How do you top one of the most significant innovations to hit the golf industry in years?

For Callaway Golf, you go:

Callaway Golf has been an industry leader for years. With the Jailbreak technology, they implemented in their drivers last year they took a huge leap ahead of the competition. I say that from experience. I’ve had the EPIC Subzero in my bag since early last year. It’s the real deal.

But when has Callaway Golf ever been satisfied? Thankfully for all of us golfers and tech junkies, they never have been.

Like most club manufactures who release new equipment, the claims of more distance, better technology and “Game Changing” features are all-encompassing. Callaway was no different when they released the new Rogue line.

For a lot of us, golfers, it can be overwhelming and discouraging. On the one hand, it’s incredible how golf companies are embracing technology. But on the other hand, we golfers can become irritated with the release of a new club so soon after a very successful launch, like how the EPIC was. Especially if we recently dropped close to $500 on the last release.

But, as the rumors started swirling about how remarkable the new Rogue lines was, I couldn’t help being interested. I needed to find out for myself, and all of you who are reading this, just what was going on with the new clubs from Callaway.

My first impressions of the new Rogue Fairway 3Wood were impressive.

The fitting studio where I was dialing in my new shaft had just opened a package from Callaway. Inside were some of the new Rogue heads, a few 3W’s and also the new Hybrid. To my surprise, the Rogue hybrid also has the Jailbreak technology.

After I finished up my session, I was allowed to take some swings with the new clubs. So headed over to the practice range with the Hybrid and Fairway Wood.

The first swing with the 3W gave me goosebumps. It’s been HEAVILY recorded on this very site my issues with hitting the longer clubs off the deck. My hybrid and fairway wood game is disastrous. Short game, putting and recently my driving have all started to become much more consistent. Those damn longer clubs though, like the hybrid and 3 Wood, have been my Achilles heel.

The second swing gave my goosebumps, goosebumps. It was that penetrating, powerful, slow rising, thing of beauty. Had shot tracer been involved, I would have played that video on repeat until my phone died. It was that good.

I like to think the session I had just gone through had a lot to do with how well I was hitting the ball. My history dictates that with fairway clubs, my results should have been mediocre at best. But after seeing what was happening with my ball flight and how well I was consistently hitting the ball, I knew this club was the real deal.

The Jailbreak technology in the Rogue 3W is so profound; it feels like you’re hitting a driver.

I switched to the EPIC Subzero driver last year after a fitting with Matt Henderson out at TPC Las Vegas. The numbers were just too impressive for me to pass up. Ball speed was up, Smash Factor was ideal, and the spin rates were excellent. It goes without saying; I’m a fanboy of the technology. But, would the Jailbreak do as well in the Fairway head as it did in the driver’s head.

The answer is a resounding YES!

Callaway R&D has successfully installed our groundbreaking Jailbreak Technology in a fairway wood for the first time, with two steel Jailbreak bars that stiffen the body, placing more impact load on the face to promote increased ball speed and distance.

It easy to throw all that tech talk out there. But, to be able to back it up gives Callaway a considerable advantage in my opinion. My practice sessions were the first signs that the Rogue was legit. Much like the short time I spent with the club at Impact Custom Clubs, the outings at my home course were, well, awe-inspiring.

I was seeing ball flights and carry distances that were foreign to my game. After spending quite a bit of time with the club on the range, I was starting to notice I was hitting the Rogue Fairway Wood just as far as my driver at times (mainly when tee’d up). But with a much better result. That was eye-opening. I’ve never been able to hit a 3W that far off the tee. Because of that, I started using it more off the tee on tighter holes.

The results from the course with the Callaway Rogue have been incredible.

Confidence has a funny way of distorting reality. The truth is I have little to no faith when I’m dealing with a 230-yard shot. One where I need to pull out a fairway wood. Before tossing the Rogue 3W in my bag, I’ve been reaching for my 5 or 6 iron. Then playing to wedge distance, I’m comfortable with hitting. Things have changed just a little bit now.

Since the Rogues inception to my bag, I’ve hit more shots with the club than any other fairway club I’ve ever owned. Seriously. I’ve even started using it off the tee on some of the holes at my home course. Those tighter holes I referred to earlier. There’s a particular hole, the Par 4 6th on the Concord course at Revere, that insights anxiety like no other hole on the course. My fade I play always seems to over-fade, and you’ll typically find me in the right rough with a silly lie.

The last two times I’ve played the hole I pulled the Rogue 3W and have been dead center in the fairway. Just a little bit further back but not much. It’s a short hole, so distance is not the key to the shot, it’s accuracy. A fairway lie hitting PW vs. a tough stance in the rough is something I’ll take every time.

I’ve also gone for the green with my second shot on the Par 5 11th. I’ve yet to make an Eagle, but I feel it’s coming. The shot is there for me now, and in the past, it hasn’t been.

Jailbreak and then some means the Callaway Rogue Fairway is a serious player.

Ultra-thin Face + Face Cup Technology

The Ultra-thin, Carpenter 455 steel face is extremely fast by itself. Jailbreak Technology makes it faster. Face Cup also promotes more speed, on both center and off-center hits. The combined effect of these three technlogies is meant to help golfers acheive fast ball speed and long distance on both center-face hits and off-center hits.

Technology is something we bloggers like to throw out there at with little to facts to base our information or claims. In today’s world, though, information is everywhere. Companies like Callaway are changing the way they promote and distribute content and everyone, not just the golf insiders, are now able to read up and understand what’s going on in the golf clubs. Here’s a prime example:

No longer do you have to listen to a sales associate at your local retail store try to explain what they feel is behind the tech. Not to discredit those guys, but more than once I’ve been “informed” about some features on certain clubs that I knew was complete bullshit.

Being able to research for yourself is a change in the industry I love.

The overall look and feel of the Callaway Rogue Fairway Wood.

Remember the days of the “White Craze,” when everyone thought that white was the best color ever. Then we switched to the “Murdered Out” look, which is still a favorite of mine by the way. Callaway never got involved in crazy crown color themes. Accent colors are something completely different. I’m mainly talking about the visual side of the club you see from the address position.

Triaxial Carbon Crown

Rogue fairway wood crowns consist of our proprietary triaxial carbon composite material that’s lighter and stronger than steel. The saved weight, along with weight saved from the fixed hosel, is used to pull the CG dramatically lower to promote easy launch, and to increase MOI for forgiveness.

And it looks badass too!

The paint fading in the carbon or vice versa is an exotic look but doesn’t distract the player at all. Also on the crown, you’ll find the classic Callaway Chevron for alignment and a subtle ROGUE logo. That’s it. No crazy color scheme. Just some technology that is going to help you get the ball up in the air and down the hole. And, hopefully in the fairway!

The sound at impact means a lot to players. Some clubs can be, let’s say “Annoying”?? Others can have such a flat sound you wonder if you even made solid contact with the ball. The Rogue fairway wood, for my ears, is incredibly appealing. No clanking or high pitched noises, just a pure sound when stuck solidly.

The club I was using before the Rogue had such a high pitched sound at impact. It never messed with the effectiveness of the club; it was just an odd sound that was never very appealing.

The Callaway Rogue Fairway wood comes in a ton of variety as well.

OK, so a “ton” is a bit of stretch, but the options Callaway put out there for the Rogue fairway wood is impressive.

For one club that’s a great list of options. But when ordering a club online (I want to say real quick, I HIGHLY recommend you get fit for your clubs) at the Callaway website, you can choose a handful of ways to customize the club. First off the head in 13.5°, 15.0°, 17°, 19°, 20°, 21°, 23° and, 25°. The shaft itself (Aldila or Project X) Shaft Length (from +2′ to -2″), Grips (Callaway, Golf Pride, IOMIC, Lamkin, Superstroke, and Winn), and also how many wraps you want under the grip.

You have some options, to put it bluntly. I can’t stress enough the importance of getting fit though. After going through the shaft fitting process at Impact Custom Clubs, I was overwhelmed with the amount of information it took to get me dialed into a shaft. I’ve seen the results, and it’s been a massive change to my game. More on that in another post, I plan on wrapping up shortly.

Callaway has built itself a remarkable club with a fantastic website to gather your information. But, you’re here to read my thoughts on the club and whether or not it would be a good purchase for you. RIght? So let me provide you with some information you can’t find out on the Callaway website. That is unless you take some time to read their customer reviews.

Why the Callaway Rogue Fairway Wood is not leaving my bag anytime soon.

It all comes down to confidence with me. There’s a humbling factor that borders on the line of embarrassment when your skill set doesn’t allow you to pull off some long shots. Although I’ve adapted to my style of play over the last several years, I’ve always wanted to be able to pull a fairway wood from my bag, stand over the ball and know I’m going to hit a good shot. Not only a good shot but one that is going to put me in a position to score.

I was a little bit nervous about the shaft. Being able to choose Stiff was nice, but after going through the process for my driver, I was concerned the Aldila Synergy shaft might not fit my swing. But, it’s been in play for a while now, and I’ve seen nothing but promising results from it so far. But like I said earlier, it’s all been about confidence.

Having it in my head that I can go after a shot that’s 220+ without fear anymore is revitalizing. It’s brought an entirely new perspective to how I’m playing. And that just from the fairway. When I look at how often I’m using it off the tee and the success I see with those shots I can say, yes I know its cliche as hell, it’s been a game changer. When combined with my EPIC, this year off the tee I’m averaging a personal best 63% of fairways hit.

I’ve hit a ton of fairway woods in my time; the Rogue is the best I’ve played.

I can honestly say, without any hesitation, the Callaway Rogue fairway wood is an outstanding club that I feel would benefit any golfer. Be it a 20 HDCP or a 3 HDCP. It’s that well designed. The higher handicapper may not find the sweet spot as often as the lower ones, that’s a fact. I can only imagine when I was struggling back in those days what it would have been like to have a cub of this magnitude in the bag. Maybe my fear of the long shot or my lack of confidence hitting a longer club would have dissipated much faster.

Confidence aside, the Rogue is a weapon. A weapon you should go demo and see for yourself.

It all adds up to a fantastic club. The looks, the feel, the sound, the technology, the ball flight. It’s all there in one little golf head. Callaway is a golf industry icon. And, a master of producing the next big thing even as we’re still learning our latest big something. They are marketing marvels who have a considerable segment of golfers anxiously awaiting the next club release. With the Rogue Fairway wood, they nailed it and pummeled that nail into oblivion.

Will the next idea be something I look forward to checking out? Absolutely. After getting to know this club and all the science and tech that went into it, how could you not be pumped to see what Callaway does next? I know I am.

I know a lot of our readers are big on social media following. So I shouldn’t need to remind you to give Callaway a follow on their accounts. But, It’s something I love to share so if you’re not, go ahead click on the following links. Callaway Golfs social accounts are some of the best in the business and getting better every day.

Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

I especially want to thank Callaway Golf for giving us this opportunity to share this new club with all of you. We’re enjoying establishing these new relationships with some of the larger brands in the golfing world and most importantly sharing our stories and reviews with all of you.

If you like what you read here, leave a comment below, and let us know what you thought. Or, you can click on the share button and give some of the people you know something to read in regards to the new Rogue Fairway Wood.