Reviewed by Nolan Chamberland
- 12 handicapper
- 106 MPH driver swing speed
- Used to play a $100 set of Walter hagen blades
Review in short
The Callaway Apex Pro 21 irons are aimed at low to mid handicappers who want the looks of a blade but the performance of a cavity back golf iron. These are premium irons, with matching premium shafts and grips. The hollow body technology provides maximum forgiveness and distance for golfers of all levels.
Why I play these irons
I bought these irons to replace an ancient set of Walter Hagen blades I bought years ago for $100. Having not played any irons with modern technology, I didn't really know what to expect from a new set. Like most golfers, I'm driven by looks and feel and that's what made me try out the Callaway Apex Pro 21 irons. They look and feel absolutely amazing!
Looks
After playing old blades the look of a new set of irons was very important for me. These irons looked very appealing behind the ball, not so chunky that it looked like a shovel, but not so thin that I thought I wouldn’t hit the ball in the air. The brushed chrome on the back of the head looks really slick, and I really like the length of the hosel. This is something that most golfers don't notice, but I don't like there to be too much of this part of the club on show.
Sound and feel
As you would expect from a premium hollow bodied golf iron, these clubs have a really satisfying sound and feel. When I first tested them out, I couldn't believe how soft they felt, even on off-center hits. They have a really solid sound across the face, and hen you crush one, the sound is just incredible. My buddies are always commenting on "that" sound.
There is a consistent feel across all of the irons in the set. The shorter clubs do provide a little more feedback which is familiar to me having played with blades for so long. I was worried that the 7,8 and 9 iron might feel a bit dead being hollow bodied, but they feel a lot like a blade. You can almost feel the ball rolling up the face.
Performance
What I was looking for in new irons was forgiveness, distance and consistency. These clubs deliver on all of those fronts. The tungsten weighting in the face means that mis hits aren't punished too severely, but you don't get massive distance which is totally uncontrollable. I know guys who have super game improvement irons which seem to fly miles even when they mishit them.
Having played blades, I wanted consistent distances I could trust, but some extra forgiveness when I don't quite catch the ball perfectly. The Callaway Apex Pro 21 irons give me all of that. I was able to dial in my distances pretty quickly and now I know which club to pull in every situation.
On average I gained around 20 yards of distance with each club. This sounds like a lot, but I was playing really old blades with very weak lofts. The lofts on these new Callaway irons, combined with all of the hollow body technology make adding 20 yards pretty easy.
Pros
Cons
Tech specs
Iron | Loft | Lie | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
3 | 19° | 60° | 39" |
4 | 21° | 60.5° | 38.5" |
5 | 23.5° | 61° | 38" |
6 | 26.5° | 61.5° | 37.5" |
7 | 30.5° | 62° | 37" |
8 | 34.5° | 62.5° | 36.5" |
9 | 38.5° | 63° | 36" |
PW | 43° | 63.5° | 35.75" |
GW | 48° | 63.5° | 35.5" |
Shaft options
- True Temper Elevate Steel
- UST Recoil Dart
Price per iron
$185 per club (steel)
Conclusion
If you want the looks and feel of a bladed iron but want the performance of a cavity back, these Callaway Apex Pro 21 irons could be the ones for you. Try them out and if they work for you, let me know!