Ping G425 Vs. Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons Comparison Overview
Ping is known for putting high-end, innovative features into clubs that are intended to help beginners and high handicappers improve performance. That’s why so many of their clubs have featured unique blends of game-improvement and player’s performance features.
The Ping G425 irons perfectly exemplify this design characteristic. The Ping G425 irons narrowly fit into the category of game-improvement irons so how would they fare against a pure game-improvement iron set like the new Callaway Rogue ST Max irons?
Ping G425 Irons Overview
The first thing you will notice about the Ping G425 irons is the compact head and notched hosel.
The Ping G425’s have smaller heads and shorter blades compared to the Callaway Rogue ST Max’s and most other game-improvement irons. However, these are still cavity back irons so despite the smaller blades, the Ping G425’s still work to increase MOI.
The notched hosel also allows for extreme perimeter weighting without launching the overall club weight through the roof. The perimeter weighting certainly does help preserve ball speed on shots hit closer to the toe. The variable face thickness also helps shots hit near the sole.
The blade length (even shorter than the G410 irons) belies all the forgiveness features but ultimately increases workability around the green – part of what makes these irons so unique among game improvement clubs.
Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons Overview
The Callaway Rogue ST Max irons are massive compared to the Ping G425.
They have much wider soles and blade lengths which inspire confidence at point of address. We could tell right away that these clubs would be more beneficial to double-digit handicappers. They are more forgiving overall. Of course, that means less workability.
The Callaway Rogue ST Max short irons provided almost no spin control. While they launch high and their strong lofts naturally generate a lot of spin, there was almost no way to reign it in. Strategic ball placement and accuracy were certainly shortcomings of these irons.
Still, they launched higher, played longer and were truer to the game-improvement iron category for what it’s worth.
The Ping G425 irons certainly have more to offer mid handicappers than they do for high handicappers. The perimeter weighting does help with forgiveness and the enhanced short-game accuracy is a great boon for intermediate players; but beginners will feel more at home with the Callaway Rogue ST Max irons.
Callaway Rogue ST Irons
Category: Game Improvement – Player’s Performance
Ping G425 Irons
Category – Game Improvement Irons
Callaway Rogue ST Irons First Impressions
The first thing we noticed about the Callaway Rogue ST irons is that they felt incredibly stable on full swings.
While high handicappers may not fully appreciate that benefit at first, it will certainly spoil them as they get better. The large head sizes of the Max models will be a bit off-putting for lower handicappers; but that is what the Pro line is for.
All of the Max models have a wide sole that you can see from point of address. Again this will look more comforting in the eyes of a beginner or high handicapper. Our testers also noted the near-effortless launch of almost all the irons in the set.
Key Tech
The clubs are packing all the latest technology too:
We’ve now got urethane microspheres up to the 6th groove which helps give a smoother feel and nicer sound.
A.I Optimized flash face to give a solid connection anywhere on the face and optimization for launch, spin and distance.
The Tungsten weighting is in the extremities of the head and allows for the sweet spot to cover more of the face, up to 260% more Tungsten than the Mavrik irons.
Ping G425 Irons First Impressions
After taking 2020 off, the G425 Irons are a much anticipated upgrade to the G410’s and the first thing you notice with these irons is that the heads are smaller and more compact.
The irons incorporate two weights, a visible screw at the front of the clubhead and a weight in the hosel. This, coupled with the wide and cascading sole allows a quality ball launch angle.
Ping have gone for the metal wood style material for the first time in a set of irons and the variable face thickness allows for a lot of forgiveness and ball speed on any strike, even when you hit the ball off center.
They also have a multi material badge filling in the cavity at the back to dampen any vibrations on mishits.
The irons have a slight bit of offset for forgiveness but you are going to get plenty of feel from these especially from Irons you would classify as game improvement.
Callaway Rogue ST Selling Points
- Up to 62 grams of tungsten weighting
- 450 grade steel faces
- Pronounced soles
- I. designed Flash Face Cup design
- Layers of urethane
- Strong lofts
G425 Selling Points
- Metal Wood Finish
- Multi Badge Material
- Small, More Compact Heads
- Perimeter Weighting
- Excellent Feel And Control
- More Performance From A Smaller Head
Who are the Callaway Rogue ST Irons for?
The Callaway Rogue ST irons are mostly for high handicappers. The three different Max models are certainly for beginner to intermediate players while the Pro model would be better for single-digit handicappers.
But don’t get the wrong idea. The three Callaway Rogue ST Max irons aren’t as beginner-friendly when compared to some other irons. Just like we explained when we compared them to the Big Bertha’s, the Callaway Rogue ST irons are just a bit more refined than your average distance/game-improvement irons.
While most of the Callaway Rogue ST iron family is focused on upping the ball speed of high handicap players, the Pro model has a lot to offer more skilled players. Speaking of the different Callaway Rogue ST models…
The Callaway Rogue ST Iron Family
Callaway Rogue ST Max
The Rogue ST Max irons have the heaviest tungsten weight (62 grams) of any other Rogue ST iron. The head is not quite as big as the other Max models so it sits somewhere between the Rogue ST Pro and the other two Rogue ST Max models.
Callaway Rogue ST Max OS
If you need a little bit of draw bias in your irons, the pronounced offset of the Max OS irons will be helpful for you. Compared to the Callaway Rogue ST Max irons, the Max OS’s also have slightly stronger lofts. As a result the Max OS irons are more forgiving out near the toe.
Callaway Rogue ST Max OS Lite
As you can imagine, the Callaway Rogue ST Max OS Lite model is almost identical to the Callaway Rogue ST Max OS model. The key differences are lighter shafts and lighter swing weights.
The Callaway Rogue ST Max OS Lite irons also have the lightest tungsten weights (46 grams in the longest iron) and produce the highest launch angles thanks to an incredibly wide sole.
Launch is also helped with stronger lofts compared to the Callaway Rogue ST Max OS irons and the fact that these irons come standard in only graphite shafts should reiterate the emphasis on light weight and easier swinging.
Callaway Rogue ST Pro
The Callaway Rogue ST Pro irons are the most unique of the bunch. They feature the smallest head sizes and muscle backs. They also have a hollow body design. The spirit of the Rogue irons is still alive even in the Pro models though.
For instance, the Callaway Rogue ST Pro irons feature split weighting in the toe and heel to increase MOI and improve ball speeds on shots away from the sweet spot. So while they offer better spin dynamics, they are still pretty forgiving.
Ball speed is still there in the long irons as well – you’ll just have to be a lot more accurate.
Distance: 96/100
Accuracy: 93/100
Forgiveness: 95/100
Feel & Control: 94/100
Overall Score: 96/100
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Who Are The G425 Irons For?
The Ping Irons aren’t going to be for every beginner. These irons will be incredible popular for improving and better players who want to get more feel on the ball without sacrificing forgiveness and consistency.
If you are someone who wants to starting working the ball a bit more, the G425’s are a perfect choice.
Ping G425 Family Of Irons
The G425 Irons also come in a crossover version which are black in color and the steel face on the crossover maximizes the distance you can get with G425 Crossovers.
Distance: 95/100
Accuracy: 95/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Feel And Control: 93/100
Overall Score: 94/100
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