Callaway Apex and Apex Pro 21

[radiman]

2 hours ago, drvrwdge said:

Went to big box retailer and they have both the zx7 and Apex Pro. Both look really really good. Apex Pro is smaller than I expected and so is the srixon. It’s def a different shape than the 85 series. I just need to find an MMT to demo. 

Did you hit either of them? Those are the two sets that have my attention this year. 

[Morry]

These Pros look like a category Killer 

 

period 

 

the "new p760" basically

 

 

[drvrwdge]

2 hours ago, radiman said:

Did you hit either of them? Those are the two sets that have my attention this year. 

I didn’t. May tomorrow though. 

[TTCarrera]

I was fitted today at a local, full service golf shop in my area. 

 

I'm 72 and my frozen handicap for the winter is 7.1. My Driver swing speed is 98-101MPH. I will be coming from some blades and 80gr. Mitsubishi MMT graphite shafts, which I've always suspected are a bit too light and cause me some trouble getting the center of the clubface into the ball when I really need to step on a shot. I'm generally pleased with my current setup, but I think it's time to find a solution that produces better misses for me. My current misses are putting pressure on my short game, which is not superior, and probably costing me 2-4 shots per round.

 

I went with the intention to try the new Srixon ZX7 irons, based upon very positive website reviews. Very nice and I tried them with several several shafts.

 

I then switched to the Callaway Apex Pro and felt a clear difference.

 

The Apex Pro 21s have an awesome, smooth, buttery feel. The regular Apex 21s also feel very good, although with a small touch of a clicky sound and feel. But mishits still go most of the intended distance with almost as much spin, probably due to the bigger sweet area. 

 

I started with the stock Nippon Modus3 120 shaft (stiff) and liked it. Also tried the 105. Both produced reasonable numbers.

 

Also tried the TT Elevate, and didn't like its feel so I didn't bother with noticing the data.

 

Because my home course has 8 elevated greens I want to hit the ball high (and I play the Pro V1X because of it). My fitter put me into the Nippon N.S. Pro 950GH Neo and I loved it. I not only got great numbers but the buttery feel was even more pronounced. Very consistent dispersion. With the 7-iron I averaged a 106 MPH ball speed with a 19.5 launch angle and 5300ish spin rates. Carry distance in the 152-155 range and total distance of 157-160.

 

So that's the shaft I selected. Callaway has NO upcharge for it.

 

I decided I'm going with a mixed set. The 5 & 6 iron (I don't carry a 4-iron; I use a 22* hybrid instead) will be the regular Apex 21 for a little forgiveness on the 160-180 yard shots. And the 7-iron through Gap Wedge will be the Apex Pros. The shop will order them for me on Thursday when the embargo ends and Callaway opens their order book.

[cav5]

Finally got fitted again for real in ten years. GCquad. Coming from 919T x100 > '21 Apex MB 4-pw and UT 21* with shimada tour xx.

 

Numbers where really good with my self fit 919T, but i hit the callys a bit further and bad swings where way better. They also look perfect behind the ball. UT was flying about 240 with decent spin too.

 

0 hcp - 5'8" - 1/4 over - 1 up

Edited January 27, 2021 by cav5

[Imp]

15 hours ago, TTCarrera said:

I was fitted today at a local, full service golf shop in my area. 

 

I'm 72 and my frozen handicap for the winter is 7.1. My Driver swing speed is 98-101MPH. I will be coming from some blades and 80gr. Mitsubishi MMT graphite shafts, which I've always suspected are a bit too light and cause me some trouble getting the center of the clubface into the ball when I really need to step on a shot. I'm generally pleased with my current setup, but I think it's time to find a solution that produces better misses for me. My current misses are putting pressure on my short game, which is not superior, and probably costing me 2-4 shots per round.

 

I went with the intention to try the new Srixon ZX7 irons, based upon very positive website reviews. Very nice and I tried them with several several shafts.

 

I then switched to the Callaway Apex Pro and felt a clear difference.

 

The Apex Pro 21s have an awesome, smooth, buttery feel. The regular Apex 21s also feel very good, although with a small touch of a clicky sound and feel. But mishits still go most of the intended distance with almost as much spin, probably due to the bigger sweet area. 

 

I started with the stock Nippon Modus3 120 shaft (stiff) and liked it. Also tried the 105. Both produced reasonable numbers.

 

Also tried the TT Elevate, and didn't like its feel so I didn't bother with noticing the data.

 

Because my home course has 8 elevated greens I want to hit the ball high (and I play the Pro V1X because of it). My fitter put me into the Nippon N.S. Pro 950GH Neo and I loved it. I not only got great numbers but the buttery feel was even more pronounced. Very consistent dispersion. With the 7-iron I averaged a 106 MPH ball speed with a 19.5 launch angle and 5300ish spin rates. Carry distance in the 152-155 range and total distance of 157-160.

 

So that's the shaft I selected. Callaway has NO upcharge for it.

 

I decided I'm going with a mixed set. The 5 & 6 iron (I don't carry a 4-iron; I use a 22* hybrid instead) will be the regular Apex 21 for a little forgiveness on the 160-180 yard shots. And the 7-iron through Gap Wedge will be the Apex Pros. The shop will order them for me on Thursday when the embargo ends and Callaway opens their order book.

Thanks for doing your fitting for me! Sounds pretty much like my game. I may start with those and then see if others improve/feel different. Your course sounds like a course I was a member at. FRCC. 4 holes with level greens. All others were either above or below the fairway/tee box. 

 

[TTCarrera]

Well, I'm 2nd guessing the mixed set. My concern is a distance gap: the Apex are a bit longer and might leave a gap at the set break point.

 

Anyone have any experience with this and can comment?

 

[lordemsworth]

Were you able to see all the irons?  Would the 4 and 5 in the Pro be too difficult to hit well consistently?  Did the fitter have any recommendations?  Any thoughts on playing the 5 iron in the Pro and a hybrid or driving in the 4 iron spot?

Edited January 28, 2021 by lordemsworth

[bcflyguy1]

If you’re worried about gapping, take a look at the Apex Mixed set on the website. There are more standard Apex heads in that set, but the lofts are also adjusted for gapping. Lots of testing at ECPC went into getting the various combo sets’ gapping right since they haven’t been as busy from virus madness. You can get the shaft you wanted in that set as well.

2 hours ago, TTCarrera said:

Well, I'm 2nd guessing the mixed set. My concern is a distance gap: the Apex are a bit longer and might leave a gap at the set break point.

 

Anyone have any experience with this and can comment?

 

 

[hef63303]

2 hours ago, TTCarrera said:

Well, I'm 2nd guessing the mixed set. My concern is a distance gap: the Apex are a bit longer and might leave a gap at the set break point.

 

Anyone have any experience with this and can comment?

 

Callaway makes a Mixed set of these with 4-7 available in Apex and 8-Pw in Pros with some adjustments made to blend them. The lofts and lies are adjusted instead of bending any of the stock clubs. 

[Rogtsaamokin66]

22 hours ago, TTCarrera said:

I was fitted today at a local, full service golf shop in my area. 

 

I'm 72 and my frozen handicap for the winter is 7.1. My Driver swing speed is 98-101MPH. I will be coming from some blades and 80gr. Mitsubishi MMT graphite shafts, which I've always suspected are a bit too light and cause me some trouble getting the center of the clubface into the ball when I really need to step on a shot. I'm generally pleased with my current setup, but I think it's time to find a solution that produces better misses for me. My current misses are putting pressure on my short game, which is not superior, and probably costing me 2-4 shots per round.

 

I went with the intention to try the new Srixon ZX7 irons, based upon very positive website reviews. Very nice and I tried them with several several shafts.

 

I then switched to the Callaway Apex Pro and felt a clear difference.

 

The Apex Pro 21s have an awesome, smooth, buttery feel. The regular Apex 21s also feel very good, although with a small touch of a clicky sound and feel. But mishits still go most of the intended distance with almost as much spin, probably due to the bigger sweet area. 

 

I started with the stock Nippon Modus3 120 shaft (stiff) and liked it. Also tried the 105. Both produced reasonable numbers.

 

Also tried the TT Elevate, and didn't like its feel so I didn't bother with noticing the data.

 

Because my home course has 8 elevated greens I want to hit the ball high (and I play the Pro V1X because of it). My fitter put me into the Nippon N.S. Pro 950GH Neo and I loved it. I not only got great numbers but the buttery feel was even more pronounced. Very consistent dispersion. With the 7-iron I averaged a 106 MPH ball speed with a 19.5 launch angle and 5300ish spin rates. Carry distance in the 152-155 range and total distance of 157-160.

 

So that's the shaft I selected. Callaway has NO upcharge for it.

 

I decided I'm going with a mixed set. The 5 & 6 iron (I don't carry a 4-iron; I use a 22* hybrid instead) will be the regular Apex 21 for a little forgiveness on the 160-180 yard shots. And the 7-iron through Gap Wedge will be the Apex Pros. The shop will order them for me on Thursday when the embargo ends and Callaway opens their order book.

How were your spin numbers in comparison from standard to pros?

[noodle3872]

Demo’d the Pro 21 today. Loved everything about them except the sound. The club makes a twangy ricochet sound on contact which is just too odd for my Mizuno tuned ear to accept.

[Ryan19jwu]

Same comments as @noodle3872.  I didn’t love the sound at all. I also hit them against the 921 Tour and the zx7 which are both butttery soft. 
 

Apex pro had more spin and a much higher flight than the zx7, but with 1* more loft and some awful options for shafts probably had a bunch to do with how high it was going. The Callaway fitting cart didn’t have any shafts over 110g in a stiff. 

p770 and Apex Pro numbers were almost identical. They’re probably the only 2 irons that fit into a weird(awesome) category of players looks and tech. If you’re looking at those two, Apex blows the 770 away. 
 

just my 2 cents. 

[Ryan19jwu]

@hef63303 I’ve had an apex combo set in the bag before and they use a completely different forging for the combo set. They don’t bend lofts/lies, they are built with gaps in mind as to not change offset/bounce when making the combo set. You’ll be happy with a combo. 

[Jim E]

43 minutes ago, Ryan19jwu said:

Same comments as @noodle3872.  I didn’t love the sound at all. I also hit them against the 921 Tour and the zx7 which are both butttery soft. 
 

Apex pro had more spin and a much higher flight than the zx7, but with 1* more loft and some awful options for shafts probably had a bunch to do with how high it was going. The Callaway fitting cart didn’t have any shafts over 110g in a stiff. 

p770 and Apex Pro numbers were almost identical. They’re probably the only 2 irons that fit into a weird(awesome) category of players looks and tech. If you’re looking at those two, Apex blows the 770 away. 
 

just my 2 cents. 

If the apex pro and p770 numbers are almost identical how does the apex pro blow it away?

[Ryan19jwu]

Subjective, but looks, feel, and sound. 

[WeritoK2]

Has anyone compared the standard apex 21 to the 19? I own the 19 and love them, would make the switch if there's actual better performance and feel. I hate the strong lofts, Apex 21 pro would be perfect but I don't know if I could hit them, can't try any model where I live so I need some advice from any of you who has hit them...

 

My apex 19, 7 iron is my 180 yard club, I don't like that, sometimes it would fly 190, others 170. I want help in an iron but not to the point where I am not sure the distance its gonna give me

[TTCarrera]

19 hours ago, Rogtsaamokin66 said:

How were your spin numbers in comparison from standard to pros?

Pros had a slightly higher average spin.

[TTCarrera]

9 hours ago, Ryan19jwu said:

@hef63303 I’ve had an apex combo set in the bag before and they use a completely different forging for the combo set. They don’t bend lofts/lies, they are built with gaps in mind as to not change offset/bounce when making the combo set. You’ll be happy with a combo. 

Agree, but their combo sets have the 7-iron in the regular Apex and the Pros start with the 8-iron. I'm not crazy about that....I hit my 7-iron 4-6 times per round at my home club and I don't need any help with distance, preferring the control that Apex Pro offers. So their pre-set combo set won't work for me.

Edited January 28, 2021 by TTCarrera

[TTCarrera]

Well, the goose is cooked. I may have outsmarted myself. I called the golf shop this morning when they opened and apparently the order was submitted yesterday. They called Callaway and were told that the clubs/shafts/grips were assembled this morning, bent to my 1* flat spec, boxed up and are in the shipping department already.

 

So here's the problem, a possible solution and a request for your opinions. Again, I ordered Apex 21 in a 5 & 6 iron and Apex Pro 21 in 7-P + A wedge: What got me thinking last night was after watching the TXG guys discuss the new Apex models and one of them noticed the stronger lofts in the regular Apex and commented that to correctly put together a combo set you might have to order two 7-irons: one in Apex and one in Apex Pro in order to have better gapping.

 

 

Problem: The Apex Pro 7-iron has a loft of 33* and the Apex 6-iron's loft is 26.5*. That's a 6.5* gap difference!!! WAY too much.

 

Possible Solution: The stock Apex Pro gap between 6 & 7 is spec'd at 4.0*. The shop says they will bend the 5 & 6 regular Apex irons by 2.5* to weaken them to produce a 4.0* gap. That would make the Apex 5 & 6-iron lofts consistent through the whole set but it worries me that the corresponding 2.5* increase in bounce might negatively effect playability. So I'm think that the most I'd dare weaken them is 2.0*, that would close the gap between the 6 & 7 irons to a 4.5* gap. I could probably get away with that.

 

And if in practice, that doesn't work, then just order individual Apex Pro 5 & 6 irons.

 

Comments, opinions please?: What does everyone think? Thanks in advance.

[BostonWRX]

Going for my fitting tomorrow was pumped for these until I keep reading how bad they feel/sound on here. 

[Ryan19jwu]

14 minutes ago, TrueWRX said:

Going for my fitting tomorrow was pumped for these until I keep reading how bad they feel/sound on here. 

They don’t feel “bad”, they just aren’t a Srixon zx7 or Mizuno Tour. They still sound fine, just not in the same category as the other two. They also aren’t the same type of club since the other two are entirely forged and less forgiving. 

[Jim E]

47 minutes ago, TTCarrera said:

Well, the goose is cooked. I may have outsmarted myself. I called the golf shop this morning when they opened and apparently the order was submitted yesterday. They called Callaway and were told that the clubs/shafts/grips were assembled this morning, bent to my 1* flat spec, boxed up and are in the shipping department already.

 

So here's the problem, a possible solution and a request for your opinions. Again, I ordered Apex 21 in a 5 & 6 iron and Apex Pro 21 in 7-P + A wedge: What got me thinking last night was after watching the TXG guys discuss the new Apex models and one of them noticed the stronger lofts in the regular Apex and commented that to correctly put together a combo set you might have to order two 7-irons: one in Apex and one in Apex Pro in order to have better gapping.

 

 

Problem: The Apex Pro 7-iron has a loft of 33* and the Apex 6-iron's loft is 26.5*. That's a 6.5* gap difference!!! WAY too much.

 

Possible Solution: The stock Apex Pro gap between 6 & 7 is spec'd at 4.0*. The shop says they will bend the 5 & 6 regular Apex irons by 2.5* to weaken them to produce a 4.0* gap. That would make the Apex 5 & 6-iron lofts consistent through the whole set but it worries me that the corresponding 2.5* increase in bounce might negatively effect playability. So I'm think that the most I'd dare weaken them is 2.0*, that would close the gap between the 6 & 7 irons to a 4.5* gap. I could probably get away with that.

 

And if in practice, that doesn't work, then just order individual Apex Pro 5 & 6 irons.

 

Comments, opinions please?: What does everyone think? Thanks in advance.

I can’t offer much but I was in a similar scenario with my p770 order 3 weeks ago. I went 790 in 4-5. Their combo recommended weaken 4i 1 degree and 5i 2 degrees. I ordered both 1 degree weak. I didn’t want to change the bounce too much. Although that only puts me at 4.5 degree gap between 6i-5i. I will have to see how they gap when I get them. Hopefully the added bounce will help with the longer irons.😀

[tj7644]

On 1/26/2021 at 9:20 PM, TTCarrera said:

I was fitted today at a local, full service golf shop in my area. 

 

I'm 72 and my frozen handicap for the winter is 7.1. My Driver swing speed is 98-101MPH. I will be coming from some blades and 80gr. Mitsubishi MMT graphite shafts, which I've always suspected are a bit too light and cause me some trouble getting the center of the clubface into the ball when I really need to step on a shot. I'm generally pleased with my current setup, but I think it's time to find a solution that produces better misses for me. My current misses are putting pressure on my short game, which is not superior, and probably costing me 2-4 shots per round.

 

I went with the intention to try the new Srixon ZX7 irons, based upon very positive website reviews. Very nice and I tried them with several several shafts.

 

I then switched to the Callaway Apex Pro and felt a clear difference.

 

The Apex Pro 21s have an awesome, smooth, buttery feel. The regular Apex 21s also feel very good, although with a small touch of a clicky sound and feel. But mishits still go most of the intended distance with almost as much spin, probably due to the bigger sweet area. 

 

I started with the stock Nippon Modus3 120 shaft (stiff) and liked it. Also tried the 105. Both produced reasonable numbers.

 

Also tried the TT Elevate, and didn't like its feel so I didn't bother with noticing the data.

 

Because my home course has 8 elevated greens I want to hit the ball high (and I play the Pro V1X because of it). My fitter put me into the Nippon N.S. Pro 950GH Neo and I loved it. I not only got great numbers but the buttery feel was even more pronounced. Very consistent dispersion. With the 7-iron I averaged a 106 MPH ball speed with a 19.5 launch angle and 5300ish spin rates. Carry distance in the 152-155 range and total distance of 157-160.

 

So that's the shaft I selected. Callaway has NO upcharge for it.

 

I decided I'm going with a mixed set. The 5 & 6 iron (I don't carry a 4-iron; I use a 22* hybrid instead) will be the regular Apex 21 for a little forgiveness on the 160-180 yard shots. And the 7-iron through Gap Wedge will be the Apex Pros. The shop will order them for me on Thursday when the embargo ends and Callaway opens their order book.

Your fitting sounds like what I'm hoping I experience on Sat.   I'm going to a Callaway 2021 Product VIP fitting.   I'm thinking Apex and Apex Pro mixed set like you, but we'll see.   I also wanted to compare them to the Srixon.   So now I'm anxious to see if I get similar results.   Thanks for posting.

[tj7644]

1 hour ago, TTCarrera said:

Well, the goose is cooked. I may have outsmarted myself. I called the golf shop this morning when they opened and apparently the order was submitted yesterday. They called Callaway and were told that the clubs/shafts/grips were assembled this morning, bent to my 1* flat spec, boxed up and are in the shipping department already.

 

So here's the problem, a possible solution and a request for your opinions. Again, I ordered Apex 21 in a 5 & 6 iron and Apex Pro 21 in 7-P + A wedge: What got me thinking last night was after watching the TXG guys discuss the new Apex models and one of them noticed the stronger lofts in the regular Apex and commented that to correctly put together a combo set you might have to order two 7-irons: one in Apex and one in Apex Pro in order to have better gapping.

 

 

Problem: The Apex Pro 7-iron has a loft of 33* and the Apex 6-iron's loft is 26.5*. That's a 6.5* gap difference!!! WAY too much.

 

Possible Solution: The stock Apex Pro gap between 6 & 7 is spec'd at 4.0*. The shop says they will bend the 5 & 6 regular Apex irons by 2.5* to weaken them to produce a 4.0* gap. That would make the Apex 5 & 6-iron lofts consistent through the whole set but it worries me that the corresponding 2.5* increase in bounce might negatively effect playability. So I'm think that the most I'd dare weaken them is 2.0*, that would close the gap between the 6 & 7 irons to a 4.5* gap. I could probably get away with that.

 

And if in practice, that doesn't work, then just order individual Apex Pro 5 & 6 irons.

 

Comments, opinions please?: What does everyone think? Thanks in advance.

I think you'll be fine.   Look on the Callaway website and the lofts of the Apex Pros in a mixed set are different than they are normally.  So in the mixed set the Apex Pro 7 iron is 30.5.   While the 7 iron in the normal Apex Pro set  is 33.0.     So as long as you ordered in the "mixed set"   your lofts are adjusted automatically.

[TTCarrera]

40 minutes ago, TrueWRX said:

Going for my fitting tomorrow was pumped for these until I keep reading how bad they feel/sound on here. 

I

 

25 minutes ago, Ryan19jwu said:

They don’t feel “bad”, they just aren’t a Srixon zx7 or Mizuno Tour. They still sound fine, just not in the same category as the other two. They also aren’t the same type of club since the other two are entirely forged and less forgiving. 

I went specifically to try the Srixon ZX7s, but ended up ordering the Apex Pros because I thought they felt smoother and had higher launch/spin.

[Ryan19jwu]

@TTCarrera I won’t argue with you. Feel is subjective. Many will love the sound and feel of the apex pro. 

[rodge]

I just ordered a set of Apex Pro 21's after spending some time comparing them to my beloved Z745's and Apex MB 18's.  I'm basically looking for a blend of those two irons, and I think these are it.  

 

My favorite thing is that they have the blade look.  There's just something about that look that makes me focus a little more and inspires me hit the sweetspot.  That's what I loved about my MB's, but if I can get that with the forgiveness of the Pros then I'm going to be an extremely happy dude.  

[TTCarrera]

3 hours ago, tj7644 said:

I think you'll be fine.   Look on the Callaway website and the lofts of the Apex Pros in a mixed set are different than they are normally.  So in the mixed set the Apex Pro 7 iron is 30.5.   While the 7 iron in the normal Apex Pro set  is 33.0.     So as long as you ordered in the "mixed set"   your lofts are adjusted automatically.

No, I didn't order the mixed set becasue that requires the 7-iron to be an Apex.

 

I want my 7 to be an Apex Pro, so I order 7-P/A in Pro and individual 5 & 6 in Apex. So there is a 6.5* gap between the 6 & 7 in my DIY combo set that will have to have the 5&6 bent to narrow the gap.

[Rogtsaamokin66]

8 hours ago, TTCarrera said:

Well, the goose is cooked. I may have outsmarted myself. I called the golf shop this morning when they opened and apparently the order was submitted yesterday. They called Callaway and were told that the clubs/shafts/grips were assembled this morning, bent to my 1* flat spec, boxed up and are in the shipping department already.

 

So here's the problem, a possible solution and a request for your opinions. Again, I ordered Apex 21 in a 5 & 6 iron and Apex Pro 21 in 7-P + A wedge: What got me thinking last night was after watching the TXG guys discuss the new Apex models and one of them noticed the stronger lofts in the regular Apex and commented that to correctly put together a combo set you might have to order two 7-irons: one in Apex and one in Apex Pro in order to have better gapping.

 

 

Problem: The Apex Pro 7-iron has a loft of 33* and the Apex 6-iron's loft is 26.5*. That's a 6.5* gap difference!!! WAY too much.

 

Possible Solution: The stock Apex Pro gap between 6 & 7 is spec'd at 4.0*. The shop says they will bend the 5 & 6 regular Apex irons by 2.5* to weaken them to produce a 4.0* gap. That would make the Apex 5 & 6-iron lofts consistent through the whole set but it worries me that the corresponding 2.5* increase in bounce might negatively effect playability. So I'm think that the most I'd dare weaken them is 2.0*, that would close the gap between the 6 & 7 irons to a 4.5* gap. I could probably get away with that.

 

And if in practice, that doesn't work, then just order individual Apex Pro 5 & 6 irons.

 

Comments, opinions please?: What does everyone think? Thanks in advance.

I think you’ll be fine just having them bent to closer gaps. I went through the same thing with the standard 19’s, never liked the strong  lofts in the standard so had them all bent weak, to get gaping right when I would combine with my set of pros 19’s. Worked fine. The pros are closer to traditional lofts so that’s where I wanted to be. 
When did you order your set, on release day?