It’s almost as if Callaway Golf knew how impatient its audience was getting for a new Apex lineup. And here we are in August of 2023 and, poof, a late summer equipment drop of epic proportions from an industry leader.
Since 2014, Callaway has seen tremendous success with Apex clubs at the professional and amateur levels. Apex has been credited as a pioneer-type iron in that the “player’s distance” category began with it.
“We really have been on a journey for multiple years working with some of the world’sbest players, getting feedback from them the whole way on things that we could do really inpursuit of perfection – how we can take a great product line and make it even better,” said Brian Williams, VP of Callaway R&D.
Callaway announced the massive update to its Apex lineup, replacing the Apex 21 series. Included are four uniquely different iron models which are all aimed toward the better player. Those models include the Apex Pro, Apex CB, Apex MB, and Apex UT.
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With a pre-sale date scheduled for August 18th, let’s take a look at all four models so you’re ready to demo or buy the model(s) best suited for your game.
Apex Pro
Callaway Apex Pro
First glance: Smallest profile, intended for the best players.
Price: $215 per club
The new Apex Pro is going to be an iron commonly found in the bag of any Callaway staff player. That being said, there have already been several pros with them in play this summer. The Apex Pro will be faithful to its name and be the top option for the best players in the world as well as any amateurs with the skills to wield them.
With a hollow body construction made from 1025 carbon steel and a forged face, be prepared for a super-soft feel at impact. Acoustically, a dampened sound should be expected thanks to Callaway’s Urethane Microspheres which sit behind the clubface. This technology has been adopted in other recent Callaway models such as the new CB wedge lineup.
“We’re going after high ball speeds in our constructions and backing them up with a proven material that allows us to have a product that feels solid, but we’re not giving up the ball speed and the flexure on our face,” said Williams.
A huge highlight for the Apex Pro is a progressive face design that gives players powerful long irons and precise short irons thanks to the lower lofted clubs having a Forged 455 face cup and the higher lofted irons having a 1025 face plate.
Apex CB
Callaway Apex CB
First glance: Cavity back that is still intended for the best players, but with a sleek new look.
Price: $215 per club
The Apex CB gives off serious “award-winner” vibes. This model is going to be played by tour pros and, most likely, in the hands of players just before they get trophies. A big highlight of this model is its Dynamic Sole Design which is a pre-worn leading edge that is intended to cut through the turf cleaner. Less grab on the club head, a clean escape from the rough, and more consistency through the ball add up to more accuracy on approach shots.
As Williams detailed, the CB model capitalizes and improves on the popular Apex TCB.
“One of the big things we’ve done is work on our CG location, with an innovative construction that allows us to be a little more neutral towards the center of the face, which is giving players great workability, incredible feel, and even a touch more speed.”
The CG improvements will allow for long irons to have a more towering ball flight and for short irons to have a more piercing, spin-induced ball flight. The best of both worlds.
“This will probably be our #1 iron on tour with the shaping and improved turf interaction,” added Williams.
Apex MB
Callaway Apex MB
First glance: A true player’s blade. Not for the faint of heart, but so pretty.
Price: $215 per club
Even though blades are a touch above my skill level, if I stop admiring them check my pulse. The new Callaway Apex MB looks to be a wonderfully modern twist on a muscle back blade, a category that tends to be a bit repetitive. The heads are forged as one piece so you can expect a buttery soft feel to come from these 1025 carbon steel beauties.
The MB model carries on all of the great aspects of its Apex siblings including the progressive CG design and Dynamic Sole Design. For the lowest handicaps, the MB is a perfect solution to creating your own combo set between other Apex models. An option that Callaway will offer with more details to come.
“This is the iron we worked on 6 or 7 times to get just right,” said Williams. “It started from sketches of what we wanted to get in terms of variable bounce on the sole, and we designed, developed, and tested over and over until we felt like this was the perfect iron.”
Apex UT
Callaway Apex UT
First glance: Has “tour inspired” written all over it. Beautifully crafted.
Price: $275 per club
When it came to creating a tour-preferred utility iron, Callaway went directly to, you guessed it, its tour staff. What they came back with was input that showed the world’s best players desired something with a bit more launch, feel, and speed. What came from that feedback is the new Apex UT.
If you’ve experienced previous Callaway utility irons, this one will be quite a different look. Much more compact at address and has a more straightforward look to it overall.
“When you look at the shaping, that view at address, our previous UTs had a crescent look, and players really wanted to keep that trailing edge parallel to the topline for a compact, straight look at address,” said Williams.
The Callaway Apex UT will surely be a popular choice off of the tee for tour players, particularly on risk/reward par 4s and longer par 3s.
Final ThoughtJust when we were in the middle of a successful debut of the
Paradym lineup from Callaway, here we are talking about the imminent arrival of a new Apex series. From what I see, Callaway was right in taking its time. The previous Apex generation is still as desirable now as when it debuted, but we now have an updated quad of irons that will impact the games of so many, from Callaway loyalists to first-time chevron buyers. Can’t wait to get my hands on them.
For all of the latest updates on the new Apex lineup and beyond, visit
CallawayGolf.com.