these are the best clubs available to the low handicapper period. maybe mid handicappers as well. those who say the ball flies to high need to check their swing path. the proper default ball flight for a low handicapper buying forged should be a piercing draw. if you hit a floundering fade then yes you will lose distance w/ a players club. buy the fusions they are almost like cheating for the mid handicapper who cant throw darts. feel off the face is butter, workability superior. the wedges are incredible as well. I had my apex blades for 13 years i suspect ill keep these as long or longer. i tried everything in the shop off grass and mats 6 times before purchasing. these are the best forged clubs on the market today...and its not close. price is sick but you get what you pay for.

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played 2 sets of apex blades for the last 20 years.

This is a follow up from my initial review (which was based on a range session only), based on some 15 rounds.

While I'm still very happy with X Tours I would agree with other reviewers that there is a loss of distance compared to most irons. I'm hitting the X Tours almost 1 club shorter than my Titleist 690.MBs (especially in the shorter irons) but once you are aware of this it's not really a big issue.

Related to this is the high ball flight. I find the flight perfect for me in the longer irons whereas the shorter irons tend to go too high. It's not a huge issue but it does require some thought and work when playing in windy conditions. As the flight is very stable directionally the real issue for me is only when playing shots into the wind. How much of an issue this will be over time remains to be seen.

Another aspect to pay attention to is the lie angle, as these irons are generally about 1 degree flatter than most. While I initially thought that this would not be an issue I noticed that longer shots tended to slighty fade/drop off to the right (which doesn't help in the distance department either). After having them bent 1.5 degrees up I'm back to hitting them straight.

I wouldn't agree with some of the other testers that the feel off the face is dead. While clearly you don't get the great feel of a perfectly struck blade iron, nor the typical sensation of a forged iron, I find the feel quite ok on good shots. Bad shots still feel like bad shots (as they should) but sting less than with a true blade.

All in all I still find these irons to be a good package that offers better forgiveness than traditional player's irons, while still retaining some of the attributes that you normally associate with such clubs (smaller club head, no (or little) offset, raised toe etc.). As such they fit my bill but at the end of the day this will always be a matter of personal choice. I'm sure I would also be happy with MP60s, 735CMs or similar sets.

Purchased these to replace Mx20's. Dead feel off club face, and lost at least a club to the Mizunos.
Very heavy in comparison. Very disappointed. Went back to Mizunos.
Could not get over the massive loss of distance. Normally hit 8 iron 150-155, was hitting 7 iron 150 with X Tours, with balloon trajectory. Not for me.

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I bought these early this year and hit a lot of balls on the practice tee and played with them 5 or 6 times. I was expecting much more than I expereinced. In my experience, the ball came off the face nicely but with very little feed back for a forged iron. I found the trajectory to be more a balloon rather than mid. Workability is ok but not great. Overall I am not pleased with the X-tours as compared to my other irons performance price aside.

I am back to my MP30's and considering trying the Titleist 735/CM's.

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I have been playing the X-Tours for about 8 months. I am really impressed with them. I was playing Titleist 704.cb's for about 2 years or so before these, and I have to honestly say these are more forgiving and my scores have come down. I was shooting in the low 80's, and these have helped get me down to high 70's. I have shaved off about 4-5 strokes. I think this is due to better accuracy with the X-Tours. I went from being 30 feet from the pin, (or missing the green), to maybe 10-15 feet, giving me more, and better looks at birdie. I feel the perimeter weighting and soles give them good forgivness, while still maintaining a good feel. I admit, they are not pure blades, but who plays those anymore anyways? Even the PGA Tour players have gone to cavity backs for alot of them. I recommend giving them a try, and giving yourseff a few rounds to get used to them. I was undecided on them for the first 3-4 rounds. After I got a good feel for them, it has been awesome ever since. I ordered mine with the Dynamic Gold SuperLite S300's, and they play really good in those heads. For irons that feel good, have forgivness, and workability, I feel they are top notch. They are a little pricey, guess they gotta pay Phil and Annika somehow.....ha But I feel it is worth it after seeing my scores come down.

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I custom ordered mine from Callaway with DG SL's shafts and 1/4" overlength, and 1* upright. I had them in a few weeks and they looked great.

Similar Products Used:

Titleist 704.cb's, TM rac Lt2 '05's, Mizuno MP-32's, Mizuno Mp-30's

I am 6'3" and 250 lbs. I am 47. My six iron clubhead speed is 105mph. I hit a high draw with a full swing and pretty straight with a knockdown shot that goes about 10 yards less.

I tend to lose the ball with a hook or a high push when I miss it.

My current set of irons is a Maxfli Revolution Black Dot Forged Iron. These are some of the older Forged Cavity backs. I like these irons. They keep the ball relatively low and you can work the ball a little bit with them. I got to the point where they didn't feel as balanced as they once were and I wasn't completely happy with the soles on wet tight grass. With the new technology, I went out to see if I could find something significantly better to justify an expenditure equivalent to the cost of todays higher end iron options.

Here are the irons I tried.

Ping i5, S59, Cleveland CG2, CG4, Taylormade LT, Callaway x18, Mizuno MP60, MP 32,.

I hit them on grass and on mats. I started with the Mats and went through the process of elimination and then took a few of them over to the grass for a final elimination. From the grass I hit tight lies, bare lies, wet bare lies, thick lies, and normal lies. I hit knockdowns, punches, and full swings.


My go to shot is a 3/4 swing that hits the ball a little lower for control. This was the swing in which I did most of my testing.

I quickly eliminated the Clevelands and Taylor mades as they went a little more left than I wanted them too.

The X18s were nice, but they were a little too, well, clunky I guess. I didn't feel like I had enough control of the clubhead. But I feel these would probably be outstanding for a 15 handicapper or so.

At first I thought the Ping i5s were going to win this little competition. But they were eventually eliminated because I could not hit punches nor were they as good as the winning club on adverse lies. But I would recommend the Ping i5s for a player who doesn't do much with the club other than take the same kind of swing with every shot, typically a full swing. Then, they are great.

The MP32s are very, very impressive forged blades. Having played Wilson Staffs years ago, I can say that forged irons have come a long long way. But after playing a mid sized iron for the last 20 years or so, I just could not get used to, nor would I want to, the smaller looking head.

They are not as quite as forgiving as some of the other clubs too.

The MP 60s are very, very nice golf clubs, but they had one flaw that eliminated them. They were not as good as the winning club with tight lies and wet lies. The sole is a little too thin or the bounce is a little off for my taste. My home course is windy and can get some tight lies as well as wet tight lies too. MP60s hit the ball a little too fat for those lies.

The S59 Pings were excellent too. In fact, they were a finalist with the MP 60s in my search. But they had the same characteristics of the MP60s. Tight lies and wet lies did not have the best results. If I had to choose between the two, I would go with the MP60, probably because the resale is stronger.

The final club left had passed all the tests. I could hit hit or low. I could hit flush with a hard swing, a knockdown, and a punch. It could handle every kind of lie, even a divot lie with great results. The feed back on bad shots in the hands was enough to let me know it wasn't a good swing, but the forgiveness was unbelievable.

Callaway is club that I never thought I'd end up playing, but the results of the X-tour didn't lie. (Specs...2 degrees up, 1/2 over. S300.)

Let me tell you, these things rock.

Callaway X-Tour. Phil uses them. Now I do too.

And lastly, try everything. Hit them every which way you think you'll hit the ball. Full swings, knock downs, punches, etc. Be sure to test them on the grass in the end, because that's the real world. Good luck!

Customer Service

I bought them at Callaway Pre-owned and got a like new set and saved a LOT of money. They have a money back guarantee exchange program too.

Similar Products Used:

Ping i5, S59, Cleveland CG2, CG4, Taylormade LT, Callaway x18, Mizuno MP60, MP 32, Maxfli Revolution irons

Beautiful irons! Great looks, great feel, gots lots of attentions from other golfers, but not my cup of tea. I read somewhere in here someone said these are very forgiving irons...yea Right! Yes they are forgiving, yes, but not very. It'll let you know and punish you if you get a miss hit. Not your typical irons for your weekend golfers who's swing isn't all there. maybe it's because of my swing, but the mid to low irons ball flights are awfully high. I've compared and tried other blades or semi blades like these of the xTours, and the ball flights are more ideal. I totally agree with the other review i read in here...loose some distances due to the balloon effect of the ball flight. But if i had to rate the club on appearance...hands-down the most beautiful...too bad i had to get rid of them.

Loved them at first, then was glad to get rid of them. Easily the straightest and most forgiving club with a similar profile(no offset) i have ever owned. I was playing in 20 deg weather and happy. But soon i noticed something very disturbing. I would hit my drive 20 yrds past every one in my group. then watch them hit the same # iron into the green. These were literally costing me 1-2 clubs in length. I later learned, that many, pure blade, good ball strikers have had similar problem with these. they simply spin and balloon the ball. If you spin the ball quite a bit anyway, these are almost unplayable. I sold these to a friend that normally hits a 8 iron 145, and he loves them and does not get hurt length wise. i normally hit 8 iron 165, i was hitting these xtours 155 tops, and wind was killing me more than it should. just make sure realize, these are not blades, and do not play like them. the harder i swung, the more spin. extremely disapointed i spent 900 on a tour model that acts like a king cobra. replaced with titleist 735cm. It's funny, the proshop guy laughed when i told him i thought the x-tours were even an option for a very low handicap player vs titleist or mizunos.

Customer Service

did not need

Similar Products Used:

titleist 735cm, mizuno 33, hogan ftx, titleist 704cb. 735cm best, then hogan.

I have the callaway x-tours and the BB2002s. First let me say, that anyone can choose to hit a blade or a cast iron. A good swing is a good swing and yields a good shot. I mentioned in a previous review that everyone at one time played forged- it was what it was. You don't have to be scratch or 70s etc.. I prefer less offset and a more blade like look. Having said that, these irons are easy to play have the kind of lofts that will yield more distance, look great aren't as sensitive to mis hits like Titleist 762s etc.. In fact if you go to franklygolf.com (Frank Thomas website) all Callaway irons are listed under the Ultra Game Improvement catergory. He is one of the most respected technical analysts in the game today. Don't take my word for it, check out his site. Most callaway irons and products are pretty decent. I will agree with the last reviewer on one point in particular. They got it right with these aesthetically.

This is really a first impression, given that I've only had the irons for a week and have only tested them at the range (snow has not melted yet!). Some impressions are however clear enough to justify a quick review. I'll try to follow up at a later stage after actually playing with them for a while.

LOOKS: Coming from blade irons (Titleist 690.MB) the X-Tours are of course a bit chunkier. This is however the first Callaway iron where I'm not put off by the appearance and I actually think they look good with a much squarer look than all other Callaway irons. Ideally I would like to see a slightly thinner topline but you can't have forgiveness and classic blade iron looks in the same package, and the performance more than outweighs whatever small reservations I may have in this area. The lie angle seems a bit flatter than other Callaway irons and are about 1 degree flatter than the Titleists. I however had no problems with this.

FEEL: Nicely balanced, not too light nor too heavy. Despite temperatures at 0 celsius (= rock hard range balls), they feel quite soft at impact. While they don't fully have the same solid feeling as a forged blade iron they are quite close and feel solid enough for me. I don't register any tinny sensations as a few other reviewers have mentioned.

WORKABILITY: I usually focus on hitting the ball straight but it's easy enough to work the ball both ways.

LENGTH: Given the conditions (frozen range balls with worn out dimples) I can't say for sure but I probably hit them one club longer than my Titleists.

TRAJECTORY: Again, given the conditions I can't make any final conclusions in this area but they do go higher than the Titleists when hit side by side. No problems in getting the long irons up either.

FORGIVENESS: This is where I was amazed. These irons ARE forgiving. While bad swings will always give bad results, direction and distance are a lot less affected by mis-hits with the X-Tours than with the Titleists. Impact toward the toe that would go nowhere with the Titleists still fly off decently with the X-Tours. The weak part of my game are my long irons but with the X-Tours I can actually get away with less than perfect impact and still get respectable results.

In summary I believe the X-Tours are a very attractive package for decent players that either don't have enough time to practice or that want a little more help (and/or higher trajectory) than traditional blade irons offer and still want to retain the soft feeling of a forged iron. While predictions are always risky I have a good feeling these will be with me for a while and that I probably won't go back to blade irons again.

Customer Service

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Similar Products Used:

Titleist 690.MB and 690.CB.