Jeff,
The EXS irons are super strong-lofted, and thus there are two wedges between the PW and SW (an AW and a GW). This is a trend that is becoming more common in game-improvement and super game-improvement irons. However, even though the EXS irons are certainly a game-improvement model, they are not all that large, and they do not have excessive offset, nor do they look overly “clunky”. The overall size and amount of offset is very similar to my first-generation (2014) Callaway Apex irons. The sole width is just a hair wider than the Apexes, but not overly so, and they are very “turf friendly”. For someone who normally plays 4 iron through PW, going 6 iron through AW or GW (the GW is the higher-lofted extra wedge) makes a lot of sense. The 5-iron in the EXS set is actually so strong in loft that it is almost a 3.5 iron.
The areas that I have some problems with in the EXS iron model are:
1.) The cavity area is somewhat “busy” looking from behind — but you don’t notice this at address
2.) In addition to the strong lofts, these irons are 1/4” longer than most other irons on the market (38.25” 5-iron, 37.75” 6-iron, etc.). To me, this says that the only thing defining the EXS 5-iron, 6-iron, 7-iron, etc. is the number engraved on the sole.
Feel is excellent with these irons, and they are about as “point and shoot” as anything that I have hit in the last two decades. If a golfer cannot hit good shots with the EXS irons, they seriously need to invest in golf lessons right away!