This is our review of the best Callaway Irons for beginners, mid-handicappers, and players in 2024.
I’m an avid golfer, an 8ish handicap on my way to a 2 (been a 5.6) and frequent tester of golf clubs and equipment since 2015.
Callaway has a solid selection of great irons for every category of golfer and more than one option in many cases. I’ve listed my favorites here.
In this best Callaway irons review we discuss, benefits and features of each and our recommendations.
Our Top 3 Recommendations for 2024
|
Best Player Distance
|
Best for Scratch Golfers
|
Runner Up - Player Distance
|
|
5.0
|
4.7
|
5.0
|
|
~$142/club new
|
~$215/club new
|
~$200/club new
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Easy launch & Explosive distance
- Superb feel & Just enough forgiveness
- Flight & Work the ball easily
- Incredible price
- None
- Launch well, accurate, & consistent
- No harshness on mishits
- Great looking
- Pricey
- Lack distance
- Easy & Consistent Distance
- Easy to Launch, Shape, or Flight down
- Touch of forgiveness
- Softish and solid feel
- Premium Price
Our Best Callaway Irons for 2024
- Callaway Rogue ST Pro Irons (Editor’s Pick & Best Value – Player Distance Irons)
- Callaway Paradym Irons (Superb Player Distance Irons)
- 2024 Callaway Apex CB Irons (Best for Elite ball strikers)
- 2024 Callaway Apex Pro Irons (0 – 9ish Handicaps)
- 2024 Callaway Apex MB Irons (Best for PGA Tour Players)
- Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons (Best For Beginners or High Handicappers)
Best Callaway Irons in 2023 Reviewed
Callaway Rogue ST Pro Irons
- Easy launch & Explosive distance
- Superb feel & Just enough forgiveness
- Flight & Work the ball easily
- Incredible price
- None
The Callaway Rogue ST Pros as the best Callaway irons for better low handicaps looking for player performance irons.
- They look the part – Compact, with a thin topline and sole and minimal offset.
- EXceptionally easy to hit well.
- Can play any shot
- Great pricing for player irons
I’ve owned, played, and tested Callaway irons for years. So, it’s kinda hard to surprise me. The Rogue ST Pros did just that.
I found them to be incredible clubs in every aspect. I love their looks, I love their play, I love the way they feel.
They’re a few years old now, but I still recommend them highly.
Make no mistake, the Rogue ST Pros are compact player-looking heads. Yet, they are incredibly easy to hit and play. Any shot you got, they can deliver.
Customer Reviews:
- Pages of reviews with ALL giving 5 stars.
- 100% of buyers would recommend the Rogue ST Pro irons to a friend.
Bottom Line: Premium performance at bargain basement pricing. Give them a test drive at your local golf store or go through Global Golf (like I did)
Callaway Paradym Irons
- Easy & Consistent Distance
- Easy to Launch, Shape, or Flight down
- Touch of forgiveness
- Softish and solid feel
- Premium Price
We recommend the Callaway Paradym irons as the best Callaway irons for 5ish – 10ish handicaps looking for player performance irons.
- The compact head looks great behind the ball at address.
- They launch easily and carry high without ballooning.
- Good distance. They were about half a club (~7 yards) longer than their loft.
- Thicker topline and sole for added forgiveness and confidence at address.
These are the Rogue ST Pros but in a more forgiving package. Namely, the thicker sole and topline for more perimeter weighting. (and some other things)
Customer Reviews:
- 20ish reviews and mostly 5 stars.
- All complaints centered around manufacturer defects, customer support, and durability (the finish dulled or scratched too easily). Oh, and the price.
- 94% of buyers would recommend the Paradyms to a friend.
- I can’t speak to manufacturer defects or the durability of the finish. I’ve only had mine a couple of weeks and they look fine.
Bottom Line: Excellent performance at a premium price.
2024 Callaway Apex CB Irons
- Launch well, accurate, & consistent
- No harshness on mishits
- Great looking
- Pricey
- Lack distance
We recommend the 2024 Callaway CB irons scratch to 4ish handicaps.
What we like:
- Superb player looks & design.
- Accurate and consistent.
- Soft and solid feel at impact.
- Excellent workability.
What we don’t like:
- Distance drops significantly with minor mishits.
I enjoyed playing these irons and I could learn to get around the course and score with them. But, I came up short of my target a LOT during my 3 rounds with the CBs.
They feel great, launch great, and have a nice trajectory. I hit the long irons well too, which is always a bonus for me when testing irons.
I’m just now willing to give up a club or half a club of distance.
To be fair to the CBs, they’re not made for me. They’re made for tour pros and elite ball strikers that wear out the sweet spot.
Customer Reviews:
- There aren’t any on Callaway’s site yet.
Bottom Line: Probably give these a pass if you aren’t a scratch player with serious ball striking.
2024 Callaway Apex MB Irons
- Superb workability
- Great feel in short irons
- Beautiful clubs
- Extremely demanding - Big distance loss with minor mishits
- Harsh & Clicky long irons
- Pricey
We recommend the 2024 Callaway MB irons for Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffle, Sam Burns, and other elite ball strikers. (We’re not kidding)
What we like:
- Superb player looks & design.
- Accurate and consistent.
- Soft and solid feel at impact.
- Excellent workability.
What we don’t like:
- Short when we flush them and Distance drops significantly with VERY minor mishits.
- Our tester thought the long irons lacked the soft and solid feel of the short and mid irons.
These are clubs for golfers (tour pros) who have distance to burn and worry only about consistency. Otherwise, you’re gonna be clubbing up a whole lot. Who wants to give up that much distance? No one I know.
My tester, Wes, and I connected on quite a few solid shots only to end up at least a club short. They felt great and it wasn’t obvious from the strike that the ball would be short of the pin – and usually the green – but that’s where it ended up often.
Customer Reviews:
- There aren’t any on Callaway’s site yet.
Bottom Line: You need to be a seriously elite ball striker with your irons. You’re giving up too much distance otherwise.
2024 Callaway Apex Pro Irons
- Soft & Solid Feel
- Splash of Forgiveness
- Good Distance
- Nice Design
- Pricey
We recommend the Callaway Apex Pro ’24 Irons as the best Callaway irons for 0 – 9ish handicaps.
What we like:
- They’re sleek, elegant, and compact. I’m a fan of the brushed metal finish and the overall design.
- Impact feels soft, solid, and muted.
- Ample distance and a sprinkling of forgiveness.
What we don’t like:
- Price – they ain’t giving these away.
These delivered exactly like I thought they would. They look the part and aren’t intimidating at address for us with higher single-digit handicaps. They launch quickly and high with good contact but aren’t overly punishing on minor mishits.
I think their distance matches their lofts nicely. They’re consistent and accurate. So, no surprise shots landing 10 yards over the green. But, you can step on them if you need another 5 yards or so.
You can play all the shots low handicap irons are supposed to play. You can flight them down, take off distance, and shape them as your skill allows.
Customer Reviews:
- There are four reviews as I write this. 3 people give them 5 stars and one very unhappy customer gives them 1-star. (I don’t agree with the 1-star)
Bottom Line: Great clubs if you like standard lofts and a touch more forgiveness in slightly larger clubheads.
Callaway Rogue ST Max Irons
- Long & Forgiving
- Easy to elevate
- Not the best Sound & Feel
The Rogue ST Max Pro irons are our pick for best Callaway irons for beginners and high handicappers.
- Large clubhead screams “forgiveness”.
- Generous sweet spot for more distance over a larger area of the face.
- Mucho help with elevating the ball for better carry and green holding
I’ve had a few sets of Callaway irons and tested a bunch more. The ST Max irons are the definition of forgiveness and distance for the high handicap or beginner golfer. (I think that sentence makes sense)
I struggled to hit them well, honestly. I started by hooking them off the planet, then finally learned how to hit my normal high-tight draw about mid-round. (I play a combo set of blades and compact cavity back player irons.)
I got them on the range the next day and was able to hit quite a few good shots.
What I’m saying is that I’m a low handicapper and a strong iron player. These irons are made for the beginner, not me.
- They are easy to hit high
- The lofts are jacked so they’ll go a long way
- You can hit them all over the face and still get decent results
To be crystal-clear – These are NOT refined tools for good ball strikers.
But, they ARE everything a beginner or high handicap golfer needs in an iron.
Customer Reviews: 95% of reviewers would recommend these irons to a friend.
Bottom Line: Best serves beginners or new golfers needing max forgiveness and max help with their iron game.
Verdict on the Best Callaway Irons in 2024
My favorite irons on this page are the ST Pros – but that’s where my game is. Test the irons most suited to your handicap and game.
My #1 suggestion is to test before you buy. Either at your local golf store or take advantage of Global Golf’s Utry trial program. I use it and recommend it.
Thanks for checking out our review of the best Callaway irons for beginners, mid-handicap, & low handicappers in 2024.
