Taylormade SIM2 Vs. Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons Comparison Overview
Irons can be tricky – and we just don’t mean out on the course. Your iron journey begins long before you pull one out of your bag. In order to conquer the fairway you will need to do your homework. That means choosing the right set of irons for your particular needs.
Irons are hard enough to master without working against yourself, so to speak. What we mean is that most players choose an iron set that they want as opposed to one that they need. To help you make the right choice, we are comparing two popular iron sets in the following overview.
Taylormade SIM2 Irons Overview
The Taylormade SIM2 irons will certainly be a benefit if one thing you are struggling with is distance.
Ball speed and distance were major points of emphasis during the design of these irons and it shows. The Taylormade SIM2 irons have a near-free hinging face so flex is very pronounced. The ball speeds we were getting from the long irons in this set were very impressive.
In fact, it should be noted at this point that the SIM2’s were the longer irons in this comparison. They were also more forgiving – in a certain sense. If you are having trouble with a right-orientated miss, the SIM2’s will help you out thanks to the inverted Cone-shaped sweet spot.
If squaring up at impact is more your problem, you might benefit more from the Callaway Rogue ST Max irons.
Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons Overview
While the Callaway Rogue ST Max irons won’t be the best choice if you need pure distance, they are the more well-rounded irons for beginners and high handicappers.
First of all, they look better at point of address. More offset provides a clear line of sight and partial draw bias while a wide sole helps you launch the ball higher than the Taylormade SIM2 irons. And while ball speed and distance suffers, the 450 grade steel face of the Rogue Max’s has a more solid feel.
The only downside is if you are an intermediate player. It can be hard to control the launch angles and distance of the Callaway Rogue ST Max irons around the pin compared to the tamer SIM2’s.
The Callaway Rogue ST Max irons offer more all-around forgiveness while the SIM2’s offer more distance and help with a right miss. The Rogue ST Max’s provide better launch while the SIM2’s are easier to control.
Callaway Rogue ST Irons
Category: Game Improvement – Player’s Performance
Sim 2 Max Irons
Category: Distance/ 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.
Sim 2 Irons – First Impressions
Immediately noticeable on these irons is that they look pretty similar to the Sim Max irons but the Cap Back technology does stand out as being more solid.
We weren’t expected much difference in performance either and turned out to be true as well, the Sim 2 Max are slightly longer and lower launching than their predecessor which shows an incremental improvement but nothing overly major to write home about.
The echo dampener and cap back does make these irons feel a good bit smoother in the shorter irons and you can really get a good command of the ball with the forged feeling face.
Thru slot and ICT technology ensure the sweet spot is large and playable and that is another feature that we enjoyed about these clubs.
Overall the clubs do mark an improvement over the Sim Max in terms of distance, feel and control and we recommend giving these clubs a shot before committing to a purchase, because the Sim Max are still competitive and may be available for a keener price.
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
Taylormade Sim 2 Max Irons – Selling Points
- Artificial Intelligence Used In Weight Placement
- Massive Sweet Spot
- Cap Back Is Excellent For Feel
- Echo Dampener Increases Consistency
- Straight Biased shots without much offset
- Some Of The Leading Irons On The Market
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: 95/100
Accuracy: 93/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Feel & Control: 93/100
Overall Score: 96/100
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Who Are The Sim 2 Irons For
Because these irons offer so much, literally any golfer can get good performance from them although they are going to be a perfect fit for Beginners, High Handicappers and Mid Handicappers.
Lower handicap players and pros might look to the consistency and enhanced workability of some players irons but these are still going to be easily usable by any player.
Taylormade Sim 2 Family Of Irons
The Sim 2 Max also comes in the Sim 2 Max OS which is more forgiving and has a higher loft.
The Sim 2 follows on from the Sim Irons and offers slight improves in all aspects of the game.
Distance: 96/100
Accuracy: 95/100
Forgiveness: 94/100
Feel And Control: 92/100
Overall Score: 96/100
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