I didn’t realize the stock shaft was one you already play. I’m really excited for you to get your hands on it now! For $15 I don’t know how you can go wrong.
Actually less than $15, but who’s counting. It actually is great now that Callaway lets you redeem rewards points on any equipment. It used to be that there was a selection of stuff, most of which did not interest me. These points were building over a few years.
View attachment 9034574
These are for @Tenputt , just so he can feel good about his purchase.
Used it a bunch on the front, but not many fairway chances on that course for me, and it’s a bit of a draw course.
Played a straight shot up the right expecting a decent right wind to move it back. It didn’t. (!) Looked like it got a good bounce, 282y.
Wanted to use it again, but was blocked so punched almost straight left. Then hit the second one in the vid trying to hold against that right breeze a bit. 268, and loved that flight. Tried to get it up with a big draw and low spin to maximize distance on the next into a 475y par 4 dogleg with a hurting right wind, 272 leaving me a 6i in. Worked it R-L on the next up the hill into the dogleg, and it finished dead center fairway 268. And I didn’t get all of that one. Last one I wanted to really drive it over the valley a bit, and it was 290 into the uphill on a line.
Worked a cut up against the wind on #6 to perfect position, but it’s a bad background on the vid. 253, didn’t climb, maybe moved 4/5 yards right into the wind and landed exactly where I wanted it.
View attachment 9034657Those were the kind of shots that were really handy from the fairway yesterday.
It wants to go pretty straight for me, but I can move it with ease and really control how it comes down pretty well if I do my part. I don’t know if long term I’ll go for the 17 or 19 but it’s proved it’s value to me in a very short time. Love that it’ll get up without spinning up for me, and work both ways.
Those are beautiful ball flights. The “without spinning up,” catches my attention.
Buddy messaged me and told me to check it out. "Thomas loved it! Said he might play the 17 like you do as his fairway."
I might get a chance to watch it on my way to the course. He and I live in similar number ranges so I’m usually interested in how he gets on with a club.
edit: I think he plays TCBs too
I imagine @OldandStiff looks EXACTLY like this after his rounds of golf. He walks into the club house and walks out looking like this. Earing and all.
Left to right when needed ?
Long ?
?
Damn it……
Goodness I would love that setup.
I have a red 9 x that this could work well in.. lol
I am all over the place on what ends up in my bag come December.
Don’t you DARE say they about your 737whatevers!!
The "7whatever7s" are totally trade in fodder, ready for slaughter! lol….
Had a heal-y one that still did really well, and thin-ish one yesterday that did too. Pretty darn easy to hit from a variety of positions for what it’s giving me. I am impressed.
When I listened to what Phil Mickleson had to say about the club, it sounded so impressive. A club that tends to give you the same speed, launch and spin from various lies and across the face (to a certain extent) is about as good as it gets.
I caught that full vid last night. I think he said it all really well. Can do things neither of the others can/don’t as well.
I know I’m a club ho, but I don’t play a lot of them long term because I’m kind of a picky one. I like my 5W setup and will keep it around, but partly because I got it for a steal. It hits some shots I love, and will be handy this winter, but I tend to carry 2 drivers or an extra long iron/UT, and only one hybrid/FW. Only want to carry one I should say. So I want it to do a lot. Everything, really. lol And it’s always a battle. Been playing a G425 hybrid most of the year despite not loving some things about it because it performs and avoids my miss well, but it can’t do all that I want, for me. This got my attention so fast on course. It truly surprised me. I don’t typically have meat of the bell curve needs, but it could potentially fill mine pretty darn well. And early returns are that it suits similar players really well too.
TXG dropped a video this morning trying to fit Matty into a 7W. They weren’t gettting enough out of it, and switched to a 5W. Had to try to get it out of the air (‘flying like a really long 7i’ lol), and came up with a 5W setup that worked well. Then they said they were going to hit a few with the UW they just got in, just to see. And they must have had some interesting results, because they left it out, said they’ll have a video coming with it, and that ‘it has a little bit of what we’ve just done in it’.
I mentioned to a friend yesterday when we were out there, that in the launch and spin window, the length and shape (look), and versatility, I wonder if Callaway even knows quite how popular it has the potential to be. I know a ton of people that kind of fight between hybrid and fairway wants.
Great thoughts…. At first, as posted, I didn’t think this club was a good profile for me. I will find out soon, but the more I learn about it, it could be awesome if it will hit the distance number that I need for that spot in the bag, which is 225 to 235. If it will fit anywhere in that range, I would be thrilled.
The 2nd Swing video on the UW was extremely intriguing. Shorter than my 5W but better at everything? I might love that club, but damn, I could see this thing being a true weapon.
I still want to understand how it is any different though than the Super Hybrid or the Hy-Wood.
Apex UW v. Cleveland HyWood v. Epic Super Hybrid
That Cleveland looks pretty nice. I’d like to see one of those in person.
Am I crazy to think these are really just like old school fairway woods? Smaller head, forward weighting, shorter shaft?
I can see how outwardly, it would seem that way. However, with all of the modern technology, such as Flash Face, Jailbreak, internal weighting, etc., I would be very confident that this design would produce much better ball speed, more optimal launch and spin, and offer more forgiveness across the face.
Oh I don’t disagree, I just think that is where they started. Smaller head and put modern tech into it. I also think a club automatically becomes a lot more forgiving when it is 1-2" shorter because better chance of hitting center of the face.
Can’t wait to hear! Remind me what loft you ended up with?
I think they just used what they could get to be honest. So many supply issues.
Nevermind. 17 deg stock. Nice selection.