Rogue is back for 2022 and if the driver is anything to go by, these woods could become your new fairway finders.
Last year I voted Callaway’s Epic Speed Fairway Wood as my favourite 3 wood of the year so I was looking forward to seeing where Callaway went with their new Rogue ST range.
There are two heads available in the line-up: Max and LS which Callaway are stating are their fastest fairway woods ever. Funnily enough they said that last year when the Epic Speed was released also...
I took the Max 3 wood to Denton Golf Club for a few holes and to grab some numbers on the Flightscope Mevo+ Launch Monitor.
The Tech
Jailbreak ST
The new A.I. designed Jailbreak system has two new batwings pushed to the edge of the head which provides extra stability on a high flexing face.
Tungsten Speed Cartridge
For the first time in a fairway wood, the 27g tungsten cartridge sits low and forward in the head to lower the spin on the ball and so increase ball speed.
A.I. Flash Face
There is a customised face for each model and loft to increase speed, launch and spin off the face.
Face Cup
C300 Maraging steel is used in the face which is high strength whilst being very flexible. This Flash Face Cup also allows for speed and spin for off centre strikes also.
The LS head has an added feature of being more compact in shape with even more weight forward in the head to reduce spin and workability. The head is less toed in than the draw biased Max.
Callaway Rogue ST Max Fairway Wood Review
Looks
The Callaway Rogue ST Max Fairway wood looks great. Again like the driver, it features a matte black crown with a dash of burnt red/orange and white on the rear of the head for extra detail. This may put some golfers off but I quite liked it - it felt modern and shaped the ball well.
The name Rogue ST is also stamped near the hosel insertion a little like you can see on the TaylorMade Stealth Driver and Fairway Wood and the club face is light grey to contrast the black crown.
What I also like is how the grooves on the face are painted white which makes lining up the ball in the middle of the face much easier, I also found that inspired confidence at address. There is also the small Callaway triangle on top of the crown to aid alignment.
One thing I will say here is that at address, like the Callaway Rogue ST Driver it looks like the face is slightly closed to target, the head is slightly toed in and draw biased.
Feel
During my testing I found the Rogue ST Max felt very easy to hit, the club slides across the turf and gathers the golf ball - it had great turf interaction when hitting from a variety of different lies on the golf course.
I found it to launch high off the face and like most Callaway fairway woods I have tested in recent years - it feels quick.
As I mentioned, it looks left at address and therefore feels it at impact. So for those of you struggling with a push or a slice this could be the ideal club for you.
The Data
All data in this test was captured outdoor in temperatures of around 3-4 degrees.
Average carry - 179 yards
Ball Speed - 122.7 mph
Club Speed - 87 mph
Launch - 13 degrees
Spin Rate - 3744 mph
Height - 65 feet
Compared to the Epic Speed Fairway Wood it had similar ball speed but more spin and more launch so it flew around 10 yards shorter.
Compared to the TaylorMade Stealth Fairway Wood which I also tried on the same day they were exactly the same in yardage, spin and ball speed. Therefore in terms of performance, if you're looking to buy either the Stealth or the Rogue ST - it will be all down to looks and personal preference.
Outdoor Performance
After some heavy testing on the range, I then took these for 9 holes alongside the TaylorMade Stealth trying them in different scenarios including: off the tee, from the fairway and out of the rough. Like my FlightScope data suggested, distance-wise they were side by side however the Callaway did always seem to be hugging the left side of either the fairway or the green.
The left-bias is noticeable in looks and in flight also, I missed the first fairway I played to the left, then the first green left. In fact I never hit one shot right of target out on the course during my testing - in all honesty I found this slightly annoying.
Despite this drawback for my game, I couldn’t fault the strike and average distance of the Rogue ST Max, overall it performed excellently and I am not a good fairway wood player in general. As with most golfers, it is one of the worst parts in my game.
Callaway Rogue ST Fairway Wood Verdict
I can’t argue with the consistency of this 3 wood, I genuinely think Callaway fairway woods are getting easier to hit year on year. I used to struggle to flight a 3 wood but not anymore. That low strike off the face has certainly been dealt with by manufacturers meaning my spin is a lot more stable.
The launch on this 3 wood was high but to be honest from my testing I didn’t notice the lower spin which is said to be there from the new tungsten cartridge, in fact I found the Rogue ST Max head spun more than the Epic Speed. However that said on a winters day in Manchester this 3 wood looked after me.
The majority of right handed golfers miss their shots to the right, Callaway understand this and it's why they have made their Rogue ST Max heads draw biased in all of their woods from driver to 11 wood. I don’t miss right, I miss left so this isn’t the set up I would want.
Personally I think standard heads should be more neutral, I am therefore pushed towards the LS head in the Rogue ST fairways. However these are harder to hit so I am being punished for not being the average golfer. What happens if you are a mid handicapper who hits the ball left but still needs forgiveness?
That said it stacks up the same as a Stealth in performance, you can now decide on your club by shot shape, looks, price (the LS and Max are the same price unlike TaylorMade Stealths) and brand loyalty.
To conclude, I ultimately wanted to find out if this was Callaway fastest fairway wood ever. It didn’t produce faster ball speed than the Epic Speed range so the answer is unfortunately no.
Who Are They Aimed At?
Any level of golfer who doesn’t have a left miss (if you are right handed). With a range from 3 -11 wood golfers have so many options with this club.
Would I Use It?
No, overall performance was great but unfortunately due to the draw bias setting I would lose too many shots left.
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Callaway Rogue ST Max Driver Review
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