Callaway Apex 21 Iron Set Review

I’ll never forget the first time I hit a set of Apex irons. It was a set of Callaway Apex 16 – just purchased by my good buddy that couldn’t say enough good things about them. The older Apex model had a very similar construction as the Callaway Apex 21 iron set, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. To make a long story story, I absolutely fell in love with the performance and feel of the Apex iron set, and have truly enjoyed hitting all of the Apex clubs ever since.

If money is no problem, then the Callaway Apex 21 irons are a great set that packs plenty of distance and forgiveness in a decently compact setup. If you are tight on cash, you should 100% consider going a better value route (check out the last section of this review).

Let’s jump right in, shall we?

Appearance & Performance

Appearance: No lie – these are the most aesthetically pleasing irons to me. They aren’t too oversized like a game improvement iron, but they aren’t too thin like a blade. Just the perfect balance of little offset (which takes away from the appearance at address) and a thin-ish topline. It’s a great entry into a players iron without losing a butt-load of forgiveness.

Performance: Performance-wise, it wouldn’t be right for me to lie to you about how the Apex 21 irons will work in your hands. We are all different, so my personal results won’t help you much. As a result, I strongly recommend that you schedule a fitting with a club fitter. They will be able to fit you with the best head and shaft combination to help your game. You may think that the Apex 21 head is the one that is best for you. However, the Apex DCB head may easily outperform it due to its extra forgiveness.

In general, the Callaway Apex 21 irons will be one of the longest players irons of 2021. It’s strongly lofted, which definitely helps the distance aspect. I was averaging about 5 yards further than my weaker-lofted Mizuno JPX 825 Pro irons with the Apex 21 irons, which is pretty substantial. But keep in mind that the hitting a 7 iron of this set compared to a 6 iron of another set will lead to a similar result. The number on the bottom of the club face has no value at all, except the small mental aspect that comes with hitting a “shorter” iron into a green.

Feel/Sound: I really love the feel, sound, and overall performance of a forged iron set like this one. The forging process leads to a muted feel and sound at impact that is just hard to replicate with a cast iron. But more importantly, in my opinion, the forging process leads to a more consistent club face with no air bubbles that could lead to “jumpers” that fly far longer than your average shot. That may sound fun to hit a 7 iron 15 yards past your normal yardage, but I promise you it’s not the case on the course when you are having a solid round.

Compared to Previous Apex Models: There are hardly any changes since the previous models of the Apex (16 and 19 models). In fact, I truly thought I was looking at the exact same construction when I first saw pictures released. I can assure you that the changes of the Apex 21 over the Apex 19 and 16 models are NOT worth the price increase. If you want a brand new set of irons that will last you for years, then go with the Apex 21 irons. But if you are looking to save a few bucks, it just makes way too much sense to pick up a slightly used set of Apex 19 or Apex 16 irons. This is an honest review, after all.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Potentially the longest players iron on the market (for the time being)
A great combination of distance, distance control, feel, and forgiveness
The perfect entry into a players iron without sacrificing forgiveness on your mishits
Maybe a small improvement in the club face to increase ball speeds across the entire face (very, very small improvement if anything over the previous Apex irons)

Cons:

Many better golfers may want a more traditional players iron with even smaller toplines and even less offset
With the strong lofts, you may have a add another wedge to fill the loft gap
Pretty pricey at $1,300
No clear improvement over previous Apex 16 and 19 models to warrant a huge purchase like this

Who The Callaway Apex 21 Irons Are Best For

Who should buy the Callaway Apex 21 irons? High-budget golfers that want a super long iron with great feel and great looks. “High budget” because those with tight budgets need to go with a slightly older model to save money. “Super long” because, let’s be real. We all love hitting it longer, no matter how we do it. “Great feel” due to a 100% forged club head. “Great looks” due to the relatively compact club head at address.

Like I said earlier, this is a great entry players iron set without giving up distance and forgiveness. You can keep the distance and forgiveness of your game improvement irons and add forged feel, better distance control, and great looks at address.

Callaway Apex 21 vs Apex Pro 21 vs Apex DCB 21 Comparison

Let’s compare the three models, shall we? Compared to the other two, the Callaway Apex 21 iron set…

is more forgiving than the Apex Pro 21, but less forgiving than the DCB
has more offset than the Apex Pro 21, but less offset than the DCB
has a thicker topline than the Apex Pro 21, but a thinner topline than the DCB
has a thicker sole than the Apex Pro 21, but a thinner sole than the DCB
is longer and higher launching than than the pro, but similar distance and trajectory to the DCB
is stronger lofted than the Apex Pro 21 (by around 2.5° per club) but weaker lofted than the DCB (by around 0.5°)
is recommended for mid handicaps, while the Pro is meant for lower handicaps, and the DCB is meant for higher handicap. But, don’t take that as the truth. I often recommend irons like this for mid to high handicaps, as higher handicaps can improve their game faster by using a set like the Apex 21.

PLEASE keep in mind that while these are all generally true, you may still perform better with a different club head than you think. If you can, get fitted professionally.

Better Value Option To Save Money

If you want to get closer to $350 or so, then consider a set of Callaway Apex CF16 irons in slightly used condition. You can pick up a set with PLENTY of life left in this price range.

Considering that they look and perform practically the exact same, it seems like an absolute no-brainer to me. If you are willing to spend a little more, then just get a used set is better condition. If you want to spend as little as possible, just keep in mind that the quality of the club faces is going to drop if you keep dropping the price too much.

Here’s a good way to look at it though. You can buy 4 good sets of used Callaway Apex CF16 irons for the price of a brand new set of Callaway Apex 21 irons. Makes ya think, huh?

Thanks so much for reading my honest review of the Callaway Apex 2021 irons.

1 Comment

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February 24, 2021 at 4:56 am · Reply

Your review seems to be spot on! However the 2021 are supposed to be good on lower on the face and mis-hits. Any thoughts are appreciated. Additionally, we all know that things, service, food, wine, travel….to get 10% better of anything, we end up having to pay 50% higher or more. Are the 2021’s better than the previous gen’s even if it does not justify the price.