Equipment

An inside look at Callaway Apex UW on tour

Published

2 years ago

Nov 23, 2021

Highlighted by Phil Mickelson’s early adoption, the Callaway Apex UW is having a bit of a moment in professional golf.

The fusion of elements of both hybrid and fairway wood and the absence of traditional drawbacks make it an intriguing option at the professional level and a club that better players are gravitating toward (including our Brian Knudson, who reviewed it on his Club Junkie podcast).

Related: New Callaway Apex UW utility wood

We spoke with Callaway’s PGA Tour manager Jacob Davidson about the rise of Apex UW on tour.

GolfWRX: We know the tech story of the UW. But from your perspective, where does the club succeed? How is both “utility” and “wood”?

Jacob Davidson: The great thing about Apex UW’s success is that Callaway has been leading the industry in this space, and it’s almost as if we’re creating a new category. With the increase in speed for a lot of these players, we want to make sure that fitting for a 5-wood or hybrid type of club is a focus for our players, when maybe they wouldn’t think about it as much in the past.

Using analytics, we really understood how important having a club that could work well as an option for high-speed guys and for players who maybe wanted something that provided a balance between a hybrid and a 5-wood, something that is versatile and that they can work both ways. It’s really filled a need in a lot of players’ bags and the reason that it’s been successful is that once we’ve explained it to them, and they’ve had the ability to test it, they quickly realized that maybe there was a hole that they didn’t even realize.

GolfWRX: What is it that appeals to tour pros, though? Why is this club working for them?

JD: It obviously allows for a fairway wood shaft which gives you a lot more options for tour guys, where they’re getting a shaft that they’re familiar with in their driver or 3-woods or even 5-woods. The ability to have a 2-hybrid, a 3-hybrid, or filling the gap of a 5-wood with a spin robustness that’s easier to a control, a flight that’s much better, and a sole design with forgiveness with the long heel-to-toe really allows guys to avoid that left miss that might peel off on them, especially off the tee.

GolfWRX: Who on Tour has put the UW in play?

JD: It’s been a popular choice already with our staff pros for guys like Marc Leishman, Phil Mickelson was the first to put it in play, Kevin Kisner, Wesley Bryan, and Adam Hadwin, among others. We’ve seen some strong conversions as well on the LPGA, Champions, and European Tours.

What’s especially stood out over the past few weeks is that more and more players who aren’t on Callaway’s staff are coming onto our tour truck and asking us to build UWs — more than we’ve seen for a club like this in a long time. There’s a lot of buzz, and we know we have a great product when guys who aren’t on our staff are asking for a club like this as much as they are.

GolfWRX: Can you share any stories about players testing and putting the UW in play?

JD: One thing we’ve really noticed initially is how happy players are after they try it — since it is a new category, and they didn’t know what to expect with how it would perform. Once they hit it, they usually love it. A few guys have delayed testing it because they were comfortable with their setup until they see other players hit it on the golf course, then they’re coming and asking for it.

Specifically, Tyler McCumber and Sam Burns weren’t early adopters for Apex UW, but they were coming to us because they saw other pros play with it in competition and they said, “Wow, that’s really good.”

GolfWRX: Sam Burns recently put a UW in play. A younger, higher-speed guy…what worked for him?

JD: He’s been playing an older Apex Hybrid, he’s liked it, he’s been playing well all year, and he’s probably the hottest golfer in the world so he’s very hesitant to make a change in his bag. However, we sent some to his house, where he did some initial testing. Then last week in Houston we really had a chance to work with him.

What he really liked about it is how aggressive the flight is without the ball spinning high up into the air. It launches quite a bit higher than his hybrid and spins less at a higher apex. For a guy like Sam who likes to work the ball slightly left or right, he couldn’t believe how neutral it was whether he was trying to take a little off a cut into a par 5, or flight it lower off the tee with a little bit of a draw. It gives him more versatility than his old hybrid.

GolfWRX: Why should better amateurs, who haven’t taken to hybrids in the past, give the UW a shot?

JD: Overall, this is the next thing for what a players hybrid can be. It gives you the benefits of hitting a reliable club into longer par 3s or second shots into par 5s where they can hold the green, particularly on firmer, faster conditions. This club gives them the height to do that without overspinning it when they get into conditions where they are slightly into the wind or they slightly mishit it. That ball is not going to spin into the upper 5,000 RPMS and come up 15-20 yards short. This club is a lot more forgiving in that aspect.

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Whats in the Bag

Kris Kim WITB 2024 (May)

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX

Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125

Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.

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Equipment

Welcome to the family: TaylorMade launches PUDI and PDHY utility irons

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.

TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.

TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.

Can you see where this is going?

Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”

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TaylorMade PUDI

TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)

Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.

In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.

TaylorMade PDHY

TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).

Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.

Club Junkie’s take

Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.

For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.

PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?

TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:

PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family

Pricing, specs, and availability

Price: $249.99

At retail: Now

Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)

Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)

PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed

PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

Gianni Magliocco

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter

From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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