50 Words or Less
The 2025 Callaway X Forged irons are exactly what they purport to be: attractive, traditional forged cavity back irons. Modest forgiveness and high end shot control.
Introduction
“X Forged” is one of the most enduring lines in the Callaway family. I can remember wanting to be good enough to play some of the earliest models when I was just starting my golf journey. After numerous years without a “true” X Forged model, the 2025 Callaway X Forged irons, originally made for the Japanese market, have arrived in the US. I tested Callaway’s most traditional iron to see if it’s a follow up that was worth the wait.
Looks
True to its history, the 2025 Callaway X Forged irons have a clean, classic look. The multi-level cavity is the star of the show with numerous angles and shapes, similar to the 2017 version [review HERE]. Branding is kept fairly minimal with “Callaway” centered and “X Forged” in the cavity’s toe. A timeless silver and black color scheme will keep these looking good for numerous seasons.
At address, the X Forged has a beautifully straight, sharp leading edge and minimal offset. This complements a toe shape that’s more square than we usually see from Callaway. The top line is thin but not the thinnest, and the heel-to-toe length is short but not the shortest. This is a great iron for those that want a players iron but are uncomfortable looking down at the smallest irons.
Sound & Feel
The 2025 Callaway X Forged irons are forged from a single piece of 1020 carbon steel, exactly the recipe that better players want for sound and feel. While this often leads to a satisfying feeling on center, the results from misses can sting. That’s not the case with the X Forged. In my testing, I found that the entire middle region of the face feels pretty good. There’s definitely some added reward for perfect strikes, but only a really bad miss will sting your hands.
Despite most strikes feeling medium soft, there is good feedback through the hands. Small misses on the heel and toe feel good, but you’ll know they weren’t quite pure.
The sound of impact is a quick “click”. It’s below average in volume, adding to the traditional appeal. Like the feel, the sound is pleasant on much of the face, but perfect strikes create a tone that’s more robust.
Performance
Reading through Callaway’s website for the 2025 X Forged irons is a bit jarring. This is a company that finds technological talking points even for their wedges, but this iron gets none. It’s forged, it looks great, and it has a Tri-Level Sole. That’s it. No buzzwords, no hype, just a traditional forged cavity back.
In its own way, that tells us as much about the performance of the 2025 Callaway X Forged irons as ten pages of marketing copy would. This is a club designed for the better player, full stop. Callaway even calls the forgiveness “Low.” Compared to modern designs, the X Forged irons lose ball speed quite quickly when you stray from the center of the face. The cavity back design does offer noticeable forgiveness improvement over a true blade, and it’s markedly more forgiving of thin strikes.
The stock ball flight for the 2025 Callaway X Forged irons is low launch with medium high spin. This Tour-style trajectory is capable of holding greens without being battered by the wind. These clubs also allow for plenty of shot shaping creativity. The above average spin gives skilled players access to small and large cuts and draws at whatever height they choose.
Need more forgiveness? Check out the Callaway X Forged Max HERE
Finally, a good measure of that shot control comes from the Tri-Level Sole Design. Both the leading and trailing edges are beveled to promote easy entry and exit from the turf. Some of Callaway’s larger irons have wide, high bounce soles, but the 2025 X Forged irons are agile and capable of deftly pinching the ball off tight lies.
Conclusion
There’s no shiny new tech in the 2025 Callaway X Forged irons, but that helps them to stand out in Callaway’s crowded iron family. With so many models touting high tech faces and multi-material construction, this traditional iron stands alone. If you want a classic players cavity back, the new X Forged fits the bill.
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2025 Callaway X Forged Irons Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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5 Comments
these are straight from Japan! So cool to see it released here. The X Forged Max should be a good seller for them? A bit more forgiveness and size for a bigger number of players? Hopefully you are able to review those as well. Thanks for the review! I love the looks of these X Forged, even if they’re a bit out of my ball striking range to be fair.
Stu,
Yes, I have a review of the X Forged Max coming soon.
Best,
Matt
These are completely a “ homage” to my personal gamers the Bridgestone j40 forged irons. (The MB not the pocket cavity) personally the Bridgestones look better and feel better.
I bought my Callaway irons .10 years ago. Love em
I just bought a set of these with the stock DG 115 mid shafts. I grew up with blade irons and should be playing something else but they are fantastic. They have a soft but solid blade feel. The sole is really the best part of the club. For my steeper swing the turf interaction is amazing. I really like the beveled leading edge, just seems to work for me. Nice review Matt!