Callaway · Iron set · 2021 · Previous model
Callaway Apex DCB irons
Game improvement, 3.5 of 5 for forgiveness
Callaway's forged game improvement iron of 2021, the most forgiving Apex it had made: a deep cavity back with up to 50 grams of tungsten in the long and mid irons, a sole Callaway calls wide, 3.8 mm of offset and a 30° 7-iron. Callaway no longer sells the Apex DCB new, and the Apex Ai300 replaced it.
3.5 of 5 forgiveness score
$417.99 used at 2nd Swing Golf
In average condition or better: from $529.99
New instead: Callaway Apex Ai300, $1,260 at Golf Discount, 7 irons (4-PW), checked 2 Nov
Choose it if
- You make decent contact and want help on the misses from a slimmer head.
- You catch the ground before the ball: the sole is wide, so it skids instead of digging.
- You want a higher flight: the 30° 7-iron is weaker than most.
- You play left-handed: it was made left-handed.
Choose something else if
- You miss the middle a lot: Callaway Quantum Max OS, more help, 4.5 of 5.
- Class
- Game improvement
- 7-iron loft
- 30°Every club's loft, lie and length
- Offset (7-iron)
- 3.8 mm
- Sole
- Wide
- Hands
- Left or right
- Used
- From $417.99 at 2nd Swing Golf, checked 31 Oct
What changed in the Apex Ai300
The Apex Ai300 is a degree stronger from the 5-iron to the AW: a 29° 7-iron against 30°, a 42° pitching wedge against 43°. Its 4- to 8-irons are an eighth to three eighths of an inch longer (37.25 in at the 7-iron against 37 in), and the 9-iron and wedges match. The offset is about the same through the irons (4.0 mm at the 7-iron against 3.8 mm) and smaller in the wedges. Callaway's chart called the DCB's sole wide; for the Ai300 it names a Dynamic Sole Design and gives no width, and it moves the face to its Ai Smart Face.
Callaway's page for the Apex DCB is gone, so a used set is the way to buy one; Callaway Pre-Owned and 2nd Swing both list them. Choose the DCB for a degree more loft and a sole Callaway calls wide, which earns it half a point more here, for much less money; choose the Ai300 for a new set built to your lie, shaft and flex.
| Detail | Apex DCB (previous) | Apex Ai300 (current) |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Game improvement | Game improvement |
| Forgiveness score | 3.5 of 5 | 3.0 of 5 |
| 7-iron loft | 30° | 29° |
| Offset at the 7-iron | 3.8 mm | 4.0 mm |
| Sole | Wide | Dynamic Sole Design |
| Stock flexes | Not published | Senior to stiff |
| Hands | Left or right | Left or right |
| Price new | No longer sold new | $1,260 at Golf Discount, 7 irons (4-PW), checked 2 Nov |
| Price used | From $417.99 at 2nd Swing Golf (6 clubs (6-PW, AW), steel, stiff flex, below average condition), checked 31 Oct | From $606.99 at 2nd Swing Golf (5 clubs (7-PW, AW), steel, regular flex, average condition), checked 3 Nov |
Loft, lie and length, club by club
| Club | Loft | Lie | Length | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-iron | 20° | 60.5° | 38.75 in | 5.08 mm |
| 5-iron | 23° | 61.25° | 38.125 in | 4.57 mm |
| 6-iron | 26° | 62° | 37.5 in | 4.06 mm |
| 7-iron | 30° | 62.5° | 37 in | 3.81 mm |
| 8-iron | 34° | 63° | 36.5 in | 3.56 mm |
| 9-iron | 38° | 63.5° | 36 in | 3.3 mm |
| PW | 43° | 64° | 35.75 in | 3.05 mm |
| AW | 48° | 64° | 35.5 in | 2.79 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. Between a game improvement and a super game improvement head, this is how to tell which one your strike needs.
Apex DCB: the questions buyers ask
- Is the Callaway Apex DCB forgiving?
- Moderately. It is Callaway's game improvement iron, with 3.8 mm of offset at the 7-iron, a wide sole and a 30° 7-iron. It scores 3.5 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 DCB for?
- It suits golfers who make decent contact and want help on the misses with a slimmer head. Callaway aims it at a handicap of 10+.
- Is the Apex DCB sold left-handed?
- Yes: Callaway made it left- and right-handed.
- What are the Apex DCB lofts?
- 4-iron 20°, 5-iron 23°, 6-iron 26°, 7-iron 30°, 8-iron 34°, 9-iron 38°, PW 43°, AW 48°, as Callaway published them. The full table with lie, length and offset is above.
- Which clubs come in an Apex DCB set?
- The 4-iron to PW and an AW, right- or left-handed.
- How much does the Apex DCB cost?
- Callaway no longer sells it new. Used from $417.99 at 2nd Swing Golf, checked 31 Oct. In average condition or better, from $529.99. Prices change; the seller's page has today's.
How the 3.5 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 | 3 | Game improvement: a forgiving head, slimmer than super game improvement. |
| Offset | +0 | 3.8 mm at the 7-iron, below our 4.5 mm mark. |
| Sole | +0.5 | Callaway calls the sole wide ("Wide"). |
| Forgiveness score | 3.5 | 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 DCB |
| Model year | 2021 |
| Type | Iron set |
| Class | Game improvement |
| Handicap range the maker states | 10+ |
| Offset | 3.8 mm at the 7-iron (5.1 mm in the 4-iron down to 3.1 mm in the PW and 2.8 mm in the AW) |
| Sole | Wide (Callaway comparison chart) |
| Moment of inertia (MOI) | – |
| Face technology | A.I.-designed Flash Face Cup in the 4- to 9-irons; Tungsten Energy Core, up to 50 grams of tungsten per iron in the long and mid irons; urethane microspheres |
| Construction | A forged carbon steel body with a deep cavity back, a face cup designed by artificial intelligence in the 4- to 9-irons, up to 50 grams of tungsten in the long and mid irons to lower the centre of gravity, and urethane microspheres behind the face for sound and feel. |
| Set makeup | The 4-iron to PW and an AW, right- or left-handed. |
| Clubs in the set | – |
| Stock steel shafts | True Temper Elevate ETS 85 |
| Stock graphite shafts | UST Recoil DART 65 |
| Stock flexes | – |
| 7-iron loft | 30° |
| 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 game improvement irons
No matching clubs. Clear the search or loosen the filters.
| Sole | Hand | Where to buy | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | Game improvement | 29° | 5.0 mm | Slightly wider | A · R · S | RH · LH | $599.99 at Tour Edge 7 irons · checked 2 Nov | ||
| 3.5 | Game improvement | 29° | not published | Wider | L · A · R · S | RH · LH | $559.99 at Tour Edge 7 irons · checked 2 Nov | ||
| 3.5 | Game improvement | 29° | 4.6 mm | not published | A · R · S · X | RH · LH | $999 at Golf Discount 7 irons (4-PW) · checked 2 Nov | ||
| 3.5 | Game improvement | 31° | 4.3 mm | Wider | L · A · R · S | RH · LH | $1,099.99 at TaylorMade 7 irons · checked 2 Nov | ||
| 3.5 | Game improvement | 29.5° | 4.6 mm | not published | PING's own lightweight flexes: Ultra Lite or Lite | RH · LH | $1,299.99 at PGA TOUR Superstore 7 irons (6-9, PW, UW, SW) · checked 2 Nov | ||
| 3.5 | Game improvement | 29.5° | 3.3 mm | Wider: 0.90 inches | R · S · X | RH · LH | $699 at Haywood 7 irons · checked 2 Nov | ||
| 3.5 | Game improvement | 28° | 4.8 mm | 22.9 mm at the 7-iron | R · S | RH · LH | $962.50 at Mizuno 7 irons · checked 2 Nov | ||
| 3.5 | Game improvement | 29° | 4.6 mm | not published | not published | RH · LH | $1,099 at Golf Discount 7 irons at $157 each · 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
- Callaway's specifications, archived copy of 4 Mar 2021
- Callaway's specifications, archived copy of 18 Dec 2022
- Callaway's page on availability, archived copy of 15 Jun 2026
- GolfWRX's page on availability (checked 16 Oct)
- 2nd Swing Golf's used listings (checked 31 Oct)
- Pre-owned: seen at 2nd Swing Golf from $417.99 (checked 31 Oct)