When the Epic line of woods came out folks were understandably blown away by the enhanced distance they generated due to the new Jailbreak design, as well as the surprising level of forgiveness and playability. Not surprisingly, engineers at Callaway took the Epic design and went to work improving it to be even longer and more forgiving, and the result is the new Rogue line of drivers and fairway woods.
The standard Rogue driver ($499) features what Callaway is calling “The Jailbreak Effect,” which comes from an enhanced version of the original Jailbreak design with hourglass shaped titanium bars connecting the crown and sole. The new bars, which are significantly lighter than the originals, still reduce crown and sole deflection at impact, but allow for a thinner face and more flex and ballspeed.
In addition, an improved X-Face design improves the variable face thickness architecture, providing enhanced performance on off-center hits and faster speeds and distance overall.
Other features of the new Rogue driver include a more forgiving shape and larger footprint at address, as well as very light and strong triaxial carbon crown that allows for more weight to be positioned along the perimeter of the clubhead for greater stability on miss hits.
With help from Boeing, the Speed Step technology that helped improve the Epic’s aerodynamics is further improved with an new leading edge design for better airflow and less drag during the swing.
To compliment the standard Rogue driver is the Rogue Sub Zero ($499), a very low-spinning iteration aimed at Tour-caliber players and others who need reduced spin rates. Features of the Sub Zero include the same improved Jailbreak Technology and X-Face architecture as the standard Rogue, as well as an extremely light triaxial crown that allows for more weight in the perimeter of the clubhead for enhanced stability and forgiveness. The Sub Zero also features a low and deep CG and more neutral shot bias for those who want plenty of forgiveness with shot shaping versatility.
The Rogue Sub Zero also features two interchangeable weights in the front and rear of the sole (14g and 2g), which makes it possible to add or subtract up to 200 rpm of spin depending on weight placement. Like the standard Rogue, the Sub Zero is built with the Boeing Aero Package for reduced drag during the swing and faster overall speed.
Rounding out the Rogue driver line is the Rogue Draw ($499), a model specifically designed to help fight slices and produce straighter overall ballflight. The key to the slice-fighting design is a 5g-weight screw in the heel area of the sole as well as significant internal weighting in the same area. The result is a heel-bias CG location and improved gear effect that fights slice spin, even when the face is slightly open at impact. The Rogue Draw is built with all the same key technologies as the other members of the Rogue family including improved Jailbreak and X-Face, lightweight triaxial crown, and improved aerodynamics via the Boeing Aero Package.
Also new from Callaway are Rogue and Rogue Sub Zero fairway woods ($299 each). The very first fairway woods to feature Callaway’s Jailbreak Technology, both Rogue models also utilize a very thin, Carpenter steel clubface and Face Cup to produce significantly improved ballspeed and distance, even on off-center hits.
Another key feature is a proprietary Internal Standing Wave design that precisely positions the CG low and forward in the clubhead for a combination of high launch and low spin flight characteristics.
Like the Rogue drivers, the fairway woods are built with a light and strong triaxial carbon composite crown that allows more weight to be placed low in the clubhead. The Sub Zero model features a 5g-weight screw in the front of the sole, contributing to an even further forward CG position and lower spin rates than the standard Rogue.
All Rogue drivers and fairway woods will be available at retail on February 9, 2018.
