PLAYING WITH … CALLAWAY ROGUE IRONS

Cost: $159.99 (Standard and X, steel); $174.99 (Standard and X graphite, Pro steel). Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Writer (GA Handicap 9.4)

Jimmy Emanuel explains that Callaway has something for everyone when it comes to the new range of Rogue irons.

MODELS PLAYED: Rogue Pro, fitted with True Temper XP 105 shaft. Rogue Standard, with Aldila Synergy 60IR shaft. Rogue X, with Aldila Synergy 50IR shaft. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: When looking at the back of the club, all three models appear full of technology. The Standard and X particularly have a lot going on, while the Pro’s slightly more toned down appearance appealed most to me.

At address the Rogue and Rogue X look as expected, with a thick topline and sizeable amount of offset, whereas the Pro surprised me a little by how good it looked behind the ball. As a blade iron user I expected to find it too big, but its appearance is a slightly bulked up version of Callaway’s X-Forged. And the contrast between the chrome heel and toe and matte grooved area made it extremely easy to align the face.

Upon making my first swing with each iron, the consistent take away was power, with the X seeming to stay in the air forever. HOW THEY PERFORMED: As my time with the three models went on, I was impressed by the different performance of each iron, all clearly designed for a variety of players, but most of all the distance each delivered.

The Standard model was easy to hit, launching high and straight and was at least a club longer than my current set throughout my testing both on course and at the range.

The X was longer again, consistently by another club. The look was similar to the Rogue, although the back of the cavity was slightly visible at address on occasions and the ball flight was more penetrating, resulting in a number of carried greens. And when I gave it a little more, the X went distances I have never dreamed of hitting the equivalent iron from my set.

Unsurprisingly, the Pro stood out most for me. The feel was the closest to my set, as was the ball flight, which was slightly lower than the other two models. The Pro also offered increased workability, particularly moving the ball left and right, and was anywhere from half a club to a full club longer than my own irons.

Although the distance of each model stood out, each iron had other performance characteristics that impressed and the Standard

and X grew on me the more time I spent with them. The forgiveness of the Standard model was outstanding. Most impressive though was its ball flight, which was a tight draw each time and even on mis-hits still got up in the air. This high flight and spin meant the ball stopped extremely quickly into greens. When an iron is built for distance like the X, it is easy to think other performance characteristics will suffer and although less accurate with the X, which perhaps could be partially attributed to the longer and lighter shaft, I was not too far off the mark. The feel of the X, alongside the longest shot I think have ever managed with a 6-iron, was its most redeeming feature.

For mine, the Pro is the best bridge between the more forgiving models and better player irons from Callaway in some time. The look behind the ball is great and the strong flight that never missed left was exactly what I like to see.

Overall, all three models impressed in three unique ways that support Callaway’s decision to release three different models, four when including the Women’s model.

The Rogue X, while not necessarily designed for my game, was powerful and would be perfect for any player struggling to keep up with their playing partners or who just likes to see the ball soar.

The Standard Rogue was a good all-round performer – the almost automatic high draw I hit each time something I could easily get used to, as well as the stopping power into greens.

Finally, the Pro was the pick for me. The flight and control were its most impressive attributes, and the whole package including looks and feel raised it in my estimations as a genuine option if I were in the market for a new set.