Callaway Apex Irons - For what Handicap Level?

[Timmymk]

Hi There

 

Just after the form members views on the Callaway Apex irons i have heard great things about these. What handicap level are they for? and when should you consider going for the Apex Pro version.

 

Kind Regards

Tim

[Nessism]

In my view, all clubs can take you to scratch, it's the high end of the scoring range that's more important. Apex has a spring face for extra distance. Most low handicappers don't need help with distance, in fact distance constancy is the important thing. Just my opinion but I think Apex is best suited for mid teen handicappers and on down. Apex Pro is mid low single digit handicappers and lower.

[UnderPar18]

This has been discussed on a lot of the topics already created about the Apex especially discussing forgiveness between all the models. Not trying to be rude, but there are already a lot of topics regarding Apex's and the Apex Pros.

To answer your question I can see a wide array of handicaps using the Apex. The only way to know what you like and what performs is testing them. There is no answer to where if you are a 3 handicap you should be playing Apex Pros and not the Apex.

[Jon H]

Am I the only one that thinks assigning handicaps to clubs is foolish?

[tbowles411]

I don't think you can really assign a number to these. Callaway folks said the new clubs in forgiveness level are from X2Hot->Apex->X2Hot Pro->Apex Pro. But honestly, it's whatever fits you and your eye the best. These take a little bit more attention to hit these well, but they are very good clubs for higher cappers if you are a half decent ball striker. It's not going to bail you out as much as the X2Hot would, but it's a large club and a large face.

[Mahamilto]

It is completely preference. All modern clubs that are not just replicas of early era blades have decent forgiveness. I'm a midcapper with a great long game, and for me they both performed outstanding. The lofts are a little stronger on the apex, and they have more offset too, so they should fly a bit further and be easier to get airborne. I can't by any mean make a quarter sized wear spot on my clubs, but the pros would have been plenty easy to hit and plenty forgiving for me.

Why did I go with the apex over the pros? Honestly? Distance. And that may seem crazy to some because with traditional forged I was 185-190 with a 5iron. I play with a bunch of athletic guys and am the long hitter off the tee. All of my buddies play SGI irons with strong lofts. Nothing is more aggravating than hearing my buddies give me the business for hitting 5 when they are hitting 6/7. Is it ego, you bet it is. But I was in the market for more forgiving clubs anyways, so I chose the ones that flew longer.

[J13]

If it helps i'm a +1.5 hcp at the moment with 115mph SS and I'm leaning toward the Apex instead of the pro's.

[gvogel]

Phil Mickelson had a Apex 3- iron in his bag at Abu Dhabi. I'm not sure what his handicap is, but I'm guessing it's pretty low!

[puttitin]

Well,if the Apex's are as forgiving as the AP1's then I'd say they are forgiving enough for midcappers (10-18). I read people likening them to the Ping i-20's in terms of forgiveness,and that for me(15 HC) is not good news

[tbowles411]

[quote name='J13' timestamp='1390233234' post='8494957']
If it helps i'm a +1.5 hcp at the moment with 115mph SS and I'm leaning toward the Apex instead of the pro's.
[/quote]
Take the forgiveness! Set your ego aside and just PLAY!

[cliff1675]

I'm have a 3.1 index and went with the Apex non-pros.

[Nessism]

[quote name='Jon H' timestamp='1390227594' post='8494507']
Am I the only one that thinks assigning handicaps to clubs is foolish?
[/quote]

There are a fair number of people around here that agree with you, but not me. In my experience a persons handicap typically mirrors their ball striking abilities.

[UnderPar18]

[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1390245812' post='8496083']
[quote name='Jon H' timestamp='1390227594' post='8494507']
Am I the only one that thinks assigning handicaps to clubs is foolish?
[/quote]

There are a fair number of people around here that agree with you, but not me. In my experience a persons handicap typically mirrors their ball striking abilities.
[/quote]

Doesn't mean only a set number of handicaps can play one model and others better or worst can't. There are more important thugs like specs/shafts that can lead to better performance. I get what your saying but the Apex literally can fit such a wide away of players.

[home0006]

There's a lot more to what irons you should use than a straight handicap range. I ended the year at around a 6, which could put me into a better players iron like an MP-64, but because of the characteristics of my ball flight and swing I could never actually play that club because I need help getting the ball up. I currently play the Rocketbladez tour with a Nippon 950GH shaft which gives me exactly what I'm looking for in my iron. Now granted I don't like the feel of the Nippon's quite as well as I do a KBS or TrueTemper shaft, nor do I prefer the looks of the RBladez iron compared to something as sleek and sexy as a 64 but it worked the best for me and that's what's important.

As for the Apex though, it's something that I find that would work well for me, and while I had no plans of giving up my RBladez this season it certainly has peaked my interest. When I tried it I found it gives plenty of forgiveness and really gets the ball up and has a very nice feel to it. I could see even the stock XP95 shaft working for me as well. So if you need forgiveness, and help getting the ball up I could easily see these working for you.

[Jon H]

[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1390245812' post='8496083']
[quote name='Jon H' timestamp='1390227594' post='8494507']
Am I the only one that thinks assigning handicaps to clubs is foolish?
[/quote]

There are a fair number of people around here that agree with you, but not me. In my experience a persons handicap typically mirrors their ball striking abilities.
[/quote]

There is too much to the game for generalizations like that. Golfers can struggle with all kinds of stuff, putting, short game, wedge play or like me are inconsistent (or just plain awful) off the tee.

[j_king]

If this helps anyone, I hover around a 17 handicap and had zero issues with the Apex when I hit them. Seemed just as forgiving as my G15s.

EDIT: Distance was about 7 yards longer on average, however I didn't get the same amazing 'feel' i keep hearing people talk about when discussing these irons. I wish I would have because these irons look great!

[Nessism]

[quote name='Jon H' timestamp='1390251288' post='8496545']
[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1390245812' post='8496083']
[quote name='Jon H' timestamp='1390227594' post='8494507']
Am I the only one that thinks assigning handicaps to clubs is foolish?
[/quote]

There are a fair number of people around here that agree with you, but not me. In my experience a persons handicap typically mirrors their ball striking abilities.
[/quote]

There is too much to the game for generalizations like that. Golfers can struggle with all kinds of stuff, putting, short game, wedge play or like me are inconsistent (or just plain awful) off the tee.
[/quote]

I don't know man. I've never seen a mid handicapper that needed the workability of a players club. That's the only real reason to use players clubs in the first place, other than people that select clubs based on looks.

[UnderPar18]

[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1390261015' post='8497421']
[quote name='Jon H' timestamp='1390251288' post='8496545']
[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1390245812' post='8496083']
[quote name='Jon H' timestamp='1390227594' post='8494507']
Am I the only one that thinks assigning handicaps to clubs is foolish?
[/quote]

There are a fair number of people around here that agree with you, but not me. In my experience a persons handicap typically mirrors their ball striking abilities.
[/quote]

There is too much to the game for generalizations like that. Golfers can struggle with all kinds of stuff, putting, short game, wedge play or like me are inconsistent (or just plain awful) off the tee.
[/quote]

I don't know man. I've never seen a mid handicapper that needed the workability of a players club. That's the only real reason to use players clubs in the first place, other than people that select clubs based on looks.
[/quote]

Clubs don't work the ball; swing path and face angles do.

[Jon H]

[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1390261015' post='8497421']

I don't know man. I've never seen a mid handicapper that needed the workability of a players club. That's the only real reason to use players clubs in the first place, other than people that select clubs based on looks.
[/quote]

On the other hand, if they can hit their irons with some consistency working the ball could/should be part of the mid-cappers priorities.

[Nessism]

[quote name='UnderPar18' timestamp='1390261175' post='8497439']
Clubs don't work the ball; swing path and face angles do.
[/quote]

It's easier to flight the ball low with players clubs.

[HeadonaStick]

[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1390245812' post='8496083']
[quote name='Jon H' timestamp='1390227594' post='8494507']
Am I the only one that thinks assigning handicaps to clubs is foolish?
[/quote]

There are a fair number of people around here that agree with you, but not me. In my experience a persons handicap typically mirrors their ball striking abilities.
[/quote]

Maybe, but there is more to it than simple ball striking. I strike the ball pretty well but prefer more offset for example. I play with a guy who hit the ball better with a thin top line even though he has a higher handicap.

[golfschnell]

I play the legacy blacks from japan. They are much closer to the Apex than the Apex pro having hit all 3 at a driving range session with my Callaway rep. While a lot of the Callaway pros are playing bladeish models, the most successful pro currently on their staff won both the PGA and European money tour titles playing the forgiving cavity back Legacy Blacks. So play what you like and best fits your game not some stupid assumption that you need to play a certain type of club because you think your handicap dictates it.

[Icemanzacw]

I play to a 13 and I just sold my Ping Ansers because I struggle with Irons and need a little more distance consistency / forgiveness with my irons ... The Apex's are at the top of my list. They are all the things I loves about the Ansers (forged, looked gorgeous, slight offset) + more (distance, forgiveness, arguably better looks) ... excited for the Spring to come.

[milzi007]

I also play to a 13 and hit the regular Apex irons today. Mid-irons are not my strength, so I felt like there were other clubs that offered me more forgiveness with the same distance. On well struck balls the feeling was second to none and I am traditionally a Mizuno or Titleist guy. Mishits still flew a good distance, but you def. knew when you didn't catch it square. The feedback was certainly there for me.


[quote name='Icemanzacw' timestamp='1390271856' post='8498685']
I play to a 13 and I just sold my Ping Ansers because I struggle with Irons and need a little more distance consistency / forgiveness with my irons ... The Apex's are at the top of my list. They are all the things I loves about the Ansers (forged, looked gorgeous, slight offset) + more (distance, forgiveness, arguably better looks) ... excited for the Spring to come.
[/quote]

[Icemanzacw]

What irons are you referencing that felt better on mishits?

[puttitin]

I don't quite agree with people asserting that Handicap levels don't matter in assessing forgiveness.

Single digit HC players preferring APEX over APEX pros doesn't tell me much about their relative forgiveness,because these guys should be able to play anything( well, almost)!

Now if a midcap player finds the Apex more forgiving than say the Ping i-25, THAT I can relate to.

[milzi007]

I apologize if I wasn't clear, the feel wasn't very different on misfits but the result was and I would argue that you could feel a mishit better with the Apex irons (provided a little more feedback). I hit the speedblade, ap1 and jpx 825. All were further on mishits but it is likely due to the GI nature of those clubs. Don't get me wrong the Apex was forgiving but not as much as the others I listed.


[quote name='Icemanzacw' timestamp='1390279590' post='8499445']
What irons are you referencing that felt better on mishits?
[/quote]

[Jon H]

[quote name='puttitin' timestamp='1390305908' post='8500015']
I don't quite agree with people asserting that Handicap levels don't matter in assessing forgiveness.
[/quote]

It does matter to a degree, but the outright assigning a set of clubs to a handicap is more the issue, I think.

The main problem I have with the idea from personal experience. I had played for a year or two (gotten decent in the short time I played), due to life circumstances I didn't really play for 10-12 years after that. Last year I got back into the game, walked in to the golf shop for a fitting and was ushered into a set of irons simply based on handicap. As it turns out that set was not the best set for my game and I had to go out and get a new set the following year. It was an experience that I would want others to avoid, if possible.

[hankmoody]

I think the HC thing is useful as an initial filter/screen. With so many excellent club makers offering so many different models, its very hard to know what direction even to look sometimes. Mizuno, for instance, on their website, shows broad categories of HC that would be appropriate for their models. I don't think that's wrong, but you then have to hit and get fitted if possible.

[jdub_ut]

[quote name='hankmoody' timestamp='1390313799' post='8500505']
I think the HC thing is useful as an initial filter/screen. With so many excellent club makers offering so many different models, its very hard to know what direction even to look sometimes. Mizuno, for instance, on their website, shows broad categories of HC that would be appropriate for their models. I don't think that's wrong, but you then have to hit and get fitted if possible.
[/quote]

I second the filter/screen thing. My handicap has been between 4 and 6 for the past 25 years. A huge reason for that handicap has always been my short game. I have never felt that my ball striking was at a level where I could play a forged players club. I have always played cavity back clubs like Ping Eye 2 and Callaway X14, X20, X Hot Pro. Over the past six months I have worked harder on my swing than ever before and my ball striking has improved dramatically. My handicap is down to a 3, but my ball striking is just so much better.

This improved ball striking has caused me to want to move to more of a players club. Don't get me wrong, I have loved playing the X Hot Pros over the past year, but when I demoed the Apex Pros there was a level of feel, compression, and awareness of the ball that I have never experienced. I did demo the regular Apex irons, but just felt my swing was ready for the Pros. Well, at least in the shorter irons. I did go with the 5 and 6 iron in the regular Apex.

My point is, handicap is just a starting point. But some people lower their handicaps by being great putters, for others it's chipping and for others it's ball striking. I believe that ball striking should be the number one factor in what type of iron to choose. After that it comes down to the look and feel of the club, and whether it inspires confidence.