If you’re in the hunt to bridge the gap between your four iron to three wood, Callaway have two new options from the Apex family which may tickle your fancy.
Both of these clubs are suited to the better player, but as with anything golf equipment related, you need to try before you buy.
To break things down, the Apex Utility Wood is a go-to option for many of the best players on Tour, with the unique profile promoting launch and distance benefits from a high lofted fairway wood while still carrying the versatility of a hybrid. Callaway claim it’s a club with a multi-purpose offering that decent players can use with confidence.
The marketing ploy for the Apex UT iron is similar and designed to provide better golfers with a powerful yet versatile option from long range. Precision is paramount and the 455 forged face cup is engineered to provide exceptional distance and feel. The manufacturer insist it’s a workable option off the tee.
We found both of these clubs to have small but noticeable differences in terms of performance, but are totally different in size, look and feel. The choice between these two really does come down to the finer details of tuning your bag to perfection, while also being dependant on what course you’re playing.
If you haven’t read our last two editions, I’m a mid-handicap player who occasionally breaks 90 and I test these clubs every month against Stuart Smith, a former Tour professional who hits it a long, long way. This should hopefully help to give you an indication as to who these clubs are designed for and if you can relate to either of us.
Hitting a straight iron shot isn’t the strongest asset of my game, so when I was presented with this UT I wasn’t expecting great results. With it in my hands and looking down at the head behind the ball, I actually felt like I could hit it. That’s always a good start. The steel shaft was admittedly pretty heavy (there’s an option for a graphite), but the head was thick and chunky. It almost looked like it was designed for a newcomer.
The honest short answer is no. I couldn’t swing it fast enough at 87mph clubhead speed. I found the centre of the face a couple of times which felt wonderful, but from a selection of 15 shots I was hitting it all over the place. I couldn’t consider taking it to the course.
Stuart, on the other hand, unlocked the full capabilities of the club and was getting great distance. He was getting over 240 yards of carry with a clubhead speed in the region of 100mph. He was hitting tight draws down the Jumeirah Golf Estates range and said he’d consider putting it in his own bag to use off the tee in certain situations.
The Apex UW was a different story, though. Looking down at it, the appearance is between a hybrid and a three wood. It also had a shaft which was two inches longer than the UT which clearly makes a big difference when in the hands of an amateur. The gloss black also really appealed; it’s a really nice looking club.
I also found this UW so much easier to hit. I was getting 218 yards of carry with a degree of reliability with regards to dispersion. Stuart was hitting a similar shot shape, but was getting up to 10 yards further carry with a little more spin in his comparison to his UT shots. There were only small performances differences for him which were surprising consider the drastic difference in length, look and design when comparing the two.
I need to improve my golf before a driving iron starts to become a realistic option. The Apex UT is clearly a technology-packed, exciting new offering which will no doubt appeal to many good golfers. With its penetrating ball flight and the slightly lower spin numbers from Stuart’s Trackman results, it’s suited to course where you want maximum roll from the tee. It’s the sort of club which would work really well on a course like Yas Links.
The Apex UW is a more much forgiving piece equipment and I expect this to be popular with many single figure handicappers. It flies a long way, not just for myself, but also for Stuart while the additional spin in comparison to UT should help to hold a few more greens here in the Middle East. Both options are impressive, visually appealing and worth considering if you want to improve your long game.
