Callaway Rogue Drivers Revealed

Callaway Rogue Drivers Revealed - Callaway will be launching three new Rogue drivers alongside Epic to provide performance for all types of player

Callaway Rogue Drivers Revealed

Callaway’s Great Big Bertha Epic drivers and fairway woods were one of the success stories of 2017 but for this year, it will be joined by another range in the family that Callaway say performs even better.

The Jailbreak technology in the Epic and Epic Sub Zero driver, along with other features like the triaxial carbon crown and moveable weights, meant it was one of the longest drivers we tested in 2017.

The new Rogue driver features redesigned Jailbreak bars that are now more hourglass in shape, which makes them 25 per cent lighter but more effective at stiffening the body of the clubhead to make the face more flexible on a wider area.

Although they come in at the same RRP as Epic, the Rogue drivers focus less on adjustability, but comes in three heads of Standard, Sub Zero and now Draw to suit every player type.

A new variable thickness X Face has been designed to accommodate the impact of Jailbreak at impact and the CG is now lower in the head thanks to the removal of carbon fibre pieces on the sole, which tended to scratch up. The result, Callaway say, is ultimate distance without compromise.

A new Speed Step crown design, which looks to be less prominent visually, is said to reduce aerodynamic drag for increased club speed.

How does Rogue compare to Epic?

The MOI (resistance to twisting) of the Rogue driver is higher than Epic and Epic Sub Zero, which should lead to 16 per cent tighter dispersion. The Rogue Draw driver provides more draw bias than Epic could in its maximum draw setting, while Rogue Sub Zero can produce lower spin with more fade bias than Epic Sub Zero.

Read our full review of the Callaway Rogue drivers here.

Callaway Rogue Fairway Woods

For the first time, Jailbreak has been included in the standard and Sub Zero Rogue fairway woods.

The 3mm rods are made of steel rather than titanium and are not hour glass shape. They are joined by an ultra-thin, fast Carpenter 455 steel face, which Callaway say is made faster by Jailbreak.

Callaway’s Face Cup also promotes more speed and the overall combined effect of these three technologies is meant to help golfers achieve fast ball speed and long distance on both centre-face hits and off-centre hits.

The Rogue Fairways also incorporate Internal Standing Wave, which positions the CG low and forward to promote a distance-enhancing combination of high-launch and low-spin.

The Triaxial Carbon Crown saves weight, as does the fixed hosel, is used to pull the CG lower to promote easy launch, and to increase MOI for forgiveness.

The Sub Zero option offers lower spin and a more penetrating flight for those seeking it thanks to a 5g weight on the front of the sole, mainly those golfers with faster clubhead speeds.

Key Info

Rogue RRPs – Drivers £469 in lofts 9˚, 10.5˚ and 13.5˚ adjustable. Rogue fairways RRP £269 Standard fairway lofts 13.5°, 15°, 17°, 19°, Heavenwood 20°, 21° and 23°, Sub Zero lofts 13.5˚, 15˚ and 18˚ non adjustable. On sale Feb 9^th.

Tech Q&A Callaway’s Dr. Alan Hocknell explains the benefits of the new technology in the Rogue range

What is the design philosophy behind the Rogue Drivers?

Rogue represents a different idea of optimising ball speed, aligned to maximising forgiveness. Our first challenge was actually designing a product that surpassed Epic. Rogue has a lot of the same ingredients as Epic, but the way the new hourglass-shaped titanium rods work in tandem with our X-Face VFT Technology in the face delivers even more performance than Epic.

Why does Epic remain in the line for 2018?

The trio of Rogue drivers generate more ball speed than Epic and are also more forgiving. But there is still a very clear place for Epic, particularly in the custom-fitting environment where some players will wish to spend more time seeking what we call a ‘high fidelity’ fitting, using the adjustable sliding weight of Epic, which doesn’t feature in Rogue. Some golfers may also have a head shape preference towards Epic, as the footprint is not quite as large as Rogue.