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°
So the question is do you replace 3 wood with a 17 UW or keep 3 wood and get a 19 UW.
I think That’s the question. I’m afraid it would break the top of my bag.
I a feeling that a little as I consider this club. It is cool. May be worth it but it would take some retooling.
Yeah, and honestly I shouldn’t touch the top of my bag, it’s just too good for me.
At the same time, I have gone after some par 5’s I don’t normally even try because that is a crazy controllable 271, so the club does play. More than I would have thought.
So yeah, I’m sure I’ll have both for the long term, for different courses/setups. Great.. ?
Mine is already broken…so looking for the perfect solution including a UW.
I think you should pull the trigger (so I can live vicariously )
I have been working hard on over speed training. I had a long TrackMan Session Thursday evening and I have been in some other intensive workouts, so I woke up feeling old and stiff (not to be confused with @OldandStiff). Nevertheless, I went to the range before my round. I brought my 5 wood and hybrid that would have otherwise been in the slots of these new UWs, in case I couldn’t hit them. They were in the car as safety valves for my round. However, after warming up with a few wedges and 7 irons, I tried the 21*. The strike was pretty centered and the ball flight was just gorgeous. I posted a pic of the face after that very first ball strike. I hit a couple more with the same result. The flight was just dead on straight through the window that I wanted to see. I moved to the 17*. Again, the ball flight looked wonderful, this time with a little draw. The ball elevated fine, but then had a fairly flat apex. Neither club seemed demanding. Off to the course I went for my round.
I ended up using one or the other of these on 6 holes. Cumulatively, I was one under on those 6 holes, with these clubs playing a major role. I had one bad shot, which was a worm burner on a second shot into a par 5, obviously a me problem. However, all five other shots, four with the 17* and one with the 21*, the ball flight was exactly what I saw on the range.
Three shots are notable. One hole on this course is a very uphill par 4, about 315 yards. There is trouble and and a huge bunker guarding the green and another large bunker about 90 yards out from the green, so the smart play is a 225-ish tee ball to the fairway, leaving an 85 to 100 yard approach to the hole. I used the 17* off the tee and it worked out perfectly. See the screenshot attached. The second example was a par 5. I was about 250 out after my tee ball. There is a throat into the green with trouble around, so it is tough for me to lash a 3 wood at it. I pulled the 17* and hit a great 235-ish yard second shot, leaving me with a little pitch into the green. I left myself a 3 foot kick in par. See the screenshot attached. The third example was with the 21*. The hole pretty much forces a layup because of a pond about 260 yards from the tee box. However, laying up still leaves you around 200 yards to center green, so it is a tough hole. I had a little wind into my face. I pulled the 21* and once again, I saw that high straight ball flight. The ball stopped pin high and I got my two putt par.
I believe that the 21* will end up filling my 205 yard slot and the 17* will be a 230 to 235 yard club. It is not a 3 wood replacement for me, but it certainly is a 5 wood replacement that seems, based on initial impressions, to be an incredible club for that 5 wood slot.
Sound and feel: Others may disagree and I am going from memory, but the sound and feel of this club are very similar to the Mavrik Pro hybrid. In fact, the impression came to me that it seemed like I was hitting a Mavrick Pro hybrid that was bulged out and on steroids. It is a much better club for me than the Mavrik Pro, though.
I apologize for the long post, but since this is a new release, I wanted to provide some thorough feedback and thoughts from the perspective of somebody who cannot bash this thing 275 yards. I hope it is helpful.
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this made me laugh out loud, my friend.
Awesome stuff Craig!!
I was chuckling as I read the Mavrik Pro part, because I was talking with a buddy about that the other day. I keep saying I swear this reminds me of my mav pro 2H a little, and I’ve looked at a couple stores for one to see how bad my memory actually is. Lol Something about the shape, even though this one is rounder reminded me of it. Maybe it’s just that the Mav pro was made to look a little more like a FW on top. Crown similarity maybe..
Anyway, sounds like a killer first outing!!
Having tried both the Super Hybrid and this, I can say unequivocally that this profile is a much better fit for me.
Here is my setup with the UW:
Driver
3 wood
17* UW
21* UW
5 iron through the rest of the bag.
Interesting. I think i need to hit them all. I was looking at 19 UW to replace my Tsi2 hybrid, but it may be too long. May look at 17 UW to replace my 3HL wood instead and keep the Tsi2 hybrid.
My current setup is:
Driver 9 dg
3HL 16.5dg 265yd
3Hy 19dg 230yd
4iron 22dg 210yd
That is some great gapping. What would you hope the UW to do that you aren’t getting now?
3HL 16.5 just can’t get home on a couple of par 5s, so was switching it to a 15dg 3 wood. But I struggle with 3 woods off the deck, hence if a 17UW can get me to 270yds then I could screw the Tsi2 Hyb down to 18deg to fill the gap.
I’m currently testing a Mizuno Stz 3 wood but still lack that precision to attack par 5 greens. The short shaft of UW has me intrigued.
Yup, uses wood shafts!
Nice setup…. I can’t afford to rebuild the top of my bag after adding a few hybrids this year and they are performing well, when called on.
I am pondering the UW to replace my Mavrik 4 fairway as I haven’t hit it in 6-8 weeks but we won’t probably see the UW in stores up here until probably Christmas. I also play a Apex Pro 2 & 5 hybrid which are both solid.
Just have to find the right UW° that might fit in between the 2 hybrids or a UW° that plays longer than the 2H but is great off both tee and fairway i.e. a strong 3W replacement. The challenge is to find the right one and be sure. What I found is the Apex Pro 2 hybrid has replaced my 4 FW as it is both longer off tee and deck.
Will have to wait out until the UW arrives up north of the border.
Thinking roughly the same for my bag.
I’m thinking simialr
Driver
16 Super hybrid
21 UW
5-P
I am starting to see what Phil Mickelson noted in the Callaway video. This profile is extremely versatile from different lies. The ball speed and launch are quite consistent across the face. As much as I like the 17*, I love the 21* even more. It has such a perfect ball flight for me and I have now proven to myself that I can cover any where from about 195 to 215 yards with it. I can’t manipulate a hybrid the way that I can this.
This does for me what I was hoping the Super Hybrid would do. I have two Super Hybrids that will need a new home.
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You’re killing me here.
My question is, would you guys that have this in play now say that the yardage is kind of in-line with your current gear, more/less? I love the idea of versatility but before pulling the trigger I need to determine what loft I would start out with – if this were to fit into my bag.
Thanks in advance for any input!
What club would you be replacing? For me, my 21* replaces a 21 degree hybrid that I had set at 20*. The 17* replaces my 5 wood. I think that the 21* is pretty close to the hybrid, which is a Cobra King Tec and those generate a pretty high smash factor. The 17* is a bit longer than the 5 wood that I have been using. I think the added length is because this club has a flatter ball flight at the apex than my 5 wood, so individual swing characteristics could make that vary.
Thats the question. Which one. If it went really well, like all you guys, then I guess its a complete rethink (lovely. lol). It sounds like you are pretty much matching up your current stuff and that absolutely answers my question. Thanks for that! I think I am going to start with the 19* and go from there. That would be my Hybrid replacement. Much appreciated!
I’m just gonna leave this here as a reminder for anyone and everyone to internet-punch me in the junk if I lose my mind anytime soon and try to tell myself there’s a better club for that spot.
I don’t know what it is but I struggle like crazy hitting a ball indoors on a sim. Why I see there doesn’t resemble either my good or bad shots out on the course. Something mental I guess.
At least in my testing today the super hybrid worked better. I really need to find a way of testing outside.
Thats exactly what I want it to do. Waiting for a 17UW to turn up!
Is Golf even fun for you anymore?
Just getting practice in.
I always struggled gapping between my 13.5* 3 wood and 21* 4 iron. Tried driving irons, 5 woods, hybrids and super hybrids but nothing did it all. Through 1 round this thing performed in all aspects. This might be the unicorn I’ve been looking for in this spot.
I found THAT experience extremely fun.
In fact I think I’ve said that a few times after hitting this club.
*UW beauty*
"That was fun"
We should get a round in on Saturday. I will let you swing mine.
That is just crazy.
When I bought my 17* for 10 bucks with Rewards Points, I thought I might be passing it around. Now it’s locked in the bag, LOL. Guess you’d have to jump on a plane.
I am ROLLING at this. Because I normally let just about anyone borrow a new club of mine to try. My bags are like co-ops. Even my T22 illegal C Grind is making the rounds. But I’ve had a few close friends ask to take this out and I’m like ahhh … it’s busy. I’m using it. Maybe
notlater.I. Wish. ?
Sounds like a much better way to really test it out.
Going to have to live vicariously through you guys while I wait for another chance.
I would be interested in your thoughts relative to the Super Hybrid. It seems that the SH is made for your high speed, high spin swing. If the UW caught your attention relative to the Super Hybrid, it would be further confirmation of what an amazing job Callaway has done with this offering.
Spaced only 2° apart, Callaway is only expecting the potential buyer to purchase one of these Apex UWs..
If they were spaced 3° apart, there would be the potential for some people to buy all three.
A few years ago, Wilson made a club that was supposed to bridge the gap between fairway wood and hybrids. I don’t remember the name off the top of my head, but the idea wasn’t continued into the immediately following product line.
I don’t know for certain that such is the principle here, but Callaway didn’t space them with the idea that anybody might want a "set." 17-21 doesn’t sound like it would be a popular combo, and the 19 certainly wouldn’t be chosen with another one of them very often.
It’s likely appeal is as a single. Looks like a very nice club, though. Not cheap, either.
I am not sure that I follow the logic. Why don’t 17 and 21 combo well? They actually do for me, perfectly thus far. Isn’t a four degree gap pretty acceptable for fairway woods? There are many 19 degree 5 woods and 15 degree 3 woods. I have a 13.5 degree strong 3 wood and was playing a 17.5 degree 5 wood, until acquiring this profile. If the 4 degree difference works in fairway woods, why wouldn’t they here?
Yes, you’re right. On second thought, 17/21 probably could work well for a lot of players.
I don’t see 17/19 or 19/21, though, although everything’s possible.
The 19 could be big with people filling the gap between a stronger fairway wood and a 4-iron.
I go 21/24 to fill between my fairway wood and my 5-iron, but those are considered conventional hybrids, not called utility woods.
That is what I am doing. I have a 24 degree 5 iron, then go to the 21 degree UW and finish with the 17 degree UW. I think it will work great. Actually, the 21 degree UW is easier to hit than my 5 iron.