Callaway Apex 21 DCB Irons

[GolfNuts4]

Higher handicap here (16) and wondering if anyone has hit the new Callaway Apex 21 DCB irons. I saw them and was impressed with the looks. I understand they will be big to many on this board but I thought they looked fine to me as I need the added forgiveness. I also realize, it is not a true "forged" club, so really not looking for that feedback.

 

Have not been able to hit as I am a left hander and nothing in stock around me in left handed, but am interested if anyone has any feedback on the Apex 21 DCB.

[jjfcpa]

I have a combo set - Apex 21 stand PW-7, and Apex 21 DCB 4,5,6.

 

I was hitting them in my hitting bay today and really think the DCB's are perfect for your handicap.  I'm about a 12-14 depending on the day and I'm leaning towards replacing my PW-7 with the DCB because they are just easier to find the sweet spot and very forgiving on mishits.  

 

I'm not sure they are any longer, although they are a 1/2 degree stronger lofts.  Just a really nice feel to them.  

 

The other really strange thing is the 9i (which is Apex standard) has a noticeably different sound than the PW, 8, and 7.  Not sure what the deal is there.  

 

I previously played the T300's from Titleist and still have them.  I'm going to switch off once the season starts and then decide which one works the best for me.  Right now, it's pretty hard to pick a winner.  I can say that the DCB's in the 4,5,6 are really solid and I'd have to give them the edge over the T300's in the same irons.  I believe they are lofted comparably.

[malbec77]

Fellow lefty here, had a fitting a little over a week ago and ended up ordering 4,5,6 DCB & regular Apex 7-W with Project X LZ 5.5.  I totally agree with the assessment of jjfcpa.  Loved the DCB, not much more thicker sole than the standard with great distance & feel combined with excellent forgiveness.  I am around 13 and don't think you would be dissapointed in the least.  I tested Ping i210, TM 790, JPX 921 HM and Apex/Apex DCB.  I thought I would come away with the TM 790 but the Callaway Apex line won it for me.  

[GolfNuts4]

Thanks, 

 

What shaft do you guys have in them? They offer a True Temper "Elevate", specs look like that would work for me. Unfortunately, no place around here has left handed to hit.

[malbec77]

I went with the Project X LZ 5.5 shafts based on my fitting but hit the Elevate shafted test irons just as well.  It basically came down to preference but I could just have easily went with the Elevate shaft myself.  

[GolfNuts4]

Thanks, may just make the move!

[martinbns]

On 2/22/2021 at 2:45 PM, GolfNuts4 said:

Higher handicap here (16) and wondering if anyone has hit the new Callaway Apex 21 DCB irons. I saw them and was impressed with the looks. I understand they will be big to many on this board but I thought they looked fine to me as I need the added forgiveness. I also realize, it is not a true "forged" club, so really not looking for that feedback.

 

Have not been able to hit as I am a left hander and nothing in stock around me in left handed, but am interested if anyone has any feedback on the Apex 21 DCB.

So I have been playing JPX 825 and before that 800's.  The DCB's have a little less offset than I am used to.  I demoed the DCB's, Titliest 200, Mavrik and of all of those the DCB's were the only one's that outperformed by 8 year old clubs.  Disbursion was tight, they were slightly longer than mine and they felt really good.  I like offset and a thicker topline, I play to a 10 and am a pretty straight iron player.  I am probably going to order them, the best shaft for me was the KBS Max 80 in a regular.  I am almost 58, carry a 7 iron 145-150.  My club doesn't have a Mizuno fitting cart so I will go to Golftown and try the JPX 921 to see which I prefer.  

[GolfNuts4]

I pulled the plug and order3d them, went with the stock Elevate shaft in regular flex. Will post my results....wish me luck!

[martinbns]

On 2/26/2021 at 6:14 PM, martinbns said:

So I have been playing JPX 825 and before that 800's.  The DCB's have a little less offset than I am used to.  I demoed the DCB's, Titliest 200, Mavrik and of all of those the DCB's were the only one's that outperformed by 8 year old clubs.  Disbursion was tight, they were slightly longer than mine and they felt really good.  I like offset and a thicker topline, I play to a 10 and am a pretty straight iron player.  I am probably going to order them, the best shaft for me was the KBS Max 80 in a regular.  I am almost 58, carry a 7 iron 145-150.  My club doesn't have a Mizuno fitting cart so I will go to Golftown and try the JPX 921 to see which I prefer.  

I demoed the Mizuno 921 Hot Metal and performance was virtually identical to my 7 year old 825's.  I ordered the DCB's today.

[dmeeksDC]

On 2/27/2021 at 8:00 AM, GolfNuts4 said:

I pulled the plug and order3d them, went with the stock Elevate shaft in regular flex. Will post my results....wish me luck!

Congrats. I bet you’ll like the Elevate. So smooth. The VSS (Vibration Suppression System) insert really works. I have the Tour Elevate in regular and stiff and like them both. 

[GolfNuts4]

Received the Callaway DCB's and must say they feel great. The Elevate shaft is nice and smooth, will say it "elevates" the ball, so if you are a high ball hitter, probably not the shaft for you, but for me is working great. Very happy with the purchase. Mid to high handicapper's looking at new irons should put this on your list. Was playing Mizuno JPX Hot Metal but am enjoying these more.

[txgolfer45]

Take a look at the Srixon ZX5 too.  I almost went with the DCB's.  I tried the ZX5's and was sold.  The DCB's are excellent.  The ZX5's performed better for me.

[GolfNuts4]

I played the Z565 for a couple years, they were very nice clubs. 

[jeffrey r]

43 minutes ago, GolfNuts4 said:

Received the Callaway DCB's and must say they feel great. The Elevate shaft is nice and smooth, will say it "elevates" the ball, so if you are a high ball hitter, probably not the shaft for you, but for me is working great. Very happy with the purchase. Mid to high handicapper's looking at new irons should put this on your list. Was playing Mizuno JPX Hot Metal but am enjoying these more.

 

Thanks, I've seen them in stores and they look nice.  If I could get the 50% trade bonus, I'd probably trade in some clubs to pick up a set, but can't justify it at the moment until I can hit them.  Callaway sure views them highly, based upon their pricing...  I played the Apex 19 for a spell last season--great irons, but I wouldn't turn away additional forgiveness from the DCB.

[j.a.]

I tried them a couple of weeks ago in a Callaway fitting day, to make the story short, I got better numbers with my old Nike Covert irons on the Trackman than the DCB or any other Callaway irons I tried, I guess I saved some good money and Callaway fitter not happy at all...

[martinbns]

So my DCB's came in today, I had ordered them +1/2" 2* upright with Tensei silver shafts, Callaway sent them with the Recoil DART 75gram shaft.  They just shipped them with the alternate shaft, the Tensei isn't available and won't be for a while.

 

Not sure how I feel about them just doing that without consulting me or my Pro, but I will give them a try.  

[sociojeje]

Does anyone bend DCB two degrees weaker? Does it change how it feels? As I hardly work the ball (hc at 11), I think DCB is the best realistic set for me but wish its pw was at 45 so that i don't have to change my wedge and hybrid setup.

[sociojeje]

1 hour ago, martinbns said:

So my DCB's came in today, I had ordered them +1/2" 2* upright with Tensei silver shafts, Callaway sent them with the Recoil DART 75gram shaft.  They just shipped them with the alternate shaft, the Tensei isn't available and won't be for a while.

 

Not sure how I feel about them just doing that without consulting me or my Pro, but I will give them a try.  

Heard the dart shaft is really good. Perhaps even better than tensei. Let us know how you think!! 

[dmeeksDC]

34 minutes ago, sociojeje said:

Does anyone bend DCB two degrees weaker? Does it change how it feels? As I hardly work the ball (hc at 11), I think DCB is the best realistic set for me but wish its pw was at 45 so that i don't have to change my wedge and hybrid setup.

It’s no problem to bend them 2 degrees either way. Going weaker will add a little bounce, remove a little offset, increase launch. I don’t have the DCB but I had standard Apex weakened 1.5 degrees to fit gapping and it’s fine. 

[sociojeje]

12 minutes ago, dmeeksDC said:

It’s no problem to bend them 2 degrees either way. Going weaker will add a little bounce, remove a little offset, increase launch. I don’t have the DCB but I had standard Apex weakened 1.5 degrees to fit gapping and it’s fine. 

I miss old forgiving irons with pw at 45. Playing 45 50 55 60 for 20 years, I don't think I would be able to adjust with different wedge lofts. I wouldn't mind if my 7 iron flies 200 yards but wedges are different stories. Anyway, as it is rare to have a forged and forgiving iron set that are good looking, I would love to try DCB. Hope the added bounce and other things are neglectable then!! My quest for a new iron set continues though it may not happen at all. I have been playing the same iron set for more than 10 years... 

[dmeeksDC]

16 minutes ago, sociojeje said:

I miss old forgiving irons with pw at 45. Playing 45 50 55 60 for 20 years, I don't think I would be able to adjust with different wedge lofts. I wouldn't mind if my 7 iron flies 200 yards but wedges are different stories. Anyway, as it is rare to have a forged and forgiving iron set that are good looking, I would love to try DCB. Hope the added bounce and other things are neglectable then!! My quest for a new iron set continues though it may not happen at all. I have been playing the same iron set for more than 10 years... 

 

Well, up to you whether you take the plunge. But I will say there is a fit in the new Apex lineup for everyone. The Apex 2019 and last year’s Mavriks, those were solid but didn’t really excite me. The 2021 Callaway release is as strong a lineup of irons as they’ve ever had. DCB is a good looking iron, well packaged. I waggled it in a store next to the Apex and Pro and I was impressed. If it is even easier to hit than the Apex, that’s saying something. I’d like to play 18 holes with the DCBs just to see what they’re like!

[JohnnyCallaway]

For anyone curious, I gave the DCB a hit for pure giggles. My god are these a blast to hit. Two things for even the single digit handicaps

1) They actually get thru the turf REALLY well. Like abnormally well for a big soled iron
2) The short irons spin and launch Lower than anything else in this category. 

If I was smarter id go DCB 4/5, 6-P Apex and go shoot 68.

 

Im an idiot 

[LHGolf4]

I just got a set of DCB (6-AW). I had a set of Apex 19 I should not have sold (switched to Ping i210’s).  Went to just get another set of Apex 19’s and I could not find a similar set with graphite (and left handed) without getting additional irons I didn’t need and paying more. So I tested out the Apex 21 and DCB and enjoyed the little bit of extra forgiveness the DCB offered.  They just came in last week so looking forward to taking them out to the course.

 

 

[Elee913]

Given all the great commentary on the DCBs (that they don’t look and feel that much different than the standard Apex), is there any reason to go with the standard?  I’m an 11.5 handicap, and I don’t try to work my irons.  Are the Apex more consistent on distance?  Will I get jumpers on shorter irons with the DCBs that I would avoid on the standards?

[jjfcpa]

5 hours ago, Elee913 said:

Given all the great commentary on the DCBs (that they don’t look and feel that much different than the standard Apex), is there any reason to go with the standard?  I’m an 11.5 handicap, and I don’t try to work my irons.  Are the Apex more consistent on distance?  Will I get jumpers on shorter irons with the DCBs that I would avoid on the standards?

I have a combo set 4,5,6 in DCB and 7-PW in standard.  Not sure I can see any difference in distance or dispersion, but the forgiveness of the DCB is evident.

[martinbns]

Saw this thread pop up again so here is an update.

 

I have 15 games on them and am really coming to like them.  Distances are good, it's taken a bit to be able to flight them up and down which is probably more the switch to a graphite shaft from steel, they are forgiving and feel fantastic.

 

I am glad I bought them.

[46and2_aheadofme]

9 hours ago, martinbns said:

Saw this thread pop up again so here is an update.

 

I have 15 games on them and am really coming to like them.  Distances are good, it's taken a bit to be able to flight them up and down which is probably more the switch to a graphite shaft from steel, they are forgiving and feel fantastic.

 

I am glad I bought them.

 

What made you decide to switch to graphite?

[dmeeksDC]

19 hours ago, Elee913 said:

Given all the great commentary on the DCBs (that they don’t look and feel that much different than the standard Apex), is there any reason to go with the standard?  I’m an 11.5 handicap, and I don’t try to work my irons.  Are the Apex more consistent on distance?  Will I get jumpers on shorter irons with the DCBs that I would avoid on the standards?

I would say this very much comes down to preference. The DCB has a slightly larger size than the standard, but it is not a massive difference. They will blend well. It’s more about what you like looking down at. And remember, forgiveness difference will be far more evident in the long and mid irons. In the short clubs, they’re going to be similar in forgiveness because shorter clubs have more loft and are more forgiving to begin with. The standard Apex 8-P are going to be pretty easy for a wide range of players.
 

For me the Apex standards are pretty forgiving already, but the DCB wll offer more help in the 4-6 irons. Callaway did a great job on this year’s lineup IMO. My favorite is actually the X Forged CB with a standard Apex 4 iron.

 

 The DCB competes with all the SGI clubs very well. Looks and feels the best of the bunch to me, though I have not tried the PXG XF irons. 

[martinbns]

8 hours ago, 46and2_aheadofme said:

 

What made you decide to switch to graphite?

I'm 58, body breaking down a bit, had never played them and was hoping a bit more distance but discovered I like them.  No pain in my hands and wrists after a round.  Played 3 rounds in 4 days this weekend and felt good afterwards, an unexpected bonus.

[Elloway]

On 3/11/2021 at 3:26 PM, GolfNuts4 said:

Received the Callaway DCB's and must say they feel great. The Elevate shaft is nice and smooth, will say it "elevates" the ball, so if you are a high ball hitter, probably not the shaft for you, but for me is working great. Very happy with the purchase. Mid to high handicapper's looking at new irons should put this on your list. Was playing Mizuno JPX Hot Metal but am enjoying these more.

What was the main difference between the hot metals and dcb?

I’m 18 handicap and beginning to take golf a little more seriously , so thought I should replace my Mizuno zoid comp ct from eBay !  
 

any top tips when going for a fitting?