Callaway’s Apex Pro line has been nothing short of fantastic over the past decade but to me the last version, released in 2023, just never felt at home. Last month Callaway introduced a new Apex Ai150 iron, see our launch article HERE, that is bringing a new legacy to that Apex Pro spot in the iron lineup. While the name is different I feel like the Apex Ai150 is the iron that should have been made previously and excited that it is here and ready for a golfer who is interested in the players distance category.

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Golf’s players distance category has become a little bit of a grey area with a lot of irons claiming to be part of it. To me irons like this Apex Ai150, TaylorMade P770, Mizuno JPX925 Forged, PXG 0317 Tour, and Titleist T150 are smaller footprints with faster faces that fit the bill of players distance. Compared to the last Apex Pro irons that Callaway released the Apex Ai150 has been slimmed down in just about every way. Instead of the traditional process of taking the Apex Ai200 and shrinking it down, Callaway went the other way and started with the tour validated TCB ion. Engineers then added some additional speed with an Ai face and expanded the size just enough to add the ball speed and forgiveness while retaining the looks of a players iron.

Out of the box you will notice the shiny, classic, chrome finish that most companies have gone away from. This finish adds a touch of luxury and tradition but does give some worry about glare in the short irons. I haven’t had a problem with glare yet, and have played on plenty of cloudless days, but it in the back of my mind. Callaway did a great job with the shaping on this new iron. From address the Apex Ai150 looks compact with a blade length that doesn’t look stretched out and the topline is thinner, but not razor thin, giving some added confidence over the ball. Callaway is known for having a little offset in all of their irons and these have a small amount in them. Overall shaping is a little more rounded with softer angles and edges.

Performance on the course is a little shocking as these iron punch above their size class in a few ways. The first is speed and distance. I know the Apex Ai200 irons are built for max speed but I wasn’t expecting that much to trickle down to the Ai150 model. I can say that the extra distance I was seeing was great as I get closer to my mid 40’s and the swing slows down, but it wasn’t uncontrolled. Shots hit well produced an easy to launch flight that went mid/high and looked to hold onto a good peak height. And the ball speed stays high almost no matter where you hit it on the face. I can attest to hitting a few shots WAY out on the toe and standing there stunned when the ball hopped onto the front of the green. Now the chart below shows a low spin number for a 7 iron but that was at a range session where the balls must have been very low spin as every club I hit that day had a spin number I considered very low.

When I have been on the course I have had no issues with spin and the ball staying in the air, curving correctly, or stopping on the green. Even from the rough you can generate enough stopping power to really limit the release when the ball hits the green. The 5 iron comes out a little flatter than I would like but the rest of the 6-PW launch easily and land softly for great distance control. Here in Michigan we play courses with thick, lush rough and I have yet to find a big flier that caused me to launch one farther than expected. For the size of these irons Callaway added a good amount of stability to them. Those shots off the toe I spoke about not only carried farther but also stayed online better than expected. I like the “cheater” aspect of the Apex Ai150 because I can look at a players iron from address but I get closer to game improvement forgiveness on less than perfect shots. I have been a fan of Callaway using more preworn leading edges on the sole as the turf interaction tends to really improve. These irons combine a medium width sole, good amount of camber, and that preworn leading edge to get through the turf without digging and a shallow divot.

Sound and feel are big things with players distance irons as a lot of golfers in this segment are familiar and fans of solid piece forged irons. Callaway did a nice job with the feel on these using their urethane microspheres to dampen them. Now they will feel a little firmer than the X Forged or some other single piece forged irons like it, but the firmness isn’t too offensive. Same with the sound as there is just a little click at impact that will greet you on a well struck shot and slightly louder on your miss. Callaway did a great job with creating a more player focused iron that the lower handicap player will enjoy but also not feel intimidated by. If you are looking for an iron that blends player looks, some distance, forgiveness, and good feel then you should give the Callaway Apex Ai150 irons a few swings.