Callaway Vs Taylormade Irons – Who Makes The Better Clubs
It goes without saying that Callaway and Taylormade are among the most popular brands in the game right now and throughout recent history, but the question many people want to know is who makes the better irons overall.
On the surface, both manufacturers appear to be targeting the same markets with their various releases for high, mid and low handicap players but when you dig a little deeper we start to see some differences appearing.
Callaways recent irons focus a lot more on stronger lofts and further distances in their main distance irons while having different models aimed at the beginners and high handicappers. Taylormade on the other are looking for unbeatable distance and forgiveness in most of their iron sets.
In todays article, we are going to look at the two titan brands and find the best irons under the following headings:
-
Best Overall Choice – Callaway Mavrik Vs Taylormade M6 (W)
-
Best Premium Models – Callaway Apex Vs Taylormade Sim 2 Max (W)
-
Best Budget Options – Taylormade M2 Vs Callaway Rogue (W)
-
Best For High Handicappers – Taylormade Sim Max OS (W) vs Callaway Big Bertha B21
-
Best For Mid Handicappers – Callaway Mavrik Pro (W) Vs Taylormade P790
-
Best For Low Handicappers – Callaway Apex Pro Vs Taylormade P770 (W)
Overall you can see that Taylormade won our challenge 4 – 2 but both of these brands make fantastic irons in their own right.
Best Choice – Callaway Mavrik Vs Taylormade M6
When the very latest irons come out, they command inflated price tags and we can usually get the previous versions for a good bit less and that is exactly the case with Taylormade M6 vs Callaway Mavrik.
Taylormade M6
Key Features:
The Taylormade M6 builds on the success of the M series and these clubs aim for distance and forgiveness, making them an ideal option for high and mid handicap players.
We see plenty of tech that allows the irons to be easy to play and achieve long distances, without sacrificing too much workability.
The large sweet spots and deep undercut ensure these are some high performing irons for high and mid handicappers?
Selling Points:
- Speed Bridge
- Speed Pocket
- Deep Undercut
- Thin Face
- Advanced Hybrar Dampening System
- Offset Irons
Value: 97/100
Distance: 95/100
Forgiveness: 95/100
Feel: 93/100
Performance: 96/100
Overall: 96/100
Callaway Mavrik
Released in 2020, the Callaway Mavrik’s are perfect for getting effortless distance and forgiveness.
Where the Taylormade M6 irons emphasise distance with forgiveness, the Mavrik’s are hell bent on distance, with stronger lofts and a more compact sturdy head design.
The clubs are still excellent for High handicappers who can also choose the Mavrik max for a more forgiving and offset iron.
The Irons have a thin, variable face for high speeds and less spin on mishits, tungsten weighting for low COG and are crafted by AI for the perfect weighting options.
Urethane Microspheres absorb any impacts and a deep undercut makes these irons very workable for high to mid handicappers.
Value: 95/100
Distance: 96/100
Forgiveness: 93/100
Feel: 95/100
Performance: 96/100
Overall: 95/100
***WINNER – BEST CHOICE – TAYLOMADE M6**
Best Premium Irons – Callaway Apex Vs Taylormade Sim 2 Max
We will come back to the super expensive players irons in our best for low handicappers section and go for a mid to high handicap choice in our best premium section.
It will come as no surprise that the latest models of irons from the brands and making up our premium choice selections.
Taylormade Sim 2 Max – Best Premium
The Sim Max Irons from Taylormade have been incredibly popular and remain among my favorite clubs.
The Sim 2 Max Aims to completely change the design of these irons and they have exceeded to an extent, targeting increased distance, forgiveness and feel.
The Sim 2 focus primarily on distance and forgiveness with the following:
- Cap Back Design Incorporating The Speed Bridge
- Low COG with Tungsten Weighting
- Progressive Inverted Cone Tech For Larger Sweet Spot
- Also in OS version, More Beginner Friendly
- Forged Face For Feel
- High Launching
Value: 95/100
Distance: 97/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Feel: 92/100
Performance: 96/100
Overall: 96/100
Callaway Apex 21
The Callaway Apex 21 have traditionally been for low to mid handicappers but they have made those clubs more forgiving in this years models and there is the DCB models as well for the higher handicappers.
The Apex 21 are forged and focus specifically on Distance and workability while the new tungsten weighting and echo dampening makes the clubs higher launching and more forgiving.
They are also crafted with AI for precision COG on each club.
The Callaway Apex irons are perfect for mid handicappers who want distance and control as opposed to the Sim 2 which focusses more on forgiveness.
Value: 92/100
Distance: 96/100
Forgiveness: 92/100
Feel: 95/100
Performance: 95/100
Overall: 95/100
***WINNER – TAYLORMADE SIM 2 MAX IRONS***
Best Budget Choice – Taylormade M2 Vs Callaway Rogue
For most players, they want the best quality irons but don’t want to fork out thousands of dollars to get them.
With that being said, our top choices are older irons from the 2 brands that you can pick up at a decent price.
Taylormade M2
The blueprint for the modern Sim 2 irons, the M Series from Taylormade brought the clubs on leaps and bounds.
The M2 irons are made for distance and workability With The Following Selling Points:
- Tungsten Weighting
- Ultra Thin Face Slot
- Speed Pocket For Higher Speeds
- Deep Undercut For Workabilty
Value: 96/100
Distance: 94/100
Forgiveness: 92/100
Feel: 95/100
Performance: 93/100
Overall: 93/100
Callaway Rogue – Best Choice For Callaway
The Callaway Rogues have been around for quite some time now but remain incredibly popular as distance irons.
The Ultra Thin Flash Cup Face ensures incredible balls speeds and the sweet spot is massive and offers a ton of forgiveness.
They also have tungsten weighting and Variable Face Thickness for ultimate speed and distance.
Selling Points:
- Strong Lofts
- Ultra Thin Face
- Variable Face Thickness
- Urethane Microspheres
Value: 95/100
Distance: 96/100
Forgiveness: 92/100
Feel: 94/100
Performance: 94/100
Overall: 94/100
***WINNER – CALLAWAY ROGUE***
Best For Beginners & High Handicappers – Taylormade Sim Max OS vs Callaway Big Bertha B21
For those that are new to golf and want their irons to be as easy to hit straight as possible, both companies have some very forgiving irons for beginners.
Taylormade Sim Max OS
The Taylormade Sim Max OS are more offset than the Sim Max which are also one of my favorite irons around today.
The Sim Max OS also have higher lofts and larger sweet spots that will allow you to hit higher and straighter shots with mor consistency.
The extra offset will cancel out any slicing from your game and besides that, these irons have all the same features and the super high performing Sim Max Irons and these are also built for ball speed and distance.
- Speed Bridge
- Speed Pocket
- Inverted Cone Technology
- Ultra Thin Face
- Deep Undercut For Turf Interaction
Value: 93/100
Distance: 95/100
Forgiveness: 96/100
Feel: 92/100
Performance: 96/100
Overall Score: 95/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Callaway Big Bertha B21
If you are looking for a purpose built high performing iron set that is designed specifically for beginners, well this is it.
Not only do the Big Berthas carry on the famous name of these Callaway irons, they also are literally ‘Big’ with massive sweet spots for accuracy even on off center hits.
The clubs are crafted with AI for the perfect weighting in every club while the tungsten weights keep the COG low.
The clubs have very forgiven lofts and good turf interaction for towering distance from the B21’s.
Urethane Microspheres complete the amazing feel of these clubs are the heads are offset quite a lot to help beginners with any slices.
Value: 93/100
Distance: 93/100
Forgiveness: 98/100
Feel: 94/100
Performance: 96/100
Overall Score: 94/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
***WINNER – TAYLORMADE SIM MAX OS***
Best For Mid Handicappers – Callaway Mavrik Pro Vs Taylormade P790
As players get better, they want to be able to get more control and workability out of their irons and they are willing to sacrifice some forgiveness and perhaps even distance to do so.
If you are an improving player, Callaway and Taylormade have some great options to choose from
Callaway Mavrik Pro
Bringing all the technology Callaway have in play into the equation, the Mavrik Pro irons bring a more compact, players like shape to the table and more defined groves that enhance the workability and feel of this club.
They do this without taking much away from the distance and if you are looking for something more workable than the Mavrik or Mavrik Max, this is a great option for an improving Mid Handicapper:
- Urethane Microspheres
- Players Shape
- Deep undercut
- Artificial Intelligence
- Flash Cup Ultra Thin Face
Value: 88/100
Distance: 94/100
Forgiveness: 86/100
Feel: 98/100
Performance: 95/100
Overall Score: 94/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Taylormade P790
As you start moving towards becoming a mid to low handicap player with Taylormade, you are talking mainly about the P range of irons and the P790 in particular for the mid handicappers.
The P790’s pack players performance, distance, feel and forgiveness into a single iron which is perfect for converting mid handicappers into lower handicap players.
Tungsten weighting ensures a low COG and urethane foam is injected in the club for next level feel.
The players shape and undercut ensure superior turf interaction and the forged face insert is perfect for distance and feel.
Value: 87/100
Distance: 93/100
Forgiveness: 86/100
Feel: 97/100
Performance: 93/100
Overall Score: 93/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
***WINNER – CALLAWAY MAVRIK PRO***
Best For Low Handicappers – Callaway Apex Pro Vs Taylormade P770
As players reach closer to professional level their need for forgiveness is replaced by a need for control, workability and distance from their irons.
Callaway have plenty of tour players using their famous players irons and here are two of the best for Low Handicappers.
The Callaway Apex Pro
Callaway Apex Pro brings all of the benefits of the original Apex irons in a shape that is more suited to the low handicap players.
The club head is more compact while we still see the advanced features like Tungsten Weighting, Speed Foam Injection and a forged face for ultimate feel and workability for single digit and scratch golfers.
Value: 86/100
Distance: 92/100
Forgiveness: 88/100
Feel: 98/100
Performance: 95/100
Overall Score: 94/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Taylormade P770
The P770 is simpler a more player friendly version of the P790n with a more compact head that will allow the player to garnish even mor control over how they are playing their irons.
Tungsten weighting in the clubs head keeps the center of gravity low, including a visible screw weight in the toe.
Urethane is injected into hollow forge body for unbeatable feel and ball speed on connection.
Well refined grooves are going to give low handicappers all the performance they need to lower their score even further and become scratch golfers.
Value: 91/100
Distance: 93/100
Forgiveness: 90/100
Feel: 96/100
Performance: 96/100
Overall Score: 95/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
***WINNER – TAYLORMADE P770***
Hi, I am Matthew, a mid handicap golfer who likes to play as much as possible. I love trying out new gear and this blog is where you can find all the gear I have tested over the years!
