Callaway Rogue LS Trip Diamond Fairways?

Equipment
#1

I’ve written before here of the fun experience I had evaluating Callaway’s products during a Demo Day. Liked them enough to buy 2 wedges, which are still chuckling-to-use levels of fun.

One of the clubs I liked was the Rogue ST LS 3 wood. Spent a happy time blasting it all over the range. But the launch and spin were still a bit high, Ventus Black velocore notwithstanding. I’d really be interested in a triple-diamond version, but that’s only available to non-Tour players in the Driver.

Or so I thought. I got some spam from TrueFit Clubs, played around with their fitting wizard, and it was listing a Rogue ST TD-T, in 14 ish degrees. ???

Obviously would want to hit in person before plunking down the ridiculous hunk of change for one (not to mention the recommended TPT shaft is by itself as expensive as the clubhead. Gulp.) But i thought these simply weren’t available to buy unless it fell off the back of the Tour Van.

What gives?

#2

It was either last year or the year prior and they opened up the TD to the public. I believe this is the first year they have actually listed on their site to purchase but you could order them previously.

#3

I’ve ordered one from Fairwayclubs.com Or something like that. “But it’s a TA serial number!
That means it was made for the general public!”

GolfWRX gets worked up over the silliest shit.

20% off helped tremendously, especially as I’m fairly sure the shaft it’s got, is not going to be the shaft it ends up with. I’ll let you know how it goes, if I even receive it, etc…

#4

It arrived.

14 degrees, AV White 75S xilink, which I guess is MCA’s evolution from the Raw White line. 43". Boardy-kind of feel. Not sure what I think yet. Not adjustable, and epoxied in, which is annoying.

You will launch low with it. Even I do. Launch is much lower than when I tried the Rogue ST LS. No monitor numbers yet.

Part of the issue is I evidently overdid my coach’s drills to groove an inside-out path…and everything is rocketing left after about 50 straight yards or so. Was doing it with the 'ahina X, the driver and its X shaft, plus some of the long irons. So I’m pretty sure it’s not a lack of stiffness, or too thin a grip causing me to get too handsy.

Feels hot when you catch it, but you better catch it. It doesn’t strike me as very forgiving. Honestly not sure I’m consistent enough to play it, but I’m willing to try and get there.

1 Like
#5

I wonder why the old fashioned glued in hosel for the fairway woods? To reduce the production cost?
Callaway keeps the adjustable hosel for the driver.

Many says, it’ll provide better performance and true spec without the adjustable hosel. It is just a hassle if one wants to change the shaft. I have not had a fairway wood with the adjustable hosel, Still using a few from a decade ago, nothing new could rock them out of the golf bag since I use the 3 wood mainly for fairway attack on the long par 5.

Callaway site states this fairway wood is for the more advanced golfer. I don’t believe there is much meaningful difference. a missed hit is a missed hit no matter how much forgiveness they claimed.
It is, important to match with your expected trajectory and of course, the all important “distance” as all golfers are seeking longer distance.
I used to think that I had too much spin on every stick and trajectory were too high to my liking.
However, as I aged, that problem is gradually disappearing.
losing club head speed means losing spin, then the trajectory and apex of the ball flight become medium as I preferred ,and, also lost the total distance.
I now know, why we always thought the older golfers have better short games, LOL, it is because we lost our long game.

#6

I think the glued in hosel is both to make it easier/cheaper, and that 3Ws at least seem to be a set it and forget it kind of club. I.e., once you find one that works, people tend to stick with them. But see, Titleist’s sure fit hosel (which works just fine on my 5W) and others.

It’s minorly annoying. I wanted a Whiteboard profile, but I wasn’t confident that this Whiteboard was going to be The Whiteboard for it. Right now, I can’t really make a decision if I’m going to hook everything anyway.

I plan on using it almost exclusively off the turf. The 425 Max I have is accurate enough that I can’t see this club dethroning it. Maybe a hole requiring 230 and/or a draw (because while I was hooking my driver too yesterday, I can’t really draw), but other than that… Not hitting the G off the deck though, and while I like my 5W, it only goes 225-230 now, and doesn’t have a lot of roll. Ergo, a fairway wood that will roll.

There’s not a lot of backspin that I can tell. Haven’t Trackman’d it, but I’d be shocked if it was more than the 3400+ RPM I was seeing with the ST LS 3W. The head looks smaller, no idea if it is. Mishits don’t totally go off-line, but I lost quite a bit of zip. You can keep your contact w/in a nickel on the club face, you’ll have a good time. If you can’t?..

Dunno about your case, but in mine, I was/am pretty flippy on my release. I did not deloft at impact, at all, with dynamic loft usually equaling, sometimes exceeding static loft. Yay, open clubface! My launch angles reflected this. So did my spin rates. I’ve seen launch angles in the 50s from my full wedges on a GC2 and Quad. Not everytime, but more than the obvious mishit.

It’s a little better, but I class it as a flaw for me. I lose ball speed through less efficient smash, I have spin that I don’t need to hold the greens I shoot at. (7700 RPM on a 49 degree descent, with a 7 iron, is just excessive.) Swing lessons help and so have stiffer shafts, and clubs like this new one.

Agree on the losing long game part with age. I can see it. The explanation I’ve liked, (hat tip Monte Scheinblum), is that most golfers’ swings are a mish-mash of motions, held together with a variety of compensatory movements that require precise timing. As we get older, our control over those movements gets less precise, we become unable to compensate anymore, and our swing falls apart. Ideally, we have a swing that requires fewer compensations to make work.

#7

The popular explanation for the glued hosel is to reduce cost; as golfers are not willing to shell out more dough for newer equipment each year ( the current product cycle which started by the practice of Taylor Made ).

Personally, I use the adjustable hosel mainly for the easy of changing shaft. If the OEM is smart, someone will come out with quick change hosel with no loft adjustment for reduced cost.

The newer golf clubs are not designed for longevity anyway, nothing will last as the older design. Same as the automobile and the appliances; designed to meet the minimum material requirement, so the consumer can keep on buying.

the theory of better contact brought up a discussion point. The woods ( both driver and fairway woods ) are designed slightly different for the amateurs and the professionals. Mainly, shallow face design for lower deeper COG to help the golf ball get up with easier obtained spin. the deeper face design is preferred by the professionals with higher swing speed to avoid slipping under the golf ball.
So instead of “measuring” the size of the heads of the fairway woods, measure the depth of the face. Being designed for better golfers, I suspect the head is shaped with deeper face thus appears to be smaller with the same volume of c.c, higher from bottom to top and shorter from toe to heel.
A deeper face will produce a flatter trajectory under the same condition, then the shallower face design.
The shallow face design is more forgiving for the Amateurs.

I used to prefer the deep face design and now use the deep face 3 wood off the tee mostly, the medium face height 3 wood is for the off the turf use.

Also drifting to lower lofted hybrids ( another sign of getting aged, by switching from long irons to hybrids; used to hate the hybrids ).

Better get on the L/M, if you’re more interested in confirming the numbers of spin rate.

Oh, I always give a new golf club enough time to slide into my game. Not many times I will find a new golf club fit perfectly right after the purchase ( fitted or not ). Each of us will require different length of time for the switch over. One season is usually what I’ll need.