You carry 1 driver, 1-3 fairway woods, 1 or 2 hybrids, and 1 putter in your golf bag on a given day at the course.
If you include wedges, which we do for the purposes of this review, then you carry at least 7 irons and most of us carry more than that. I bring that up to show you how important it is to choose the right set of irons for your golf game.
We just purchased a swing set for our home in Jacksonville, and it took us about 2 weeks to decide on the right set.
We knew it would be there for a long time, we wanted it to fit our family now and in the future, and we had to take into account our children and their preferences.
Choosing a set of irons is similar, and we would highly recommend you checking out the Rogue irons from Callaway. They are long, easy to hit, and very forgiving.
The following is a Callaway Rogue Irons Review. We hope that you will read it and learn a little more about this set of irons and whether or not they will suit your game and your swing.
Things to Consider Before Buying The Callaway Rogue Irons
The name “rogue” means “to take a different path or defy convention,” and that is what these irons attempt to do with supreme technology and supreme speed.
The Rogue irons feature a combination of 360 face cup technology and variable face technology (VFT) that help to make these irons really long and really forgiving.
The VFT allows affects how the face flexes to promote maximum ball speed and accuracy even on off center strikes that would normally end up in the woods. If you are a beginner, the forgiveness is necessary.
It will help to tighten up your shot pattern and increase your distance. If you are a seasoned vet, the distance you gain is worth the lack of shot shaping ability.
The weight saved in the club face allowed Callaway to get the center of gravity right in the center of the club head and they move it around for optimal performance for every loft.
The Rogue irons feature an average size club head and produce enough spin to add some carry or for a little workability around the course.
They feature traditional lofts and shaft lengths and produce the bulk of their distance and forgiveness with weighting, face technology, and strong design features.
Pros
- Very long and very forgiving golf clubs.
- They have a really high launch, but their finishing distance is just as good as any other irons out there.
- They feel solid and sound great because of the urethane microspheres behind the club face.
- They are a very light golf club which adds to swing speed and control.
- When you focus on forgiveness like Callaway did with VFT, then accuracy and increased distance is not far behind.
- The 360 cup face produces a lot of ball speed.
- It is a very technologically advanced club that maintains feel and softness even with the extra distance that they produce.
- These irons create a lot of speed, a lot of distance, and a lot of forgiveness while launching the ball high and straight.
Cons
- On the expensive side for a set of irons.
- Built more for mid to low handicappers so higher handicappers would not benefit as much from the Rogue irons..
Callaway Rogue Irons Features and Benefits
Construction (4.5 out of 5)
Head
The head construction of these irons are very advanced and produce a lot of speed and forgiveness. They are big, but not too big even for good players.
If you are looking for a blade, these are not your irons, but they are small enough to look good behind the ball and you do get some good playability with them. Here are the 4 main head construction features:
- Variable Face Thickness (VFT). As the name describes, it changes the thickness of the face to optimize flex and produce maximum ball speed across the entire hitting surface.
- 360 Face Cup. This is a flexible rim across the entirety of the perimeter of the face. It flexes and releases at impact to increase ball speeds and subsequently distance.
- Tungsten Weighting. This weight is precisely placed in each different iron to maximize the performance of each loft. Tungsten is denser than steel so you can get a lot of weight in a small space, and it is placed to make these clubs easy to hit and easier to launch.
- Urethane Microspheres. The thin clubface and hollow design is great for distance and ball speed, but not good for sound and feel. It can produce quite a bit of vibration at impact and a strange sound that does not give you good feedback at all. These urethane microspheres are small enough to keep the added ball speed but effective enough to make the sound and feel better.
Shaft Options
The stock shaft options are either graphite or steel. If you like steel shafts on your irons, the True Temper R300 and R500 are really good steel shafts. They are heavier, but offer great control and stability and True Temper has always been one of the best steel shafts out there. Just like the other Rogue offerings, the graphite shafts for the Rogue irons are made by Aldila. You have 3 shaft weight options and flex options, so you will be able to find the shaft you need.
Club Specs
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- Golfer: Men’s and Women’s
- Hand: Left or Right
- Swing Weight: D1 (Graphite), D3 (steel)
- Shafts: True Temper Steel, Aldila Graphite
- Shaft Stifness: R, S, X
- Grip: Lamkin Z5 Chev
To make it easier, here is a chart of the length/loft per iron for the Rogue set:
| Iron | Length | Loft |
| 3 | 39.5 | 18.5 |
| 4 | 38.875 | 20.5 |
| 5 | 38.25 | 23 |
| 6 | 37.625 | 26 |
| 7 | 37 | 30 |
| 8 | 36.5 | 34.5 |
| 9 | 36 | 39 |
| PW | 35.75 | 44 |
| AW | 35.5 | 49 |
| SW | 35.25 | 54 |
| LW | 35 | 59 |
Performance (4 out of 5)
Forgiveness
The Rogue line of clubs is all about forgiveness above anything else. The irons have the same focus and they produce the forgiveness that most players are looking for. The sweet spot on these irons is huge, and the center of gravity is precisely placed with a tungsten weight depending on the loft of the iron. This center of gravity placement allows for optimal launch for every loft in your bag. Rogue irons are easy to hit, they are long, they are straight, and off center hits perform as well or better than any other iron you will find.
Control/Shot Shaping
The Rogue irons are small enough and produce enough spin to be workable to an extent. They are not the easiest to shape around the course, but you can control them and you can get them to draw and fade a little. These are not players irons, so if you are more concerned with shot shaping than forgiveness and distance, I would look for a forged muscle back iron set.
Distance
If forgiveness is the no. 1 feature and focus of the Rogue irons, distance would come in at about no. 1a. These clubs are fast, transfer a ton of energy from club face to ball, and produce very high end ball speed. The resulting distance with these irons can help you pick up a few yards and even a little softness on your approach shots. The jailbreak bars, 360 face cup, and VFT all combine together to make a really long set of irons.
Looks/Feel/Sound (4 out of 5)
The urethan microspheres help, but it is almost impossible to create a sound that does not happen naturally in a club, and the same goes for feel. You will never find a hollow cast club that sounds and feels as good as a forged club, or at least it has not happened yet. At the same time, these Rogue irons are certainly not at the bottom of the sound/feel list and the urethane microspheres certainly help.
Cost (4.5 out of 5)
These are really good distance irons and they cost less than $600 in some places. There is also a Rogue X line available for the same price so that any player of any skill level can find the irons they need for a really good price.
Alternatives To The Callaway Rogue Irons
Callaway Apex 19
If you are looking for a combination of high end distance, great forgiveness, a high launch, and forged softness (and let’s be honest, who is not looking for those things) then the Apex 19 irons are definitely worth a look.
In my opinion, even with the newer irons that have come out since the Apex 19, you will be hard pressed to find the distance and forgiveness that these irons offer with the incredibly soft feel.
These are definitely players distance irons but with a lot of game improvement aspects to them as well.
They are a cavity-back club but they provide enough spin to fade and draw the ball when needed.
The 360 cup face technology that Callaway has become known for along with the VFT (Variable Face Thickness) are one of the best combinations out there in the iron market.
These 2 technologies combine for an incredible amount of ball speed and almost equal forgiveness.
The thing that sets these irons apart, however, is the forged 1025 carbon steel body that is buttery soft while maintaining the distance and forgiveness that the other features offer.
In general, golfers expect to lose feel and softness as they gain distance and forgiveness, but that is not the case with the Apex 19 and that is why they are still one of the best iron sets out there.
Pros
- The forged 1025 carbon steel body gives you some of the softest feel out there.
- These irons are very long, helping you to create high end club head speed and ball speed.
- If you need a forgiving iron, the Apex 19 are some of the best.
- They are cavity-back, but they look as good as a muscle back at setup.
- The urethane microspheres allow you to have an ultra thin face without much vibration and a great sound at contact.
- The 360 cup face technology is ultra fast and ultra forgiving.
- The VFT technology gives you the freedom to swing harder knowing that even mishits will be long and straight.
- While they are not as workable as other irons, you can produce enough spin to work the ball around the course.
- You get effortless distance.
- The tungsten infused weighting is very precise and gives you really good center of gravity placement on each individual iron.
- The platinum chrome finish is very pleasing to the eye both in the bag and on the course.
- The stock grips and shaft options are great.
- It is an overall good club with very few negatives.
Cons
- Brand new they are really expensive. They are full of technology and they are really good clubs, but they are expensive.
- Not as workable as other high end irons.
- A game improvement iron may turn some lower handicappers off.
Callaway Mavrik
Callaway’s Mavrik irons uses innovative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to create a unique cup face for each iron.
The purpose is to get the most distance, forgiveness, and feel from each iron by creating the face specifically for the loft.
That 360 Face Cup Technology gives these player’s irons some of the best distance in its category while maintaining great feel and forgiveness at the same time.
In fact, the Mavrik irons use the same face technology as their game improvement line because it is so long and forgiving.
The tungsten weight is placed in the optimal position for a high ball flight and good distance without losing feel.
These are not forged irons, but they have the feel and they perform like they are without the price tag that comes with it.
These are one of the most innovative performance irons out there and for a good price.
Pros
- The urethane microspheres provide some of the best feel on the market.
- The shorter irons produce a lot of spin.
- You get plenty of distance.
- Some of the most forgiving irons on this list.
- The tungsten weight is placed to produce optimal ball flight without losing feel.
- A great price for what we consider the highest performing player’s distance iron.
- The AI technology has created one of the most innovative clubs on the market by building each club face and weighting system separately.
- A traditional head design looks great at setup.
- Plenty of ball speed and distance to go with the feel and shot making features.
Cons
- Some of the forged irons produce the more traditional feel that some player’s prefer.
- A pretty small sweet spot.
Final Thoughts On The Callaway Rogue Irons Review
(Overall Rating: 4 out of 5)
Callaway’s Rogue line of golf clubs are all forgiving and long, and the irons are no different. Shot shaping, adjustability, and anything else that does not make the club longer and easier to hit are acceptable losses for the Rogue irons as the focus is on distance and forgiveness.
They are great clubs for higher handicappers because of the forgiveness, but the added distance and launch make them great for higher skilled golfers as well.
