New Callaway X-Forged in Japan

[OrangeGravy]

On 3/10/2024 at 10:57 AM, Ed Settle said:

These are the from 2021. There was a version out a couple years before that as well.

 

Edit: 2019 was the previous version. The second picture gives you a graph on lofts of the Star irons

they are stronger and have stayed fairly consistent over the 3 versions. 

 

The only problem I have with strong lofts is the fact I want a similar sized head for that 46/47/48⁰ degree wedge. It's a full swing club forme and I'd prefer the more forgiving sole. 

 

Thanks for the info!

[pjc]

Not a thread jack, just a tidbit of info that Mizuno is doing the same thing with a Japan/Asia only release.  There are 2 models (MX-I Forged/MX Forged Pro), a GI and a complete player's forged CB.  Here is the player's CB:

MX Forged Pro

 

There is a separate thread on here about them, maybe we will see the forged pro show up somewhere?

[bardezart]

43 minutes ago, pjc said:

Not a thread jack, just a tidbit of info that Mizuno is doing the same thing with a Japan/Asia only release.  There are 2 models (MX-I Forged/MX Forged Pro), a GI and a complete player's forged CB.  Here is the player's CB:

MX Forged Pro

 

There is a separate thread on here about them, maybe we will see the forged pro show up somewhere?

Yeah I had a friend send a link for those along as well. In my opinion Mizuno really misses the mark with perceived offset on their CB irons. To my eye, these don’t look nearly as good as the X Forged at address. 

Edited March 17 by bardezart

[bardezart]

 

16 minutes ago, bardezart said:

Yeah I had a friend send a link for those along as well. In my opinion Mizuno really misses the mark with perceived offset on their CB irons. To my eye, these don’t look nearly as good as the X Forged at address. 

Side by side photo –

[eaglestan66]

I love to see a resurgence of a classic forged cb with minimal offset. Let's go Callaway!!

[third-times-a-charm]

1 hour ago, eaglestan66 said:

I love to see a resurgence of a classic forged cb with minimal offset. Let's go Callaway!!

No one wants them.

 

Smaller releases like this in the JDM market are the only ones that are worthwhile for OEMs to make.

 

All of you guys posting in here are an extremely small minority - these will never be released in the NA market.

[RedWings1]

I got my TCBs at the end of their first year run. My numbers were great at the fitting and post fitting. Yet, I've been unhappy with the feel. Before that I played BStone J15CBs w/ Matrix Ozik Program F15 120x - Awesome sticks!

Well, this winter I had been hitting them on and off verse the TCBs in my hitting bay. I'm thinking of going back to them based on feel alone.
Nothing is better feeling than Japanese blades!

Edited March 19 by RedWings1

[radiman]

1 hour ago, third-times-a-charm said:

No one wants them.

 

Smaller releases like this in the JDM market are the only ones that are worthwhile for OEMs to make.

 

All of you guys posting in here are an extremely small minority - these will never be released in the NA market.

I want them.  I am someone lol.  

 

I get it that the segment is shrinking.  I think these would be the same target market as the Apex CB.  And, to be honest, I just did not like the feel of those.  They look ok.  But, there are better feeling and cleaner looking options in that same space.  Even in terms of numbers, I hit them aside the 2013 X Forged and the biggest difference was the Apex spun less and ball speed was maybe 1-2 mph faster.  Dispersion was better with the old X Forged as was the feel.  

 

To me, it feels like Callaway does not give the better players segment a lot of love.  Look at the XFCB release.  Not saying they were a bad club. But the TCB stole the show.  It went from tour only, to special order, to readily available.  

 

But it is definitely getting harder and harder to find what I consider a classic CB.  The age of multimaterial designs is upon us for sure.  Ball speeds seem to be increasing and spin dropping.  

 

Totally anecdotal evidence, but in the bags of the better players I run into or play with, Callaway doesn't have much of a foothold for irons.  Titleist seems to be the first choice, and Srixon ZX7 has been showing up a lot more often.  And for those Srixon players, the biggest praise I hear is how soft and pure they feel.  

 

I definitely think that there are a lot of players out there that are good ball strikers that would choose an iron like this based on feel over tungsten plates and tech stories.  

[Avidswampthing66]

6 minutes ago, radiman said:

I want them.  I am someone lol.  

 

I get it that the segment is shrinking.  I think these would be the same target market as the Apex CB.  And, to be honest, I just did not like the feel of those.  They look ok.  But, there are better feeling and cleaner looking options in that same space.  Even in terms of numbers, I hit them aside the 2013 X Forged and the biggest difference was the Apex spun less and ball speed was maybe 1-2 mph faster.  Dispersion was better with the old X Forged as was the feel.  

 

To me, it feels like Callaway does not give the better players segment a lot of love.  Look at the XFCB release.  Not saying they were a bad club. But the TCB stole the show.  It went from tour only, to special order, to readily available.  

 

But it is definitely getting harder and harder to find what I consider a classic CB.  The age of multimaterial designs is upon us for sure.  Ball speeds seem to be increasing and spin dropping.  

 

Totally anecdotal evidence, but in the bags of the better players I run into or play with, Callaway doesn't have much of a foothold for irons.  Titleist seems to be the first choice, and Srixon ZX7 has been showing up a lot more often.  And for those Srixon players, the biggest praise I hear is how soft and pure they feel.  

 

I definitely think that there are a lot of players out there that are good ball strikers that would choose an iron like this based on feel over tungsten plates and tech stories.  

Totally agree.  I game the CB's and I love the feel when struck dead center...but if you are a slightly off they feel very firm.   Very interested in these irons

[radiman]

2 minutes ago, Avidswampthing66 said:

Totally agree.  I game the CB's and I love the feel when struck dead center...but if you are a slightly off they feel very firm.   Very interested in these irons

I played the last TCB and felt pretty much the same.  They were ok.  But not what I would call pure by any stretch.  

[third-times-a-charm]

58 minutes ago, radiman said:

I want them.  I am someone lol.  

 

I get it that the segment is shrinking.  I think these would be the same target market as the Apex CB.  And, to be honest, I just did not like the feel of those.  They look ok.  But, there are better feeling and cleaner looking options in that same space.  Even in terms of numbers, I hit them aside the 2013 X Forged and the biggest difference was the Apex spun less and ball speed was maybe 1-2 mph faster.  Dispersion was better with the old X Forged as was the feel.  

 

To me, it feels like Callaway does not give the better players segment a lot of love.  Look at the XFCB release.  Not saying they were a bad club. But the TCB stole the show.  It went from tour only, to special order, to readily available.  

 

But it is definitely getting harder and harder to find what I consider a classic CB.  The age of multimaterial designs is upon us for sure.  Ball speeds seem to be increasing and spin dropping.  

 

Totally anecdotal evidence, but in the bags of the better players I run into or play with, Callaway doesn't have much of a foothold for irons.  Titleist seems to be the first choice, and Srixon ZX7 has been showing up a lot more often.  And for those Srixon players, the biggest praise I hear is how soft and pure they feel.  

 

I definitely think that there are a lot of players out there that are good ball strikers that would choose an iron like this based on feel over tungsten plates and tech stories.  

Catering to 'better players' doesnt make money.

 

Like 5% of golfers are 'better players' lol. Thats such a small subset of their profit especially in the NA market.

 

It is what it is but JDM-esque designs like this dont do well in the Americas.

[radiman]

8 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

Catering to 'better players' doesnt make money.

 

Like 5% of golfers are 'better players' lol. Thats such a small subset of their profit especially in the NA market.

 

It is what it is but JDM-esque designs like this dont do well in the Americas.

Lol, I get it.  If Callaway chooses to ignore that segment, that's on them.  Their disregard for the better player is likely the reason they're the king of tour only products.  When I went in to try the Apex CB, they had one already shafted 7i.  Couldn't even test different shafts.  Just one standard spec club.  Like they're barely trying.  

 

Also, I shudder to think of the idea that a single piece forged iron being JDM-esque when just a few years ago, it was the norm. And honestly, that's all these CB's are.  Just minus the AI names, tungsten plates, and marketing buzzwords.  I guess my Cobra CB's are JDM-esque in that regard then haha.  

 

But, fwiw, judging by the demand for the TCB (which were a refined XFCB), the triple diamond drivers (which were not in the retail line just a few years ago), and Apex UW, there is definitely a market for better player products.  

 

I love my Cobra CB's.  They'll be in the bag this season too.  I have an affinity to Callaway though.  I have for years.  Would love to see them get back into what they were back in the days of the 2013 X Forged.  Even the 2016 Apex Pros I had were a very very far cry from what that line has become.  

[bardezart]

6 hours ago, third-times-a-charm said:

No one wants them.

 

Smaller releases like this in the JDM market are the only ones that are worthwhile for OEMs to make.

 

All of you guys posting in here are an extremely small minority - these will never be released in the NA market.

Not a lot of us but we are out here. 

[Tugu]

Clearly the "better player" market is limited in numbers. But in looking at other industries, the uplift benefits for a brand to be associated with "cutting edge" or "high end quality" to allow it to sell products to the masses cannot be understated.

 

Seed the tour players with such high end products, make them available to a few that want it and then sell Paradym AI irons to the aspirational masses is an age old tactic. But stop making some high end aspirational products to lift brand image and see if the masses want the Ai or Qi irons.

 

[third-times-a-charm]

7 hours ago, Tugu said:

Clearly the "better player" market is limited in numbers. But in looking at other industries, the uplift benefits for a brand to be associated with "cutting edge" or "high end quality" to allow it to sell products to the masses cannot be understated.

 

Seed the tour players with such high end products, make them available to a few that want it and then sell Paradym AI irons to the aspirational masses is an age old tactic. But stop making some high end aspirational products to lift brand image and see if the masses want the Ai or Qi irons.

 

Callaway (the brand in question) didnt abandon better players or stop making irons for them. Callaway makes plenty of irons, and I've been the first to say in previous discussions they make (or, made) TOO MANY and had overlap.

 

The problem the posters in this thread - regarding this product specifically - is that they did not release this specific model to the NA market. The fact is that this type of iron - the forging detail, the shape, and the brand name - dont do well in the NA market and their product data (which we can all assume is the reason) speaks to that.

 

They would have released it here if the profit was there.

 

For the few hundred niche golfers who feel they need this iron; they are free to order it from overseas.

 

You never know, though! It's Callaway and maybe some limited sets will be available to fitters and/or CPO might have them in their JV section in a year or two.

Edited March 19 by third-times-a-charm

[mjo23]

Look far better, at least in terms of aesthetics, than the current/non-Japan CB's

[bardezart]

27 minutes ago, third-times-a-charm said:

Callaway (the brand in question) didnt abandon better players or stop making irons for them. Callaway makes plenty of irons, and I've been the first to say in previous discussions they make (or, made) TOO MANY and had overlap.

 

The problem the posters in this thread - regarding this product specifically - is that they did not release this specific model to the NA market. The fact is that this type of iron - the forging detail, the shape, and the brand name - dont do well in the NA market and their product data (which we can all assume is the reason) speaks to that.

 

They would have released it here if the profit was there.

 

For the few hundred niche golfers who feel they need this iron; they are free to order it from overseas.

 

You never know, though! It's Callaway and maybe some limited sets will be available to fitters and/or CPO might have them in their JV section in a year or two.

It’s just strange to me that the lines are even split. Why not just make the current Apex line look exactly like this new X Forged line, and get rid of the bifurcation? Could easily have different head weights for different markets (Mizuno does this, surely Callaway can). I would think that almost everyone who chose to get the Apex line would prefer the looks, and probably the feel, of this X Forged line. 

[mjo23]

9 minutes ago, bardezart said:

It’s just strange to me that the lines are even split. Why not just make the current Apex line look exactly like this new X Forged line, and get rid of the bifurcation? Could easily have different head weights for different markets (Mizuno does this, surely Callaway can). I would think that almost everyone who chose to get the Apex line would prefer the looks, and probably the feel, of this X Forged line. 

Callaway is hard to understand at times, like why have a TCB that isn't available to the public; probably makes people who got the NA CB's feel like they're using an inferior product to the TCB's we every week see on Tour (i'm not saying they are actually inferior, but that's probably how some people feel). It makes many consumers feel good when they see their clubs used on Tour. And then, as you mentioned, there's this drastic bifurcation between the two markets. I don't see this with Titleist, Srixon, TM, etc. 

 

Callaway's marketing strategy always baffles me

[Tugu]

Delete.

Edited March 19 by Tugu

[Avidswampthing66]

On 3/19/2024 at 11:52 AM, mjo23 said:

Callaway is hard to understand at times, like why have a TCB that isn't available to the public; probably makes people who got the NA CB's feel like they're using an inferior product to the TCB's we every week see on Tour (i'm not saying they are actually inferior, but that's probably how some people feel). It makes many consumers feel good when they see their clubs used on Tour. And then, as you mentioned, there's this drastic bifurcation between the two markets. I don't see this with Titleist, Srixon, TM, etc. 

 

Callaway's marketing strategy always baffles me

There are plenty of Apex CB's on tour.  Chris Kirk, Si Woo Kim, Robbie Shelton,  Yuka Saso and Minjee Lee to name a few.  BUT, I get your point. 

[mjo23]

32 minutes ago, Avidswampthing66 said:

There are plenty of Apex CB's on tour.  Chris Kirk, Si Woo Kim, Robbie Shelton,  Yuka Saso and Minjee Lee to name a few.  BUT, I get your point. 

I’m aware, that’s why i said that i’m not suggesting that the CB’s are actually inferior to TCB’s

Edited March 22 by mjo23

[iNeedMoreGolf]

Hard to beat this combo. Xforged18/apex mb 18

Pjx rifle 6.0

Yowzers

[Brooks_Cupcake]

Rose Zhang put these in the bag.

Edited March 21 by Brooks_Cupcake

[iamthebeard]

1 hour ago, iNeedMoreGolf said:

Hard to beat this combo. Xforged18/apex mb 18

Pjx rifle 6.0

Yowzers

Still playing the 18 xforged. This JDM release really has my attention 

[pjc]

15 hours ago, Avidswampthing66 said:

There are plenty of Apex CB's on tour.  Chris Kirk, Si Woo Kim, Robbie Shelton,  Yuka Saso and Minjee Lee to name a few.  BUT, I get your point. 

Nah, Minjee playing the X Forged, Rose Zhang (Star version), Ruoning Yin and a few others on the LPGA sporting these new X forged versions.

[Wardonation]

https://www.callawaygolf.jp/jp/news/product_news/240319 use Google translate great stuff about the diff of the two models.. I want a set even more now.

[radiman]

10 minutes ago, Wardonation said:

https://www.callawaygolf.jp/jp/news/product_news/240319 use Google translate great stuff about the diff of the two models.. I want a set even more now.

Oh good lawd.

 

Is there really not a market for an iron like this in the US??? I just have a hard time believing multimaterial design is what everyone clamors for in the low handicap segment.  This is the best looking X Forged I have seen.  I think I like this more than the 2013 even.  

 

 

 

[Wardonation]

1 minute ago, radiman said:

Oh good lawd.

 

Is there really not a market for an iron like this in the US??? I just have a hard time believing multimaterial design is what everyone clamors for in the low handicap segment.  This is the best looking X Forged I have seen.  I think I like this more than the 2013 even.  

 

 

 

I think I agree with you. I play the Cobra's now but would put these in the bag right away. I played Titleist forever but the T series irons have felt horrible to me since they came hence the Cobra irons. I hope Cally gives us a crack at these. @Club junkie Can u tell us anything?

[radiman]

13 minutes ago, Wardonation said:

I think I agree with you. I play the Cobra's now but would put these in the bag right away. I played Titleist forever but the T series irons have felt horrible to me since they came hence the Cobra irons. I hope Cally gives us a crack at these. @Club junkie Can u tell us anything?

Ha, same! Cobra CB in the bag since they're the most "classic" CB I can find.  Nothing wrong with them by any means.  Agree on the T series iron assessment too.  I hit the Apex CB and walked away unimpressed.  I hit them alongside the 2013 X Forged and the 10 year old set were closer to the spin and consistency I was looking for.  Felt better too.  Even Mizuno's MP line isn't anything like it used to be adding a lot of beef to the CB.  I don't know.  When you start looking at irons that aren't designed for forgiveness, distance, etc.  It better separate itself by looks and feel.  Too many OEMs going away from that pure aesthetic and feel.  

[Wardonation]

21 minutes ago, radiman said:

Ha, same! Cobra CB in the bag since they're the most "classic" CB I can find.  Nothing wrong with them by any means.  Agree on the T series iron assessment too.  I hit the Apex CB and walked away unimpressed.  I hit them alongside the 2013 X Forged and the 10 year old set were closer to the spin and consistency I was looking for.  Felt better too.  Even Mizuno's MP line isn't anything like it used to be adding a lot of beef to the CB.  I don't know.  When you start looking at irons that aren't designed for forgiveness, distance, etc.  It better separate itself by looks and feel.  Too many OEMs going away from that pure aesthetic and feel.  

13 XFORGED are the GOAT right next to the COIN FORGED TM irons. Mizuno's do not feel near as good as they used to IMO. I am playing the Cobra Tours but I am 52 now and wanted to try a little forgiveness. I should have gone with CB's like you. I am picker and the flatter thinner the sole is the better for me. I got to think Callaway will bring these state side, it would give them an iron to talk about for 24.