50 Words or Less
The Callaway Apex Ai300 irons are the most forgiving Apex irons yet. Thicker than the Ai200, they launch the ball easily. Elite ball speed and distance, as expected from the Apex family.
Introduction
Callaway’s Apex irons were some of the first in the players distance category. Since then, Apex has expanded to include true players irons and clubs that bridge the gap between players and game improvement. The new Callaway Apex Ai300 irons is the line’s first true game improvement offering. In this review, I’ll discuss whether Callaway was able to maintain the Apex’s appeal while adding more forgiveness.
Looks
At address, the Callaway Apex Ai300 irons take the Ai200 irons [review HERE] and moves them one step toward game improvement. The top line is a little thicker, and there’s a bit more offset. Side by side, I think there’s a noticeable difference between the two, but they are not worlds apart. Overall, these are a bit too big to be called players irons, but they’re good looking game improvement irons.
In the bag, the look of the Ai300 is as similar to the Ai200 as the names suggest. There’s moderate branding spread across the back of the iron, most notably “Apex” on the black weight near the sole. What sets the Callaway Apex Ai300 irons apart is the defined cavity above the thicker sole.
Sound & Feel
Callaway notes that there is a construction difference between the Ai300 and Ai200 irons. The former is “Forged Cavity Back/Forged Face,” the latter is “Forged Hollow-Body/Forged Face.” This difference does not show up in the sound or feel; I found them indistinguishable.
On center, the Urethane Microspheres behind the face provide a soft impact feel. A premium ball produces a hearty “click” on well-struck shots.
The larger size of the Callaway Apex Ai300 irons does not do much to dampen the feedback. I was able to sense the impact location through my hands with good precision. There’s no punishing sting on mishits, but the sound does become a bit thinner on poor strikes.
Performance
As I noted earlier, the Callaway Apex Ai300 irons are the first game improvement iron in the Apex family. They’re rated by Callaway as being the most forgiving Apex and, alongside the Ai200 and Apex Ti Fusion, the longest. This combination is fueled by Ai Smart Face and MIM (Metal Injection Molding) Weight System.
In my testing of the Ai300 and Ai200, I saw that both irons possess elite ball speed. On center, my smash factor was well over 1.4, and almost all my mishits stayed above that threshold thanks to the aforementioned face technology.
The Apex Ai300 irons are one degree stronger throughout the set, but the thicker sole causes them to launch a bit higher than the Ai200. They also spun less for me. Both differences were clearly measurable on the launch monitor, but I’m not certain they would have been visible to the naked eye. Overall, I found the Ai300 to have slightly longer carry distances than the Ai200, but the Ai200 produced steeper landing angles.
Per Callaway, the Ai300 gets five stars for forgiveness and and two stars for workability. The Ai200 gets four stars for forgiveness and three for workability. While I would agree that the Ai300 is more forgiving – particularly on thin strikes – I don’t think it’s a 20% difference. Likewise, I don’t think the Ai200 is 20% more workable – both irons can be flighted up or down with a little effort.
To close, what impressed me most about the Callaway Apex Ai300 irons is the consistency. While it’s not as sexy as “5 more yards!” improved consistency has been the real improvements in game improvement and distance irons in the last couple years. The face technology keeps the speed and spin even so you don’t see a big loss of distance on misses or big jumps when you strike one absolutely perfectly.
Conclusion
If you’ve lusted after Callaway’s Apex irons but never felt you were a good enough ball striker, the Apex Ai300 irons were made for you. These irons have ample heft in the sole to help your thin strikes, and the face technology to provide distance and consistency throughout your round.
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Callaway Apex Ai300 Irons Price & Specs
Editor In Chief at Plugged In Golf
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.