Equipment

Callaway Rogue ST driver: Callaway reimagines the Rogue for 2022

Published

2 years ago

Jan 4, 2022

Callaway is going Rogue again. Building on the massively popular 2018 Rogue line, the Carlsbad-based company today officially launches the 2022 Callaway Rogue ST family of drivers, which features four models: Rogue ST Max, Rogue ST Max D, Rogue ST Max LS, and Rogue Max LS Triple Diamond.

Engineers added new technology and more extreme weighting to the original Rogue framework to produce the Rogue ST (Speed Tuned) line, which Callaway is calling its fastest, most stable drivers ever.

A few notes on how engineers accomplished this.

Front of mind in the tech story is something in the back of the Rogue ST: a Tungsten Speed Cartridge that positions up to 26 grams low and deep in the head for increased speed, stability, MOI, and better performance on off-center hits.
A new iteration of the Jailbreak Speed Frame offers additional speed and stability.
A reoptimized Artificial Intelligence-optimized Flash Face design for lower spin and greater forgiveness

More photos in the GolfWRX forums.

2022 Callaway Rogue ST drivers: The lineup

In terms of the “family members:” Briefly, Rogue ST Max fits the broadest range of players and is the ST Max family’s core offering. Rogue ST Max D, not surprisingly, is a draw-biased model. In keeping with the Epic Speed line’s nomenclature, Rogue ST Max LS is a lower-spinning head that promotes a neutral ball flight. Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS is a slightly smaller, more compact low-spin head suited for better players.

Rogue ST Max

The highest MOI head in the Rogue ST lineup, Rogue ST Max features a slight draw bias and will fit the broadest number of players. Callaway expects everyone from low handicappers to high handicappers to fit into the ST Max, calling it “the best combination of distance and forgiveness in a Callaway driver.”

Callaway touts the interplay between the titanium unibody construction and Triaxial Carbon crown and sole and the associated weight savings, which allows for high MOI/high launch-producing weight distribution.

Rogue ST Max D

Another high-MOI offering, the ST Max D features a more upright lie angle and reduced face progression, as well as internal and external weighting to favor a draw. The face is also the longest heel-to-toe in the family for maximum forgiveness and sits slightly closed at address.

Rogue ST Max LS

The low-spin offering in the Rogue ST lineup, Rogue ST Max LS is a more workable, lower spin head designed to produce a more neutral ball flight and stronger trajectory. Only mid-to-low handicap players need apply.

Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS

Triple Diamond at retail (and at launch)! Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS is, as would be expected, the lowest spinning driver in the lineup. At 450cc, it’s a more compact offering and features a shape Callaway’s tour staff and high-speed players gravitate toward. Neutral-to-fade bias. “Take the left side of the golf course out of play” club.

The inside scoop

Callaway sources told us the 2018 Rogue family launch was the most successful in company history and it yielded a record year for the company. Needless to say, they were keen for another serving of all things Rogue.

Engineers were guided by a Formula 1 car mentality in which every element of the golf club was assessed and reassessed for optimum function and the attempt was made to get as much of the structure into one piece as possible.

The Max model was the top seller in the 2021 Epic line (outselling Epic Speed). Accordingly, the Rogue ST Max is the core of the 2022 line — and there’s no “Rogue ST Speed” to be seen.

Diving even deeper into Rogue ST with Dr. Alan Hocknell, Senior VP: Research & Development

On the Tungsten Speed Cartridge…

“The goal here was to put as much weight as we ever have onto the perimeter of the driver. To get the most out of that, we need a dense material. Using tungsten as the primary element of that cartridge allows us to put a large amount of weight on the extreme perimeter. And the structure that holds it is also on the perimeter. There’s a total of about 25 grams of mass in a very effective position for improving moment of inertia. The primary reason for that is increasing ball speed robustness. In other words, minimizing the loss of ball speed relative to the face center if you don’t quite hit the face center.”

“It’s a fairly complicated weight assembly. Tungsten doesn’t want to weld or anything like that to titanium…We make a machined tungsten block that fits in a urethane casing, and then that assembly goes inside the aluminum cartridge, which is then screwed onto the body.”

“…We want the head to be resistant to rotation. And that rotation would be caused by the ball and the club coming together off-center relative to the center of gravity. If that happens — you hit it on the toe or the heel or high or low on the face — the head will want to rotate. We use the weight in the Tungsten Speed Cartridge to resist that rotation. When we resist rotation, we turn more impact energy into speed.”

On the Rogue ST’s shape

“The Cyclone concept was shown in Mavrik and Epic Speed. It’s a driver design philosophy that takes the center of gravity and pushes it forward toward the face looking to enhance ball spin robustness — making sure that variation to spin as impact moves around the face is minimized.”

“The shape of the Rogue ST represents the alternate design philosophy, which is to have a more rearward center of gravity, which promotes more ball speed robustness — minimizing variation of speed instead of spin. Stretching the head front to back allows the center of gravity to be more rearward and allows the moment of inertia to be higher.”

2022 Callaway Rogue ST drivers: Pricing, specs, availability

MSRP: $549.99 US
Pre-sale: 1/21
At retail: 2/18

Rogue ST Max: 9, 10.5, 12 degrees

Rogue ST Max D: 9, 10.5, 12 degrees

Rogue ST Max LS: 9, 10.5 degrees

Rogue ST Triple Diamond LS: 9, 10.5 degrees

Stock shafts: Project X Cypher, Mitsubishi Tense AV Blue, Mitsubishi Tensei AV White

Stock grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360

More photos in the GolfWRX forums.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

43 mins ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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