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°
put me in that camp … it’s extremely intriguing to me
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Stuck it right in the fringe because it rained 27 inches last night, but man, I love this club. It’s a weapon.
Should have hit it harder
Every guys dream to be just a little longer..
From address it reminds me a lot of my Nickent 3DX Utility DC which was exactly this; a cross between a fairway and hybrid. Beyond that it’s miles different. Is it the same as the Hywood, Epic Super Hybrid, etc? Not even close, again, it’s miles different.
For starters the face is a low profile fairway wood shape which is nothing like the hybrid faced clubs mentioned above. The stepped sole is where things really get interesting. Really excited to see what kind of turf interaction is going to be happening.
The look at address is fanatastic, the looks from everywhere is fantastic. But a crown is a crown, it’s what’s underneath that counts. Concept wise it’s nothing new, execution wise, it’s superb and definitely unique.
Mats and launch monitors are meaningless, can’t wait to get it out on the course! I will say it sets up open, launches a bit low and definitely seems anti left. If you’re like me, that’s perfect.
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Look forward to hearing your thoughts on this!
They do look pretty good. And as someone who leans more to the fairway wood side of things, this is appealing.
It is shockingly good. So easy to hit. Reminds me a little of the OG v steel.
Let me just say this.. for me, if I was to put one in the bag I would have to revamp my bags top end. It would take some work to get gaps figured out. But it may be a good thing.
Speaks pretty loudly, doesn’t it? It is hard to not be pretty impressed, pretty quickly.
That’s a really interesting comparison! Is there any one thing that makes you feel that way?
The shape and the very solid feel.
Sure does.. I have not been this impressed with a single club that worked for me in a long time.
I can see the shape correlation for sure!
Hopefully, I will have some input after tomorrow’s round.
I still think it will work. You have a solid swing and make solid contact.
I get where you’re coming from on that, I said the other day that I’m not entirely sure Callaway even realizes how many people it could fit and how popular it could be. It’s good, and easy. And if you caught the Live tonight JB said they had said/thought it was to be kind of niche, but he also thinks it could fit a LOT of people. You’ll know pretty soon if you’re one that it does, and you definitely have the skills to get what’s intended out of it.
I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on it not only for your swing and speed, but how it actually performs at your altitude and conditions too.
They do now.
It truly must be thought of as niche. We have two of the national golf retail chains here in my area, PGA Superstore and Worldwide Golf. The multiple Worldwide Golf stores here used to be just a local set of stores that were purchased by Worldwide Golf. I was in two different Worldwide Golf stores this week and the sales people didn’t even know about it. Late yesterday afternoon, I dropped by and asked one of them, whom I have known for 30 years and he vaguely knew about it, but wasn’t sure if the store had any in. I wondered back and looked and there they were, stocked in the hybrid section. The club obviously isn’t being promoted.
The club seems like it would be right down your ally, James.
I totally agree, I also think it would destroy the top of my bag as far as gaps go
It is always so disappointing for so many of us when we have to acquire new clubs so that other clubs we want to try will work with our setups.
Hahahahaha, just breaks hearts
I might trade some old putters and hybrids in to grab one of these, just for testing purposes of course
Different animals. The SH is build for speed and low spin, making filthy distance. This is for versatility, launch from all lies, and overall ease…plus workability.
Hmm the launch from all lies piece is the part there that appeals to me most which is super interesting cause I would’ve actually expected teh hybrid to be better from more lies than this.
I mean, this is as much a hybrid as it is a fairway, that was the reason for the design, get that versatility in something with a lot of the traits of a wood as well.
Agree on all points.
And you wouldn’t make that same statement for this UW? As in this UW is as much a hybrid as a fairway?
Yea I just don’t know what the heck to do here. I have a 5W but I’m just so inconsistent with it, and then I have a 3H that I just almost never use. And I honestly think I could just use one of these to replace both of those. But it definitely needs to be able to be hit from all lies. I’m in the rough more than the fairway.
I don’t think the low spin matters, because chances that I have some 200-230 yard approach shot are few. It sounds like the super hybrid would be pretty hard to stop in that situation. That’s where I just don’t understand enough. Low spin means it should get roll, and be harder to stop but it also has alot high trajectory.
Which one are people having better success with off the tee?
Huh? I was talking about the UW….
Low spin matters, especially if the person can’t launch it. I have no problem with the SH holding greens as the descent angle is plenty for my swing. That said, this would be easier potentially, and the spin will make it more workable too.
Oh I see I see. Sorry I got them switched. So it sounds like this might be easier to hit than the SH which probably puts more points in the bucket for the UW for me. I dig it, thanks for the info.
We are all unique, and sometimes something fits somebody, even though within general parameters, it shouldn’t. That being said, I don’t think that the Super Hybrid would fit very many higher index players unless they have super good club speed and can launch the ball consistently.
This UW is so new, that not many people have put it in play. It will take a little bit before some consensus is developed regarding what range of players it fits. Based upon what I have read, though, I would guess that this club has a better chance of meeting your needs than does the Super Hybrid. That club would not be easy to launch out of the rough, which you identify as one of your needs.
You and a lot of other people, it’s a pretty interesting release from that side of things.
I knew this was coming.
? Do tell!!
Money!
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Knew you couldn’t hold out for 2 consecutive days!!!