Callaway

What it does: This is a reimagining of a players-distance iron. Callaway designers, believing they had gone as far as they could with stainless steel, switched the cupface material to a stronger 450 steel that can be made thinner to produce extra spring-like effect. But ball speed doesn’t do a golfer much good if it can’t be controlled. Assisting with this is a better casting process for the intricate faces that yield speed and proper spin (300 revolutions per minute more), launch (half a degree higher) and descent angle. The result is a 13-percent tighter dispersion than the Mavrik Pro iron. 

Why we like it: Hollow-body irons with thin, fast faces are as common in this category as tour players with company logos plastered on their staff bags. However, what’s unique about the Rogue ST Pro is that Callaway fits all this technology into a package that’s so slim it might appeal to a tour player. Callaway also deserves credit for reconfiguring the use of the internal urethane microspheres. The material is distributed higher up in the iron – from low in the clubhead to the sixth scoring line. This allows for vibration dampening over an area where close to 90 percent of ball impacts occur.

7-iron loft 30.5 degrees pw loft 43 degrees