Follow UP: Rogue ST Pro Irons and the best iron play I’ve experienced in YEARS.

If you remember, last summer, I stumbled upon the idea of trying to make a player’s distance iron, a true player’s iron. In simple terms, try to create a set that gave me the workability, spin, and feel of the TCB but with some forgiveness and a touch of ball speed. The Apex ’21 was the iron of choice and the summer was a success. I couldn’t imagine finding a better performing set for me.

If there was ONE thing I didn’t love, it was the Apex 21’s offset. I bent them all 2-degrees weak, which took some of the offset out, but we want it all right?

Then fall/winter hits, and the introduction of the Rogue ST line begins. More specifically the Rogue ST Pro. These irons checked off every single box (especially the eye candy test) and what I found the most fascinating is I was asked to make ZERO concessions. NONE. After all the smoke cleared I ONLY gained 7 to 8 yards of carry distance. When I say ONLY I don’t mean that in a negative sense, it means I kept all the good of the irons I loved hitting over the past year AND picked up 7-8 yards of pure carry per iron. That’s NUTS.

These Irons were made for me: The Rogue ST Pro w/ New Video!!

This week’s video gives you a quick glimpse of what an apples-to-apples comparison looks like, but there is a larger point to make here. It’s on the golf course where the performance really matters and that’s where the best iron play (probably of my golfing career) has transpired.

Apex Pro 19′ DD VS Rogue ST Pro SPECS

Loft: 32.5
Lie: 62
Length: 37″
SW: D3
Shaft: True Temper DG TI X100 Mid

These Irons are a UNICORN set and will most likely become a cult classic in the years to come…

To hammer home the performance of Rogue ST Pro, I had to dig back to my stats from last summer with my Apex 21/TCB Combo against this summer with Rogue ST Pro.

(S1) May/June/July 2021 VS (S2) May/June/July 2022

Rounds in Sample 1: 9
GIR 8-PW: 81%
GIR 4-7: 53%
Proximity to the hole overall: 41 Feet
Percentage of missed greens short: 59%

Rounds in Sample 2: 10
GIR 8-PW: 84%
GIR: 4-7: 70%
Proximity to the hole overall: 36 Feet
Percentage of missed greens short: 23%

Performance on mishits is a very noticable factor to me. Especially SHORT. I have a distinct advantage because all of my mis-hits are the same CENTER THIN. With every club. A miss center thin can float and lose carry distance quickly, especially if there is any hurting wind. Thats where irons like Apex MBs, TCBs etc kill me.

For example, if I need to hit a stock shot to a flag just over the water, a center-thin mishit is a problem. Still, the way Rogue ST Pro is designed with the tungsten down low and flash face cup, I can hit shots aggressively with little to no worry of a mishit costing me a round.

It’s rare these days to only gain yardage. Think about that for a second; when new tech comes out, there is typically a trade-off somewhere; there almost has to be. If a club is longer, it’s probably knocking spin down; if it’s straighter, then it’s probably spinning a bit more and launching a bit lower, the performance might be there, but the look is off. The list goes on.

The Rogue ST Pro irons looked how I wanted them to, spun correctly, launched correctly, are forgiving, AND responsive.

In a pure apples-to-apples comparison to my set of TCBs, Apex Pro ’19 Double Dots and Apex ’21 (Wunder Spec), the Rogue ST Pro offered me distance across the set. That’s it. That’s a BIG DEAL. Picking up raw distance with no sacrifice in this day and age is an R&D win.

I have documented these irons in great detail in the article links above. They are that good. I can’t encourage better players enough to give them a look. I almost guarantee you’ll scratch your head in amazement.

Happy Hunting

JDub