Callaway · Iron set · 2021 · Previous model
Callaway Apex 21 irons
Players distance, 2.0 of 5 for forgiveness
Callaway's players distance iron of 2021, for handicaps of 5 to 15 on Callaway's chart: a forged body with a face cup designed by AI, five times the Apex 19's tungsten to set the launch, 3.1 mm of offset at the 7-iron and a 30.5° 7-iron. Callaway's chart put it between the Apex Pro 21 and the more forgiving Apex DCB 21. Callaway no longer sells the Apex 21 new, and the Apex Ai200 is the current model in its line.
2.0 of 5 forgiveness score
$418.99 used at 2nd Swing Golf
In average condition or better: from $446.99
New instead: Callaway Apex Ai200, $1,449 at Golf Discount, 7 irons (4-PW), checked 2 Nov
Choose it if
- You strike it well and want distance with a little help.
- You want a higher flight: the 30.5° 7-iron is weaker than most.
- You play left-handed: it was made left-handed.
Choose something else if
- For more help on a mishit, the Apex DCB 21 was Callaway's game improvement Apex of the same year, with a sole Callaway calls wide and 3.8 mm of offset.
- Class
- Players distance
- 7-iron loft
- 30.5°Every club's loft, lie and length
- Offset (7-iron)
- 3.1 mm
- Sole
- Moderate
- Hands
- Left or right
- Used
- From $418.99 at 2nd Swing Golf, checked 31 Oct
What changed in the Apex Ai200
Both are Callaway's players distance Apex of their year. The Apex Ai200 is half a degree stronger from the 5-iron to the 9-iron (a 30° 7-iron against 30.5°), with the same 4-iron, pitching wedge and AW lofts and the same lengths. The offset at the 7-iron is the same to a tenth of a millimetre (3.1 mm), but the Apex 21 has more in the long irons (4.6 mm in the 4-iron against 3.8 mm) and in the wedges (2.5 mm in the PW against 2.0 mm), and it came with a 3-iron. Callaway builds the Ai200 as a forged hollow body with its Ai Smart Face and rates its forgiveness Mid-High; for the Apex 21 its chart named a standard offset and a moderate sole.
A used Apex 21 costs much less than a new Apex Ai200, and the two score the same here. Choose the Apex 21 for nearly the same lofts for much less, if a used set comes in your hand and flex; choose the Apex Ai200 for a new set built to your lie, shaft and flex.
| Detail | Apex 21 (previous) | Apex Ai200 (current) |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Players distance | Players distance |
| Forgiveness score | 2.0 of 5 | 2.0 of 5 |
| 7-iron loft | 30.5° | 30° |
| Offset at the 7-iron | 3.1 mm | 3.1 mm |
| Sole | Moderate | Dynamic Sole Design |
| Stock flexes | Not published | Senior to stiff |
| Hands | Left or right | Left or right |
| Price new | No longer sold new | $1,449 at Golf Discount, 7 irons (4-PW), checked 2 Nov |
| Price used | From $418.99 at 2nd Swing Golf (7 clubs (5-GW), steel, stiff flex, below average condition), checked 31 Oct | From $495.99 at 2nd Swing Golf (6 clubs (6-PW, AW), graphite, regular flex, poor condition), checked 3 Nov |
Loft, lie and length, club by club
| Club | Loft | Lie | Length | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-iron | 19° | 60° | 39 in | 5.08 mm |
| 4-iron | 21° | 60.5° | 38.5 in | 4.57 mm |
| 5-iron | 23.5° | 61° | 38 in | 4.06 mm |
| 6-iron | 26.5° | 61.5° | 37.5 in | 3.56 mm |
| 7-iron | 30.5° | 62° | 37 in | 3.05 mm |
| 8-iron | 34.5° | 62.5° | 36.5 in | 2.79 mm |
| 9-iron | 38.5° | 63° | 36 in | 2.67 mm |
| PW | 43° | 63.5° | 35.75 in | 2.54 mm |
| AW | 48° | 63.5° | 35.5 in | 2.41 mm |
Build a whole bag around it, or check the lofts in the bag you carry.
Use the iron finder to compare sets for your usual miss, and check the set makeup and loft gaps before ordering.
Apex 21: the questions buyers ask
- Is the Callaway Apex 21 forgiving?
- Less than most here. It is Callaway's players distance iron, with 3.1 mm of offset at the 7-iron and a 30.5° 7-iron. It scores 2.0 of 5 on our reading of what Callaway publishes about it; the most forgiving iron sets we cover score 5.0.
- Who is the Apex 21 for?
- It suits good strikers who want distance and a little help. Callaway aims it at a handicap of 5 to 15.
- Is the Apex 21 sold left-handed?
- Yes: Callaway made it left- and right-handed.
- What are the Apex 21 lofts?
- 3-iron 19°, 4-iron 21°, 5-iron 23.5°, 6-iron 26.5°, 7-iron 30.5°, 8-iron 34.5°, 9-iron 38.5°, PW 43°, AW 48°, as Callaway published them. The full table with lie, length and offset is above.
- Which clubs come in an Apex 21 set?
- The 3-iron to PW and an AW, right- or left-handed; Callaway priced its launch set as seven irons.
- How much does the Apex 21 cost?
- Callaway no longer sells it new. Used from $418.99 at 2nd Swing Golf, checked 31 Oct. In average condition or better, from $446.99. Prices change; the seller's page has today's.
How the 2.0 adds up
The forgiveness score is our reading of what Callaway publishes about the head, from 1 to 5. It is not a test result. How every score works.
| Part | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Head class | 2 | Players distance: a compact head that forgives a little. |
| Offset | +0 | 3.1 mm at the 7-iron, below our 4.5 mm mark. |
| Sole | +0 | Callaway describes the sole ("Moderate") but not as wide. |
| Forgiveness score | 2.0 | of 5 |
The score rates the head only. Hand, flex and price decide which version you buy, not how forgiving it is. Callaway does not publish its flexes.
Specification sheet
| Maker | Callaway |
|---|---|
| Model | Apex 21 |
| Model year | 2021 |
| Type | Iron set |
| Class | Players distance |
| Handicap range the maker states | 5 to 15 |
| Offset | 3.1 mm at the 7-iron (5.1 mm in the 3-iron down to 2.5 mm in the PW and 2.4 mm in the AW) |
| Sole | Moderate (Callaway comparison chart) |
| Moment of inertia (MOI) | – |
| Face technology | A.I.-designed Flash Face Cup in the 3- to 9-irons; Tungsten Energy Core in the 3-iron to AW, five times the tungsten of the Apex 19; urethane microspheres |
| Construction | A body forged from 1025 carbon steel, a face cup designed by AI in the 3- to 9-irons for ball speed, tungsten in the 3-iron to AW (five times the Apex 19's) to place the centre of gravity for launch, and urethane microspheres behind the face for sound and feel. |
| Set makeup | The 3-iron to PW and an AW, right- or left-handed; Callaway priced its launch set as seven irons. |
| Clubs in the set | – |
| Stock steel shafts | True Temper Elevate ETS (95g weight class) |
| Stock graphite shafts | UST Recoil Dart (70g weight class) |
| Stock flexes | – |
| 7-iron loft | 30.5° |
| Hands | RH, LH |
| Men's or women's | – |
| List price when new | $1,295 (2021 model); not a price today |
| Price at Callaway | – |
| Set price | – |
Compare with other players distance irons
No matching clubs. Clear the search or loosen the filters.
| Sole | Hand | Where to buy | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TaylorMade P790 (2025) | 2.0 | Players distance | 30° | not published | not published | A · R · S · X | RH · LH | $1,199.99 at TaylorMade 7 irons · checked 2 Nov | |
| 2.0 | Players distance | 28.5° | 3.2 mm | Moderate width | A · R · S | RH · LH | $1,399.93 at Srixon 7 irons at $199.99 each · checked 2 Nov | ||
Callaway Apex Ai200 (2024) | 2.0 | Players distance | 30° | 3.1 mm | Dynamic Sole Design | A · R · S | RH · LH | $1,449 at Golf Discount 7 irons (4-PW) · checked 2 Nov | |
| 2.0 | Players distance | 29° | 2.5 mm | Narrow | A · R · S · X | RH · LH | $1,499.75 at Golf Discount 7 irons (4-PW) · checked 2 Nov | ||
| 2.0 | Players distance | 32° | 2.4 mm | not published | R · S · X | RH · LH | $589 at Takomo 7 irons (4-PW) · checked 2 Nov | ||
| 2.0 | Players distance | 31° | 2.8 mm | Thinner than the 101 MKII's | R · S · X | RH · LH | $649 at Takomo 7 irons (4-PW) · checked 2 Nov | ||
| 2.0 | Players distance | 28° | 3.2 mm | 21.9 mm at the 7-iron | R · S | RH · LH | $962.50 at Mizuno 7 irons · checked 2 Nov | ||
Wilson DYNAPWR Forged (2026) | 2.0 | Players distance | 30.5° | 2.4 mm | not published | R · S | RH · LH | $999.99 at Wilson 7 irons · checked 2 Nov |
Order: Forgiveness score first; on a tie, the set more golfers can buy, then a set that includes the long irons, then price. Use the arrows to sort. A dash means the maker does not publish it.
See all iron sets on the most forgiving irons page, or compare this club side by side. Waiting for a sale? The Black Friday golf club deals page has the price to beat on every club we price.
Sources
The specification comes from these pages; open the maker's page before buying, because prices and shaft options change. Check the exact shaft and hand at the shop before ordering.
- Callaway Pre-Owned's specifications, archived copy of 17 May 2026
- Callaway's specifications, archived copy of 4 Mar 2021
- Callaway's specifications, archived copy of 22 May 2024
- Callaway's page on availability, archived copy of 21 May 2025
- GolfWRX's Apex Ai200 specifications
- 2nd Swing Golf's used listings (checked 31 Oct)
- Pre-owned: seen at 2nd Swing Golf from $418.99 (checked 31 Oct)