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

[tyro]

Well it looks like my 2017 will be EPIC, officially making the move to Callaway

 

Tested the Chromesoft X today and I was disappointed. Could've been the weather but I lost some distance off the driver. Also noticed that they get dinged up from just a good wedge and I hit one onto a bunker and it got gashed from sand??? Seemed really odd, definitely wasn't a fan

 

Obviously depends on how you hit a ball, but I SPIN everything pretty well, not overly, just good spin, but can't damage a CSX or CS with a club of any kind. Playing MD3's right now. I have to hit a tree or path to leave a mark on them. Whereas, Titleist, BStone get gouged on a good wedge hit.

 

I would give them a few rounds in normal weather.

 

Ditto this. I have been testing Chrome Soft, B330S, and TP balls and the Callaway has been the most durable, followed by the Taylormade and then Bridgestone. I like individual traits about each one of these and a mongrel ball of all three would be the "unicorn" ball! :)

 

If I had to pick between these three though, the TP would probably just edge out the Chrome Soft. The Chrome Soft is just a tad too soft for me, so perhaps the X will be just right. It's primarily the feel around the greens and putting.

[misplacedtexan83]

Well it looks like my 2017 will be EPIC, officially making the move to Callaway

 

Tested the Chromesoft X today and I was disappointed. Could've been the weather but I lost some distance off the driver. Also noticed that they get dinged up from just a good wedge and I hit one onto a bunker and it got gashed from sand??? Seemed really odd, definitely wasn't a fan

 

Obviously depends on how you hit a ball, but I SPIN everything pretty well, not overly, just good spin, but can't damage a CSX or CS with a club of any kind. Playing MD3's right now. I have to hit a tree or path to leave a mark on them. Whereas, Titleist, BStone get gouged on a good wedge hit.

 

I would give them a few rounds in normal weather.

 

I'm hoping it was the weather.

 

I have played the Tour Preferred X for the last 2 years and besides the fantastic performance I have always been impressed with their durability. Bridgestones are the worst, you can sneeze on those things and they get these weird scuffs. Similar marks were on the CSX after 2 holes and no trees or cart paths. We shall see.

 

For me, these play very similar to ProV1x, which I have always lost yardage with off driver. Thus, why I think they are good balls but not for me.

 

Losing 10 yards compare to a Chromesoft or K-Sig is not something I'm looking for. I miss the SR2/3 balls :(

[Scooterboy59]

Well it looks like my 2017 will be EPIC, officially making the move to Callaway

 

Tested the Chromesoft X today and I was disappointed. Could've been the weather but I lost some distance off the driver. Also noticed that they get dinged up from just a good wedge and I hit one onto a bunker and it got gashed from sand??? Seemed really odd, definitely wasn't a fan

I found the Chromesoft X excellent. I have been playing with it the last couple of months and have found it great in the wind and drop stop on the short irons. Just a great ball for me. Give it a few rounds and I think you will come to play it.

[shmitty18]

[EntourageLife]

I finally hit the Epic today! Rare chilly and windy day in Tampa but still gave it a go:

 

Epic SubZero was an absolute spin killer. It was actually too low spinning for me. 1500-1700. Flew like a wet duck.

 

Epic GBB was much better spinning 2000-2200 (still low) and held a better flight.

 

I settled on 10.5 set neutral as I needed a bit more launch with such low spin.

 

Swing speed averaged about 106mph (unseasonably cold today).

 

Hope this helps! Happy to answer anything further thanks.

[OspreyCI]

I finally hit the Epic today! Rare chilly and windy day in Tampa but still gave it a go:

 

Epic SubZero was an absolute spin killer. It was actually too low spinning for me. 1500-1700. Flew like a wet duck.

 

Epic GBB was much better spinning 2000-2200 (still low) and held a better flight.

 

I settled on 10.5 set neutral as I needed a bit more launch with such low spin.

 

Swing speed averaged about 106mph (unseasonably cold today).

 

Hope this helps! Happy to answer anything further thanks.

Thanks for the review.

What loft did you try the SZ in? Are you normally a low spin player?

[EntourageLife]

I finally hit the Epic today! Rare chilly and windy day in Tampa but still gave it a go:

 

Epic SubZero was an absolute spin killer. It was actually too low spinning for me. 1500-1700. Flew like a wet duck.

 

Epic GBB was much better spinning 2000-2200 (still low) and held a better flight.

 

I settled on 10.5 set neutral as I needed a bit more launch with such low spin.

 

Swing speed averaged about 106mph (unseasonably cold today).

 

Hope this helps! Happy to answer anything further thanks.

Thanks for the review.

What loft did you try the SZ in? Are you normally a low spin player?

 

They felt totally different. My trackman #'s for M2 9.5 were very solid. I'm probably more lower spin than higher. I swing 106-107 and very controlled. Average with M2 Veylix Roughneck "X" 2200-2400.

 

SZ initial loft was 9.0 but didn't get a chance to try anything higher. Went straight to the Epic GBB. I didn't like the SZ and the flight was terrible.

 

I'm always open to testing and trying EVERY combination possible but weather was very poor (3 Callaway reps and I was the only layman/customer on the range, they all wanted to get out of the cold). I would've like to hit more SZ especially the 10.5 but GBB Epic felt so much better. Probably the best choice. I really liked the Epic GBB and so happy with the black finish.

[OspreyCI]

Thanks for the feedback.

[shmitty18]

Crossfield seems to think the sub zero is fade biased. Anyone else that's hit the SZ feel this way too?

 

Also if so, how much more fade biased is it than the regular epic?

[JC671]

Well it looks like my 2017 will be EPIC, officially making the move to Callaway

 

Tested the Chromesoft X today and I was disappointed. Could've been the weather but I lost some distance off the driver. Also noticed that they get dinged up from just a good wedge and I hit one onto a bunker and it got gashed from sand??? Seemed really odd, definitely wasn't a fan

 

Obviously depends on how you hit a ball, but I SPIN everything pretty well, not overly, just good spin, but can't damage a CSX or CS with a club of any kind. Playing MD3's right now. I have to hit a tree or path to leave a mark on them. Whereas, Titleist, BStone get gouged on a good wedge hit.

 

I would give them a few rounds in normal weather.

 

I'm hoping it was the weather.

 

I have played the Tour Preferred X for the last 2 years and besides the fantastic performance I have always been impressed with their durability. Bridgestones are the worst, you can sneeze on those things and they get these weird scuffs. Similar marks were on the CSX after 2 holes and no trees or cart paths. We shall see.

 

I'm on the same boat, the chrome soft X is not as durable. A lot of my other playing partners agree that the CSX aren't as long or as durable as Taylormade/Titleist balls.

[Pleasedwith3putts]

Crossfield seems to think the sub zero is fade biased. Anyone else that's hit the SZ feel this way too?

 

Also if so, how much more fade biased is it than the regular epic?

 

You just need to put the heads down side by side to see. The SZ on neutral setting sits quite open whilst I would say the standard Epic is square. I haven't hit either but it seemed obvious to look at that the SZ is significantly more open

[EaglesGolf99]

Well it looks like my 2017 will be EPIC, officially making the move to Callaway

 

Tested the Chromesoft X today and I was disappointed. Could've been the weather but I lost some distance off the driver. Also noticed that they get dinged up from just a good wedge and I hit one onto a bunker and it got gashed from sand??? Seemed really odd, definitely wasn't a fan

 

Obviously depends on how you hit a ball, but I SPIN everything pretty well, not overly, just good spin, but can't damage a CSX or CS with a club of any kind. Playing MD3's right now. I have to hit a tree or path to leave a mark on them. Whereas, Titleist, BStone get gouged on a good wedge hit.

 

I would give them a few rounds in normal weather.

 

I'm hoping it was the weather.

 

I have played the Tour Preferred X for the last 2 years and besides the fantastic performance I have always been impressed with their durability. Bridgestones are the worst, you can sneeze on those things and they get these weird scuffs. Similar marks were on the CSX after 2 holes and no trees or cart paths. We shall see.

 

I'm on the same boat, the chrome soft X is not as durable. A lot of my other playing partners agree that the CSX aren't as long or as durable as Taylormade/Titleist balls.

 

That's interesting. I've had zero durability issues with the 2017 Ball.

[ell_13]

Crossfield seems to think the sub zero is fade biased. Anyone else that's hit the SZ feel this way too?

 

Also if so, how much more fade biased is it than the regular epic?

 

You just need to put the heads down side by side to see. The SZ on neutral setting sits quite open whilst I would say the standard Epic is square. I haven't hit either but it seemed obvious to look at that the SZ is significantly more open

I've seen and hit both. "Significantly more open" is an epic exaggeration.

[Hochbeinz]

Epic sz is also fade biased for me which is perfect since i tend to overdraw. Just a great driver.

[pearls24]

Anyone able to compare the Sub Zero 440cc to the new Epic SZ 460cc?

[Hot Rod 71]

I played both balls at Torrey Pines and the differences between the two seemed fairly small. I would reach in my pocket and grab one (not looking at which one) and play it tee to green. Then I would look and see which one it was. Here's what I found....

 

The new ball was a little firmer off all clubs and seemed to spin about the same off the driver and green-side wedges. It seemed to have less spin off the mid and short irons over the CS. Not a huge amount, but still less spin.

 

The new ball seemed like more of a "one-hop-and-stop" type ball with the short irons and full wedges than the "spin the ball back 5-10 feet" like the CS.

 

Durability seemed the same to me. I put a fair amount of spin on the ball with wedges, but I'm not one to cut the ball when I hit it.

 

Again, this is only my opinion based on a relatively small sample. I'm looking forward to more comparisons in the spring. I will be testing both of these balls along with the K-Sig, Snell MTB, and the XV to determine a winner for me.

[OspreyCI]

Crossfield seems to think the sub zero is fade biased. Anyone else that's hit the SZ feel this way too?

 

Also if so, how much more fade biased is it than the regular epic?

 

You just need to put the heads down side by side to see. The SZ on neutral setting sits quite open whilst I would say the standard Epic is square. I haven't hit either but it seemed obvious to look at that the SZ is significantly more open

I've seen and hit both. "Significantly more open" is an epic exaggeration.

Since you have hit both, is the SZ much more fade biased than the regular Epic?

 

 

[ell_13]

Crossfield seems to think the sub zero is fade biased. Anyone else that's hit the SZ feel this way too?

 

Also if so, how much more fade biased is it than the regular epic?

 

You just need to put the heads down side by side to see. The SZ on neutral setting sits quite open whilst I would say the standard Epic is square. I haven't hit either but it seemed obvious to look at that the SZ is significantly more open

I've seen and hit both. "Significantly more open" is an epic exaggeration.

Since you have hit both, is the SZ much more fade biased than the regular Epic?

I found it to be neutral, honestly. With the Epic being slightly draw bias. I could easily draw the SZ, but my "normal" swing produced a straight ball flight with a slight fade every now and then. But that's on my swing mostly. My miss is a heal strike due to slight casting of the club on the way down.

[OspreyCI]

Crossfield seems to think the sub zero is fade biased. Anyone else that's hit the SZ feel this way too?

 

Also if so, how much more fade biased is it than the regular epic?

 

You just need to put the heads down side by side to see. The SZ on neutral setting sits quite open whilst I would say the standard Epic is square. I haven't hit either but it seemed obvious to look at that the SZ is significantly more open

I've seen and hit both. "Significantly more open" is an epic exaggeration.

Since you have hit both, is the SZ much more fade biased than the regular Epic?

I found it to be neutral, honestly. With the Epic being slightly draw bias. I could easily draw the SZ, but my "normal" swing produced a straight ball flight with a slight fade every now and then. But that's on my swing mostly. My miss is a heal strike due to slight casting of the club on the way down.

Good info. Thanks for the help. That's helping me decision.

[Cwing]

 

Nice. Most interested in the GBB Epic vs M2 17, GBB Epic vs M2 16 and GBB Epic vs GBB Fusion.

[HISPL]

Anyone able to compare the Sub Zero 440cc to the new Epic SZ 460cc?

 

Once I receive my Epic SZ I can do that :)

[hurricanes7]

thanks for the info and updates, need to demo myself asap

[3woodvt]

The last Callaway driver I played. Played carbon fiber when carbon fiber wasn't cool. Funny how it's all the rage now. Hope the new driver helps those Callaway fans that have been yearning for a "forgiving driver" that is also long. I remember liking that head as it was pretty small. 390cc or something like that. been a while. Good luck Epic buyers.

[BarronDDS]

What loft in the SZ are you all going with? Need to loft up??

[belh22]

Great question. Also any comparisons between the epic sz and ltd pro?

[WidespreadPanic]

They look like Titleists.

[drbonesvt]

My pedestrian 112 SS M2 vs Epic Subzero trackman comparison

 

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1074561-dtd-10417-titleist-mb-12s-bettinardi-abtp-proto-m2-df-3w/page__st__420#entry14763832

 

I reinserted the link, it should take a user to Post 420 or page 15 for the review , my apologies

 

I am 100% not a ELY homer by any means, but going to put the investment of a test shaft into the head to try it.

 

Cally - in the past your Tolerances have been up to +1.5* , what are my odds if I order this I am going to get a 10.5 head with 9.0 Printed on the hosel ???

[radiman]

My pedestrian 112 SS M2 vs Epic Subzero trackman comparison

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1074561-dtd-10417-titleist-mb-12s-bettinardi-abtp-proto-m2-df-3w/#entry14763832

 

I am 100% not a ELY homer by any means, but going to put the investment of a test shaft into the head to try it.

 

Cally - in the past your Tolerances have been up to +1.5* , what are my odds if I order this I am going to get a 10.5 head with 9.0 Printed on the hosel ???

 

Thanks for posting this. Definitely the comparison I'm most interested in. I really like my M2. Ball speed seemed really similar. Was the smash factor close between the two? I'm really interested in the Epic, but I enjoyed the M2 more than any other driver I've had in the last 5+ years.

[OspreyCI]

My pedestrian 112 SS M2 vs Epic Subzero trackman comparison

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1074561-dtd-10417-titleist-mb-12s-bettinardi-abtp-proto-m2-df-3w/#entry14763832

 

I am 100% not a ELY homer by any means, but going to put the investment of a test shaft into the head to try it.

 

Cally - in the past your Tolerances have been up to +1.5* , what are my odds if I order this I am going to get a 10.5 head with 9.0 Printed on the hosel ???

Great write up...thanks fir sharing.

 

I just left PGA SS here in ATL and they won't have any EPIC's to demo until the 13th. Damn it!

[drbonesvt]

My pedestrian 112 SS M2 vs Epic Subzero trackman comparison

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1074561-dtd-10417-titleist-mb-12s-bettinardi-abtp-proto-m2-df-3w/#entry14763832

 

I am 100% not a ELY homer by any means, but going to put the investment of a test shaft into the head to try it.

 

Cally - in the past your Tolerances have been up to +1.5* , what are my odds if I order this I am going to get a 10.5 head with 9.0 Printed on the hosel ???

 

Thanks for posting this. Definitely the comparison I'm most interested in. I really like my M2. Ball speed seemed really similar. Was the smash factor close between the two? I'm really interested in the Epic, but I enjoyed the M2 more than any other driver I've had in the last 5+ years.

 

Smash was very close, off center hit the epic sz for me was a touch more forgiving, but playing a near 46" driver is beyond my capability