Callaway X Forged CB - Initial Thoughts

[mason82]

I had an extensive iron fitting last week, and these got second place. Barely. JPX 921 tour had slightly better numbers. But these are super sweet. They feel fantastic and gave me great numbers. By the way I tried the new Apex Pro, not good. Felt pretty damn bad after hitting all the one piece forgings I hit. 

[krod10359]

I feel like this iron is going under the radar due to the cosmetics and pictures of the offset online. The offset really isn't bad at all when your standing over the ball, the back of the club is something we shouldn't really care about if I'm being honest. These irons are really really good. I'm coming from ping iblades and I feel the transition has been so easy. Really feel like more players should be giving this iron a shot.

[jimb]

On 1/28/2021 at 1:05 PM, jimb said:

I have had my X Forged CB irons for a while now and have hit them at the range a great deal and on the course a few times.  Mine are 5-PW and have the IO shafts in them in the 6.0 flex.  They advertise the IO shafts as having the same DNA as the Xi shafts, but I don't see it or feel it.  The IO shafts feel significantly firmer and the flight is more mid or low mid.  I had my 2013 X Forged shafted with the Xi in the 6.0 and they feel smoother to me.  I am thinking of adjusting the loft on these to get a little higher launch.

 

 

Well, I discovered my problem with the low flight of my set of these.  The 5 iron as one example was at 21.5 degrees of loft.  The rest of the set had incorrect lofts and lie angles as well.  What a relief.  Won't be hitting them tomorrow because it will rain here, but on Monday I hope to go to the range.  Those were custom ordered right from Callaway.  That is disappointing.

[dmeeksDC]

On 1/29/2021 at 4:34 AM, krod10359 said:

I feel like this iron is going under the radar due to the cosmetics and pictures of the offset online. The offset really isn't bad at all when your standing over the ball, the back of the club is something we shouldn't really care about if I'm being honest. These irons are really really good. I'm coming from ping iblades and I feel the transition has been so easy. Really feel like more players should be giving this iron a shot.

I hit these and they feel super. I’d say these are the best iron Callaway has released this year. Lot of cupface in the Apex line. Every time I hit a cupface iron, I quickly dislike the clanky feel and end up running back to a forged iron. No cupface iron will touch these in feel or sound. 

[jimb]

On 1/30/2021 at 7:34 PM, jimb said:

Well, I discovered my problem with the low flight of my set of these.  The 5 iron as one example was at 21.5 degrees of loft.  The rest of the set had incorrect lofts and lie angles as well.  What a relief.  Won't be hitting them tomorrow because it will rain here, but on Monday I hope to go to the range.  Those were custom ordered right from Callaway.  That is disappointing.

Finally got to hit them yesterday after having the lies and lofts changed.  Just awesome.  Very stable and solid feeling.  I am now getting consistent distances.

[kwainio]

On 1/28/2021 at 4:28 PM, mason82 said:

I had an extensive iron fitting last week, and these got second place. Barely. JPX 921 tour had slightly better numbers. But these are super sweet. They feel fantastic and gave me great numbers. By the way I tried the new Apex Pro, not good. Felt pretty damn bad after hitting all the one piece forgings I hit. 

 

Yup this was my experience today. Hit every iron under the sun, came down to the XFCB and the JPX 921 Tour. I was just slightly more consistent with the Callaway so I went with that.

 

I feel like these irons got a bad rap because they didn't photograph well or something. They look much better in person and whatever offset there is definitely isn't distracting over the ball.

 

I couldn't believe how garbage feeling and sounding the Apex Pro's were in comparison to these, and I'm not even sure there was a ton of difference in forgiveness. To each their own I guess.

Edited February 19, 2021 by kwainio

[dmeeksDC]

I haven’t hit an iron that feels any better than these. It’s got some power too. And now that we see the weight on the back of the PXG Gen4s, the Callaway XForged CB weight looks a lot more stylish. 

[MH2]

Mine just came in today and hoping to get a sim round on Friday to compare against my 921 forged. They look great to me 

[braincramp52]

On 1/29/2021 at 3:34 AM, krod10359 said:

I feel like this iron is going under the radar due to the cosmetics and pictures of the offset online. The offset really isn't bad at all when your standing over the ball, the back of the club is something we shouldn't really care about if I'm being honest. These irons are really really good. I'm coming from ping iblades and I feel the transition has been so easy. Really feel like more players should be giving this iron a shot.

 

I believe you're right. When I went to test irons a couple of weeks ago I didn't even try them because I knew it was gonna be a waste of time. A huge importance is put on bag appeal and the X-Forged fail in that department imo. Especially when there are so many companies making great feeling forged irons. These make a strong case for iron covers.😄  And yes, I guess I am vain. I know everything Callaway did to these was for performance but I can't stand screws and plates on the back of irons.

[Tree Levino]

4 hours ago, braincramp52 said:

 

I believe you're right. When I went to test irons a couple of weeks ago I didn't even try them because I knew it was gonna be a waste of time. A huge importance is put on bag appeal and the X-Forged fail in that department imo. Especially when there are so many companies making great feeling forged irons. These make a strong case for iron covers.😄  And yes, I guess I am vain. I know everything Callaway did to these was for performance but I can't stand screws and plates on the back of irons.

 

I could deal with that if the offset wasn't so horrendous. Screws plus rough address looks is not a good combination. 

[Brooks_Cupcake]

3 hours ago, TigerInTheWoods said:

 

I could deal with that if the offset wasn't so horrendous. Screws plus rough address looks is not a good combination. 

Have you looked at it or not in person E?

I spent 15 minutes with it on Sunday and it wasn’t noticeable at all, but the feel was probably the best I’ve seen out of Callaway that wasn’t an MB

[Tree Levino]

4 minutes ago, Brooks Cupcake said:

Have you looked at it or not in person E?

I spent 15 minutes with it on Sunday and it wasn’t noticeable at all, but the feel was probably the best I’ve seen out of Callaway that wasn’t an MB

Yes I have hit it in a fit. Didn’t love the offset and much preferred the MB. However it felt fantastic. I think the badging actually looks far superior to the Apex MB. Bag looks don’t really matter IMO but the screw in the MB is unsightly for an iron that is supposed to be clean. 

[Brooks_Cupcake]

6 minutes ago, TigerInTheWoods said:

Yes I have hit it in a fit. Didn’t love the offset and much preferred the MB. However it felt fantastic. I think the badging actually looks far superior to the Apex MB. Bag looks don’t really matter IMO but the screw in the MB is unsightly for an iron that is supposed to be clean. 

Yes, but honestly you prefer no offset or even onset, so any, even minor offset bothers you. 

[dmeeksDC]

I’m a longtime proponent of offset. Someone’s gotta stick up for it around here!😏 There are a lot of pros who want a little offset. All it does for me is a little launch boost, nothing directionally. And let’s be clear, these XForged CBs may not have no offset, but they don’t have a lot of offset, not even by wrx standards. I like how offset enhances the framing of the ball at address. If you’re in the no offset camp you won’t like these, but I always compare offset to old favorites of mine. These have less offset than the Nike Vapor Pro Combos, as one example, so I know I won’t even notice it on the course. But as much as I loved the VPC, these feel better. 

[kwainio]

I had my fit on Thursday, put the order in at 5pm that night. My irons showed up today at noon. Absolutely insane turnaround.

[brendan6q66]

I was fit into these yesterday at TrueSpec in NYC with KBS C-Tapers.. I’m coming from the JPX 850 Forged w/ S300s, with the main goal of tightening dispersion and taming my block miss in the longer irons. These honestly weren’t even on my radar... I was thinking more along the lines of JPX 921F, or P770.

 

I tested (1) T200, (2) 921T, (3) Srixon ZX7, (4) Honma TR20 V and (5) the X Forged CB. The T200 probably felt the best to me. Most sets were a modest improvement over my current gamers, but the X Forged were hands down the best. I was fit into a shorter shaft (I’m 6’5 playing +1.25” now, down to +0.5”) and still managed to take my 6i from 180 yards to 190 and I wasn’t even looking to pick up distance. Dispersion was FAR better than any of the other sets I tried, and I wasn’t even making good contact... everything low on the face all day.

 

The feel was excellent, and I definitely liked the more compact look at address vs the 850F. Yeah, the back is ugly as sin, but doesn’t really matter to me. Cant wait to get them in 4 weeks!

[Turkey_Bagger]

I too just purchased this set in 5-pew and am now anxiously waiting.  I’m leaving behind a set of 710 AP2’s that served me well (unless I miss hit lol). I wanted something a lil more friendly as I’m pushing 40 and my swing is definitely changing (slower).  I tried the p770, p790, T200, Apex Pro and JPX921.  These for me were softer than my AP2s and I was cranking them!  My AP2 had a ball speed of 117, carry 158 and 166 total @ around 8k rpm.  The X forged #s were very nice and made me quickly forget about my titleist.  X Forged #s were 128 ball speed, carry 182 and total 192 @ around 6k rpm.  The JPX and P790 were kinda close seconds but not the same feel for me as the X Forged.  
I told my guy I have no brand biases and just want the best club for me and what I want.  Funny thing was the X forged wasn’t even on my radar whatsoever.  Glad someone knew more than me. 
Hope they are still serving you well!

[COL_B]

Callaway tent was up at the club yesterday, and I hit the 7i and 4i in these with the PX IO 110 stiff shafts.

 

Currently playing Titleist T100 (C-Taper Lite 110 stiff) that have only been in the bag a couple of weeks.

 

We were hitting dead into a 20 mph wind, but I set up my Mevo to assess distance, ball speed etc. I'd already played 18, so I was warmed up.

 

I really liked the 7i. Looks great at address, and the shape, offset, and topline did not seem that different from the T100, or 718 CB I've been playing for 2 years. Distance was comparable to the T100, and I thought the ball flight and shot shape were more consistent.  Overall, I thought they were great.

 

Then I hit the the 4i. Four swings, four absolutely pure shots, slight draw, dead online averaging 191 yd with total dispersion of 5 yards. And that was into a raging wind where small deviation would result in big differences. The distance was a Mevo reading, but the actual ball flight was excellent.

 

I mean, that thing was so sweet, I almost bought them on a whim. If these suffer in the market because people don't like the looks, I'll be trying to pick up a cheap 2nd hand set at the end of the summer.

[kwainio]

31 minutes ago, COL_B said:

Callaway tent was up at the club yesterday, and I hit the 7i and 4i in these with the PX IO 110 stiff shafts.

 

Currently playing Titleist T100 (C-Taper Lite 110 stiff) that have only been in the bag a couple of weeks.

 

We were hitting dead into a 20 mph wind, but I set up my Mevo to assess distance, ball speed etc. I'd already played 18, so I was warmed up.

 

I really liked the 7i. Looks great at address, and the shape, offset, and topline did not seem that different from the T100, or 718 CB I've been playing for 2 years. Distance was comparable to the T100, and I thought the ball flight and shot shape were more consistent.  Overall, I thought they were great.

 

Then I hit the the 4i. Four swings, four absolutely pure shots, slight draw, dead online averaging 191 yd with total dispersion of 5 yards. And that was into a raging wind where small deviation would result in big differences. The distance was a Mevo reading, but the actual ball flight was excellent.

 

I mean, that thing was so sweet, I almost bought them on a whim. If these suffer in the market because people don't like the looks, I'll be trying to pick up a cheap 2nd hand set at the end of the summer.

 

I found the T100 short irons to have silly amounts of spin, just couldn't stop ballooning them. Your experience w/ the XFCB long irons was the same as mine, stupid consistent, really sealed the deal for me.

 

I feel like I'm being a real homer w/ these irons because I just got them but they really are that good, and I'll say it again they look much better in person.

[dj6627]

They have these for lefties?

[Pepperturbo]

As a few buddies say when the wives want us to play with them in a couple's tournament; OK, for sh**s and giggles, I just might pull out my old 2006 original X-Forged, get them re-shafted and take them for a spin.  Though they be soft forgings and dinged a bit, they still work mighty well.  Think I'll put the Steelfiber i110cws in them or put PX 6.0 back in them and see how they feel.

[dmeeksDC]

8 hours ago, COL_B said:

Callaway tent was up at the club yesterday, and I hit the 7i and 4i in these with the PX IO 110 stiff shafts.

 

Currently playing Titleist T100 (C-Taper Lite 110 stiff) that have only been in the bag a couple of weeks.

 

We were hitting dead into a 20 mph wind, but I set up my Mevo to assess distance, ball speed etc. I'd already played 18, so I was warmed up.

 

I really liked the 7i. Looks great at address, and the shape, offset, and topline did not seem that different from the T100, or 718 CB I've been playing for 2 years. Distance was comparable to the T100, and I thought the ball flight and shot shape were more consistent.  Overall, I thought they were great.

 

Then I hit the the 4i. Four swings, four absolutely pure shots, slight draw, dead online averaging 191 yd with total dispersion of 5 yards. And that was into a raging wind where small deviation would result in big differences. The distance was a Mevo reading, but the actual ball flight was excellent.

 

I mean, that thing was so sweet, I almost bought them on a whim. If these suffer in the market because people don't like the looks, I'll be trying to pick up a cheap 2nd hand set at the end of the summer.

Great review. How did you like the Project X IO? I am interested in that shaft profile. Always liked Project X Rifles (in 6.0 and 5.5 at various times) but they will beat me up a bit. The IO is supposed to be a little less firm. How did the 6.0 compare to the CTL in stiff? 

[MH2]

Got my 4-pw in and can’t wait to get them on the sim. I moved my jpx 921 forged to make room for these. First impressions are that I like the size of these a lot better and I also really like the industrial look they have. They look great in the bag. I have only hit the 7 iron when testing but the I/O 6.0’s should be a good shaft for me. 

[Brooks_Cupcake]

Big win for Grace today with them in the bag!

[dmeeksDC]

An update: These are so good. Look great, feel great and so consistent. Callaway even has the spin just right on these, a slightly lower spin rate vs other CBs to give a little distance boost and yet no loss of stopping power. The offset is right where I want it — modest and helps frame the ball. The label ‘players performance’ iron is spot on. Plenty of distance, feel is way better than the typical players distance irons. I can see why a lot of pros like these. 
 

This fitter’s take is right in line with what i’ve experienced. 
https://practical-golf.com/callaway-x-forged-cb-review/

 

[xandersingh]

1 hour ago, dmeeksDC said:

An update: These are so good. Look great, feel great and so consistent. Callaway even has the spin just right on these, a slightly lower spin rate vs other CBs to give a little distance boost and yet no loss of stopping power. The offset is right where I want it — modest and helps frame the ball. The label ‘players performance’ iron is spot on. Plenty of distance, feel is way better than the typical players distance irons. I can see why a lot of pros like these. 
 

This fitter’s take is right in line with what i’ve experienced. 
https://practical-golf.com/callaway-x-forged-cb-review/

 

Agree to all of this! 

[Jagpilotohio]

Just stopped into the golf shop for the first Time in 5 months.  
These took me by surprise.  Really like them. Really love the adjustable weighting. May have to invest in another set I don’t  need.  My free government money showed up today and I may need to simulate the economy via buying some Callaway product!!  We may be bankrupt but daddy is going to get some new sticks as the ship goes down!  LOL! 

[Tiptx1122]

On 2/22/2021 at 5:34 PM, dmeeksDC said:

I haven’t hit an iron that feels any better than these. It’s got some power too. And now that we see the weight on the back of the PXG Gen4s, the Callaway XForged CB weight looks a lot more stylish. 

Have you ever hit the New KING COBRA TOUR MIM irons, now there  soft feel better than anything I've ever hit

[dmeeksDC]

2 hours ago, Tiptx1122 said:

Have you ever hit the New KING COBRA TOUR MIM irons, now there  soft feel better than anything I've ever hit

I hit ‘em and definitely considered them.  Nice irons. The profile on them is a little larger, it’s notable. I like the shape. Probably more of a midsized head in this category. Not a thing wrong with Cobra gear, I had two of their fairway woods in the bag last year (3 and 7}.

 

Overall I like the look from address more with the X Forged CB — more compact, but not intimidating, a bit more nimble through the ground. I like that the weight adjustment is right in the hitting zone. They both felt nice, no clunkiness. Put them side by side and it comes down to what you  prefer. 

[COL_B]

On 2/28/2021 at 7:20 PM, dmeeksDC said:

Great review. How did you like the Project X IO? I am interested in that shaft profile. Always liked Project X Rifles (in 6.0 and 5.5 at various times) but they will beat me up a bit. The IO is supposed to be a little less firm. How did the 6.0 compare to the CTL in stiff? 

I can't say I observed a significant difference. The profiles seemed similar. The CTLs might have a slightly higher degree of harshness to them on misses. 

 

I only hit the 7 and the 4 with the IO, so I don't have strong impressions of the progressive weighting compare to the constant weight of the CTLs.

 

If pressed, I would say they are a bit softer,.