Saw some new Callaway Woods last night (The Epic Thread)

[TexasCarlos]

normally not a callaway guy but I really want to see these, looking to switch over to callaway in the spring, at least the woods

[Railroading13]

It has driver technology that uses bars to stabilize the top crown and sole of the driver to deliver more energy back to the face, and create an insane amount of ball speed. Tony Finau apparently gained 20 yards of carry distance testing it last week.

 

And yet how much do you want to bet that Finau's driving distance doesn't change more than 3-5 yards for the upcoming season. Dustin Johnson's driving dropped 3 yards in 2016 from 2015. It went up from 2014 to 2015. By everyone's account on this site and everywhere else the M1/M2 lineup is infinitely superior to the R15/Aeroburner lineup. Why the drop off? Especially considering the level that DJ raised his game to in 2016? All these guys have been optimized for quite some time. The mild fluctuation from year to year has NOTHING to do with the driver head they are using and EVERYTHING to do with what they ate for breakfast, how their body is doing (see Jason Day's numbers), shaft characteristics, and most importantly strike.

 

We have every right to get excited about the new Epic lineup from Callaway. I am. It's a new club, with new looks, feel, and design. These genuinely are things to get pumped for. But we need to pump the breaks on what the actual benefits of these new clubs really do for us. Someone else put it very well in this thread when they said that basically the only way to find more distance is to optimize your launch conditions. Tour pros have done so for quite a while which is why they don't gain distance by switching from one model to another.

 

I played the JPX 850 for the past 18 months but couldn't stand the sound/feel and wasn't fond of the blue. But accuracy and distance were too good. The JPX 900 is infinitely better sounding and feeling and the blue isn't as annoying as it is a matte finish and I now LOVE it. Distance is about the same as the 850. Shocking.

 

I think the biggest reason DJ dropped a few yards is because he started playing a cut instead of a draw. I agree with you though - I think at their level, they can hit any driver head from the past 5 years within 3-5 yards of each other and it definitely comes down to how they're feeling on any given day.

 

Good call. That should be added to what influences driver distances. I remember after Kaymer won the PGA and subsequently struggled at Augusta he changed his swing to hit a draw so he could be more competitive at Augusta. The results were bad, but I'm sure things like that affect driver distance more than moving from R9 to R11 or 915 to 917.

 

Kaymer went on to dominate at Pinehurst for a US Open win. But there was growing pains in the process

[TMBob]

They looked great as I saw the two different versions. Simple notes....hot melt ports on the standard line and no hot melt ports on the SZ line. Also, both driver heads at address seem to have way more loft than the stated loft in the head. I saw a 9 degree SZ and a 10.5 Epic.

 

I also saw a new putter with metal bumps in the insert and the Hyper Lite 2.5 bag....loved both and look forward to the new putter in the #7 version.

 

Did you snap some pics?

 

The rep has been a longtime friend of mine....he walks into a store that I was in and I say to him, "hey I am hearing that your new stuff is Epic!" He goes, how did you hear about it? I looked at him and laughed. Next thing I know he goes out to car and comes back in with the stash.

 

No pics due to respect.....sorry. It was nice of him to go back out and grab it all for me to see. I will be ordering the bag for sure and maybe a #7 Putter. The head shape of the drivers is one of the best that I have seen in sometime....More like a TM head must be the reason why!

[Warrick]

They looked great as I saw the two different versions. Simple notes....hot melt ports on the standard line and no hot melt ports on the SZ line. Also, both driver heads at address seem to have way more loft than the stated loft in the head. I saw a 9 degree SZ and a 10.5 Epic.

 

I also saw a new putter with metal bumps in the insert and the Hyper Lite 2.5 bag....loved both and look forward to the new putter in the #7 version.

 

Did you snap some pics?

 

The rep has been a longtime friend of mine....he walks into a store that I was in and I say to him, "hey I am hearing that your new stuff is Epic!" He goes, how did you hear about it? I looked at him and laughed. Next thing I know he goes out to car and comes back in with the stash.

 

No pics due to respect.....sorry. It was nice of him to go back out and grab it all for me to see. I will be ordering the bag for sure and maybe a #7 Putter. The head shape of the drivers is one of the best that I have seen in sometime....More like a TM head must be the reason why!

 

 

So, you saw the #7 "O" Works? Does it have sight lines on the fangs? Adjustable weight?

 

Thanks.

[juggernaut0629]

Doesn't every new release have more distance and more forgiveness ?

 

Don't forget lower spin & higher launch

[reg1900]

How many times have we heard about a new driver that's a 'game changer' or 'revolutionary technology 20yrs in the making'.

 

Kind of hard to get excited when you've heard so many claims and promises before every driver release

[Farrow]

How many times have we heard about a new driver that's a 'game changer' or 'revolutionary technology 20yrs in the making'.

 

Kind of hard to get excited when you've heard so many claims and promises before every driver release

 

I understand what you're getting at, but I think we need to remember that we haven't actually heard any claims from Callaway yet. Everything being said so far is someone's opinion. I'm excited to try out the new driver but I'm going to reserve judgement about their marketing claims until Callaway actually starts putting some out there.

[tj7644]

I agree. Claims are being made by those other than Callaway. I'll now be curious to see if Callaway's claims match those talked about in this thread. However I do understand that some of those claims are being made by Callaway reps talking.............

[marlinsfan247]

Just saw the new driver and 3 wood today. Definitely better looking than previous years GBB and more forgiving. Im gonna try and get some pictures if i can. But its not supposed to release til January 2017. Also coming in a sub zero model as well.

[Night train]

I'm a huge Ping fan...........but really like the current GBB driver, it's given me very dependable performance. If the new Epic is more forgiving, I'll be impressed.

 

..........but my Ping irons, wedges, and putter are safe!

[bama11]

Just saw the new driver and 3 wood today. Definitely better looking than previous years GBB and more forgiving. Im gonna try and get some pictures if i can. But its not supposed to release til January 2017. Also coming in a sub zero model as well.

marlinsfan247:

Did you get the spec’s on the Epic/Sub Zero models? 460cc for both, and did you get to see the Sub Zero 3 wood? I’m hoping for the Sub Zero in 460cc, not that the original was bad, I just prefer a bigger profile. Thanks!

[Z1ggy16]

Any photos of these out yet? I can't find anything on Google.

[DTown3011]

I've seen the pics of the non-SZ GBB EPIC. It looks great - looks like the theme is carbon fiber full driver body, as the sole has visible carbon fiber in addition to the crown. Looks pretty awesome - the Jailbreak technology will be interesting to learn about as well. Full on white/green/black color scheme.

[Z1ggy16]

Link to photos plz

[DTown3011]

Link to photos plz

 

They aren't posted anywhere. It pays to have connections. :)

[Z1ggy16]

Womp womp womppppppppp :(

[Evolved]

Pics:

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/409004/spotted-callaway-2017-gbb-epic-driver/

[Lacey Underall]

Obviously hard to see much from the pic that was released. But the revised adjustable perimeter weighting seems to make a ton of sense. The GBB was way too draw biased for most decent golfers. Looks like now you can achieve some legit neutral and fade settings.

[Evolved]

[Z1ggy16]

Looks cool but not a fan of the green at all. I do dig the carbon fiber looks of modern drivers now, so I'm ok with that.

[BlkNGld]

Looks cool but not a fan of the green at all. I do dig the carbon fiber looks of modern drivers now, so I'm ok with that.

 

I'm sure the idea is to stand out a bit on TV, and green isn't very often used.

[Z1ggy16]

Looks cool but not a fan of the green at all. I do dig the carbon fiber looks of modern drivers now, so I'm ok with that.

 

I'm sure the idea is to stand out a bit on TV, and green isn't very often used.

 

Yeah and the OJ Cobra clubs stood out like crazy, and look at the direction they are going in. Blue has always been a pretty familiar color for golf... But OJ/green? Meh. Plus, very few top guys are gaming the GBB. I know some do with good results, but most of the Cally guys are on the XR or DBD.

 

Hopefully the thing performs just as well at the GBB though because it was almost as long as the M2 for me, but was a bit more forgiving. Plus I still like the idea of adjusting CG with weights for the driver.

[dikaia22]

 

 

:drinks:

 

The want is strong..... I was always a fan of the Razr X looks but just could never get it to perform. Man! so swweeeeeet!

[mackepa]

Looks like Ian and Ian's Sales Rep is going to be put on Callaway's naughty list

[TMBob]

You can see the headcovers in this pic somewhat....they included the Jailbreak dots in the cover too!

 

[TMBob]

 

 

:drinks:

 

The want is strong..... I was always a fan of the Razr X looks but just could never get it to perform. Man! so swweeeeeet!

 

Wait till you see the SZ version.....I want nothing to do with that sliding ring stuff. Give me positioned weights that I can change please like the SZ version. I think he said 2 and 12 gram weights. The Hot Melt Port on the GBB Epic is in the shaft cavity.....different place for sure.

[PMAC]

The SZ doesn't have the weight track on the back

[scratchswinger]

So they bought Toulon for the driver face technology?

[dikaia22]

So they bought Toulon for the driver face technology?

 

Was just thinking the same thing, prior to this I would have wagered the ranch on it being to compete in the high end putter market. Guess you never know.... :swoon:

[Laznasty]

Kind of reminds me of the Taylormade RBZ irons