Callaway Irons – Syndication Server

Callaway Limited-Edition Apex TCB irons pay homage to Xander Schauffele

This set celebrates Xander Schauffele’s 2024 season.

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Gear: Callaway Limited-Edition Apex TCB Irons
Price: $1,505 (4-10 iron) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 115 shafts and Golf Pride Z grips
Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel with tungsten weight

Who It’s For:
Elite golfers who have a powerful, repeatable swing.

What You Should Know:
These irons are an homage to Xander Schauffele and blend Callaway’s updated 2024 Apex looks with shaping and a size designed to appeal to elite golfers.

The Deep Dive:
After golfers win major championships or accomplish something unique, brands often celebrate by creating social media posts, developing posters for pro shops, and sometimes offering replicas of players’ clubs.

That’s what Callaway is doing with the release of limited-edition Apex TCB irons. These clubs are nearly identical to the set Xander Schauffele used throughout 2024 and had in his bag when he won the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club and the British Open at Royal Troon.

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2024 British Open — Xander Schauffele kisses the Claret Jug on the 18th green in celebration of victory at the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon. (Getty Images)

The Apex TCB irons debuted in 2021, and Schauffele has been playing them since that year. Jon Rahm used them to win the 2021 U.S. Open and 2023 Masters, and Sam Burns has been a TCB player for the last few seasons as well. However, the set Schauffele had in his bag this season is different from the clubs used by Rahm and Burns.

Apex TCB: Materials and Tech

Like their predecessors released in 2021, the 2024 limited-edition Apex TCB irons (TCB stands for tour cavity-back) are forged using 1025 carbon steel for a soft feel at impact. However, unlike the 2021 version, these clubs come with a raw steel finish. In addition to being anti-glare, the raw steel will rust and darken in tone over time and with exposure to water. Schauffele has been using raw steel irons for the past several seasons.

Aesthetically, the limited-edition Apex TCBs match the recently released Callaway Apex CB, Apex Ai200, and Apex Ai300. They feature a modest cavity-back design to boost perimeter weighting and provide a small amount of stability. A tungsten weight screwed into the back of each club helps lower the center of gravity while allowing fitters to easily change the swing weight of the Apex TCB based on the length and player preferences. However, the Apex TCB has a shorter blade length, thinner topline, and less offset than the other Apex irons.

Xander Schauffele's 10-iron — Xander Schauffele’s Callaway Apex TCB 10-Iron. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Callaway Apex TCB, 10-iron?

In another nod to the 2024 PGA Championship and British Open winner, the limited-edition Apex TCB irons will come standard as a set running from 4-iron to 10-iron. That’s not a typo. Instead of having a club marked as a pitching wedge, Schauffele has been using a 46-degree iron labeled “10 iron,” so that’s how the pitching wedge is labeled in this set.

These irons are clearly built for elite players, and Callaway is calling them limited editions, but they may be a peek at something the company intends to offer in 2025. Cosmetically, the limited-edition Apex TCB fits perfectly with the recently released Apex irons (Apex CB, Apex Ai200, Apex Ai300). So, if Callaway wants to update a three-year-old better player’s iron, we could see something similar to these limited-edition irons next season, but they would almost certainly be released with a chrome finish.

Callaway Apex Ai200 vs. Apex Ai300: Which is right for you?

Golfers in the market for new irons might need help understanding how the two clubs are similar.

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Callaway recently dropped three new irons: the Apex Ti Fusion, the Apex Ai200 and the Apex Ai300. The Ti Fusion not only looks different than the Ai200 and Ai300 thanks to its black PVD finish but it is also made using titanium, making it very unique in the world of better-player distance irons.

The Apex Ai200 and Ai300, however, look very similar. Golfers in the market for new irons might need help understanding how the two clubs are similar, what makes them different, and what types of players Callaway had in mind when designers created the Ai200 and Ai300.

Have no fear, Golfweek is here to help.

Callaway Apex Ai300 iron. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Construction and Technology

The Apex Ai200 and Ai300 both feature a multimaterial construction and a forged 1020 carbon steel chassis that is attached to a thin, forged 455 Carpenter stainless steel cup face. The faces were designed with the help of artificial intelligence. While Callaway has been using AI to create driver faces for several years, these are the first iron faces designed with the analytical help of supercomputers.

The result is a hitting area that should give golfers more distance over a larger area, but also more consistency because the hitting area does not have hot spots or excessively rigid areas.

Callaway designers added urethane microspheres inside the heads of both the Apex Ai200 and Apex Ai300, and the soft material absorbs excessive vibrations to soften the feel and enhance the sound that is created at impact.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Apex Ai 200″ link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/Y9WLBe”]

Callaway Apex Ai 200 iron — The Apex Ai200 irons are forged from 1020 carbon steel for a softer feel and have adjustable weight plates that allow fitters to change the swing weight. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The Apex Ai200 and Apex Ai300 also both feature a screwed-in weight on the back of the head that custom fitters can swap to change the swing weight of the clubs based on their length or a golfer’s preferences.

Who are the Apex Ai200 and Apex Ai300 for?

The Callaway Apex Ai200 is a better-player’s distance iron that is shaped and intended for golfers who want a better-player’s club. These golfers want more speed, but they don’t want to sacrifice control and feel to get it.

The Apex Ai200 is smaller than the Apex Ai300, and has a slimmer topline, less offset and a shorter blade length.

The Apex Ai 300 can be put squarely into the game-improvement category and is built for golfers seeking forgiveness and distance. It features a larger head and thicker topline, which gives it a more confidence-inspiring look in the address position for players who shoot in the 80s and low 90s.

The Apex Ai300 creates a higher launch angle with increased ball speed, while also generating less spin than the Apex Ai200.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Apex Ai 300″ link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/NkAX4q”]

Callaway Apex Ai 200, Apex Ai300 iron — The Apex Ai200 (left) has a shorter blade length, a thinner topline and slightly less offset than the Ai300. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The Takeaway

The best way to find the irons that are right for you is to work with a custom fitter who has a launch monitor and hit shots with lots of different head and shaft combinations.

The Callaway Apex Ai200 and Apex Ai300 irons look very similar, and working with a custom fitter, they can easily be blended into one set that can provide you with the benefits of both clubs.

That said, if you are a lower handicap golfer who values feel, shot-shaping, and compact aesthetics but now want more speed, the Apex Ai200 might be something you should try.

However, if your priorities in a new set of irons lean more toward added distance and enhanced forgiveness, the Apex Ai 300 offers higher MOI (moment of inertia), so it will be more stable.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Apex Ai 200″ link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/Y9WLBe”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Apex Ai 300″ link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/NkAX4q”]

Callaway Apex Ai200, Ai300 irons

Callaway enhanced the feel and updated the look of its game-improvement Apex irons.

Gear: Callaway Apex Ai200, Ai300 irons
Price: $200 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid steel shafts or UST Mamiya HDC Recoil Dart graphite shafts and Golf Pride Z grips
Specs: Forged 1020 stainless steel body with forged 455 stainless steel face, internal urethane microspheres, and adjustable back weight
Available: NOW

Who it’s for: Mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want more distance, feel, and consistency from shot to shot.

What you should know: Callaway enhanced the feel and updated the look of its game-improvement Apex irons, then used artificial intelligence to create iron faces that deliver more distance, along with spin and trajectory consistency.

The deep dive: When Callaway sold Ben Hogan Golf in 2012, it retained the naming rights to Apex, an iron family that had been synonymous with high performance, feel, and classic looks for well over a decade. The first Callaway Apex irons arrived in 2014 and were popular from the start. The standard Apex irons retained the classic looks while hiding game-improvement features, while Apex Pro and TCB irons blended feel, control, and consistency into clubs that could help amateur golfers win club championships and professionals like Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele win majors.

Yes, Callaway released an updated Apex Pro last year, along with the Apex CB and MB, but the standard Apex’s most recent update was in 2021. Now, however, Callaway has announced the release of the Apex Ai200 and Ai300, two new Apex irons that blend popular Callaway technologies and features with Apex heritage.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Apex Ai irons” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/jrEyvZ”]

Callaway Apex Ai200 irons — Callaway has reorganized the names of the new Apex irons to make it easier to understand how they relate to each other. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

First things first: the new names. To make understanding the Apex line easier, Callaway has switched to a number system. The larger the number, the bigger and more forgiving the irons will be. Smaller numbered clubs will focus more on feel, precision, and control. Callaway hopes that even before they hit the new Apex irons, golfers will be able to easily understand how each club relates to the others in the Apex family.

The Apex Ai200 (which replaces the Apex ’21) and Ai300 (which replaces the Apex DCB) now cosmetically match the most recent Apex Pro, CB, and MB irons, even though both are hollow-bodied irons designed for mid- and higher-handicap players.

The Ai200 and Ai300 feature a forged 1020 carbon steel chassis that is attached to a thin, forged 455 Carpenter stainless steel cup face. Callaway injects urethane microspheres inside each Ai200 and Ai300 head to soak up excessive vibrations, enhance feel, and improve the sound created at impact.

While some of that may seem familiar, what is new is that the 455 Carpenter stainless steel cup face has been created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) in the same way Callaway used it to create the faces in the Ai Smoke drivers. Knowing they wanted to create more ball speed but maintain the spin rates and launch angle characteristics in the Apex irons, Callaway engineers programmed supercomputers to run thousands of simulations of impacts using different face patterns and designs. The result is a hitting area that should give golfers more distance, but also more consistency because the hitting area does not have hot spots or excessively rigid areas.

BUY: Callaway Apex Ai irons

Callaway has added an adjustable weight plate to the back of the Apex Ai200 and Ai300. It is not meant for golfers to change, but it allows fitters to adjust the swing weight of the heads during fittings for extra customization.

The Ai200 has been designed for slightly more skilled golfers who tend to hit down on their iron shots and compress the ball. It has a thinner topline than the Ai300, along with slightly less offset and a narrower sole. The Ai200 should produce a lower initial launch angle and a touch more spin than the Ai300, but because it is larger, the Ai300 will offer more stability on mishits to go along with its higher ball flight.

Both the Ai200 and Ai300 have strong, modern lofts. The Ai200’s 5-iron has a loft of 23 degrees and a pitching wedge at 43 degrees. The Ai300’s 5-iron has 22 degrees of loft, and its pitching wedge is 42 degrees. Working with a custom fitter, golfers should easily be able to create blended sets of Ai300 long irons and Ai200 scoring clubs.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Apex Ai irons” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/jrEyvZ”]

Below are several close-up images of the Callaway Apex Ai200 and Apex Ai300 irons.

Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons

Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons blend a soft stainless steel body with a titanium face.

Gear: Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons
Price: $300 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Gunmetal steel shafts or Mitsubishi MMT graphite shafts and Golf Pride Z grips
Specs: Forged 1020 stainless steel body with brazed titanium face, internal urethane microspheres, adjustable back weight, and diamond-like coating
Available: NOW

Who it’s for: Low- to mid-handicap golfers who want more distance, feel, and consistency.

What you should know: Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons blend a soft stainless steel body with a titanium face designed using artificial intelligence and internal urethane material to create more ball speed, a softer feel, and more consistency.

The deep dive: “Ladies and gentlemen, have fun.” Something like that must have been said to the club designers and engineers at Callaway before they created the new Apex Ti Fusion irons.

While the new Apex Ai200 and Ai300 are game-improvement clubs for the masses, the materials and technologies packed into the Apex Ti Fusion enabled Callaway’s club makers to elevate their design approach for a slightly-better set of players.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/k0nMY0″]

The story with the Apex Ti Fusion irons is all about the hitting area. The forged stainless steel body is similar in design to the new Ai200, although it is slightly smaller. However, the cup face given to the Apex Ti Fusion irons is very different. While the new Ai200 and Ai300 have forged stainless steel faces, the Apex Ti Fusion irons feature titanium faces.

Callaway is not claiming that the Apex Ti Fusion irons are the first titanium irons in golf, but the Carlsbad, California-based company developed a new way to bond titanium to stainless steel, a process that typically is not possible. The new manufacturing process allows the thin, titanium cup face to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact for increased ball speed instead of being slowed by the stiffer stainless steel that holds it.

To maximize the titanium face’s performance, Callaway designers used artificial intelligence to simulate and test different face patterns and designs, then determined which would produce the best performance for each club in the set. As a result, the long iron faces were optimized to enhance distance and forgiveness on mishits, while the short irons and scoring clubs feature more spin consistency for better distance control and accuracy.

BUY: Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons

Historically, titanium-faced irons have been made for mid- and higher-handicap golfers who want more ball speed and distance, and the addition of a titanium hitting area certainly helps to do that in the Apex Ti Fusion, though the Apex Ti Fusion is geared toward a different audience. As the numbers in Callaway’s new nomenclature get larger, irons get bigger and more forgiving. For instance, the Ai300 is bigger and more stable than the Ai200, but the Ai200 has less offset, a smaller blade length, and aims to appeal to better golfers. The Apex Ti Fusion can be thought of as a 150, slightly smaller than the Ai200, and its dark finish makes it appear even slimmer. Golfers can expect the Apex Ti Fusion irons to perform more like the updated Apex Pro released last year. Still, thanks to the titanium face, the irons should provide more distance and better performance on mishits.

The Apex Ti Fusion irons’ lofts are modern, with a 5-iron at 23.5 degrees and a pitching wedge at 43 degrees. An attack wedge is available that comes standard at 38 degrees.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/k0nMY0″]

Below are several close-up images of the new Callaway Apex Ti Fusion iron

Best new golf irons you can buy in 2024

Check out Golfweek’s list of the best irons available to purchase in 2024.

As Golfweek explained in our 2024 Driver wrap-up, the undeniable trend in the world of drivers is toward higher-stability offerings that not only perform well when you hit the ball in the middle of the face, but also help you hit straighter shots and help you maintain distance when you mis-hit toward the heel or the toe.

When it comes to irons, the trend continues to be the broadening array of offers to meet the needs of different types of players. Not that long ago, equipment makers sold blades to the best players, cavity-backs to golfers who needed some forgiveness and oversized clubs to high-handicappers and beginners. Those clubs still exist, but they are complemented by better-player distance irons, sets that blend hybrids and irons for forgiveness, and sets that blend hollow-bodied long irons with precision-minded scoring clubs.

Take Ping as an example. The Phoenix-based brand now has the Blueprint T and Blueprint S for elite players, the tour-proven i230 for good players who want more forgiveness, the i525 for golfers who want a better-player’s distance iron, the game-improvement G430 and it still offers the G710 as a max game-improvement club. Brands like Callaway, Cobra, Mizuno, TaylorMade and Titleist have similarly deep stables.

Early this suumer, new irons like the Bettinardi MB24 and CB24, the Cobra Limit3d and the Wilson Staff Model RB Utility iron have dropped.

So much variety is great golfers, but it has never been more important to seek out a good custom fitter, try several different shafts and heads and see what the data reveals.

Below are many of the irons that you will see in pro shops and specialty stores. Use this list as a starting point to discover clubs that might be ideal for you game.

Best golf irons in 2024

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke, Ai Smoke HL, Ai Smoke Max Fast irons

Moderate and slower-swinging golfers will benefit from the Paradym Ai Smoke’s fast faces and low centers of gravity.

Gear: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke, Ai Smoke HL, Ai Smoke Max Fast irons
Price: $999.99 (seven clubs) with True Temper Elevate steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline grips; $1,099.99 with Project X Cypher 2.0, Mitsubishi Tensei Blue White or Eldio graphite shafts
Specs: Hollow-bodied stainless steel iron
Available: Feb. 2, but available via pre-order NOW

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Who They’re For: Golfers who want a distance-oriented, game-improvement iron that launches the ball high.

The Skinny: Callaway designers used artificial intelligence to design iron faces for the Paradym Ai Smoke and Ai Smoke HL irons to deliver enhanced ball speed for moderate-swinging players and more distance and height for slower-swinging players.

The Deep Dive: Jon Rahm has no trouble generating distance with his Callaway irons because the 2023 Masters champion has a powerful, repeatable swing. Time and again, he hits the center of the face. However, recreational golfers who shoot in the mid-80s and 90s tend to swing more slowly. They often hit the ground first instead of the ball and make contact all over the face. On some shots they hit it in the center, but they are just as likely to strike the ball near the toe or in the heel.

Callaway’s new Paradym Ai Smoke irons are not for Jon Rahm. They’re game-improvement irons designed to help golfers overcome shortcomings and inconsistencies.

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To make that happen, Callaway designers used supercomputers to study hundreds of thousands of swings of actual golfers to see how they hit shots. Using that data, the supercomputers employ artificial intelligence to create thousands of iron faces and simulate how they would perform in the real world. All those faces look the same on the outside, but the inner-facing sides are covered with thick and thin areas that act like miniature sweet spots.

That work resulted in the faces designed into the Paradym Ai Smoke irons. Attached to the hollow-body chassis of each iron, the faces flex more efficiently at impact to generate more ball speed on every shot and tighten the dispersion pattern.

There are three different Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons: the standard model, HL and Max Fast.

Callaway believes most golfers who need a game-improvement iron and who have a driver swing speed between 85 and 100 mph will find the standard Ai Smoke iron fits them well. While the standard Paradym irons will remain available in 2024, the Paradym Ai Smoke will replace the Rouge ST Max irons.

Callaway offers the Paradym Ai Smoke HL, which stands for high launch, for golfers who need more height and lift on their shots. The face design and low center of gravity combine with weaker lofts in this iron to make getting the ball high in the air easier, especially with the long irons. While the Paradym Ai Smoke’s 5-iron has 22 degrees of loft, the 5-iron in the HL version has 24 degrees of loft. Callaway believes this club should be ideal for golfers with a driver swing between 70 and 90 mph.

Finally, Callaway is offering the Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fast, which has been optimized for golfers who have a driver swing that is slower than 75 mph. These irons have the same weakened lofts as the HL irons, but the Max Fast irons come standard with lighter shafts and grips, which should make it easier to create more clubhead speed and carry distance.

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Callaway Paradym Star: Can ultra-light clubs unlock distance for you?

Callaway Paradym Star woods and irons deliver lightweight distance.

Every recreational golfer would love to step up to the tee and pound a drive down the middle with the power of Jon Rahm or hit iron shots with the laser-guided precision of Xander Schauffele or Rose Zhang. However, most of us lack the swing speed to create a 300-yard drive and don’t find the sweet spot in our irons often enough either.

Golfers who lack speed and who need to maximize forgiveness need equipment that is designed very differently than the gear made for elite golfers, which tends to be heavy, rigid and unforgiving on mis-hits. So, for several seasons, Callaway has offered ultra-lightweight equipment under the “Star” family, including the 2017 GBB Epic Star and 2021 Epic Star Max woods and irons. These clubs were designed for golfers who can get more overall distance by hitting higher shots and maximizing carry distance instead of roll.

Callaway has now released the Paradym Star woods and irons, a family of clubs that utilize the technologies found in this season’s Paradym drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons, along with ultra-lightweight components so slower-swinging golfers can generate more clubhead speed and more distance.

Callaway Apex Pro irons (2023)

The updated Callaway Apex Pro offers more consistency, better feel and controlable spin.

Gear: Callaway Apex Pro Irons (2023)
Price: $215 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid steel shafts and Golf Pride Z grips.
Specs: Hollow-body construction with a forged 1025 carbon steel body, forged 455 cup face (3-5) and internal urethane microspheres. Available in 3-iron (19 degrees) through attack wedge (50 degrees)
Available: August 18 (pre-sale) / Sept. 8 (in stores)

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Who They’re For: Low and mid-handicap golfers who want a better-player’s distance iron that also delivers shot-shaping and forgiveness.

The Skinny: Using a softer metal and urethane microspheres enhances the feel of this iron, while the hollow-body construction helps increase ball speed. The updated sole improves turf interaction.

The Deep Dive: Callaway purchased the Ben Hogan brand in 2003 and sold the company in 2012, but it retained the right to use several iconic Hogan names, with Apex the most coveted. The first Callaway Apex irons arrived in 2014 along with a version for better players called the Apex Pro. At that time, before the better-player’s distance category took off, “pro” versions of irons were often simply smaller versions of the standard clubs with less offset, thinner toplines and narrower soles.

But with each passing generation, the Apex Pro has evolved more and more into its own club. With the release of the 2023 Apex Pro, Callaway is now positioning this better-player’s distance club alongside other designs for accomplished players.

Cosmetically, the new Apex Pro resembles the Apex TCB used by Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele, but this club has a slightly longer blade and more game-improving features designed into it.

The Apex Pro long irons (3-5) have a hollow-body design and a thin 455 stainless steel cup face designed to flex more efficiently at impact to enhance ball speed. This is the same material and construction found in Callaway’s game-improving Paradym irons but in a more compact package. The 6-iron through attack wedge have faces made from forged 1025 carbon steel, the same soft material used in the Apex Pro irons’ chassis. Opting for 1025 carbon steel in mid- and short irons should soften the impact feel and enhance spin and distance consistency on approach shots.

Inside the hollow chamber of each head, Callaway added urethane microspheres, a material the brand has used for several years to reduce excessive vibrations while improving sound and feel. The key trait of the material, however, is that it does not inhibit the face from flexing, so golfers get those benefits without sacrificing speed or distance.

Callaway designed the Apex Pro irons to have a progressive center of gravity. The CG is lower in the 3-5 irons to encourage a higher ball flight, then transitions upward slightly in the mid-irons (6-8) and then even higher in the short irons (9-AW) to help golfers flight approach shots down for better distance control.

The screwed-in plate on the back of each head is adjustable for fitters and allows them to change the swing weight of the clubs based on their length and a player’s preference. To help golfers maintain speed through the turf and hitting area, Callaway designed the soles of the new Apex Pro to be slightly wider, more curved and to have a pre-worn leading edge. The trailing edge also has been rounded slightly. The sole is still narrower than the bottom of Callaway’s game-improvement irons such as the Paradym, Rogue ST or Big Bertha.

The Apex Pro will be available from 3-iron through attack wedge, and they have some technologies and look similar to Callaway’s updated Apex CB, Apex MB and Apex UT, so golfers can easily create combo sets. Callaway plans to offer pre-created combo sets such as The Player (Apex Pro 3-7, CB 8-AW) and Triple Play (Apex Pro 3-6, CB 7-9, MB PW-AW).

Callaway Apex CB, Apex MB irons (2023)

Callaway’s Apex CB and MB maximize feel and control.

Gear: Callaway Apex CB, Apex MB irons (2023)
Price: $215 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid steel shafts and Golf Pride Z grips.
Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel. Available in 3-iron (20.5 degrees) through attack wedge (50 degrees)
Available: August 18 (pre-sale) / September 8 (in stores)

While most golfers desperately want irons that can help them hit the ball farther and higher, elite ballstrikers — players with a powerful, repeatable swing — are constantly looking for something else from their clubs. If you can generate all the power and distance you require, what you need is more control. You need irons that allow you to curve the ball and control its flight, which requires a heightened sense of feel at the moment of impact.

Using feedback from tour pros, Callaway has updated its Apex CB and Apex MB irons to deliver more control and feel, while also making them easy to combine to create a blended set.

The updated Apex Pro irons, which are also an option for low-handicap golfers, have been designed with a hollow chamber in the 3-5 irons that is filled with vibration-absorbing urethane microspheres, but the Apex MB and Apex CB irons are all solid-body designs forged from 1025 carbon steel. Nothing gets in the way of the sensations created at impact from reaching a player’s hands, which is exactly the way pros, college players and elite amateurs like it.

Callaway designed the Apex CB and Apex MB with a progressive center of gravity (CG) location. There is extra mass positioned low in the heads of the long irons, to help golfers create a higher-launching shot, but the CG shifts up in the head through the mid- and short-irons to encourage a lower, more-piercing ball flight for better distance control.

Both clubs also have a leading edge that has a more-rounded, pre-worn design. The trailing edge also has more chamfer, or upward curvature, to help the Apex CB and Apex MB get in and out of the turf more efficiently.

The Apex CB was inspired by Callaway’s Apex TBC (tour cavity-back), which is the iron of choice for Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele. Callaway made the blade length a few millimeters longer than the Apex TCB, but the brand thinks this will be its most-played iron on the PGA Tour next season while also being an option to a few more amateur golfers.

To offset the weight of the hosel and pull the ideal hitting area into the center of the face, Callaway designers removed some mass from the heel area and added tungsten to the toe section. You can see it because the tungsten is under the chrome plating. This should help to a neutral weight bias and allow players to hit draws or fades more easily.

While the Apex CB has a small amount of perimeter weighting thanks to its cavity-back design, the Apex MB is a pure muscleback blade. It has a very compact blade length, virtually no offset and a very thin topline. It has a progressive CG throughout the set and Callaway studied and modified the sole design and bounce to make it quick through the grass, so golfers can maintain speed through the strike.

Like the CB, it has a plate on the back of the head that can be switched by fitters to allow them to change the swing weight of the clubs based on their length or a player’s preference.

Cosmetically, the Apex CB and Apex MB look very similar, and they have identical lofts, with the 5-irons being 26 degrees and the pitching wedges being 46 degrees. Working with a custom fitter, golfers should be able to easily create a blended set, as many PGA Tour pros do. Callaway plans to offer the “The Elite” combo set, which will include the Apex CB 3-iron through 7-iron and the Apex MB in the 8-iron through attack wedge.

Below are close-up images of the Apex CB and Apex MB for 2023.

Callaway Big Bertha woods and irons (2023)

The newest Big Bertha family includes a slice-fighting driver and easy-to-hit fairway woods and hybrids.

Jon Rahm won the 2023 Masters Tournament using a new Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond driver and a prototype Paradym Triple Diamond 3-wood. Both are clubs designed for fast-swinging golfers who want to shape shots around the course and who have powerful, repeatable swings.

For golfers on the other side of the spectrum, Callaway has prided itself on offering game-improvement and max game-improvement clubs that are made to deliver more distance and forgiveness, often giving them the hallowed moniker of Big Bertha. The brand released the Big Bertha B21 woods and irons in the fall of 2020, and last October saw the debut of an ultra-premium offering for slower-swinging players, the Great Big Bertha line. Now it is releasing the new Big Bertha 2023 family of woods and irons.