Callaway Apex Pro 2019 - my thoughts on these...

[DMartini]

hey fellas, just played my 2nd round this morning with my new 19 Pros, i admit its going to take some getting used to these clubs, going to be baby steps getting used to them.

initial thoughts - noticed straight away the leading edge of 19 is rather flat where as 16 has a little more roundness to it, but great overall look, blade length on 19 shorter but thicker topline than 16.

i got 4 & 5 with 130g Dynamic Gold S300 - these are magic, very long clubs, couldnt be happier with these 2 (love long irons, will be a sad day when i have to give these up for those horrid OEM hook machines)

i then went 7 through AW with Dynamic Gold 105 S300 - the 7 iron is very long, wow long, i see what alot of guys mean when they say players "distance" iron, great club also.

the clubs that i was struggling to hit nicely were the 9 & PW on full shots, and my 9 is my go to club... have me a little puzzled as to why i wasnt flushing these TBH.

 

once i finished my round, went home, cleaned clubs, had shower (i stunk really bad, was hot day here) went to supermarket to by food for coming week, sh*tposted a bit on a couple of forums i frequent, then back to the scene of the crime...

 

... this time with my practice bag which sports 16 Pros with the same shaft setup and roughly the same bag configuration... these i didnt have a problem with and was hitting really well and super easy, 7 iron didnt get that massive distance like the 19 did (dont know if a bad thing or not) i should of had something to eat after first round because by hole 11 - 12 i was shattered & swinging DG shafts round all day had taken its toll.

home for a beer & clean clubs (may have to have another shower because ... well you know)

out come of the day - 19s will need more than 2 goes to make a real decision, but when i hit the club well i was impressed with the result i got, 16s are still the ducks nuts for me, just seem to interact with the fairways (and rough) a bit better IMO, looking forward to getting out with them again.

oh and PS i think i found a ball that i will keep using - TM TP5 gave it a good go today, will def be purchasing a couple of boxes in the future, love em'.

cheers.

[Tree Levino]

They’re very nice clubs. I almost bought a set of dots (dislike anything cupface). The one thing I don’t like about them is the groove area being so small. I think TXG talked out it in their review and it’s exactly what I had thought prior to watching when picking them up in shop. I didn’t feel comfortable looking down at it because of the proportions.

on a side note I’ve just started using the TP5X. Last years practice version can be had insanely cheap ($13 Canadian per dozen brand new). Just has a different paint job. It’s an incredible ball. First round out with it I shot +4 in a couple degrees over freezing. It just felt perfect to me.

[iceman1118]

I can’t comment on the irons but I am with you guys on the ball. Long time I just blindly played the Pro V1. After I got fitted this year I tried almost every tour ball extensively. Came down to the TP5X and the Bridgestone Tour BX. Both performed pretty similarly and were equally as durable. Went with the TM due to what felt like to me is a better feel off the putter face. Honestly TM is making an awesome ball and I think more people should take notice.

[enfuego]

Curious what the reason is for heavier long irons and lighter short irons. Usually its the other way.

[Need4spd]

I was wondering the same.

[SurfDaddy]

My buddy, who's a bomber, bought Apex Pro 19 Black with black Catalyst Graphite shafts based on a recommendation they would add 15+ yards. They look great but...at most they added 5 yards over 4 year old Titleist blades. He's got some hefty buyer's remorse, particularly after I let him try my Srixon Z-785's (Miyazaki shafts) as a comparison.

[Mikepaul]

I too found the apex pro 19 irons are very long, but distance is consistent. Whereas the apex cf19 shovels could offer a random jumper that airmailed the green by 20 yards, also the apex pro generates around 150rpm additional spin compared to the cf19 so close to a blade.

in summary the cf19 will not suit a high swing speed player who generates >90mph head speed with a 7i, but in fairness Callaway doesn’t market the cf19 for this style of player.

 

Finally, any comparison with a familiar model (cf16 pro) is flawed as your swing has adjusted to the characteristics of this model. Give the apex pro 19 some more time, as the op has opined they are very impressive, and not every tour pro is playing the dot variant.

 

enjoy your new apex pro 19 irons.

[Jkfuller]

I've had the Apex pro 19s since August. Still haven’t been able to get used to them. Same problem has listed above with 9 iron and pitching wedge. Currently I’m having them reshafted with c taper light stiff and adding weight to get them to d3 swing weight. Should try the new setup this upcoming weekend, hoping this gets the feel I’m looking for, if not selling them!

[JTK37]

I've played the 19 Pro Dots for about 3 months. Coming from the 2018 X-Forged, same PX LZ shafts and all specs in both. I don't think these are any more forgiving than the 18's, but i find the distances a little more consistent and a little less likely to balloon, so the distance control has been a little better. Cosmetically I love the look, the shape of the top line makes it seem smaller, and the sole gets through the turf a little better for me which i really like.

[Les Strokes]

Thanks for the tip on the TP5's

[DMartini]

thanks for the replies guys.
to those who ask why i have 130g DG in 4&5 only, its because i dont carry any FW woods (cant hit them to save myself) so i carry X Forged UT in 18* & 21* both have DG S300 which i use 18* on the tee for narrow/tight par 4s, the 21* also gets used on the tee sometimes but its mainly for 2nd shots (if on the fairway, dont use in rough) on par 5s, i hit these quite well so wanted to carry this over into my irons, first got the 16 Pros done as a crazy experiment (after all this is WRX!!!) and it worked out for me, i can hit these really well and get the distance & ball flight im after.
in summer where i am we get quite often a strong North-West wind that can be quite blustery & can push a ball left or right depending on the fairway direction so having clubs that one can hit low is quite useful.
my poor swing mechanics mean i hit up on the ball so i am ecstatic that i have found DG S300 & that it absolutely works like a charm for me.@Jkfuller - hope your experimenting works out for you too mate, keep us posted on how you get on with your results, im def interested in reading how you get on.@JTK37 - this is very interesting to hear as i love the look of X Forged 18 and would be all over them in a heartbeat, but alas i use a set AW & this is non existent in X Forged so i play Apex Pro, dont have the game for a combo of X Forged and Apex MB (can one say they cant hit blades on WRX???) even though AW is offered in MB.@Mikepaul - yeah i will most certainly give the 19s a fair suck of the sav & really put them to task over the Christmas break, maybe just maybe leaving the 16s to have a well earned holiday while their newer cousins get put through their paces.
cheers fellas.

[Jkfuller]

Will do

[mxskier]

I played well with my Apex Pros this year, and dropped the handicap to a new low, but there was something about them that I just didn't love. So I went to get refit and the fitter, to my HUGE surprise, put me in a set of MP20 blades/HMB combo. So.. going to go there this season and see if/how my game struggles.

Guess its time to move the Apex's.

[Golfjack]

Well there you go! Haha. Can't stick with good enough. Honestly though, dropping your handicap probably due to better ball striking, so a new fitting would have made sense. It's not like just blindly buying a set on eBay and messing up your game. There is some science in your madness

[Tree Levino]

Spoken of very highly in this vid but honestly the ball speed drop off is the same almost for every category. Further to that I think the ones with low drop off are more than likely just not as miss hit. Great clubs no doubt.

 

[cormierj1]

I just played my first round with them. I previously was playing Mizuno JPX 919 HM Pros. I loved these irons during the fitting process. Gave me the numbers I was looking for. But hitting the course can be a different as we know. But they played just like the fitting and range time I had with them. I had consitant distance and ball flight. I didn't see any jumpers that others have noted. The feel and the look works for me. I have the 4 iron thru PW. The stock Elevate shaft worked best for me in stiff flex during the fitting. I would high recommend giving them a try I'd your a decent ball striker.

[Jkfuller]

Alright, here's my update on the Apex Pro 19 irons. I liked the feel of them but lost distance and accuracy compared to the XR pros I was playing with. I reshafted the clubs, adjusted the lie and lofts, and now I'm happy. Not sure I'd say the irons were worth all the trouble, but now they are performing like I'd expect. I even shot a 74 this past weekend with the new setup.

[DMartini]

thats great you have yours dialed in, did you keep the KBS shafts? i have had a few rounds with mine now also and im getting used to the distances as well.

its interesting you saying you came from XR Pro, i had those also in the bag recently 4-9 with Apex Pro 16 PW & AW, i really liked the XR Pro also, long irons were looooooooong (strong lofts i guess) but the 8-9 were great scoring clubs as well, quite accurate like you say.