FIRST LOOK: Callaway’s Rogue ST iron line comes in four models

There aren’t many quiet moments at Callaway Golf headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif. — after all, how could there be? With a self-imposed mandate of delivering innovation to golfers every 12 months, the gears of progress churn quickly.

This year’s line of Rogue ST irons is no different. The brand-new line packs a serious technological punch, providing speed and distance jumps across its four offerings: the Pro, MAX, MAX OS and MAX Lite. The Rogue ST irons are meant to serve as a successor to the Mavrik line, but borrow some inspiration from last year’s Apex 21s, as well.

At the heart of this year’s update is the all-new 450 A.I. Face Cup, a piece of performance-boosting tech Callaway is introducing to the golf industry with the Rogue ST line. The 450 A.I. Face Cup blends Callaway’s Flash Face Cup technology with high-strength 450 steel — a shift in material that provides both improved consistency and better ballspeeds throughout the set.

The sturdier composition of the face comes in addition to an all-new face design, courtesy of Callaway’s A.I. Face Optimization. This space-age tech provides a unique, artificial intelligence-generated face shape for each model in order to improve individual performance, and has been updated in the Rogue ST since its maiden voyage with the Mavrik line. Also returning are Callaway’s patented urethane microspheres, which are pushed further up the face to improve sound and feel.

The advancements are all in an effort to improve performance at impact, an endeavor aided by a major boost of high-density tungsten to juice launch conditions (an increase of as much as 62 grams, or 260 percent, over the Mavrik line, depending upon the model).

The Rogue ST irons will start at $999, and will be available for retail on Feb. 18 — the same date as the remainder of Callaway’s new Rogue ST driver, fairway woods and hybrids. Below, find a brief breakdown of each iron model.

Rogue ST Pro

A players’ iron through and through, expect to see the Rogue ST Pro in the hands of Callaway staffers as soon as this week at the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Long story short: the Pro features all the technology included above crunched into an impossibly compact hollow-body construction.

Rogue ST MAX

The swiss-army knife of the Rogue ST line, the MAX is a do-it-all option built for mid-to-high handicappers. With the MAX, players will find refined shot-shaping capabilities in addition to improved speed and forgiveness … or in other words, the ideal package for a player looking to send their game to the next level.

Rogue ST MAX OS

The MAX OS is a high handicapper’s dream — the most-forgiving and highest-launching offering in the Rogue ST Family. Extra-wide soles and a thicker topline help boost confidence at address and ballstriking consistency at impact.

Rogue ST MAX Lite

Compared to the MAX OS, the MAX Lite is strikingly similar, spare for one key difference: it’s much lighter. For high handicappers and players with slow swing speeds, the MAX Lite offers a forgiving package with an increased emphasis on playability.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2021? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. 

James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is an assistant editor at GOLF, contributing stories for the website and magazine on a broad range of topics. He writes the Hot Mic, GOLF’s weekly media column, and utilizes his broadcast experience across the brand’s social media and video platforms. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow, during which time he cut his teeth at NFL Films, CBS News and Fox Sports. Prior to joining GOLF, James was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from.