Callaway Rogue ST Drivers £479
GM verdict
It’s fair to say the looks of Callaway’s two most recent driver ranges – Mavrik and then Epic 21 – haven’t set the world on fire, despite the performance being more than competitive. For 2022, Callaway’s new driver range is the Rogue ST, and while there are four models to choose from, this review will centre mainly around the Rogue ST Max and Max LS drivers as they will have the broadest appeal.
Down at address, the Rogue ST Max has a premium new matte crown which is certainly an improvement, although we didn’t care much for the clock-style graphics at the rear. The Rogue ST Max also has a long profile from front to back to inspire maximum confidence, while the Rogue ST Max LS has a taller face and more of a squat look behind the ball that will suit the eye of the low-handicap player.
Observing the ball flight during testing, the Rogue ST Max also had a far more neutral trajectory. We could still draw and fade it if we wanted to (it has semi drawbias built in) but overall the ball flight was much more stable and certainly seemed to curve off line less when we missed the middle. This is likely to be down to the 11.5g tungsten weight positioned at the very rear of the clubhead, which is also said to improve spin and ball-speed consistency.
The number that really stands out here is the raw ball speed from the new drivers. At 168mph with the Rogue ST Max LS, it was one of the fastest and longest drivers we have ever hit. Interestingly, we did strike some shots off-centre, but they didn’t cause a huge drop-off in ball
speed. The LS driver launched noticeably lower and for us spun between 100-200rpm less than the Max version, so not considerably – golfers looking for ultra-low spin can opt for the Triple Diamond LS.
The Rogue ST Max offers an appealing combination of fairly low spin with excellent ball speed and stability. The ST Max LS appears to be surprisingly playable for a low-spin model, while offering even more distance for the faster swinger.
If you factor in the other two models and the fairway-finding performance we experienced from the Rogue ST Max driver in particular, there’s a lot to be excited about in 2022 from Callaway if you’re looking to upgrade your driver.