Callaway X Forged CB and Apex MB

If you follow The Green Fee on Social Media (you should) you have seen some pictures of the new Callaway lineup. Callaway did make it official and announced the new Apex MB and the X Forged CB

X Forged CB

The X forged irons in Callaway’s lineup has always been legendary. Its a cult classic that people flock to. It all started with the X- Tour forged back before I even started playing golf in 2005. This was Callaway’s first forged iron and to this day have legendary status. My personal favorites were the 2013 set. (P.S. if someone has a set laying around ill take them off your hands.). Its been a few years but we finally got news that the next iteration is here.

The most notable piece of technology on the club is the changeable weight on the back. Whats the purpose of the weight? The weight helps Callaway really dial in swingweight. Without the weight in the back of the club the way most clubs get weight added to them is through the hosel. Well that moves the CG (sweet spot) more towards the heel. All that does is promote an s-hank. Now one thing Callaway has made fairly obvious is that this is not something you the customer will be switching out or adjusting. This is all for the factory. I wouldnt be surprised to see someone somewhere offer an aftermarket solution. The badge isnt the only place we are seeing weight added and changed to really dial in that CG. The Mim Material is injected into the toe of the club. Callaway is able to inject the the material into each head individually so the CG will be in the exact spot they want it. This combined with the removable badge should get players the most consistent club possible.

Now a lot of players irons have moved to a hollow body to help achieve huge distance numbers. Callaway made these hollow body but dont expect to see the massive distance pick ups with these that you saw some people pick up with the P790. Im not sure why you go hollow body if you dont promote it as a distance gaining feature. Callaway is calling their new face design Tour Tuned and what that does is increase ball speeds out of the middle a tiny bit but on mishits give a few extra yards. Tour Players have very specific distance gaps and if they hit it too far there is a huge problem. Clubs designed for the tour dont need to go an extra 10 yards.

The X Forged CB is a wonderful looking addition to the X Forged family tree. It keeps the classic X Forged look. It looks like a players club with a little bit of help. They have the look but can they keep up with the performance of the X forged lineup

Apex MB

As you can tell Callaway figured out adjustable badge weights and decided to put it in all of their “players” irons. The MB weight isnt as nearly as large as the badge on the X Forged but its still there. Everything about these new irons scream Tour Play. These arent for mere mortals like most of us. The weight allows every gram on the club to be accounted for. Things as simple as a grip change or a couple of extra wraps of tape can move the swing weight and for the people who are the most sensitive to these changes one swingweight point can be the difference between a missed cut or playing on the weekend. The weight port allows these small changes to be made without the need for a complete rebuild. Callaway has also redone all of their grooves to give the better players the spin consistency they like and demand.

As if the look of the club didnt tell us, Callaway has also made it obvious these arent for us losers. These dont have a “stock” offering. They will only be custom order.

Final Thoughts

I personally get VERY excited when I see an X Forged offering. They are usually among my favorite irons. When I got in the industry I wanted a set so bad but ended up with my Srixons (which I love). I wouldnt hesitate to switch them out with these new Callaway irons in a heartbeat though.