LIVE Q&A: Callaway Golf Apex Irons and Hybrids. Mon Oct 5, 4PM ET / 1PM PT. Ask questions NOW!

[Koalaty]

Is it suitable for all levels of play and/or catered more for the pros?

Do you see that market is moving more towards hybrids?

[easyyy]

Thank you Callaway for coming on WRX today!!! The Apex (non pro) were arguably game changers for many. Distance gains in a player chassis.

The major story in my eyes for the new Apex is you use of the "wrap around cup faces" on the 3-7 irons.

Question: How will you maintain the right yardage gap the "hotter" cup faced 7 iron to the non cup face 8 iron?


Richard

[WVP]

Very important question - who's the best golfer among Callaway employees?


For the Apex CF irons - what plays a bigger role in producing the desired soft feel - the type of steel or the TPU badging?

[Cooper]

One one question necessary: Why do I replace the 2013 Apex, which I think is a top 5 club ever, for this version?

[OnTheRocks]

Will there be any updates to the Apex MB or Apex Utility?

Thanks!

[Lunch_Box_81]

What irons in the apex pro 16 will feature the tungsten weighting?

[Marks23]

What goes into deciding which of the Nippon Modus tour shafts will be offered as available options? Besides the Tour Modus 130, will you be making available other Nippon Modus tour shafts available and if so which models? Will there be an upcharge?

[Callaway Golf Official]

[attachment=2981570:CHAT_CALLAWAYAPEXLIVE.jpg]

[quote name='Kamen' timestamp='1443643727' post='12391952']
Thank you Callaway for this Q&A.

1) Will the CF16 Apex be a substantial upgrade from the outgoing Apex model or more of an evolution?
2) For the Apex hybrid, is it designed to incorporate with the irons primarily? I play the BB Alpha 815 3 hybrid right now but it feels like an extension of my BB Alpha 815 fairway and not necessarily a 3 iron replacement.

I would love the chance to put new clubs in the bag; thank you for this opportunity! Callaway full bag since I first started golf when I was 11 years old!
[/quote]
Answer:
1)The CF 16 is definitely a substantial upgrade. As we have seen when adding cup faces to other products the ball speed and distance gains are substantial and noticeable. The original Apex Irons were great the new Apex CF 16 are unquestionably better.
2) The Apex Hybrids are definitely designed to integrate with the irons. The shape of the Hybrids make them appear more iron like than your 815 and the ball flight is more iron like as well, they will have a little more spin and a steeper landing angle, more like an iron. This was a specific request from Tour players, but will work well for many amateurs as well.

Luke

[Lunch_Box_81]

With some of the clubs having the tungsten weighting and 360 cup design is the yardage gap between 7 and 8 going to be addressed with changes to loft?

[Marks23]

What ballspeed increases or distance gains might I see with the new Apex over my current Apex irons?

[BigBlue7]

And we're off!

[ORUTRAVIS]

One of the things I have noticed with XR PRO with cup face technology is that my spin rates were reduced significantly versus other irons in that category. Is this something we should expect with the APEX iron as well.

[Callaway Golf Official]

[quote name='jlukes' timestamp='1443646362' post='12392194']
7) Was it ever considered to put tungsten in the hybrids (much like the long irons)?
[/quote]

The hybrid has face cup technology which provides more launch angle than tungsten. In this case, the face cup outperformed the tungsten.

[Callaway Golf Official]

[quote name='jlukes' timestamp='1443646134' post='12392176']
3) Does a weight kit come with the Apex Hybrid? If not, will it be available aftermarket?

4) Would you consider the Apex Hybrid even more of a "pro" style hybrid than the current XR Pro?
[/quote]
Answer:
3) No, the Apex Hybrid does not come with a weight kit. The weight will be used on Tour for swing weighting to accommodate different builds (shafts, grips, lengths...). We will also use it in customs to dial in swing weight on custom builds.
4) I would say no in the traditional sense. It's not as small as our XR Pro and it has a slightly higher cg so it spins a little more than XR Pro which makes it easier to get up in the air. I would say it is easier to hit than it may at first appear and complements both the Apex and Apex Pro Irons very nicely.

Luke

[J13]

Will there be weight kits available for the Alpha 816 fwy woods? I use an 80g shaft in my 3 wood and swing weight is now D0 ? Or should I just use hotmelt?

[ORUTRAVIS]

[quote name='Callaway Golf Official' timestamp='1444075933' post='12413930']
[quote name='jlukes' timestamp='1443646134' post='12392176']
3) Does a weight kit come with the Apex Hybrid? If not, will it be available aftermarket?

4) Would you consider the Apex Hybrid even more of a "pro" style hybrid than the current XR Pro?
[/quote]
Answer:
3) No, the Apex Hybrid does not come with a weight kit. The weight will be used on Tour for swing weighting to accommodate different builds (shafts, grips, lengths...). We will also use it in customs to dial in swing weight on custom builds.
4) I would say no in the traditional sense. It's not as small as our XR Pro and it has a slightly higher cg so it spins a little more than XR Pro which makes it easier to get up in the air. I would say it is easier to hit than it may at first appear and complements both the Apex and Apex Pro Irons very nicely.

Luke
[/quote]

This has me very excited as I struggle to stop hybrids on the green because I am very low spin.

[BigBlue7]

[quote name='Callaway Golf Official' timestamp='1444075823' post='12413916']
[quote name='jlukes' timestamp='1443646362' post='12392194']
7) Was it ever considered to put tungsten in the hybrids (much like the long irons)?
[/quote]

The hybrid has face cup technology which provides more launch angle than tungsten. In this case, the face cup outperformed the tungsten.
[/quote]

Very interesting - so no tungsten in the Apex CF16 either then

[bahnburner]

Will additional weights be available for the Apex Hybrids?
Are the Apex Hybrid weights compatible/interchangable with the weights on the BB 815 driver / fairway woods?

[g_winner]

Do you have a handicap range in mind when you built the Apex and Apex Pro or is it best suited for a fitting to best decide?

[Callaway Golf Official]

[quote name='hankmoody' timestamp='1443643454' post='12391934']
Love the Apex line and very much looking forward to the CF16. I'm on the same page with you, as I play with a combo set of XR 6i and 7i and Apex 8,9,PW. (I have an Apex 6 & 7 but love the explosion the CF provides on the XRs).

How did you satisfy yourself that you were able to maintain the thrilling/sublime feel the 2014 clubs have given the new materials and construction? Was it the tungsten in the 14s and did you use that material again? When you talk about the DNA of a club like Apex, feel has to be a strand of the helix.

I still remember the feel on the demo day two summers ago when I picked up. swung and pured an Apex 6 iron for the first time.
Here's to great success with the new line!
[/quote]
We worked on the best combination of the materials and in particular the place in the head where the joint is positioned and the process we used to weld. That gave us the ball speed and an added advantage of increased launch angle. The additional launch angle coming from the face cup meant we could remove the tungsten. All through the process we used new analytical techniques to ensure we were controlling the vibrations which define feel and we added a thermoplastic urethane element into the cavity to remove the unwanted vibrations without reducing ball speed. The end product has the ball speed. launch and feel we wanted. - AH

[J13]

Guys this is me, Justin, strictly between us I hear the new XR replacement is really really good. Fill me in I won't tell a soul

[TWshoot67]

Don't see Callaway at the bottom did they have to leave?

[Callaway Golf Official]

[quote name='Wall-E' timestamp='1443642769' post='12391866']
First, I want to say congratulations to the Callaway team for a terrific 2015.

I am in the market for a new set of irons (long overdue) and I was deciding between the XR irons and the Apex 2013. I know the Apex is a substantial price difference but for high handicappers, what's the benefit of choosing the new Apex irons over the XR irons?


This question have may been asked, so I apologize if it has. Are the new Apex hybrids geared towards more skillfull players that need to shot shape? What situation would benefit from a Apex hyrbid rather than a normal XR hybrid?

I look forward to this discussion and thanks for your time.
[/quote]


Thanks for your question Wall-E. One of the things we did with Apex CF16 is make it more accessible for a wide range of handicappers. First we added a 360 Face Cup which increases ball speeds and a makes the irons much more forgiving. In addition, the soles of the Apex standard (the CF16) are cambered and offer a pre-worn leading edge. So the new Apex will be playable for a wide variety of golfers. The XR line will have a wider topline and larger shape across the set, so it is also playable for a wide variety of golfers.

The new hybrid definitely targets better players with its shape and shot trajectory. However, it still has a Forged Face Cup and the Internal Standing Wave for forgiveness. The Apex hybrid is definitely more "iron like" than the rest of the Callaway hybrid line.

-Dave Neville
Sr. Director, Marketing

[jjgdyr]

Doc hoc,
How's the kuerig machine holding up?

[wldchld22]

How hard is it to engineer these advanced heads while not adding weight to them? I think the big Bertha is a marvel as the swing weight is solid.

What is the next material frontier when it comes to manufacturing? Will titanium make a comeback?

[I_HATE_SNOW]

[quote name='J13' timestamp='1444076173' post='12413970']
Guys this is me, Justin, strictly between us I hear the new XR replacement is really really good. Fill me in I won't tell a soul
[/quote]

Which XR? Iron? I have the XR hybrid and it has been amazing.

[Marks23]

I have been very pleased with the turf interaction I get with my original Apex irons. What changes, if any, were made to the soles of the apex cf 16 irons.

[Cooper]

Why do I replace my 2013 Apex with this years model? I think the 2013 are a top five iron ever.

[wldchld22]

you guys do a great job with shaft offerings. Especially stock ones. Who manages that area? Who picks out which stock shaft should be in the range?

Is it a group decision or one almighty fortune teller?

[Callaway Golf Official]

[quote name='Buddyroo' timestamp='1443646121' post='12392174']
Your video describes the new irons as being made with an "advanced quadruple net forging" process. Can you describe this process in more detail? Also can you tell us which Callaway staff pros will be playing these new irons? Thanks!
[/quote]
Essentially the forging process has 4 stages. In each stage the 1025 carbon steel is held at temperature and pressed in a set of tool dies. Each tool set makes incremental changes to the shape of the forging. In the 4th stage, the amount of material movement is very small and this gives us a high degree of precision in the final shape. As for Tour pros - we haven't released the irons to Tour yet but the Pro model has been designed in collaboration with our Tour pros, so we expect a lot of the X Forged 13 and Apex Pro users to be quick converts to the new Apex Pro. - AH