It's flashback time to the Play With Pete Invitational at Pasatiempo for this guest review. And if you're a golf nerd you're going to absolutely love this!
All the players in the Play With Pete Invitational at Pasatiempo were fit on the range for a new Callaway Rogue ST MAX driver and Callaway Chrome golf balls before their rounds began. And the fitting for Kyle was as perfect as a fitting could possibly be. Kyle calls his new Rogue ST Max LS "the most stable and best performing driver I've ever had."
In his own words, here's what Kyle (@just_peebs on twitter) thought about his fitting and new Callaway Rogue ST Max driver.
First, I want to thank Pete and Callaway for a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience that I won’t forget.
I am not even sure where to begin, for a certified golf and gear junkie getting fit by the guys from Callaway and teeing it up at such a historic venue was a dream come true. I have never been fit for anything before, so I was really looking forward to going through the whole process and letting the professionals do their job.
Being fit for a brand-new driver was worth the price of admission, but being at Pasatiempo and just soaking in the place's history and the striking beauty of the property was a cherry on top of a magical day.
Before I get into reviewing the Callaway driver I was fitted for I want to talk about the fitting process itself and my game coming in.
As I have stated I am a gear junkie and constantly tweaking my setup. Admittedly I came into the fit with a driver setup that I had only been using for a few months and it probably was not the best idea. For most of my adult life, I have hit draws with pretty much every club in the bag.
Over the last few years, I have done a bit of work to try and have more of a neutral ball flight and at the time of the fit, I was testing a driver setup that allowed me to produce a consistent fade for the first time in a long time. I knew that this setup probably spun too much and robbed me of some distance but there are a couple of courses I play at home that benefit fades off the tee. I scored the best round of my life, 4 over, a month before the “Play with Pete Invitational” and it was due in part to the fade I was able to produce.
The driver I came to the fit with was an OG TaylorMade SIM 10.5 head that was turned down to 9 paired with a Tensei 1k White. To start the fitting process, I hit about 4 or 5 balls with my driver to get a baseline for the Callaway guys. All the shots were very similar and as I suspected spun a lot, over 3,000 RPM.
I had indicated that I do prefer to draw that ball off the tee, so the guys got to work building me the first combination to test. As they were putting together the driver, I couldn’t help but notice all of the shaft options available and I was like a kid in a candy store. I noticed the Ventus lineup sitting there and was tempted to tell them I wanted to try them all ha. I really wanted to let go of my biases and let them do their job and trust the numbers, so I just let them do their thing.
They settled on only testing the Max LS head as the Max version would have too much spin for me. We started off with Tensei AV Blue in stiff flex and they set the hosel setting to draw. I had used an older version of the Tensei blue in a fairway wood so I was familiar with the profile and the first 3 swings are pretty much straight down the middle prompting Mike Vrska to say, “this might be the fastest fit today.”
We then tested two more shafts that I can’t recall, I think one might have been a Fujikura Speeder but they did not really work for me. We then put the Tensei Blue back in and I hit a few more but something was slightly off this time around. It could have been fatigue but the strikes were all over the place. Mike then said something to the effect of, “I forgot we have that Ventus Red,” and I tried to hold back my excitement.
The balls I sent downrange with this setup were high majestic draws that lowered my spin to around 2,200/2,400 RPM and carried about five yards farther and about 10 yards farther overall distance from my gamer. With the fitting done, it was time to take it to the course.
Stepping up on the first tee at a course you have never played is nerve-racking enough, add in just meeting your playing partners that morning and a new driver you have only just hit, and it could spell disaster.
When I tell you I hit the two best drives of my life to start the round it is not hyperbole. The drives I hit on the first two holes were 15 to 20 yards longer than any drive I have ever hit. As the round went on, I did have a big left miss happen a few times, which has been my miss for a very long time. Overall, I hit the Rouge ST Max LS very well during the “Play with Pete Invitational”, but I couldn’t wait to get home and try out all the settings.
When I got home, I had a lengthy range session where I hit about 10 balls on each hosel setting. I recommend everyone that has an adjustable driver try this, there are certain settings you will never utilize but I think it is important to know what each setting does in case a swing flaw creeps in that can be mitigated. I got the most consistent results in the standard neutral setting but the one that surprised me was the most -1 degree loft and Draw setting.
As someone who misses left having the face sit open is pleasing to my eye and the draw setting really let me feel like I could swing hard without fearing that I was going to lose massively in either direction. However, the flight of the ball was very flat and not really in the window I prefer to see. I was not using a launch monitor, but I would suspect the spin was a little too low, but I will keep that setting in my back pocket for really windy days.
After settling in on the neutral/standard setting and putting some rounds in, I can confidently say this is the most stable and best-performing driver I have ever had.
The ball flight is so consistent, and it has raised my floor on my misses. Overall comparing my ARCCOS data I have gained 6 yards on my average, and I have hit the longest drives of my life. I am also hitting more fairways and losing fewer balls OB. Callaway produced some of the best-looking and sounding drivers with the Rogue lineup and I feel extremely lucky to have had this opportunity.
I still think back to that day every time I tee it up with the Rogue. Thanks for the amazing opportunity Pete!
Kyle @Just_Peebs got fit for the first time today. Here’s what he thought about the @CallawayGolf fitting @PasatiempoGolf with Vrska and Sean. #PlayWithPeteInvitational pic.twitter.com/1YggSu1a1T
— Pete Pappas (@PGAPappas) June 13, 2022
How can you not just smile and keep smiling reading this review from Kyle, right? Absolutely phenomenal review Kyle, and extremely happy you had such a fantastic day!
We'll have more guest reviews coming soon, many from my 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway so stay tuned! And as always, cheers to better golf and having more fun for us all!
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