Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons Review

Reviewed by John Holzapfel and Chris Tan

• 11 and 20+ handicappers
• 90-95 MPH driver swing speed 
• John upgraded from Ping G25s, Chris upgraded from Callaway Rogue CF18s

Review in short

If you're a higher handicap player looking to reduce your dispersion and maximise your distance, look no further than the Callaway Rogue ST Max irons. Packed with tech from one of the biggest OEMs, you know that you're getting everything you can from every swing you make. 

Why they play these irons 

John and Chris are at different levels when it comes to their golf, but they were both looking for the same thing from a new set of irons and that's forgiveness.

"I wanted something super easy to hit, and these Callaway Rogue ST Max irons were easily the most forgiving irons I tested." - John

Chris had seen these irons advertised and wanted something to help his game. He was used to Callaway irons after playing the Rogue CF 18s, but wanted to add some distance, but in a controlled and consistent way. 

"I had reached my maximum distance with my older set and I wanted something that would help me get the ball out there just that little bit further. These Rogue ST irons seem to do that easily." 

Looks

Both agree that these clubs look really good behind the ball. They are chunky, but they are game improvement irons so that is to be expected. There is a fair amount of offset, especially in the longer irons, but it's definitely not off putting. The plastic insert in the back of these cavity backs is understated and Callaway have also gone for a simple toned down colour scheme of black with a very subtle yellow accent.  

Sound and feel

 Sound wise, both guys said it took time to adjust to these clubs. John was used to the higher pitched sound of his Ping G25s and was surprised by the "thud" these irons make on impact. When it comes to feel, these clubs don't completely lack feedback which is a problem with some super game improvement clubs. 

"These irons do feel great when you hit them, and you can tell when you've not caught a shot that well. The only thing going against them is that the wedges in the set do feel pretty dead which I was expecting as they aren't really precision clubs." - Chris 

Performance

John found that the Callaway Rogue ST Max irons had the biggest impact on his left to right dispersion. He struggled with a two way miss, particularly with his longer irons and these new clubs have tightened things up at that end of the bag. He and Chris have gained about 10 yards with each club, but they both put that down to the stronger lofts which are typical for modern irons. 

"The Rogue ST Max irons have a couple of degrees less loft per club than my older set and I can really see this reflected in my distances." - John 

Both guys commented on the extreme level of forgiveness that these clubs provide. That is mainly due to the amount of tech Callaway have packed into the club head.  A high strength A.I. Face Cup that’s never been seen before in the golf industry features to maximise ball speed. Callaway have massively increased the tungsten weighting in this model with the Rogue ST Max featuring a whopping 62g of high-density tungsten, which is a 260% increase over the Callaway Mavrik irons. They claim this provides improved launch conditions and also maximise speed across the face.

Pros

Cons

Tech specs

Shaft options

• Mitsubishi Tensei Blue
• Project X Cypher
• True Temper Elevate

Price per iron

RRP $999 (4-PW)