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°
Anyways, the 19* is the only LH version available so makes my choice simple. Plan on replacing my Epic Flash 5W with this. I want an anti hook club. Only cost me $39 after using reward credits, pretty good.
And I continue to just pound it when I want to while also being about to get it up and place it more softly. That same guy was pretty amazed at what I was getting for distance with just real smoith effort. The efficiency off the face just seems crazy good.
I’ll get out of this thread for a bit after this, but my comments earlier made me go chart checking, and when a big swing club has ZERO left in the last 20 I go full
That is not common for me, as a draw player, whose miss is LEFT.
I need this in a 19.. I will get one soon.
UW definitely isn’t a dirty hooker!
View attachment 9036603
It’s a Lamkin UTx Chev Grey/Black. Soft. No cord.
not a bad grip, multi pattern although I prefer the older Hex universal grips
Thx. I just called, going into production today. ?
That forces me to make room in the bag for a driving iron.
If I played shorter shaft hybrids with more confidence, I wouldn’t need to bag a one-trick-pony driving iron for tight driving holes.
The Apex UWs look great, but who can buy everything great looking thing that comes along?
Well, I guess some can, and the OEMs more or less depend on them.
They’re making good stuff. They’re not conning anybody.
At some point, though, it can get hard to keep up.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
View attachment 9036917
‘Cause the controllable right while being able to draw it at will (without overdrawing) kinda has me on a continual mind-blown loop. Need corroborating evidence.
How much do you think the tape would affect distance?
I was hitting my standard fade but only 240yds when I was expecting over 250yds for a 17deg. Hoping the tape would account for atleast 10yrds.
Anyone had similar experience?
Video is out from the TXG boys and that’s Matty with it against his G425 5W.
Pretty much what I’ve had. Stronger flight with still decent spin, for me. Just doesn’t get up and spin up right away like my 5W and refuses to get beaten up by the elements because of it.
You are all a bunch of horrible enablers and I love you for it. Now to go find one locally I can hit.
8:36 A.M.
Loaded on Delivery Vehicle
Warwick, RI, United States
Oh my, already just about here. Looks like I get to play with it next 3 days.
You and me both!! The top end of my bag is where I need help and this has my full attention!!
And a total weapon again today on an unfamiliar course. I need a new headcover for mine that says Pop Killer.
according to UPS, mine gets here Monday and I will promptly hit the course Tuesday after work.
Man, I hope it works out great for you. We all have different wants and needs, but it might be the most impressive club I’ve found in a while for me. Can’t wait to hear how you get along with it!
The Apex hybrid and I have been on a love hate journey for a while. I’m hoping this fills a gap between the hybrid and my 3w and maybe learn to take something off of it and hit that hybrid number when I’m not striking it as well as I should.
If they made one in a 24 or 25*, I likely would put it in the bag, which would give me 3.
As long as launch is there with the Super Hybrid, I would expect it to generate a bit more speed, lower spin, and thereby yield the yards that you indicate you saw. This club is not a pure distance monster like the Super Hybrid.
I guess you would say this club completely eradicates the notion that distance is based on loft solely…
For whomever is pushing that idea:
Mine arrives tomorrow and if I can’t/don’t over-draw it, it will be true.
However I won’t have as much of an opportunity to use it as I had hoped. My brother’s cancer has spread and it doesn’t look like we will be heading to Arkansas any time soon. And building our retirement home alone has taken away any time I had for golf.
Look forward to more feedback from others and see if I can sneak away to get a few swings in with it.
Sorry to hear that. Can’t get family time back.
We didn’t get a chance to get together last winter, so if and when he’s hopefully doing better, I build homes and have LOTS of UW and similar clubs to try. Just some super relevant info for ya.
I don’t remember all the launch monitor numbers exactly but I believe you are spot on. I’d love to get a bit more time with both of them, as I was pleasantly surprised by both.
Club speed – 90.4
Ball speed – 129.7
Smash factor – 1.43
Spin – 3928
Carry – 202
It looks like at sea level the 21* UW is a good solid 200 yard club for me, which is awesome relative to expectations. Peak height and dispersion can be seen below.
View attachment 9038149View attachment 9038150
Very similar numbers that I was getting with my Apex Pro 4 hybrid. My dispersion is more center and to the left though. Hoping the 17° will compete with my Heavenwood which I have the tendency to over-draw at times. It also looks like the UW launches higher than the Apex Pro 4.
I usually hit a pretty straight ball with a draw tendency. I have been working on club path and angle of attack and at the moment, I am definitely pushing some shots, evidenced as you noted. I will bet you right now that you will hit the 17* at least as long as the heavenwood, with a better ball flight, and you won’t fight the lefts as much. Let me know if I am correct.
"Out For Delivery"
I concur?View attachment 9038337
And then
View attachment 9038338
View attachment 9038386
Apex Hybrid on the bottom.
View attachment 9038387