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

It was right around this time last year that my Apex ’21 (Wunder Spec) experiment began. It had been years since I found a set of irons that were a true performance enhancement for my game instead of a big question mark.

The Apex 21′ were fast, forgiving, had all the nine windows, and when I was swinging well, I knocked down more flagsticks (6-PW) than I have in maybe ever.

I suppose if there was one thing that I didn’t LOVE about Apex ’21, it was the offset (that’s being extremely nit-picky). I did bend them two degrees weak to mitigate some of that but offset (on any iron) has always been something that I had to get used to, especially in the short irons. This is why I swapped in a set of Apex TCBs (7-PW) later in the year, with 4-6 saying the Apex ’21. It was a really cool setup.

I get many questions about how I tweaked the lofts to harmonize the set in my Friday AMAs.

Apex ’21
4/22
5/25
6/29
Apex TCB
7/33
8/37
9/41
PW/45

So, what was the Issue?

There were zero issues until I started playing around with the Rogue ST Pro in late November. In the initial launch video (below), I responded positively to their look, and I couldn’t get over the SOUND/FEEL of these non-forged heads. That user experience was so good that I was almost confused. How do these irons feel close to the Apex MB/TCB/XF21?

Well, without going too far into the tech/marketing rabbit hole ill say this

1. The Urethane Microspheres play a huge role in the sound and softness of strike with these irons. In this model, they are moved further up the groove ladder to cover more of the face which offers that “not hollow yet solid” sound way up the face. In my opinion, this is what’s capturing the imagination of the players who have tested thus far.
2. The player’s shape IE minimal offset, short blade length, and the turf interaction just all seem to jive together into a nice better players package with the performance of a large, deep, VERY forgiving cavity back.

It’s almost the same idea as the Odyssey Tri-Hot 5k, weirdly. The looks of the Apex MB with the forgiveness of DCB. Basically, you can have your cake and eat it too.

The set-up that really got me hooked:

This is where it got entertaining for me. In mid-January, I ordered up a set of Rogue ST Pro (4-PW) with Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400, and within three shots, I was right back to the excitement I had with the Apex 21’s, BUT I was obsessed with the look of the Rogue ST Pro.

Check out my FULL WITB w/ TXGs Ian Fraser below!!

After all the iron switches, set-ups etc., once I landed on this set I was truly HOME.

Specs and gapping of new Set:

4/22 215 Carry
5/25.5 199 Carry
6/29 185 Carry
7/33 172 Carry
8/37 160 Carry
9/41 146 Carry
PW/45 130 Carry

The numbers were PERFECT:

7-Iron (Rogue ST Pro w/ S400 and CSX 22′ Ball, 20 Shots Tested) VS TCB at Same Loft (33) and Shaft set-up.

AVG:
Ball Speed 122.7 VS 120.9 w/TCB
Carry 173.8 VS 166.9 w/TCB
Spin 6923 VS 7019 w/TCB
Launch 16.7 VS 15.9 w/TCB
Peak Height 99 Feet VS 98 w/TCB
Land Angle 49 degrees VS 50 w/TCB
Smash 1.33 VS 1.33 w/TCB

So after all that:

1. I love how they look, feel, and sound.
2. With all else being apples to apples, I picked up 7yds of carry and lost nothing in spin.
3. You don’t have to combo the set.
4. My GIR and proximity to the hole improved by almost 25%.

With all the tech packed into these irons AI Flash Face Cup, Urethane Microspheres, 45-50G of tungsten to optimize launch, etc. The ROGUE ST PRO are TRUE players’ irons. Kevin Na, who has tested these multiple times out on TOUR, has told me that these sticks have something special about them, even for the players out there. The trick at the TOUR level is finding the balance between all the tech and the nuance of shots you need at the TOUR level. I know he’s still trying to find it, and I suspect at some point he will. I know I’m having a good time:)

Happy Hunting

LFG

JDub