Callaway Epic Flash Driver Review: More distance? Really?
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Callaway has had several enormous years of success in the driver's market with his Epic and Rogue models. This year they are again working on another important release, the Callaway Epic Flash.
Golfers are usually divided over the major releases of driver's. Some are yawning for another $ 500 model that promises more "game-changing technology". Others drool and can not wait to see the first photo's of what will be the most popular club of the year.
I am somewhere in between. Although I want to keep track of the latest clubs, I am well aware that you do not have to purchase a new driver every year to keep your game fresh. That said, I want to test some of the more important releases because I know that readers of the site are interested in results.
Recently I tested the Callaway Epic Flash. I was very impressed with the results (even blown away). But does every golfer have to buy this club? Well, that's a bit more complicated.
What Callaway says
Callaway's primary goal was to increase the ball speed to deliver what most golfers want – more distance. That was the basis of Jailbreak technology when it debuted on the original Callaway story.
The latest improvement of Callaway Epic Flash is to deliver even more ball speed over the whole face of the club, both in center and off center attacks. The Callaway engineers used Artifical Intelligence to help design the face this time. You can pause to roll your eyes or drool a bit more – it's up to you.
Long story short, Callaway claims that they will again transfer more distance to golfers while working within the limits of the USGA. I am not very concerned about what their marketing team says about the club's design. As always, they have put a lot of effort into improving performance and will bring this to their attention in their coverage. However, it is up to individual golfers to test whether there is significant gain for their swing.
The driver will put you back somewhere between $ 529 – $ 600, which is a significant investment.
My Testing Was Impressive
I do not do many club reviews on Practical Golf because the results of one golfer can not predict what others will experience with a particular club. I know that many of you want to see results, so I'm more than happy to experiment to see if there are noticeable changes.
I compared my Titleist 917 D3 driver with the Callaway Epic Flash. My Titleist driver is custom made and optimized for my swing, since I am a player with little spin. The 917 D3 did not work for many golfers because it was too spinny & # 39; is considered, something they recently raised in their TS line
I have been a Titleist driver for two years now and he performs well for me. But I am a maximum distance, therefore I was impressed by the following results:
Club Ball Speed (mph) Total Spin (rpm) Starting angle (degrees) Carry YardsTotal Yards
Titleist 917 D3149207614.4247275
Callaway Epic Flash151207715.5259287
I saw a significant gain in distance, which was a combination of the slightly faster and higher launch of the ball. I registered some of the longest drives I have ever seen on my launch monitor with a ball speed approaching 155 mph (I usually do not crack 150 mph) and some drives go over 290 yards.
You could say that I was a bit impressed by the Callaway Epic Flash. It is quite possible that I could have dialed the driver a bit better with a better combination of shaft and head, but I was limited to the demo club that I borrowed. As an aside, I loved the appearance of the club and it felt great at impact. These are subjective thoughts and can vary from player to player. I believe that performance is the king when deciding to buy a new driver or not.
Do you have to go out immediately and buy the Callaway epic flash?
Long story short, no. This is why …
Callaway has probably pushed the envelope even further with this driver release. This also applies to TaylorMade, Ping and various other OEMs. They all have the best engineers who work on their staff and build excellent golf clubs. I have learned a lot about club fitness since I started this site and one thing I know for sure is that there is not one perfect club for all golfers.
Each driver has its unique characteristics. One of the essential characteristics, the center of gravity, can vary from one model to another. Without going into too many details, this means that golfers can have different results based on their swing tendencies. One golfer performs best with the Callaway Epic Flash, while another may be better suited for the TaylorMade M5. In addition, if you have been a driver's driver in recent years, you probably do not need to upgrade.
I am very impressed with the Callaway Epic Flash. For me it was better than the original Epic and Rogue models, which could mean that their team has already outdone itself. My plea to all golfers, however, is to try before you buy. If you can work with a well-informed clubfitter, do it. If you can not, try at least different models with a launch monitor to compare your results with your current driver to see if there are meaningful benefits. If you want to throw $ 500 + at Callaway unseen, that's good too.
You can find more information about the Callaway Epic Flash here on their website. It is available for purchase on February 1st.
