Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a golf club designer?
Ever imagine how it feels on that side of the ropes? Getting to try equipment before it’s released to the general public. Even having a hand in designing the perfect club.
I always think of a group of super-intelligent people coming up with formulas and combinations and testing them day in and day out.
When you need to get an average person to be able to swing a golf club as fast as possible to generate clubhead speed, an expert on speed and flight may be your best resource.
That’s why Callaway went to Boeing.
I still think this was such a brilliant idea and it resulted in some discoveries in the golf world and some advancements with this Callaway Rogue Driver. This Driver does have quite a bit of speed and I do think that Boeing had quite a bit to do with that.
In this Callaway Rogue Driver Review, we will look into the concept of Jailbreak Technology and what sets this Driver Callaway Rogue apart from the rest. We have put together a definitive guide to the best Callaway drivers on the market for all you Callaway stalwarts out there.
The Rogue Driver Callaway put out this year claims to have more distance and forgiveness than the Epic Driver.
Callaway Rogue Driver Review
This Callaway Rogue Driver has a combination of what Callaway calls an X Face VFT and a Jailbreak Effect.
These two things combine to create what we know as Jailbreak Technology. The ultimate result of Jailbreak Technology is an increase in both speed and distance.
This is done by reinforcing the crown and the sole of the club with the Jailbreak bars. These titanium bars are installed in the clubhead from the crown to the sole.
Since the crown and the sole are reinforced they can now take the extra load and therefore create the Jailbreak Effect, increasing ball speed and distance.
The Callaway Rogue also has a Triaxial Carbon Crown. This Crown is very light and very strong.
What they did with the Rogue Driver Callaway is they made the actual head much bigger, and therefore this Carbon Crown is the largest on any Callaway to date.
I know you are probably thinking, how could they make the club bigger when 460cc is the legal limit. Callaway changed the shape so it looks longer and bigger when standing over the ball.
Its an optics thing, but it worked. For some players this is a positive and for others it is not.
I like the look of the Rogue and sometimes seeing a large, longer clubhead can make you feel as though you can hit the ball a bit further.
It feels more forgiving than an old Callaway warbird when you think of the larger area you have to hit a solid shot.
Amateur golfers throw the MOI term around quite a bit. Everybody wants a Driver with increased MOI. MOI stands for Moment of Inertia and it refers to how much the golf club twists at impact.
A shot that is hit slightly off-center (like on the toe of the Golf Club) will cause a Drivers’s head to twist. This Twist will reduce ball speed, it will likely cause a ball to go quite a bit offline and generally the distance is decreased as well.
Golf clubs like the Callaway Rogue have a high MOI and stay very stable with an off-center shot. How many times could you have used this coming down 18 with a little pressure on and you feel that wobble in the clubhead off the last tee.
It’s not a good feeling! The Rogue will certainly help stabilize this.
Now that we know that this Driver was designed by aircraft engineers, it’s probably worth taking some time to explore it further.
Let’s dive into this Callaway Rogue Driver Review and see what other important facts and features we can come up with.
Features and Benefits
Player Handicap
In this review, we are mostly focusing on the Callaway Rogue Driver. It should be noted however that there are two other models.
The Callaway Rogue Draw Driver and the Callaway Rogue Sub Zero Driver. The Callaway Rogue is your standard Mid to Higher Handicap golfer driver.
The clubface is slightly closed, it can be known to help a player that has a bit of a slice but it can also work for people who generally hit the ball straight.
The Callaway Rogue Draw Driver has an extremely closed clubface to promote a draw on every shot.
The Callaway Rogue Sub Zero Driver is the low spinning model for players with faster swing speed, and generally lower handicap.
Adjustability
Interestingly the Rogue has no adjustability. This feels a little like a step backward for Callaway. Their reasoning behind it was that if they took out the adjustable weight, set the Callaway Rogue up to the most common position that players liked, then the Driver would be lighter.
This is true, but people purchasing Drivers today are looking to get the most for their money. Especially when this Driver was first released at $499.
Adjustability on golf clubs makes people feel as though they are getting more than one club when they make their purchase. I understand what the reasoning was here but I still think Callaway will go back to adjustability in these for future generations.
Golfers that are looking to improve their game throughout the season want something forgiving and easy to hit and then as they get better they want a Driver that can continue to work for them. We are not sure that the standard Rogue model is that Driver.
Shaft Options
Similar to the other Callaway Drivers released this year this Callaway Rogue Driver comes with some great stock shaft offerings and plenty more when ordering something custom.
The Aldila Synergy, Aldila Quaranta, Project X EvenFlow, and Project X HZRDS Yellow are all offered in varying weights from 40g to 70g. There are both Light and X- Stiff flex options to provide all players with a stock option that would increase their performance.
Look/Sound/Feel
The Callaway Rogue Driver has a Carbon Composite crown that makes the Driver look very sleek at address.
The feel on this Driver is similar to the Epic, it his however much better than previous Big Bertha or XR models from several years back. The design has allowed for easier launch and more spin.
The Sound on the Callaway Rogue Driver is pretty standard for Callaway nothing that stands out too much, not ear piercing.
Keep in mind if you are looking into the Rogue Sub Zero of the Rogue Draw the feel is going to be slightly different. The feel on the Rogue Sub Zero seems to be quite a bit better but it could also be that the clubface sits more square to open than the Rogue.
Distance
This Driver Callaway Rogue is long. Is it the longest on the market, No.
The combination however of forgiveness and distance make it a long option for the Mid to Higher Handicap players.
Forgiveness
One of the most forgiving drivers put that Callaway has put out to date.
Price
The starting price on this Callaway Rogue Driver was potentially a bit too high. It didn’t last long and has dropped quickly through the year to catch up to other drivers in its category.
As I mentioned earlier in this Callaway Rogue Driver review this club does offer increased ball speed but its not nearly as adjustable as other drivers on the market.
Callaway Rogue Driver Review
Check out the video review below:
Callaway Rogue Driver Alternatives
TaylorMade M6
The TaylorMade M6 is one of the longest drivers on the market. It is a bit more expensive than the Callaway Rogue.
Similar to the Callaway the M6 does not have much adjustability but it is certainly designed to help improve ball speed and MOI.
Some die-hard golf purists are saying the sound on the M6 is also a bit better than the Rogue. We didn’t think that the sound needed to improve on the Rogue.
Read our TaylorMade M6 Driver review.
Cleveland Launcher Turbo
The Cleveland Launcher Turbo is a low priced, brand new driver that offers both distance and forgiveness.
Not quite as long as the Rogue but a very good option that was released at a lower price point and will likely drop more in the coming months.
If your swing speed is not quite as high as some of your golf buddies this may be a good driver to look at.
TaylorMade M6 vs. Callaway Rogue Driver
The TaylorMade M6 golf driver and the Callaway Rogue Driver were released at the same time and are often compared to each other. The great thing about both the M6 and the Callaway Rogue is that they will appeal to the mid to high handicap player looking for both distance and forgiveness.
Overall the M6 and the Rogue will have very similar ball speeds and low dispersion rates. One of the major differences you will notice is the feel. The TaylorMade M6 feels as though the ball jumps off the club face; the Rogue is a bit more of a thud. The more you play with both, the more you will learn about what feels most appealing to your golf game.
Cobra F9
This is one of the top Drivers of the year. Although it has no titanium bars in the clubhead this driver was highly researched and offers a ton of improvement from previous Cobra models.
The Cobra product is designed for the Mid Handicap player but with this driver, they appealed to a large range of Handicaps.
With increased adjustability and great stock shaft options, this driver will fit almost any swing. At address, this Cobra F9 sits a bit more open which can be appealing to golfers that don’t like to look down at a closed clubface.
Read our Cobra F9 Driver review.
Importance Of A Good Driver To Your Golf Game?
The golf driver is one of the most important golf clubs in the bag. The great thing about a golf driver is that when you can hit it well, it will get your golf hole off to a great start and put you in a position to make a par. A great golf driver can ensure that you are setting yourself up for a manageable approach shot into the green.
When your approach shot is more than 200 yards, it can be difficult to hit the ball close to the pin. Golfers that only have about 125 or less into a golf hole will be able to get the ball quite a bit closer. This means that with a great golf driver, you can make the rest of the game easier.
So many golfers struggle to hit the driver well, and most of the time, it comes down to just finding a driver that fits the needs of your golf game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you have a bit better of an understanding of the Callaway Rogue driver you may have some additional questions to determine if this is a club that would work for your game. Here are a few of the most common questions that we are asked about the Callaway Rogue driver.
Conclusion
The Rogue Drivers that Callaway put out this year are good. They are certainly better than the old Big Bertha and XR Models, they are slightly better than the Epic Models. I don’t believe they are as good as the Epic Flash Models.
Deciding which Driver to pick can be a difficult decision. Some will make sense to buy regardless of price because of what they offer. Others will only make sense at a certain price point.
Take a look at this deal we found on a Callaway Rogue Driver that does make the purchase just a little easier to swallow.
