Tag: Callaway irons 2024

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
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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Callaway Apex Ti Fusion
The Apex Ti Fusion has a titanium face attached to a stainless steel body. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

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

Callaway Apex Ti Fusion
The Apex Ti Fusion has a narrow topline and not much offset, so it should appeal to accomplished golfers. (David Dusek/Golfwek)

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.

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