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What’s new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Jack Backhouse brings you the low down on the new Callaway Apex CB irons
Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele are two of the best ball strikers on the planet right now, and both use Callaway irons, so it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about building player’s irons. The new Apex Pro line features a new CB head, which Callaway says is the ultimate tour iron, so how did we find it? Read the Callaway Apex CB iron review to find out.
This is probably the most usable player’s iron on the market right now. I looks exactly like the blade MB model behind the ball, but offers slightly more perimeter weighting and is more forgiving.
These aren’t the irons for you if you want more distance, but if you want more control into the greens from a gorgeous head then these are absolutely perfect.
PROS
CONS
CB heads seem to be slowly disappearing from different manufacturers’ iron ranges. Once a staple in a tour player’s bag, good ball strikers seem to either play the pure blade or something with a bit more help. The Callaway Apex CB is going to reverse that trend single-handedly.
The design of the head is simple and clean, without too much going on on the back of it. The dulled chrome is smart, and the head sits pretty compactly behind the ball. There is a fraction more ‘meat’ behind the ball than the Callaway Apex MB head, which gives you a bit more confidence that you can see those towering shots that land soft as seen on TV. These irons are truly beautiful.
These irons are made with me in mind, I think. For a player who believes they are good enough to use elite player irons but with enough help just to make those mishits on a winters morning hurt your hands just a little bit less. Callaway’s new Apex Pro irons have built on the success from the last range and will not help you perform even better.
The head is forged from 1025 carbon steel, which is what gives it the buttery soft feel and quality at impact, and new to all the Apex irons this year is a new dynamic sole design which is supposed to help with turf interaction, making it easier to maintain speed through the ball and into the ground, which should help make more consistent contact.
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One of the new tech advancements since the release of the 2021 Apex MB is the progressive centre of gravity the irons now have. The longer irons are designed (3-4-5) with a lower CG to help with launch and the ball landing softly into greens, whilst the short irons (9-10-11) all have a higher CG, so players can expect help to keep the ball flight down. This is great as clearly the traditional issue with small-headed irons is how hard the long irons are to get up in the air, but this is no longer with Callaway now delivering enhanced workability and control.
The distance these irons offer is more flattering than the Callaway Apex Pro MB iron, but the consistency is still there. I optionally chose to hit some bad shots for the sake of data collection, and the distance drop-off isn’t too bad. It does drop, but that is what you’d expect from a compact player’s head, and all, apart from one weirdly long shot, were around the same carry.
Something Callaway have been great at in their last few player’s irons lines is how well the irons combo set together, and that is no different in the new Apex Pro line. The Apex MB and CB irons have the same forged construction and look pretty much identical at the address behind the ball, and you could easily go half and half with these to make your long iron game a tad easier.
The Apex Pro head is also pretty similar and would offer much more firepower in 3 and 4 iron whilst still looking the part, so you should certainly go for a fitting where you can hit all the long iron heads to build the most optimal set for your game.
I am a huge fan of these irons, and I absolutely would consider putting them in the bag. Callaway have managed to add some tech features to a very small head that will help your game, so if you are looking for a new set, then get a fitting and give these a try.
Available: Now
RRP: £1119 / $1505
Loft: 7 iron loft – 34 degrees
Shafts: 21 Custom Shafts Available
More information: Callaway UK / Callaway US
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A member of the PGA for 13 years, Jack has lived golf for more than half his life. Inspired by Tiger Wood’s winning putt at the 2008 US Open, an obsession began with watching slow motion golf swings on the internet and reading What’s In The Bag articles in magazines.
Not destined for a life behind the desk in a pro shop, Jack has focussed more on coaching, working closely with regional teams in North Yorkshire and helping golfers of all levels on their journey to enjoying playing the game more. Jack has coached many junior golfers into the county teams, and once worked with a player at the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie.
After letting his game fall apart prior to COVID, Jack rediscovered his love for playing golf after joining Silloth Golf Club in 2020 and whipping round the windy, firm links course. Playing regularly with a half set of clubs he has a passion for shot making and developing skill, and claims to have the sharpest 30-100 yard game in the North of England (only because he doesn’t know anyone in the South), and now maintains a +1 handicap at a club much closer to home, Sand Moor GC.
Jack has always tinkered with his equipment, once building his own Frankenstein one length set of clubs after watching Bryson DeChambeau burst onto the scene after winning the US Amateur. He firmly believes in getting custom fit and is happy to debate anyone about blade irons being superior to any other iron category.
Jack loves: playing quickly, 2 ball golf, match play, heathland courses, pencil bags, foursomes, Tiger Wood’s swing 2005-2009.
Jack hates: buggies, unnecessary trees, giving shots, the 7 iron loft debate, graphite shaft lovers weird superiority complex.
What’s In Jack’s Bag:
Titleist TSR2 Driver
Titleist TSR2 Fairway wood
TaylorMade P7MB 3-P
Titleist SM10 wedges
TaylorMade TP Reserve Blade putter
