About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the driver, which I purchased with my own money in May of 2022.

My take

Just when I thought Callaway couldn’t possibly make an even better driver than the Epic series, along comes the Rogue ST Max. This driver is good for all skill-levels as it is high-launching, ridiculously long, and ultra forgiving. The Tungsten Speed Cartridge pushes the weight and mass deep and low in order to get faster ball speeds even on off-center hits.

About the club I tested

• Model: 2022 Callaway Rogue ST Max
• Loft setting: 10 degrees
• Shaft type: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei AV Blue 55g
• Shaft flex: Regular

About me

• Average score: 79
• Handicap: 8
• Experience: 25 years of golf
• Right/Left-Handed: Right-Handed
• Typical ball flight: Draw
• Golf ball used: Callaway Chrome Soft
• Club swing speed: 95mph

Test conditions

• When I bought the club: May 2022
• Days tested: 5 days
• Where I’ve used it: World Golf Village King & Bear
• Weather and wind conditions: 85 degrees and sunny with light winds

How it performs

What I was looking for

I’m always looking for more distance and a slight draw bias and that’s what I found in this club. It is designed to be long, forgiving, and accurate, and I immediately experienced increased speed, stability, and high MOI (moment of inertia) on first swing.

 Why I chose this club

The A.I. technology used to create this club is unmatched in the industry. When testing this driver, I thought that it looked great, sounded great, felt great, launched high and long, and was extremely accurate.

What I love about it

• Distance: I love the speed this club naturally creates without having to change any aspect of my swing. It’s fast and long. What enables this in the club is the “Jailbreak Speed Frame”, which enhances horizontal and torsional stability to promote an increase in ball speeds across the face - therefore providing stability in all directions. In my opinion, no other club on the market offers this.
• Forgiveness: On average, the Rogue ST Max offers 11% tighter dispersion than Callaway’s previous line. So I’m hitting more fairways than ever before.
• Feel: This driver feels like it’s built really solid and yet has a lightweight footprint.
• Sound: The titanium unibody construction provides stability and lowers the center of gravity while the “Triaxial Carbon” crown and sole save weight. All of this results in a beautiful solid (but not overly loud) sound at impact.
• Workability: I like a high launch and a slight draw bias, which the Rogue ST Max is all about.
• Adjustability: Fully adjustable up to three degrees. There is not a sliding weight like there is in the Epic Max drivers, but I found myself not missing that at all simply because the Rogue ST Max is so precisely weighted as is.
• Shaft Feel: I went with the Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei Blue and it is lightweight yet feels sturdy.
• Shaft Performance: I love high launch angles with my driver and this shaft is super high and super long.
• Aesthetic Appeal: I think this might be Callaway’s “prettiest” looking driver ever. I love that they went back to a matte finish on top. The glare of the sun on some other models can get annoying, but with this beautiful matte finish, that issue is eliminated.
• Grip Feel: There are tons of grip options, but I went with the standard Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 grip and it feels like I would expect it to feel, simple and sleek.
• Launch Angle: This driver launches high. And that’s a good thing!
• Spin: There is a “Low Spin” version of this driver available as well, but that’s really meant for pros or very low handicappers only. The majority of people should be playing the regular Rogue ST Max model.
• Innovation: Callaway revolutionized club-making by utilizing A.I. to do so. The benefit of this is precision weighting, shape, response, and all around optimization of the club-making process.

Issues I’ve encountered

I have yet to find an issue with this club. It is the most complete and best-built driver to hit the market ever in my opinion. It truly is that great - especially for the mid-high handicap golfer whose main goal is distance and forgiveness. The forgiving nature of the club (due to that expanded Jailbreak feature) is a revelation.

Best shot with this club

I knew I was going to love it when I teed it up at World Golf Village’s Slammer & Squire course on a short par 4 measuring 292 and I hit it on the green and had 3 feet for eagle! Yes, I made the putt!

Value for the money vs. other options

The Rogue ST Max is not inexpensive. It’s rather pricey. But, that’s pretty much the new norm with premium drivers from the major manufacturers these days. Here’s the thing, though. While people may have some initial sticker shock, that will go away as soon as it’s in the bag as part of their arsenal.

Final verdict

I’ve had the opportunity to both own and test a lot of drivers in my time. The Rogue ST Max takes the cake. And there isn’t a close second in my opinion. We are all looking for more distance, accuracy, and forgiveness, and this club meets all three of those criteria more than any other driver I’ve ever played. The only thing that (very) advanced players might notice is a lack of workability. They may want to look to the Rogue ST LS model or the Rogue ST Triple Diamond model. But for the majority of golfers out there - this is the answer.