By ED TRAVIS
The new Callaway Apex Ai200 and Apex Ai300 the company says, were constructed with an elevated look and feel featuring premium performance and consistency.
Fast Facts
Callaway Apex Ai Series Irons 2024
Forged hollow 1020 steel body
Forged 455 steel variable thickness face cup
Pre-Sale August 15th
At retail August 23rd
Price: $1400/7 piece set ($200per club)
Apex Ai200
Player’s distance category
Thin topline & sole
Stock lofts: 5-iron 23°, pitching wedge 43°
Stock shafts: True Temper DG Mid 100, UST Mamiya HDC Dart 80
Stock grip: Golf Pride Z-Grip
Apex Ai300
Game-improvement category
Cavity back
Thicker topline& sole
Stock lofts: 5-iron 22°, pitching wedge 42°
Stock shafts: True Temper DG Mid 90, UST Mamiya HDC Recoil Dart 70
Stock grip: Golf Pride Z-Grip
WYNTK
Callaway’s redo of the Apex iron line was targeted at providing greater consistency in distances and spin rates while providing better distance for players having a range of skill levels. One of the keys is the Ai Smart Face with their supercomputer analyzing data gathered from “real golfers” which means presumably a better fit for the way we swing.
Both iron models make use of metal injection molding or MIM for exact placement of the internal weighting and have Callaway’s Dynamic Sole to give less turf interaction.
Visually the two models are similar with the Ai200 having a slightly shorter blade and the Ai300 more offset. Lofts of the Ai200 are one degree weaker so it would be possible to build a mixed set of Ai300 long irons and Ai200 short irons.
Zack Oakley, the Senior Product Manager at Callaway said during the announcement, “The AI 200 is that core players’ distance iron that’s going to be for a player who wants the look of a player’s iron, the feel of a player’s iron but doesn’t want to sacrifice distance, doesn’t want to sacrifice feel or consistency. This is going to be a little bit more of a compact version of a players’ distance iron, a little bit thinner top line and sole width, hollow body construction, and it’s going to give you kind of that nice mid-launch.”
Oakley continued, “The AI 300 is going to be that game improvement iron, a little bit higher launch, a little bit more forgiveness, going to have a lot of the same tech as you’re going to see across the platform here but in a more forgiving profile.”
