Cobra LTDx Irons Vs Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons Comparison And Review 2023
Two of the hottest new irons on the market in 2023 from two of the biggest players. Callaway are a huge and established brand while Cobra are pushing the limits every year as somewhat of a disruptor to the industry.
Cobra asked their fans what they wanted in the LTDx irons and they got the unsuprising response of more distance and more feel. A task they achieved well while also adding more forgiveness and consistenty to their new irons which come in standard progressive length and with all the irons coming in one size.
Callaway have upgraded the Rogue lineage with a Max iron that offers the most distance and stability ever produced by Callaway. They’ve added more of what worked to each iron and they now have 4 different flavours of the Rogue ST irons to suit every handicap and type of player.
Callaway Rogue ST Max Overview
These clubs were built to deliver distance, consistency and forgiveness with the standard max version catering to the widest array of players from Mid – High Handicap.
You should feel a ton of confidence at address with these irons, they are thick and chunky with 62gs of tungsten in the heel and toe strecthing the sweet spot in either direction and keeping the COG low to generate a high launch despite the strong lofts.
A higher strength steel is added and A.I has been used to place the weighting and the flash cup face in the optimal locations for any forgivness on mishits.
The Rogue ST Range will be beneficial for people looking for more forgiveness than what Cobra have on offer in th LTDc irons and if you need more forgiveness there is also the Max OS and the Max OS Lite versions to choose from.
Cobra LTDx Overview
In Cobra’s quest for more distance, better feel and more forgivness, they have come up with the attractive looking and high performing Distance/Game Improvement iron in the LTDx Model.
What immediately stands out is the PWR-Cor steel bar with runs along the sole in the heel of the club which is effective in adding that distance and is also coated in polymer to improve the sound and feel of the irons.
A bigger thin spot on the PWR-Shell Forged Face Insert means more forgivness on off center hits and the CNC Milled grooves offer more control and workability.
Overview Conclusion
Both of these iron sets are long and forgiving, for high handicappers, we would suggest the Rogue ST Max or the Rogue ST Max OS versions and for seniors the light version.
For Mid Handicappers to Low Handicappers in depends on your personal prefences, they are close in terms of performance and LTDx are our favourite irons from Cobra so far but we still have to side with the Callaway for their all round performance, higher launch and ease of use for most.
Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons First Impressions
The heads on the max irons are thick, chunky and scream game improvement at address.
The Rogue ST Max irons have been crafted for distance, forgivness and consistent shots in high handicappers. There are also 4 flavours to choose from, to suit any handicap.
Callaway Rogue ST Max Key Technology
The Callaway Rogue Irons have made some incremental improvements to the clubs, placing a good distance between them and the Mavriks
4 Versions: While the Mavrik had 3 versions, the Rogue St Max Irons have 4 and it is a Max as standard, so bigger everything. There is also and OS, an OS Lite and and a Pro version of the irons available.
More Weighting: The Rogue ST Max has 62 grams of Tungsten weighting, concentrated in the toe and heel of the club. This is over 200% more than the Mavrik and as a result, we are getting extra distance. The weighting is lower in the long irons and higher in the wedges to give that stopping power around the greens as well.
New High Strength Steel Face: Callaway a using a new higher strength steel in their falsh cup face which adds flex and ball speed on impact and it’s designed with A.I for optimal placement in each club.
A.I Optimized Face: Callaway have studied the areas where the target market for each iron are mis hitting and increased the forgivness in that area, Max users will hit better shots towards the heel and Pro users will get more consistency from mishits towards the toe.
Strong Lofts: The Callaway Max benefits from stong lofts, the 7 iron is 27.5 Degrees and its another reason why the clubs are so long.
Improved Sound And Feel: Callaway have added more urethane microspheres to enhance the sound and feel of the clubs, it now runs up to the 6 groove in the irons and gives a softer feel and nice sound on impact.
Cobra LTDx Irons First Impressions
The Pwr-Cor Steel bar stands out immediately and the bigger clubface is more appealing to high handicappers on these excellent game improvement irons.
Cobra LTDx Key Technology
The Cobra LTDx have made quite a few improvements over their predecessors, none more notable than the PWR-Cor
Pwr-Cor Steel Bar: the Pwr-Cor is a steel bar that runs through the face of the club up to the hosel, it is coated in Polymer to improve the sound and feel of the club as well as increasing the MOI of the irons to the highest level from Cobra. The Polymer coating also adds 5% more flex to the club for forgiveness and distance.
The Pwr-Shell Face: The Pwr-Shell face remains in the LTDx irons from the Radspeeds but it now has a 23% larger thin, sweet spot making the clubs more forgiving and producing better shots on off center hits and it also wraps into the sole for shots hit low on the face.
Perimeter Weighting: Tungsten weighting in the heel and the visible screw weight in the toe, stretch the sweet spot and provide more forgivness from the club face.
Lattice Style Medallion: A lattice style medalion fills the cavity above the PWR-Cor and adds to the feel, sound and stability of the clubs.
CNC Milled Grooves: The deep grooves of the Cobra LTDx’s give the clubs excellent stopping power around the greens, especially as you move more towards the shorter irons.
Callaway Rogue ST Max Lofts And Lies
Callaway Rogue ST Max |
Loft |
Lie |
3 Iron |
||
4 Iron |
18.5° |
60.5° |
5 Iron |
21.5° |
61.25° |
6 Iron |
24.5° |
62° |
7 Iron |
27.5° |
62.5° |
8 Iron |
32° |
63° |
9 Iron |
36.5° |
63.5° |
Pitching Wedge |
41° |
64° |
Gap Wedge |
46° |
64° |
Sand Wedge |
51° |
64° |
Cobra LTDx Lofts And Lies
Cobra LTDX |
Loft |
Lie |
3 Iron |
||
4 Iron |
18.5° |
62° |
5 Iron |
20.5° |
62.5° |
6 Iron |
23.5° |
63° |
7 Iron |
26.5° |
63.5° |
8 Iron |
31° |
64° |
9 Iron |
36° |
64.5° |
Pitching Wedge |
41.5° |
65° |
Gap Wedge |
47.5° |
65° |
Sand Wedge |
54° |
65° |
Who Should Buy The Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons
Callaway Rogue St Max Irons are primarily suitable for high to mid handicappers but anybody will get good performance from them and their is a version of these irons to suit everybody.
The irons are for someone looking for the maximum game improvement in terms of distance and consistency while remianing workable around the greens and without splashing out for the more expensive forged Apex Irons.
Callaway have done an excellent job of improvement the distance, feel and forgivness of their latest irons and delivering enhance performance on the course.
Distance: 96/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Wokabilty: 91/100
Overall Performance: 95/100
Value: 93/100
Overall Score: 95/100
Who Should Buy The Cobra LTDx Irons
The Cobra are a big improvement in the irons department from Cobra this year, they are longer, feel better and are more forgiving than the irons that came before them.
The LTDx’s are perfect for high handicappers up to mid handicappers. They provide nice and long shots with stronger lofts ensuring a lower flight path.
They are also nice and working around the greens with CNC Groove milling which we be nice to hear for those mid handicappers looking for a bit more control.
Distance: 96/100
Forgiveness: 93/100
Wokabilty: 92/100
Overall Performance: 94/100
Value: 93/100
Overall Score: 94/100
Hi, I am Matthew, a mid handicap golfer who likes to play as much as possible. I love trying out new gear and this blog is where you can find all the gear I have tested over the years!
