I ordered Apex Pro irons the first day I could. I couldn’t wait to get them. The day they came in, I opened the box, drooled and looked outside. There was a glimmer of daylight, so off I went to play a few holes. These go shorter, I thought. Nah. It must be cold (it was). It must be me. 2 days later, I tried again. They definitely go shorter. Still chilly, light rain this time too – still must be me. The next day it was warmer. I played 9 holes. Same thing. I took them out of my bag – deflated and dejected. What do I do?? The next day, we had a fitting event, so I brought them with me. I hit them on the GC Quad. The clubhead speed was the same. Ball speed was a little slower than my Apex, but I’d expect that since these are more lofted (3* weaker) than my Apex set. I glanced at the rest. Spin looked high, but there were some good spin numbers in there too. That’s the range ball, I told myself. A 7 iron that carries 150 with 85 mph club head speed and 115 ball speed HAS to go farther than that. On course, the ball was never past it’s ball mark, and I was able to spin back a 6 iron. That’s not good. So, I put them back in the box and resigned myself to this is a winter project.

Last week, I asked reps from all over the country if they had any distance issues with the New Apex Pro. All said yes. I had the opportunity to sit down and have breakfast with the head of R & D on the iron design team. So, I asked him about it. His first question was is everything else the same. I said “Almost. Same shaft family but lighter.” He said “how is the spin? These will spin more.” I said it seemed higher, but it was range balls, blah, blah, blah. He asked what ball I was playing. I told him Chrome Soft X. He said “Try a softer ball with less spin.” “Like Chrome Soft?” “Exactly.” “Really?” Laugh. “Yes, really. This iron will spin more, so you need a ball that spins less, the heads are not hollow so the ball doesn’t compress as much. You have more loft so you don’t need the extra spin to get it in the air. Try a softer ball with less spin.” 

I got home and tried it. The results were eye opening. With Chrome Soft, my distances were the same as my old Apex set. They don’t roll out. Trajectory is the same. By eye opening, I mean EYE OPENING. The Apex Pro 7 iron with Chrome Soft X was a 145 carry – 150 if I stepped on it. A normal 7 iron for me in Apex is 165. 15 yards, Yeags? Yes, 15 yards. The spin is over 1000 RPM lower. The ball speed is up because it compresses a little better for me. A side benefit? The ball doesn’t curve as much either. 

There is a lesson here. As you fit a player don’t assume that everything is the same, so these will be better. The head is different. That will interact with the ball differently. You might have to check the golf ball. You may get even better results with a different ball. I did. This is an exercise worth doing. Not just for you, but for your members. And, especially for your members when they buy new equipment.

I hope this helps!! Happy fitting, happy retaining, and happy selling.