Chris Kirk has debuted an eye-catching set of Callaway Apex MB irons, featuring a special ‘Gun Blue’ color.
Kirk has always had a keen eye for clubs, which made him an integral part of the collaborative design of Callaway’s new Opus wedges.
The PGA Tour pro often chooses irons with a dark or black finish – which he says helps him hit the ball better.
Kirk says this is because the end of darkness makes the club head look smaller. However, Black PVD is not a durable finish; it wears away quickly leaving the metal exposed.
“I wanted to get back on the rocks, so I got back on Monday,” Kirk told GolfWRX.com.
Kirk made the switch from Callaway X-Forged cavity-back irons to Gun Blue Apex MB blades.
The change goes beyond aesthetics and Kirk hopes the switch to blades will have a positive impact on his game.
“My favorite set I’ve had in a long time is the old Apex MB, and it was green. And so I always went Gun Blue the same way I always did my wedges. We’ve done that forever. So they had a set of new, green Apex MBs in the Callaway truck, and Dean (Teykl) in the truck has taken it so I don’t have to do it anymore.
“So he made these for you and they turned out great. I had a set of CBs made earlier this year that were black, but they were like black PVD, and I didn’t like the way they wore. So these will wear and rust and stay looking good for a long time. “
In the process of prototyping Callaway’s Opus wedges, Kirk and Callaway began using the Gun Blue formula process on his green wedges.
Kirk was able to use this technique himself; carrying his own wedges, but he collaborated with Callaway’s R&D to create a Gun Blue look for his irons.
Bluing, also known as black oxidizing, is a popular treatment process in the gun world to change the appearance of the steel from green color hence the name Gun Blue.
Besides creating a new beauty, the advantage is that the finish of Gun Blue lasts a long time to prevent the wear process, and the treatment can be reused easily enough by the team owner to achieve the same result in the future.
