Callaway has three new options for near the top of the bag, each offering a different trajectory, level of forgiveness, playability and, for any given player, perhaps a different level of confidence as you stare down at it.
While nothing here represents an entirely new class of club, the extended offerings speak to the reality that higher-lofted fairway woods have become increasingly popular on global tours in recent years. We’re talking 7-woods, even 9-woods, and, in Callaway’s world, utility woods. The trend isn’t slowing and perhaps there’s a lesson in that for the rest of us.
According to Callaway, the shift in bag makeup isn’t always because these clubs are more forgiving and easier to hit—although they often are. At the tour level, it’s about confidence in having the right tool for the job.
That’s all well and good but we all know some golfers will always prefer irons over metalwoods, so Callaway has you covered there as well.
And I suppose that’s part of what makes this particular early fall launch from Callaway interesting. They’re not limiting your options. Callaway already has plenty of high-lofted fairway options within the Elyte lineup. This launch caters to golfers looking to tune the upper part of the bag with what I think qualifies as alternatives to the conventional approach.
Hitting shelves later this month (feel free to pre-order today) are a trio of updated options: a new Apex Utility, an Apex Ti Super (Duper?) Hybrid, and perhaps that best club many golfers don’t even know about, the Apex UW (utility wood).
Each of the three new offerings is available in four lofts, giving you options to replace one or more fairway woods, your long irons, and anything in between. Well, unless you’re left-handed. You get fewer options but you should be used to that by now.
The point is that Callaway is giving you choices (some of you more than others). Feel free to mix and match. Buy one for everyday use and keep another in the trunk for when conditions call for a different approach.
So, with all of that said, let’s have a look at Callaway’s latest.
Callaway Apex UT (Utility Iron)
The first thing to know about the updated Apex UT is that it features six-piece construction and, no, Callaway isn’t counting the shaft and grip. I checked. They’re also not counting screws.
The six pieces (do I get fries with that?) assemble like Voltron to create an innovation Callaway is calling FLEXCORE.
Does anyone else feel like I’m getting off track here?
Anyway …
To build the Apex Utility, Callaway starts by pairing a forged steel face with a forged steel body and a large steel backweight.
The innards of the iron are filled with Callaway’s urethane microspheres, a sizeable chunk of tungsten and what I guess amounts to a cage of sorts to precisely position the tungsten so it doesn’t interfere with the face’s ability to flex—especially on low-face impact.
Ultimately, what we’re talking about with FLEXCORE is a fair amount of engineering complexity to create some extra ball speed and better spin consistency, although some of that is entirely dependent on your ability to point the face in the right direction.
Relative to some other recent utility offerings, the Callaway Apex UT brings a more player-centric shape. The topline is thinner than most in the category and Callaway has done an excellent job of hiding the steel backpiece. Some of this is loft-dependent but, broadly speaking, if you’re looking for a compact player’s utility, the Callaway Apex UT fits the bill better than most.
Who the Callaway Apex UT is for
With that, it’s not a surprise that the Apex UT is geared primarily toward the better player. It can work as an off-the-tee specialty club for longer par-3s or anywhere else a bit of extra precision is a good idea. It also pairs well with Callaway (or other) irons as part of a combo set.
The Callaway Apex UT is available in 18, 20, 22 and 24 degrees. The 18- (custom order) and 20-degree versions are available in RH and LH. Other lofts are RH only.
Stock shafts include the Mitsubishi MMT (graphite) and True Temper DG Mid (Steel). The stock grip is a Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360.
Callaway Apex Ti Super Hybrid
Before we get into it, we should probably talk about what a “Super Hybrid” is. In Callaway’s world, a Super Hybrid is simply (or maybe not so simply) a really big hybrid with a titanium face.
To put some context to that, you can think of a traditional hybrid as occupying the space between an iron and a fairway wood. Callaway’s Super (and other large hybrids) fill the void (however narrow it may be) between conventional hybrids and fairway woods.
With that, the Callaway Apex Ti Super Hybrid provides an option for golfers who like the idea of something bigger than a hybrid but struggle to hit fairway woods with any consistency.
Does that sound like a bit of a niche offering? It absolutely is, but niche is what Callaway does this time of year, and I kinda like it.
From a construction standpoint, the Apex Ti Super Hybrid leverages the proprietary brazing process introduced with the Apex Ti Fusion irons. Not that we need to go too deep into the weeds but by leveraging what amounts to an intermediary material, Callaway is able to bond a titanium face to a steel body. That gives you a club that’s strong, stable and forgiving and also happens to generate faster ball speeds.
Another element of trickle-down technology found in the Apex Ti Super Hybrid is the step sole design which cascades down from the Elyte fairway woods and Callaway’s UWs before that.
By trimming a bit of material from the trailing edge, the step sole gets through the turf a bit easier which often leads to greater contact consistency.
The rest of the shape matches the original Super Hybrid which Callaway says has developed a cult following. I think it’s a small cult but, I guess, a cult all the same.
Who the Callaway Apex Ti Super Hybrid is for
Callaway positions the Apex Ti Super Hybrid as an option for the game-improvement and super game-improvement player. Broadly, it’s for golfers who choose hybrids because they struggle with fairway woods. As part of that, it’s better suited to golfers with steeper attack angles who want the distance of a fairway wood without having to deal with the struggle of trying to actually hit one well.
The Callaway Apex Ti Super Hybrid is available in 2H-5H (16 to 24 degrees). The 2H and 4H are available in right-hand only. Lefties, if it makes you feel any better, the Super Hybrid offers Callaway’s OptiFit hosel for some loft adjustability.
The stock shaft is the Mitsubishi MMT. Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet 360 is the stock grip.
Apex UW
To hear Callaway tell it, the Apex UW is one of those clubs that tends to stick around almost indefinitely because many who play it swear that it’s never coming out of their bags.
I know a guy at Callaway. He’s been there a while—like 40 years or something. I think he was employee number 11. The point is, he’s old. He’s seen lots of stuff roll out the door (most of which he’s probably forgotten) and he once told me he thought the UW was, pound for pound, the best club Callaway has ever made.
Make of that what you will but, at a minimum, it’s an intriguing endorsement.
Still, it’s probably fair to say the Apex UW qualifies as the most niche club in the Callaway lineup if only because, regardless of whatever actual utility it brings, I’d wager most golfers still don’t know it exists, which means few understand there could be real benefits from putting it into play.
The updated Apex UW takes its design cues from Callaway’s original UW. It’s true to the original shape, which I’d describe as the squat lovechild of a fairway wood and a hybrid. If the Super Hybrid is more hybrid than fairway, the Utility Wood lives on the same spectrum but is more fairway than hybrid.
True to the original intent of the design, the new Apex UW is versatile, built for speed and distance, but Callaway has, according to Brian Williams, VP of R&D, “supercharged it with current technology.”
Like other UWs before it, the latest iteration features the step sole design which, again, is all about improving turf interaction and ultimately impact.
The latest iteration of the Apex UW features a Tungsten Speed Wave. I know some of you get deeply excited about the finer points of metallurgy, but I’m going to make this quick: the updated design concentrates a lot of mass as far forward as possible without anchoring it to the sole. That gets you the speed benefits of forwardly placed weight without impeding the ability of the face and body to flex.
Like the Apex Ti Super Hybrid, Callaway says the Apex UW shines on below-face-center impact.
Worth a brief mention: the Apex UW also features a Triaxial carbon fiber crown. It’s the first time Callaway has put a carbon fiber crown on a Utility Wood.
Who the Callaway Apex UW is for
Historically, Callaway’s UW has been billed as a better player’s hybrid or higher-lofted fairway wood option. This time around, Callaway says the design is well-suited to serious or avid golfers looking for higher launch with neutral flight at the top of the bag.
More versatile than a fairway wood while offering more distance and forgiveness than a hybrid, the Callaway Apex UW is aimed at everyone from tour players to mid-double-digit handicappers.
The Callaway Apex UW is available in 17, 19, 21 and 23 degrees. The 17 and 23 options are RH only.
The stock shaft is the Mitsubishi Tensei AV2 Blue. The stock grip is the Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360.
The bottom line
Callaway isn’t reinventing the wheel here, but they’re giving golfers three distinctly different tools for similar situations. Whether you want the forgiveness of the Ti Super Hybrid, the precision of the UT or the versatile power of the UW, there’s probably an option that fits your game.
The real question isn’t which one is best. It’s which one delivers the performance you need while giving you the confidence to execute the shot when you’re standing over the ball. And in a world where tour players are carrying 7-woods and 9-woods, maybe it’s time the rest of us stopped being so stubborn about what belongs in our bags.
Pre-sale for the Callaway Apex UT, Ti Super Hybrid and UW starts immediately. Retail availability begins Nov. 7 for the UT ($299.99) and Sept. 19 for the Ti Super Hybrid ($399.99) and Apex UW ($349.99).
For more information, visit Callawaygolf.com.
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