Callaway Apex UW targets better musicians It borrows layout components from fairway lumbers and hybrids MSRP- $299
What do you call a club that flies higher than a hybrid but has less rotate than a 5-wood?
Callaway’s answer is the 2021 Apex UW. The UW stands for utility wood. It’s an uber-niche release geared toward better golfers spawned from Callaway tour staff feedback. Most notably, the ultimate tinkerer, Phil Mickelson.
The concept, for Callaway, is quite simple. Take the best elements of hybrids read in conjunction with several fairway wood features, and presto, it’s a Labradoodle … I entail utility wood.
For the record, I was hoping for Hybrid McHybrid. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
CALLAWAY APEX UW QUICK HITS
For the time being, let’s throw any conventional reasoning around what constitutes a fairway wood or hybrid out the window. Frankly, it’s perhaps the most nebulous equipment category anyhow.
Instead, let’s think about the objective of higher-lofted fairway lumbers and hybrids from a better-player perspective.
Step 1. Got something with more forgiveness than a 2-iron or 3-iron. Step 2. Determine your preferred trajectory/ rotate characteristics. Stair 3. Assess the opportunity cost for each option and adjust as needed.
Callaway believes that a segment of golfers could benefit from a quasi-fairway wood that launches higher than the Apex hybrid but with a more neutral( read: less draw-bias) CG( centre of gravity) location than its Epic Speed 5-wood.
The Apex UW is also 1.25 ” shorter than the Epic Speed 5-wood, which theoretically translates to a bit more control.
According to Callaway’s player testing, the Apex UW provides comparable carry distance to an Apex Hybrid. However, the Apex UW has a greater peak height and sharper descent slant. The net answer is 17% greater accuracy as compared to the Callaway Apex Pro hybrid.
So, what exactly is the Apex UW? Full disclosure- I haven’t hit or even maintained it yet. But, the best I can tell is that it’s a smallish fairway wood, with a shorter-than-typical shaft and neutral weighting.
APEX UW- NARROW AND WIDE
Callaway touts the versatility of the Apex UW as its hallmark feature. However, I’m not wild about the whole versatile descriptor. The word is tossed around more than chopped salad, but it doesn’t tell the consumer much of anything.
Most often, if a fraternity isn’t versatile, producers highlight some area of indicated extraordinary performance. If no such single excellence exists, then the fraternity is versatile. And round and round “theres going”. Anyway, let’s move on. The Callaway Apex UW is engineered around several explicit criteria. As such, it won’t be for all( or even most) golfers. Nonetheless, Callaway believes that, for the right player, the Apex UW is more versatile than lower-launching hybrids and draw-biased fairway woods.
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As with the Callaway Epic Super Hybrid, the Apex UW use Callaway’s newest velocity blade structure. In this version, the two blades connecting the sole and crown are spread out and more angled toward the center of the face. The purpose is to move the blades away from the most flexible part of the face. The blades serve to increase structural stiffness while also promoting face flexibility.
As expected, Callaway uses an AI-designed Flash Face SS2 1. Part of the AI( artificial intelligence) tale is a unique face iteration for each of the 3 available lofts( 17 deg, 19 deg, and 21 deg ). Additionally, the Apex UW face is forged from a high-strength C300 maraging steel.
Also, Callaway outlooks an average of 18 grams of “MIM’d”( metal injection molded) tungsten to support a neutral CG location. For analogy, Callaway’s Epic Super Hybrid exploits roughly 4X( 90 grams) this amount.
Record LESSON
Once upon a time, the first hybrids( aka Rescue fraternities) benefitted principally golfers that struggled to consistently made long irons. This faction, for reasons we can get into later, exhibits shaking shortcomings that most often produce shots that finish too far right of the specific objectives( i.e ., slice metropolitan, babe ).
Equipment producers poured additional resources into the rescue/ hybrid category, and middle of the bell curve golfers bought more equipment. You check where this is going. The opportunity costs was the absence of similar products for more skilled players.
Flash forward to 2021 and the pendulum continues to swing back in the other direction. The muscle-back 2-iron is effectively dead. As indication, consider that Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, and Bubba Watson added 7-woods to the bag this year. The takeaway is two-fold. First, a performance benefit exists for even the most elite players on countries around the world. Secondly, this might be a space where we see other manufacturers offer additional creative answers. But, it wouldn’t be the first time. Case in level- Rickie Fowler’s 2016 Cobra Baffler F6 5-wood was constructed specifically with the second shot into Augusta’s Par 5, 15 th loophole in mind.
We know fall liberates for Callaway are prime time to throw several more proverbial noodles at the wall and see if anything protrudes. Perhaps more accurately, it’s an opportunity for one of golf’s largest brands responding to the needs of a smaller market segment.
There’s also an important historical context be taken into consideration. Primarily on the PGA Tour, this is ground under mend. And by this, I intend whatever we’re calling the space between approximately a 3-wood and 4-iron.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Personally, colouring me plotted. My simply pause is that, without an adjustable hosel, it might be tricky to get the gapping exactly correct. However, I’d like to think that the golfer best served by such a golf-club would also take some time to be properly fit.
But, let’s all pause for a moment and at least acknowledge that in this instance, Callaway isn’t talking ludicrous ball hastens and distance, distance, interval! But rather, shorter rods, downrange accuracy, and steeper property slants for better distance command. So, just what in the name of Old Tom Morris is going on here?
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Available lofts: 17 deg( RH ), 19 deg( RH/ LH ), 21 deg( RH)
Retail availability: 10/14
Pricing: $299.99
Stock shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX Black
For more information, inspect callawaygolf.com .
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