Every now and then a new product comes along that really makes us sit up and take notice, and that's exactly what happened with Callaway's new Apex Ti Fusion irons.
They were released this summer alongside the Apex Ai200 and Ai300 irons and whilst those two were essentially an upgrade on Callaway's existing Apex line, the new Ti Fusion are something new and completely different.
Packed with new technologies and coming with a whopping price tag, I was very excited to test them out...
Who Are They Aimed At?
Whilst these premium concept irons are usually aimed at the game-improvement market, the new Apex Ti Fusion is actually more suitable to better players and would sit below the Apex Ai200 irons in the range.
With a price tag of around £2000 though, they are reserved only for golfers with a bit of spare disposable income who want something interesting in their bag, made from the most premium materials and packed with technology.
It's the same as opting for the fanciest watch or the car with the most gadgets and bits of tech inside - they all do the same thing at the end of the day, but in a more stylish package than most.
The Tech
The big difference between the Ti Fusion and the other irons in the Apex range is that the Fusion irons are made with titanium incorporated in to the face, which pairs with a forged steel feel to enhance deflection and boosts ball speeds. Titanium, commonly used in driver faces, offers greater efficiency and creates a larger sweet spot in irons compared to steel.
This titanium works in conjunction with Callaway's well-known urethane microspheres, delivering a feel that's comparable to forged irons.
The Ai Smart face technology is designed to deliver more consistent ball speeds, spin, and dispersion across the face, blending the feel and precision of a muscleback with the distance and speed of a two-piece cavity back iron.
Additionally, the Ti Fusion features a premium Diamond-Like Coating (DLC) finish, known for its durability compared to PVD, giving the irons a sleek, high-end appearance both in the bag and at address.
The irons are available from 4-PW with an option of adding a 3 iron and an AW, which can be bought separately at £200 per club.
Callaway Apex Ti Fusion Irons Review
Looks and Feel
These irons look stunning - with the sleek black finish and chrome detailing, they really live up to what you'd be expecting to see for this price tag. One of the first tour players that I saw using black irons like these was Cam Smith with his Titleist T100 irons, and I immediately thought they looked great, and the whole package of the Apex Ti Fusion, including the black shaft and grip, was fantastic.
Despite the fact that these irons are more geared to the mid-handicap golfer than the single figure player, I think the black also helped to make them look a little more compact and I was surprised by this especially when I put them down by the ball, with the topline being thinner than I expected which looked great.
Of course when it comes to irons with a black finish, there is always the issue of durability. Repeated contact with the turf, especially when there's sand or grit getting caught in the mix too, can cause the irons to mark up which can really annoy some golfers - more on this later...
In terms of sound and feel, the irons sit right in that 'players distance' gap for me because it's not quite as soft as a forged muscleback or blade, but doesn't feel as hot or as hollow as a traditional cavity back iron.
Despite the relatively compact look it still feels as if there's plenty of pop from the face when you strike it, which I think helped with the consistency of the performance too.
Performance
I loved using these irons. I tested them on the same day as the Apex Ai300 irons, and whilst I enjoyed how forgiving that model was, the performance and consistency with the Ti Fusion was in another league.
As soon as I started hitting shots I was just so impressed by how easy they were to hit, whilst still feeling great, and it felt like I was able to produce a consistent flight and shot shape time after time.
This is something that you'd usually be more likely to see with a compact forged iron, but the numbers produced were excellent too.
I currently use Callaway's Rogue ST Pro irons and found that the numbers were pretty similar, with the 7 iron carrying just over 160 yards and pretty decent ball speeds too.
I found that the spin rates were also pretty good too. As someone who doesn't spin the ball very much, to see that the 7 iron was up over 5000rpm despite being relatively strong lofted at 30.5 degrees, was pretty impressive. There's good amounts of distance there but they don't feel too hot.
As a result, the thing that impressed me most was that my dispersion was really consistent between the good and bad shots, something that you're not going to see as often with a true players iron.
With the 5 iron the distance between my shortest and longest carry was just 11 yards, and this was down to less than 6 yards with the 9 iron which is great for me.
The irons felt really accurate too, with 8 of the 10 shots with the 9 iron finishing on the green - way more than my usual GIR rate obviously!
Callaway Apex Ti Fusion Irons Verdict
Callaway made some really bold claims with these irons and whilst I didn't find anything which completely set it apart from the rest of the category, I was impressed by the combination of ball speed and forgiveness whilst retaining a compact look with more consistent results than I'd often see from an iron of this type.
As mentioned earlier irons with a black finish can tend to mark up quite easily, and a quick look on the Callaway website at some of their customer reviews shows that this is also an issue despite the new DLC finish.
I think this is par for the course for these type of irons, but I can completely understand that if you've paid the best part of £2,000, you'd hope for a little more durability.
Having said that, the performance itself was excellent so if a bit of wear and tear doesn't bother you, they're an excellent set of irons which feel fantastic and are certainly going to be help you stand out from the crowd at your local golf club.
Would I Use Them?
If it was my money, then probably not because £2000 really is a whopping price tag. But if you've got the spare cash and want a unique set of irons that will set you apart from your peers, as well as offering plenty in the performance department too, then they are one of the best irons that I have tested in this category.
Callaway Apex Ti Fusion Irons Pros and Cons
STAR RATING: 4
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