Equipment
Tech Talk: Callaway Apex Pro Irons
The ingredients that go into tour-quality “players” irons are usually about the same. They need to have short blade lengths, thin top lines, narrow soles and a minimal amount of offset to meet the needs of the most accomplished golfers.
Callaway’s new Apex Pro irons are no exception, at least at address, where they look nearly identical to the company’s forged players iron from last year, the 2013 X Forged. But when they’re viewed from the back, the irons tell a very different story.
Above: Callaway’s Apex Pro irons (left), look nearly identical to the company’s 2013 X Forged irons (right) at address. The sole designs are also roughly the same.
The Apex Pro irons are forged from the same 1020 carbon steel as the 2013 X Forged, but their multi-material construction and new 37WV grooves bring modernity to the former one-piece design.
In the long irons, for example, Callaway engineers added high-density tungsten to the soles, which lowers the center of gravity (CG). That accentuates the irons’ CG height progression, a weighting scheme that gives the long irons a lower CG that launches the ball higher, and the short irons a higher CG that launches the ball lower.
Evan Gibbs, Callaway manager of performance analysis, says the lower CG of the long irons adds about 1 mph of ball speed to the clubs (compared to 2013 X Forged), and the higher launch it creates makes them more forgiving as well. But in the short irons, where better players tend to create too much spin, the CG was moved higher to help golfers control their trajectory.
The discretionary weight needed for the new mass placement was made possible by the extensive milling of the iron’s cavity, which allowed the faces of the irons to be made 17-percent thinner than those of the 2013 X Forged. But according to Gibbs, that change won’t negatively affect sound and feel, which was tuned with a polymer insert added behind the impact area that helps eliminate the harsh frequencies golfers associate with bad feel.
Above: The 37WV grooves on the Apex Pro irons are wider and not as sharp as the 20-degree V grooves the company used for the 2013 X Forged irons. They’re also duller than the 30WV grooves used on the company’s Apex irons.
Maybe the most intriguing part of the Apex Pro irons is their new groove design, which is the result of extensive testing done with Callaway tour players in 2013. Last year’s X Forged irons had the company’s 20-degree V grooves, which were spaced closely together. But Callaway received feedback from its tour players that the grooves actually spun the ball too much from the rough, causing the ball to launch too low.
Tour players prefer to hit what Gibbs called a “controlled flyer” from the rough, which allows them to hit the ball higher to carry obstacles such as the tops of trees, and a farther total distance as well. But they didn’t want to hit the shot at the expense of consistency.
After much testing, Callaway found that wide-spaced V grooves with 37-degree side walls were the most consistent from the rough, and they offered the additional launch that tour players wanted. While the 37WV grooves will be the only grooves offered at retail on the Apex Pro irons, tour players will have their choice between the 20-degree V grooves, 37WV grooves and even duller 45WV grooves, which launch the ball higher and with even less spin.
Above: Callaway’s Apex Pro irons (left) have slightly shorter blade lengths, thinner top lines, less offset and narrower soles than the Apex irons (right).
They Apex Pro irons hit shelves on Jan. 17, and will sell for $1099 with KBS’ new Tour-V steel shaft, $1299 with UST Mamiya’s Recoil 600 Series graphite shafts. Check out the specs and additional photos in the gallery below.
Click here to see more photos and what GolfWRX Members are saying about the irons in the forums.
Click here to see more photos and what GolfWRX Members are saying about the irons in the forums.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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Rafael
Jun 18, 2014 at 8:07 pm
I read these post and wonder how many have truly tried the Apex pros. I own and love my titleist 714 MB’s. I bought a set of apex irons because they are really excellent clubs. I had longer distance and more good shots than with my MBs. I averaged 10-15 yards more depending on the club over my MB’s irons. The clubs are great deal more forgiving than the MB’s. I was amazed at the high ball flight with the apex irons. I can hit a 6 iron 190-200 yards consistently with the apex irons and with my MBs I would struggle with pure shots and distance. I was more in the sweet spot with the apex irons and so I bought them ASAP. I’ve never hit a gap wedge 135-140 yards. I was flying the ball over the greens with the extra distance. I’m having to re-learn the carry distance of my irons. I could always hit them far but now it happens more often. Don’t get me wrong. They are not beginner clubs and still require good contact. But they are awesome! I’m not selling the titleist I love them too.
Steve
Mar 27, 2014 at 2:31 pm
After 8 years enjoying my Titleist 755’s I decided to go buy some AP2’s. While getting fitted the fitter brought out some other clubs and we hooked up to the launch monitor and then went out for some real world results on the range. Hitting of both mats and grass I was amazed that the clubs I wanted were not the APs! The Apex Pro irons were a bit longer, but more importantly the dispersion was much tighter, the feel was butter and the control was great. I can move these around a bit, not as much as the APs, however the big factor was ball speed – consistently 5 to 6 MPH faster. The ball just leaps off the face. I walked out and ordered up my Apex Pros. I’ve played them for two weeks now and wow, what a blast these are to play! Anyhow, I’ve never purchased anything Callaway and had no interest in their products before…after this I’m glad I was open to trying out some different clubs to see which one was going to truly fit and benefit my playing style and swing.
Golfer great
Dec 13, 2013 at 11:39 am
Interesting to hear the back insert does not reduce shock. Has anyone hit the Apex pro and Pings new 55 to compare the impact feel?
nick
Nov 20, 2013 at 5:52 pm
Great feel on these. Definitely will be replacing the long irons in my xforged set with these.
MWP
Nov 10, 2013 at 10:37 am
I’ve hit them and they’re very nice. However, I play the Callaway Prototype irons and was surprised that the polymer insert in the Apex didn’t really make anything feel softer or more forgiving than my fairly traditional musclebacks.
This leads me to the question: CALLAWAY when will you release another true blade?
– A loyal consumer
KK
Nov 14, 2013 at 12:04 am
When more golfers can actually hit them consistently…..which is never going to happen. I think there is a market for “true blades” for people like you and the other 0.00001% of non-professional golfers. I know just as much as anyone who plays the game frequently, golf is hard. Manufacturers, golf course designers, the USGA, need to make the game easier for golfers, not harder. All club companies are in the business to turn a profit, not satisfy the <0.01%. Sometimes, it doesn't make sense to make a club that is only going to account for a very very small percentage of their total sales. If you want "true blades", go buy Mizuno, Miura, Titleist. On the other hand, if you think about it, no club design is advancing less than the "true blade" so go on eBay, buy a used set of Tony Lema blades and you'll never have to buy another set of irons for the rest of your life.
RDM
Jan 23, 2014 at 10:39 am
I still have my Ben Hogan Apex irons which are eight years old now and it’s great to see Apex back in the mix. I’m sure they will keep evolving and might even loose the plastic backing.
I have been happy playing Mizuno irons, but will buy a set of Apex irons as soon as they get closer to their original form. Ill certainly check out the latest version!
Lee
Nov 7, 2013 at 3:18 am
Callaway can stick them as far as I’m concerned. I shelled out £675 of my hard earned 4 months ago on a set of X forged only now to find them being cleared in the UK for circa £350. Thus my used clubs are worth very little if I was crazy enough to invest another £700 ish on the latest and greatest which frankly wouldn’t make me play any better. I’m so disgruntled I might go and by the new AP2’s and bin the X forged!
Joe
Nov 12, 2013 at 10:13 am
They all do the same. At least they do lower the prices, with the anticipation of the latest and greatest…unlike Titleist who gives nothing a price break…even with the newness rightness to the old.
It certainly helps people upgrade at a discount. This is especially good with wedges and irons, where the tech doesn’t really change all that much from model to model.
Nick
Nov 12, 2013 at 4:06 pm
This is a big reason I was happy I got fit into Titlist. They and Mizuno roll out new lines less often so your sticks seem to keep their “newest and greatest” luster a little longer. With TMAG and Callaway I feel like you will be playing “old news” clubs within six months. Not that I have to have the latest and greatest. I’m still playing 712’s and will pass on the 714’s but when you do get to buy new clubs, you’d like to enjoy that feeling of having the latest and greatest a bit longer than a few months, no? Lord knows, you pay for it though.
Wade
Jan 7, 2014 at 12:15 pm
AP2’s cost the same as Apex Pros. Nonsense. You are just sour that you could have waited a year to buy what you have. That’s the way technology works. The older a product is, the more it goes down in cost. How can you not know this?
Paul
Nov 6, 2013 at 10:58 pm
pretty!
JS
Nov 6, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Take away the Apex name, they’re no Hogans!
Gaz
Nov 7, 2013 at 5:11 am
Mate, they are Callaway clubs. Marketing people use the Apex or Hogan name…….Callaway. That is the manufacturer. Not Mr Hogan, he is no longer with us.
Barry
Nov 7, 2013 at 9:44 pm
Hogans were great in their day……that was many many days/years ago.
Those Hogans couldn’t compare to today’s clubs.
We have better technology, better forging & better shafts than yesteryear.
I will reiterate what Gaz said, it is not a slam on the man, I think it honors him.
These look amazing!
be_right
Nov 9, 2013 at 9:56 am
+1
Gaz
Nov 6, 2013 at 3:53 pm
As a Callaway Icon Professional, I have hit both clubs and the feel is very soft. In fact quite a bit softer feel provided through the apex head……these will be a winner
scott dalrymple
Nov 6, 2013 at 1:04 pm
The Apex name seems that Callaway is at least trying to reintroduce the Hogan line. The Hogan Apex and Apex Pro were awesome clubs. I found it odd that Callaway would completely shutter the Hogan brand.
willM
Jan 16, 2014 at 2:43 pm
I still game my Hogan Apex irons. After a custom fit and reshaft with DGs, they feel amazing and produce a great ball flight. I might look to the new Cally Apex as a more forgiving 2,3,4 iron option.
Greg
Mar 29, 2014 at 10:01 am
It’s in the shafts. Apex pro 6 iron was longer than apex 4 iron. Into the simulator,anyway.
cg
Nov 6, 2013 at 12:40 pm
and what will be coming out next month? that will be MUCH better than these?
Jamie
Nov 5, 2013 at 2:26 pm
The same money as the legacy black,
Will they perform the same ?
Tom
Nov 5, 2013 at 2:19 pm
I’m a fan of the brushed no glare finish.
Mark
Nov 5, 2013 at 1:22 pm
SuuuWEET! Can’t wait to demo them.
Brian
Nov 5, 2013 at 1:18 pm
Clean looking club and the remind me a bit of the PING S55
tyler
Nov 5, 2013 at 11:18 am
Very nice looking club. Price tag is a bit much though.
GolfDad907
Nov 6, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Price is competitive with other major OEMs forged irons, I don’t see a problem with price.
Tom
Nov 5, 2013 at 10:58 am
Ummm…I can use that new groove technology that only available to tour players. Other than that I like the look and write up. Great job Zak.
GolfDad907
Nov 6, 2013 at 4:17 pm
All you need is access to Tour rep and can get the grooves you can use 😀