About this Review: This review is my own honest opinion of the irons, which I bought with my own money in July 2021.

My take

The Callaway X Forged UT Iron is for the player who doesn’t need any assistance getting the ball in the air from a 5 wood or a hybrid but still wants the distance. I would say that even on missed hits for myself, I get more distance than if I had hit a 5 wood or hybrid, as this iron is better out of the rough and LONG off the tee. This is for the more advanced player who wants a new “go-to” club with the traditional look of an iron.

About the club I own

• Model: Callaway X Forged Utility Iron
• Loft setting: 18 degree club bent to 19 degrees
• Shaft type: Nippon Modus Hybrid GOST
• Shaft flex: Stiff

About me

• Average score: 78
• Handicap: 4
• Experience: 20+ years
• Right/Left-Handed: Right Handed
• Typical ball flight: High Fade
• Golf ball used: Snell MTB-X
• Club swing speed: 110 mph with driver

Test conditions

• When I bought the club: July of 2021
• Days tested: 100
• Where I’ve used it: Emporia Municipal Golf Course (off mats and grass)
• Weather and wind conditions: All seasons, and in lots of wind (20+ mph)

How it performs

What I was looking for

I initially went in to get fitted for a 5 wood or a hybrid to fill a gap between my 3 wood and 4 iron that would allow me to have the ability to hit from anywhere, and still be able to have the landing angle for the ball to stop if I needed it too. I had never hit a “driving iron” or a hybrid before, so that was an interesting process! After hitting many different clubs, I realized that I do not like hitting hybrids, and a 5 wood launches too high for what I was trying to accomplish. I hit the Callaway X Forged UT 2 iron and immediately piped one down the middle (using a Trackman launch monitor).

Why I chose this club

I chose this club because it was the most appealing to my eyes at address; and because, even when hit a little fat or thin, the ball flight was straight and I didn’t seem to lose a ton of distance.

I almost purchased the TaylorMade Sim2 5 wood, but decided to go with the Callaway X Forged UT iron because: 1) it gapped better between my other clubs for me; and 2) I had more confidence hitting out of the rough with it. And I couldn’t be happier!

What I love about it

• Distance: The distance of this iron is amazing! There are so many times that I pull this club out of my bag and have people look at me funny, wondering why I would hit an iron… until I lay one in the middle of the fairway with plenty of distance while they are looking for their ball out of bounds (haha!).
• Feel: I don’t know if I have ever hit a softer feeling iron in my life. Forged 1025 mild carbon steel and hollow body construction, combined with proprietary urethane microspheres, give this club the most satisfying feel of all my clubs!
• Sound: I love that the sound when the hit doesn’t sound “clicky”. There is that pure soft, yet solid sound, which is thanks to the hollow body construction.
• Workability: The longer blade length and wider sole allow for much more control than your typical longer irons.
• Shaft Feel: This shaft is one of my favorite shafts for any of my clubs, because it has the best of both worlds: the stability of a steel shaft, with the lightweight feel of a graphite shaft.
• Shaft Performance: This shaft is a mid-launch, high-spin shaft, so it performs perfectly with what I need it to do, whether I am trying to get the ball to stick on the green, or hit that low stinger into the wind!
• Aesthetic Appeal: The aesthetics are initially what I loved most about this club, even before hitting it! At address, this club just makes me feel like it's impossible to hit it bad!
• Grip Feel: I have the Golf Pride Tour Wrap grips on all my clubs. These grips are tacky, and allow me to not feel like I need to grip the club so hard.
• Spin: The A.I.-designed Flash Face Cup allows for greater ball speeds and spin robustness. I can feel how fast the ball comes off the face with every shot!

Issues I’ve encountered

• Forgiveness: The only negative thing I can say about this iron in regards to forgiveness is that when I miss-hit the ball, I know it immediately. The ball is more than likely still going straight down the middle, but the “soft feel” is gone and I can feel it in my hands.
• Adjustability: There are no adjustments available for this club, unless you have someone bend the angles for you.
• Launch Angle: The launch angle of the club was initially a little too low for the shots I wanted to hit. This was easily fixed by bending the loft to 19 degrees.

Best shot with this club

My best shot so far with this club was on a par 5, with about a 10 mph tailwind. I hit my drive off the heel, so I ended up shorter than usual and off into the right rough. I was about 245 yards from the green, which is too far for my 4 iron, and too close for my 3 wood. I pulled out my new UT iron, and absolutely smoked a nice high draw, landing it just in front of the green before it rolled on to about 12 feet. I got lucky and made the putt for eagle!

Value for the money vs. other options

This iron is not the most expensive nor is it the least expensive. It actually is right around the average price for many other “driving irons” out there. The value is well worth the money on this club. I think this is the best club Callaway has ever made for the “better player.” The part that will raise the price is going with a specialty shaft like I had to because I have a faster than average swing speed and I am pretty aggressive with how I “load the club” on my back swing.

Final verdict

The Callaway X Forged UT iron allows for the better player to have less stress on narrow fairways, and leaves a lot more margin for error on drives on par 5s with the ability to still reach the green without resorting to hitting a soft 3 wood, or over-swinging a 4 iron. Even though this is not a club for a beginner, there are a lot of people who should at least consider this as an option.