Callaway Apex CF16 - BEST. IRONS. EVER......

[Striker Ace]

How often can you bend them back? Without compromising the integrity of the steel.

[jecarnl]

Not sure..I was told when I ordered mine that when they came in that I needed to check the lofts, and some of the lofts were off.

[argee1977]

Finally picked up a set of Apex CF16 that were at a great price, only thing is they've got the Recoil ES 760 shafts, i was worried they'd be a bit light and a tad noodly for me, but i can't really pick any faults so far, they do go a lot higher than my old X2 hots, which is never a bad thing, it has made me concentrate more on delofting though, especially when practicing the into wind shots. Weirdly during the trial of the clubs i didn't pick up any clubhead speed, must be the way i swing negating the loss of 25 grams per shaft!

 

Anyone else have the 760s and have any long term opinions, never thought i'd go graphite in irons, but from the first couple of rounds i honestly struggle to tell much of a difference.

I played the old apex with graphite shafts, i found them to be great however, i tried the cf16 with lighter steel and found them to be firm and better. it depends on your swing i think. i found it harder to take a divot and attack the ball with good dispersion with the graphite.

 

another thing i 100% agree on is length and lie importance. when i got the new steel cf16s they were 1.5 degree flat and too long (bnought them and thought they were standard) those were a few really frustrating rounds. got it fixed and im getting better and better!

 

I have found these to be firmer than i'd have thought, i probably could do with the stiff but i can work these quite well, so will stick with the shafts, a benefit is that they're making me smoothen my transition, so not trying to kill a 7, instead i just take a 6 and so on, the height i get on these things is great as well for me.

 

As for loft and lie, i had them checked before leaving the shop, all good for me, i was going from one callaway set to another so they were pretty much identical to my old set in layout, as for divots, i'm finding for some reason with the 9 and PW i'm taking deeper divots, not sure why though, the ground is really soft just now though as a lot of rain has fallen lately.

[_Hawk3y3_]

Had an iron fitting last weekend. I tried to go in with no preconceived notions and just let results speak for themselves. With that in mind, I had a funny feeling that I would wind up ordering P790s at the end of the day. When the dust settled, there were 2 that stood out...P790 and CF16. The numbers were nearly identical, and looks/feel/sound were all a wash. At that point, in my mind, it came down to price. Knowing that CPO's early black friday sale was upcoming, the decision was easy. I ordered a like new set of 4-AW CF16s in stock XP95 with the intention to reshaft. After ordering my preferred grips and the X100s I was fit into, everything comes in about $600 cheaper than if I would've gone with the P790s. Very excited to put a new set of irons into play, even if it's months before they see the course (Wisconsin resident). I am a little worried about gapping, as I was only able to hit obliterate a 7 iron during the fitting, but I hope to hop on a monitor and sort that out over the winter. As has been stated numerous times in this thread and elsewhere, these things are LONG. I'm a high swingspeed player who doesn't necessarily need the extra distance for the courses I play, but I will certainly benefit from the added forgiveness. Very little sidespin during testing. The only other thing that caught my eye were some very low spin #s (~4700 for 7 iron), but part of that I'm sure was the use of surlyn balls for the fitting. I was getting a lot of rollout on the monitor during the fitting, but I always get a lot of rollout on the monitor. On the course my irons have always pretty much been hop and stop, with some wedges spinning back. I don't anticipate any problems in holding greens due to the launch and descent angles. Now if I can only avoid the flier issue that has been much discussed...

[argee1977]

So has everyone traded these in now for some Rogue Pro's :taunt:

 

I do have a question though for those who use the CF16s, does anyone find that the 5 iron tends to over draw, i really struggle to not hit huge draws with this one, but 6 or 7 iron and i'm hitting little draws, it just seems weird that one club up seems to be such a difference?!

[JerryTBall]

I just got the pro’s this past week. Previously had cf16 with Nippon 130 stiff, rouges have standard length PX Lz 5.5

5-AW and hit these better than the cf16 I feel. No over drawing. What I found was and so did couple guys I let try, was the chipping around the green with AW and PW, just interacted with the turf so smooth.

[AmpliFIRE]

I just didn't like the sound/feel of the CF16's. They're great performers though.

[AmazinBlue]

I have played them for three seasons. Just replaced them with TM P770s. I need less offset and better distance control

[Double Dutch]

Still loving everything about mine, and I see no reason to try something new. I did have the 4i bent to 20 and the 3i to 17 degrees, to create bigger gaps and the strong 3i is a wonderful club for long par 3’s and narrow par 4’s.

just put some new grips on and they’re all set for this year and next year.

[El hacker]

So has everyone traded these in now for some Rogue Pro's :taunt:

 

I do have a question though for those who use the CF16s, does anyone find that the 5 iron tends to over draw, i really struggle to not hit huge draws with this one, but 6 or 7 iron and i'm hitting little draws, it just seems weird that one club up seems to be such a difference?!

5i is long and straight, works both ways. Using pix 6.0

[ssfranny]

So has everyone traded these in now for some Rogue Pro's :taunt:

 

I do have a question though for those who use the CF16s, does anyone find that the 5 iron tends to over draw, i really struggle to not hit huge draws with this one, but 6 or 7 iron and i'm hitting little draws, it just seems weird that one club up seems to be such a difference?!

 

 

I have both CF16s feel softer to me. I like the less offset of my lefty Rogue Pros.

[Razorback84]

I just got a set of CF16s from CPO that were "like new" on their Black Friday sale last November. I'm happy with and plan to keep them in the bag for a couple years. Went into a fitting expecting to come out with a set of P790's, but couldn't discount the performance of the Apex.

[GolfyGolfy]

P790, rogue pro, or apex black? I have these but might be wondering if people have found better? Also what has more offset between all these?

[Fade to Black]

Not the CF16 irons, but picked up the original Apex irons on the bay for 180 bucks.

 

Really surprised at the profile on these, was expecting a larger GI iron, but they're quite compact (in a good way).

 

Solid performance too!

[Wlaffey]

I stupidly thought I was going to find something better while going through a full fitting in the local golf store.

I really wanted any iron to out perform my clubs as I have had them for 2 years.

 

I tried P790's, AP1'S, M3's, Cobra forged tec, Forged 900.

 

I gained no ball speed with any of the above against the CF16, like none.

 

I got my clubs re griped and the lie angle adjustment by a degree and went home bewildered that I hadn't spent the money i had set aside for a set of clubs I have had for 2 years!!!

[Divot2]

I stupidly thought I was going to find something better while going through a full fitting in the local golf store.

I really wanted any iron to out perform my clubs as I have had them for 2 years.

 

I tried P790's, AP1'S, M3's, Cobra forged tec, Forged 900.

 

I gained no ball speed with any of the above against the CF16, like none.

 

I got my clubs re griped and the lie angle adjustment by a degree and went home bewildered that I hadn't spent the money i had set aside for a set of clubs I have had for 2 years!!!

 

I had the same dilemma with how well the CF-16s performed for me and nothing could beat them. Then I decided to try PXG and ended up ordering an entire bag. The irons beat the Cf-16 in every way for ME and the forgiveness is off the charts with the PXG irons. I do still love the CF-16 and they will always have a spot in backup bag but PXG has been great for me.

[provx]

Like my cf-16s enough i just orderes the sand wedge that goes with my 4-aw

[argee1977]

Nothing really tried anything that did enough to justify replacing these, i know i have the wrong shafts in these, but i know the distances well and not really bothered in getting a few extra yards or less spin, so again i can't even be bothered changing shafts.

[SilverBullets]

I stupidly thought I was going to find something better while going through a full fitting in the local golf store.

I really wanted any iron to out perform my clubs as I have had them for 2 years.

 

I tried P790's, AP1'S, M3's, Cobra forged tec, Forged 900.

 

I gained no ball speed with any of the above against the CF16, like none.

 

I got my clubs re griped and the lie angle adjustment by a degree and went home bewildered that I hadn't spent the money i had set aside for a set of clubs I have had for 2 years!!!

 

I had the same dilemma with how well the CF-16s performed for me and nothing could beat them. Then I decided to try PXG and ended up ordering an entire bag. The irons beat the Cf-16 in every way for ME and the forgiveness is off the charts with the PXG irons. I do still love the CF-16 and they will always have a spot in backup bag but PXG has been great for me.

 

I hit the PXGs when I got my fitted for the CF16s. I has basically decided at that point the CF16s were what I was getting. I wanted to hit the PXGs because they had them and it was probably the only easy chance I would have at hitting them. My fitter laughed and said 'I don't recommend hitting these. Seriously, don't do it'... I hit them and oh man. They were the only iron I hit (hit maybe a dozen different heads) which not only matched the CF16s but slightly outperformed. I was truly impressed with how good the PXG irons were. My fitter laughed and goes 'yeah this is why I told you not to hit them. They really are that good'.

 

I didn't have $5000 in my budget to spend on irons so I wasn't going to buy them and he knew that. But yeah man, I'm not surprised to hear those were your results with the PXG irons.

[SilverBullets]

I just got the pro's this past week. Previously had cf16 with Nippon 130 stiff, rouges have standard length PX Lz 5.5

5-AW and hit these better than the cf16 I feel. No over drawing. What I found was and so did couple guys I let try, was the chipping around the green with AW and PW, just interacted with the turf so smooth.

 

 

Yeah I don't like the sole on the PW of the CF16 for chipping. I carry a vokey GW and have started chipping with that for the chips/pitches which I just to use a PW for.

 

I have 3 complaints with the CF16s:

 

1 - The distance gap between the cup face and non cup face irons is too great. So between my 8i and 7i. I have about a 5 yard bigger gap here than between any other iron. It's not a huge deal as I'm able to take off some yardage on my irons but it took some adjusting.

 

2 - As mentioned the pitching/chipping with PW. I don't like the way the sole interacts with the turf unless I am taking a mostly full swing and above. Ive started using my vokey gap wedge from spots I would have previously used a PW

 

3 - Feel. In general the CF16s lack feel/feedback. Sometimes it's hard to know when I made good contact vs. bad contact. They feel very muted across the club face. I'm ok with this because they flat out perform and I only play once a week so I really need the forgiveness.

 

Other than that, I love them. Great forgiveness, I have no issues with distance control, very consistent clubs for me and they just rip.

[JerryTBall]

I just got the pro's this past week. Previously had cf16 with Nippon 130 stiff, rouges have standard length PX Lz 5.5

5-AW and hit these better than the cf16 I feel. No over drawing. What I found was and so did couple guys I let try, was the chipping around the green with AW and PW, just interacted with the turf so smooth.

 

 

Yeah I don't like the sole on the PW of the CF16 for chipping. I carry a vokey GW and have started chipping with that for the chips/pitches which I just to use a PW for.

 

I have 3 complaints with the CF16s:

 

1 - The distance gap between the cup face and non cup face irons is too great. So between my 8i and 7i. I have about a 5 yard bigger gap here than between any other iron. It's not a huge deal as I'm able to take off some yardage on my irons but it took some adjusting.

 

2 - As mentioned the pitching/chipping with PW. I don't like the way the sole interacts with the turf unless I am taking a mostly full swing and above. Ive started using my vokey gap wedge from spots I would have previously used a PW

 

3 - Feel. In general the CF16s lack feel/feedback. Sometimes it's hard to know when I made good contact vs. bad contact. They feel very muted across the club face. I'm ok with this because they flat out perform and I only play once a week so I really need the forgiveness.

 

Other than that, I love them. Great forgiveness, I have no issues with distance control, very consistent clubs for me and they just rip.

 

Just typed it bunch of stuff and it did not save so to make a long story short try the Titleist AP 3 and the Titleist T-MB with the project X graphite loading zone 6.0 shaft amazing

[SilverBullets]

I just got the pro's this past week. Previously had cf16 with Nippon 130 stiff, rouges have standard length PX Lz 5.5

5-AW and hit these better than the cf16 I feel. No over drawing. What I found was and so did couple guys I let try, was the chipping around the green with AW and PW, just interacted with the turf so smooth.

 

 

Yeah I don't like the sole on the PW of the CF16 for chipping. I carry a vokey GW and have started chipping with that for the chips/pitches which I just to use a PW for.

 

I have 3 complaints with the CF16s:

 

1 - The distance gap between the cup face and non cup face irons is too great. So between my 8i and 7i. I have about a 5 yard bigger gap here than between any other iron. It's not a huge deal as I'm able to take off some yardage on my irons but it took some adjusting.

 

2 - As mentioned the pitching/chipping with PW. I don't like the way the sole interacts with the turf unless I am taking a mostly full swing and above. Ive started using my vokey gap wedge from spots I would have previously used a PW

 

3 - Feel. In general the CF16s lack feel/feedback. Sometimes it's hard to know when I made good contact vs. bad contact. They feel very muted across the club face. I'm ok with this because they flat out perform and I only play once a week so I really need the forgiveness.

 

Other than that, I love them. Great forgiveness, I have no issues with distance control, very consistent clubs for me and they just rip.

 

Just typed it bunch of stuff and it did not save so to make a long story short try the Titleist AP 3 and the Titleist T-MB with the project X graphite loading zone 6.0 shaft amazing

 

I HATE changing irons. Like can't stand the adjustment period. So I won't be hitting any irons anytime soon. The CF16s have performed very well for me and my game has improved since putting them in the bag. Before wrist injury late last year, my index was lower than it had ever been (3.0) and I had broken par on 18 (first time ever) and shot a handful of 72/73 scores. So I have no intention on changing them for some time. I've adjusted to the feel/lack of feel in them and the distance gap isn't a big issue anymore as I can control the distance to manage the gap fairly successfully. But yeah the AP3s weren't out when I bought the CF16s and that club certainly would have been in the running. I did swing one recently and really like it. I wasn't on a launch monitor but they did feel better than the CF16s. I would be shocked if they performed any better for me though. The CF16s were better than everything I hit and it was by a fairly large margin during my fitting.

 

Project X shafts and I do not get along.

[Divot2]

I just got the pro's this past week. Previously had cf16 with Nippon 130 stiff, rouges have standard length PX Lz 5.5

5-AW and hit these better than the cf16 I feel. No over drawing. What I found was and so did couple guys I let try, was the chipping around the green with AW and PW, just interacted with the turf so smooth.

 

 

Yeah I don't like the sole on the PW of the CF16 for chipping. I carry a vokey GW and have started chipping with that for the chips/pitches which I just to use a PW for.

 

I have 3 complaints with the CF16s:

 

1 - The distance gap between the cup face and non cup face irons is too great. So between my 8i and 7i. I have about a 5 yard bigger gap here than between any other iron. It's not a huge deal as I'm able to take off some yardage on my irons but it took some adjusting.

 

2 - As mentioned the pitching/chipping with PW. I don't like the way the sole interacts with the turf unless I am taking a mostly full swing and above. Ive started using my vokey gap wedge from spots I would have previously used a PW

 

3 - Feel. In general the CF16s lack feel/feedback. Sometimes it's hard to know when I made good contact vs. bad contact. They feel very muted across the club face. I'm ok with this because they flat out perform and I only play once a week so I really need the forgiveness.

 

Other than that, I love them. Great forgiveness, I have no issues with distance control, very consistent clubs for me and they just rip.

 

Yeah the feel on club face is one of the only downfalls to them. I will catch a few weird shots right out of the middle but felt like I thinned it due to the sound and feel. They do feel great but sometimes weird feedback.

[cmatthews77]

I just got the pro's this past week. Previously had cf16 with Nippon 130 stiff, rouges have standard length PX Lz 5.5

5-AW and hit these better than the cf16 I feel. No over drawing. What I found was and so did couple guys I let try, was the chipping around the green with AW and PW, just interacted with the turf so smooth.

 

 

Yeah I don't like the sole on the PW of the CF16 for chipping. I carry a vokey GW and have started chipping with that for the chips/pitches which I just to use a PW for.

 

I have 3 complaints with the CF16s:

 

1 - The distance gap between the cup face and non cup face irons is too great. So between my 8i and 7i. I have about a 5 yard bigger gap here than between any other iron. It's not a huge deal as I'm able to take off some yardage on my irons but it took some adjusting.

 

2 - As mentioned the pitching/chipping with PW. I don't like the way the sole interacts with the turf unless I am taking a mostly full swing and above. Ive started using my vokey gap wedge from spots I would have previously used a PW

 

3 - Feel. In general the CF16s lack feel/feedback. Sometimes it's hard to know when I made good contact vs. bad contact. They feel very muted across the club face. I'm ok with this because they flat out perform and I only play once a week so I really need the forgiveness.

 

Other than that, I love them. Great forgiveness, I have no issues with distance control, very consistent clubs for me and they just rip.

 

That gap between 7 and 8 ultimately led me to changing. I kept the 5i (bent two weak) and then went back to Apex Pro in the 6/7 and the new MB in 8-PW. I definitely hit the CF16 further (7i in Pro is a 162 avg and in the CF16 it was 168 and sometimes 175 which is another reason I swapped).

 

BUT they are still a fantastic iron in terms of the combo of tech, appearance, performance, size, etc.

 

There’s a reason Cally hasn’t replaced them in a while. They perform. To me better than 790 and JPX 900 Forged.

[Tiptx1122]

I will admit at the time when they 1st came out I would agreed that they were one of the best irons to come out that year. I can never say were the best over another just what works for one may not work for another. They still are a favorite and will always be one of my favorite irons but after 2 1/2 years I moved on the TaylorMade P790's which is giving everything that the Apex CF16 did and a bit more. I came close to buying an all black set of Apex irons but I heard the face discolors real fast. I think the CF16's are better than what has came out for Callaway in 2018.

[chal0072]

Second season with my set. Still love them. Best ever? I doubt it. Best for me for sure.

[ssfranny]

Ive had couple sets the shape is odd smaller head but thick topline. Not the best feel compared to other irons Ive hit

[mefnocerous]

Had an iron fitting last weekend. I tried to go in with no preconceived notions and just let results speak for themselves. With that in mind, I had a funny feeling that I would wind up ordering P790s at the end of the day. When the dust settled, there were 2 that stood out...P790 and CF16. The numbers were nearly identical, and looks/feel/sound were all a wash. At that point, in my mind, it came down to price. Knowing that CPO's early black friday sale was upcoming, the decision was easy. I ordered a like new set of 4-AW CF16s in stock XP95 with the intention to reshaft. After ordering my preferred grips and the X100s I was fit into, everything comes in about $600 cheaper than if I would've gone with the P790s. Very excited to put a new set of irons into play, even if it's months before they see the course (Wisconsin resident). I am a little worried about gapping, as I was only able to hit obliterate a 7 iron during the fitting, but I hope to hop on a monitor and sort that out over the winter. As has been stated numerous times in this thread and elsewhere, these things are LONG. I'm a high swingspeed player who doesn't necessarily need the extra distance for the courses I play, but I will certainly benefit from the added forgiveness. Very little sidespin during testing. The only other thing that caught my eye were some very low spin #s (~4700 for 7 iron), but part of that I'm sure was the use of surlyn balls for the fitting. I was getting a lot of rollout on the monitor during the fitting, but I always get a lot of rollout on the monitor. On the course my irons have always pretty much been hop and stop, with some wedges spinning back. I don't anticipate any problems in holding greens due to the launch and descent angles. Now if I can only avoid the flier issue that has been much discussed...

I saw very similar spin numbers on the monitor. I mean that's absurdly low for a 7 iron. Even a 6 iron if you consider its 31 degrees.

[spartan6910]

Going on year 2 with these and playing my best gold ever. Iron play has been outstanding recently. I kind of want to try something new after this season, but I don't really feel that I NEED to. I love them.

[Sean2]

I've hit some of the new stuff just to show myself that none of the new offerings will be an improvement over the CF16's. Turned out to be true.