Callaway Rogue ST LS Fairway Wood Review – Low Spin For Better Players

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Callaway Rogue ST LS Fairway Wood - 3 Perspectives

In this review, I’ll be taking a look at the Callaway Rogue ST LS fairway wood.

The Rogue ST LS is the better-player entry in the Rogue ST family. It packs all the same cutting-edge technologies of the Rogue ST but is designed to deliver low spin, lower launch, and workability in a deep face and compact footprint.

How does the Rogue ST LS fairway wood perform when push comes to shove? How does it compare to the previous Epic line? Who is it best suited for? Is it worth putting in the bag?

Read on to get the answers to these questions and learn what you need to know to make an informed purchase.

Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.


What are the reviews like?

Ratings for the Rogue ST LS fairway wood are very good overall. It earned a gold medal on the 2022 Golf Digest Hot List and is mostly praised by critics. It also has an average customer score of 5/5 (100% recommended) on the Callaway store.

What People Like

  • excellent workability
  • great forgiveness for a players club
  • very solid feel
  • sharp looks
  • neutral flight bias ideal for skilled players

What People Don’t Like

  • launch and spin aren’t as low as many were expecting
  • expensive

The Features

The Rogue ST LS fairway wood has the same core technologies as the Rogue ST MAX, namely:

  • Jailbreak A.I. Batwing Technology: two A.I.-designed Jailbreak blades with a “batwing” shape are pushed to the perimeter, providing stiffness, stability, and allowing the face to flex for unprecedented ball speeds.
  • Tungsten Speed Cartridge: incorporated for the first time in a fairway wood, this consists of up to 28 grams of high-density tungsten that shifts the center of gravity (CG) low and forward for lower spin and higher ball speed.
  • A.I. Optimized Face: the face architecture is uniquely designed by A.I. for each loft and model in order to optimize speed, launch and spin across the entire face.
  • C300 Face Cup: the wraparound cup face is made of an extremely strong and flexible C300 maraging steel that results is enhanced speed and spin consistency across the face.

The key differences are:

  • up to 28g of tungsten is used instead of up to 27g
  • the Tungsten Speed Cartridge is featured in each loft
  • it has a compact shape with a deeper face suited for better players
  • the CG is shifted even more low and forward due to an additional forward weight screw

Stock Info

The Rogue ST LS fairway wood is available in 3+W (13.5°), 3W (15°), 3 HL (16.5°), and 5W (18°).

The stock graphite shafts are the Mitsubishi TENSEI AV Blue (65/75) and Mitsubishi TENSEI AV White (75/85). You’ll notice that they are heavier than the stock shafts for the Rogue ST MAX. The stock grip is the Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360. Custom shafts are available.

If you’re interested, full information on the fairway wood, shafts, grips and their specs can be found on the Callaway website.

Below are the specs of the Rogue ST LS fairway wood. Click or zoom to enlarge.

Callaway Rogue ST LS Fairway Wood Specs

The Performance

Distance

The Rogue ST LS may be marketed as Callaway’s “fastest fairway wood ever”, but it doesn’t typically translate into the most distance ever.

On average, the Rogue ST LS produces a higher spin rate than the Epic Speed, so it’s not the best choice for players looking to minimize their spin. The good news is that speed (and hence distance) is well maintained in mis-hit regions.

I see distance results being maximized for players that don’t have the absolute fastest swing speed but prefer their spin on the lower side.

Forgiveness

The Rogue ST LS is certainly one of the most forgiving fairway woods out there. However, the deeper face makes hitting off the deck a little more difficult.

At the end of the day, dispersions and mis-hit forgiveness are better than the Epic Speed but not quite as good as the Rogue ST MAX. If you make poor ball contact, you’ll certainly know it, but the result won’t be overly punishing.

The neutral bias of the Rogue ST LS also helps take the edge off hooks so you can hit more fairways and greens.

Playability/Trajectory

The standard trajectory produced by the Rogue ST LS is medium with a neutral bias.

Despite Callaway classifying the spin as “low”, it actually produces a moderate level of spin (in my experience) that is only marginally less than the Rogue ST MAX. This is quite surprising because the Rogue ST LS is supposed to serve the low-spin niche.

Workability is good, and the removable weight on the sole allows for some adjustability. Turf interaction is quick and efficient off a variety of different lies.


The Look

The Rogue ST LS has a look that you would expect from a fairway wood meant for better players, with a fairly traditional pear shape and average-sized footprint.

The CCs are larger than both the Rogue ST MAX and Epic Speed, which seems surprising given that the fairway wood is advertised as “compact”, although the deeper face surely adds volume. The club sits pretty square at address.

As I said in my review of the Rogue ST MAX, I love the sole aesthetic with the gold accents and tasteful lines, but overall, I feel like there isn’t enough to distinguish the Rogue ST LS as a better-player fairway wood compared to more forgiving models.


The Sound & Feel

The Rogue ST LS fairway wood sounds very similar to the Rogue ST MAX — a sharp, tight “smack” at impact, albeit just a touch more muted and lower-pitched. The solidness and explosiveness of the feel are also there in spades.

On the one hand, the sound & feel are actually more consistent across the face than I was expecting, but on the other hand, it’s not particularly surprising considering the only substantial difference between the ST LS and ST MAX is a more compact shape and marginally more low and forward CG.

Having said this, feedback is reasonably distinct, with feel through the hands being more informative about the location of the strike.


Where To Buy This Fairway Wood Online

For a limited time, you can order a Rogue ST LS fairway wood with custom specifications (loft, length, shaft, grip, etc.) on this page on the official Callaway website.

The Rogue ST LS is expensive, for sure. If you want to save some money, you can find discounts on eBay or Callaway Golf Pre-Owned.

Alternatively, look at what’s available on Amazon, Global Golf or on Rock Bottom Golf. The latter two offer performance guarantees, financing payment plans, free shipping, discounts, and more.


Conclusion

The Callaway Rogue ST LS is an excellent fairway wood, but I feel like it doesn’t do enough to differentiate itself from the Rogue ST MAX. The forgiveness and spin rates, in particular, are just too similar.

Moreover, the fairway wood isn’t as “low spinning” as most would expect, although it’s still the best choice for golfers seeking the lowest-spinning fairway wood in the Rogue ST line.

All in all, the Rogue ST LS does practically everything well, with tons of speed, playability, great feel, and plenty of forgiveness. It’s also one of the best-looking fairway woods I’ve ever seen.

If you have a big budget, or you can soften the blow with financing or club trade-ins, it’s definitely worth giving a try.


Have any thoughts or opinions about the Rogue ST LS fairway wood? Leave a comment below.

Callaway Rogue ST LS Fairway Wood - Featured
Callaway Rogue ST LS Fairway Wood
Distance
9.3
Forgiveness
9.6
Playability
9.5
Looks
9.9
Sound & Feel
9.6
Pros
Impressive forgiveness for a low-spin fairway wood
Maintains ball speed very well in mis-hit areas
Plenty of workability
Well-rounded performance
Cons
Not low-spinning enough
Performance is too similar to the Rogue ST MAX
Expensive
9.6
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