Callaway have hit the refresh button on two of their iron models aimed at better players, with new editions of Callaway X Forged and Callaway Apex MB irons coming soon to GolfBox.
With previous models of Callaway X Forged and Callaway Apex MB irons proving to be enduringly popular with tour professionals, Callaway sought input from the best ball strikers on the planet when redesigning the latest incarnations.
CALLAWAY X FORGED – COME AND GET YOUR PHIL
Ever since they were last released in 2013, Callaway X Forged irons have been a tightly held commodity among tour pros – major winner Phil Mickelson still has them in his bag – and the new version will not disappoint the X Forged faithful.
Both the Callaway X Forged and Callaway Apex MB irons tend to find a home in the hands of better players, but while Callaway Apex MB irons are true blades in every sense of the word, Callaway X Forged irons have just a smidgeon of forgiveness built in to protect off-centre strikes.
A very small cavity sitting in the back of the Callaway X Forged irons provides a modest safety net when a strike isn’t right out of the bullseye and a progressive CG (centre of gravity) moving through the set further improves the flight characteristics and workability.
Callaway X Forged irons sport a marginally longer blade length and a slightly larger head shape compared to the new Callaway Apex MB, and feedback from Callaway tour staffers has resulted in the sole of the X Forged irons being remodelled to achieve the pure interaction with the turf that tour players are chasing.
Callaway have introduced the ‘20V’ groove pattern found in their wedges into the new X Forged irons, using their ‘triple net forging’ for precise craftsmanship in the manufacturing process.
The V-shaped groove increases spin, control and workability from any lie, and also negates the effects of a flyer when the ball comes out hot from the rough.
The lofts through the Callaway X Forged iron set are one degree stronger than the Callaway Apex MB set, but are still weaker than Callaway’s game improvement iron range.
Forged from a single billet of 1025 carbon steel, Callaway X Forged irons have minimal offset but have a thicker topline when compared to Callaway Apex MB irons.
Finished with a brushed chrome look, Callaway X Forged irons are tour-ready workhorses designed for workability and consistency rather than maximising length.
See Alex Etches test the Callaway X-Forged Irons for our GolfBox Reviews YouTube Channel
Callaway X Forged irons are available in 3-PW.
CALLAWAY APEX MB - THOROUGHBRED BLADES
Designed for the world’s best players, with input from the top ball strikers on the planet, the Callaway Apex MB irons are the thoroughbred iron in the Callaway stable.
Apex MB irons are Callaway’s most popular choice among professionals playing on worldwide tours and are designed for premium ball strikers - those who find the middle consistently and are able to control spin and trajectory with their eyes closed (which they probably could).
Forged blades are as extreme as it gets in the diverse and wide-ranging world of irons.
But if the thought of forged muscleback blades makes your hands clammy and nerves frayed then stop reading NOW. Callaway have gone for the quintessential blade feel and look for the new Apex MB irons by reverting to the classic muscleback profile.
Callaway Apex MB irons are as pure and unadulterated as a blade can get and have none of the distance-enhancing technology seen in Callaway’s game improvement irons - the emphasis is on consistent distance control and workability as opposed to hitting the ball further.
Although the latest Callaway Apex MB irons have been made a hair longer than the previous Apex MB model after feedback from Callaway's tour pros, they still have the shortest blade length, smallest head size and the thinnest sole of any iron in the extensive Callaway range.
Like Callaway X Forged irons, the soles on Callaway Apex MB irons are designed for pure turf interaction but can also cut a swathe through the thick rough that is commonly found on tour courses and ‘20V’ grooves control spin, distance and flyers out of the rough.
Callaway Apex MB irons have negligible offset and come in what Callaway call ‘classic lofts’, which are the weakest lofts of any irons in the Callaway range, and a polished chrome finish rounds off their classic look.
See Alex Etches test the Callaway Apex MB Irons for our GolfBox Reviews YouTube Channel
Callaway Apex MB irons are available in 2-PW, AW.
CALLAWAY X FORGED UT - A DRIVING FORCE
When a long iron just won't cut it or the fairway is a can't-miss proposition, the new Callaway X Forged UT is a must-have club in any top player's bag.
The feedback from Callaway staffers was crucial in determining what the most important characteristics should be for a club like the X Forged UT. And after a bit of tweaking and refining by Callaway's engineering department, the final X Forged UT meets the design brief emphatically.
Significantly more-forgiving than a long iron, the Callaway X Forged UT is made from soft steel for a soft feel and its hollow body construction enables the CG to be positioned in a prime position to produce maximum ball speed and a straighter, more penetrating ball flight.
An insert made from high-density tungsten increases the Callaway X Forged UT's MOI to make launching a breeze while the '20V' grooves found in other Callaway clubs are applied for the first time to a utility club to give the clubface aggressive purchase when striking the ball.
The X Forged UT is also equipped with Callaway's 360 Face Cup technology to maximise the energy transfer from club to ball - pushing the UT's COR (coefficient of restitution) to the legal limit - while minimising ball speed loss in off-centre strikes.
The Callaway X Forged UT is available in 18, 21 and 24 degree lofts.