#TheWRX: The EPIC Event at Callaway Golf. 8 Members are treated to TheWRX

[Leftymoose]

Hey guys, just curious if any of the Magnificant 8 hit any of Callaway 2016 drivers during your fittings? XR16, GBB or 816 DBD to see how much better the new 2017 driver is compared to those. Or did they just hand the new models to everyone to test against your gamer drivers?

 

I hit my 816 DBD which was a pretty good fit as is. My carry increased a bit almost ten yards on good strikes. The real mind blowing stat was mishits. The low spin model was head and shoulders better than the 816 on mishits. I had some real toe balls and heel balls that still had minimal speed reduction and didn't get too far off line.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The new drivers must be that good if you saw that kind of gain over your 816 DBD. That really makes me want to try the new models out.

 

I love my 816 DBD and I found it to be longer and more accurate than any other driver I've played in the past. I have my gravity core in the heel to straighten out my ball and I'm thinking that the new 2017 low spin model would be the favourite to take it's spot in the bag but I know you can't move the weight to make it fade/draw bias.

 

Mackepa what is your normal shot shape with the 816 DBD. Where do you play your gravity core? Does the 2017 low spin model have any draw/fade ability besides the dual cog adaptor?

[mackepa]

Hey guys, just curious if any of the Magnificant 8 hit any of Callaway 2016 drivers during your fittings? XR16, GBB or 816 DBD to see how much better the new 2017 driver is compared to those. Or did they just hand the new models to everyone to test against your gamer drivers?

 

I hit my 816 DBD which was a pretty good fit as is. My carry increased a bit almost ten yards on good strikes. The real mind blowing stat was mishits. The low spin model was head and shoulders better than the 816 on mishits. I had some real toe balls and heel balls that still had minimal speed reduction and didn't get too far off line.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The new drivers must be that good if you saw that kind of gain over your 816 DBD. That really makes me want to try the new models out.

 

I love my 816 DBD and I found it to be longer and more accurate than any other driver I've played in the past. I have my gravity core in the heel to straighten out my ball and I'm thinking that the new 2017 low spin model would be the favourite to take it's spot in the bag but I know you can't move the weight to make it fade/draw bias.

 

Mackepa what is your normal shot shape with the 816 DBD. Where do you play your gravity core? Does the 2017 low spin model have any draw/fade ability besides the dual cog adaptor?

 

I play a pretty straight shot that can either draw or fade. I tend to hang with a draw. My gravity core is low toe to help my high toe strikes. The adapter is the same as previous models.

[MtlJeff]

Both are 460cc.

 

I'm seeing that there's a 440cc version in 9 degrees loft listed on the USGA site. Not sure if that one made it out of lockdown?

 

Could've sworn they said both were 460cc. I don't think mine is 440. Maybe a tour head only or something

[mackepa]

Both are 460cc.

 

I'm seeing that there's a 440cc version in 9 degrees loft listed on the USGA site. Not sure if that one made it out of lockdown?

 

Could've sworn they said both were 460cc. I don't think mine is 440. Maybe a tour head only or something

 

Both are 460. 440 won't see retail

[MtlJeff]

I was never able to pay attention in class lol... Thanks for clarifying Paul

[Brizam]

Special invite and tour only for the ECPC.

 

The $150 fitting is at HQ and is on their proprietary simulator. And $100 of that fee can be applied to the purchase of your clubs. That fitting has the 6 month waiting list.

 

 

Did you happen to have any comparison data on your M2 vs Epic? I think your review was really the one everyone was waiting for in regards to that. I'd love to see the launch/spin/ball speed hard data, as that aspect of your review is the only reason I've been reading this thread for the last week. :)

 

Yes I will. My fitter is sending my trackman data. And I will post it

[mguhler]

Hey guys, just curious if any of the Magnificant 8 hit any of Callaway 2016 drivers during your fittings? XR16, GBB or 816 DBD to see how much better the new 2017 driver is compared to those. Or did they just hand the new models to everyone to test against your gamer drivers?

 

I hit my 816 DBD which was a pretty good fit as is. My carry increased a bit almost ten yards on good strikes. The real mind blowing stat was mishits. The low spin model was head and shoulders better than the 816 on mishits. I had some real toe balls and heel balls that still had minimal speed reduction and didn't get too far off line.

 

Oh boy, this will get interesting come Spring. I've only played one round (too cold in PA for me) with the 816 DBD I snagged off the classifieds here and launched a couple drives that were at least 15 yds longer than my 815 DBD. Just take my $$$ now Callaway!

[bd59]

I'm sorry if this has been answered, but for the 2017 drivers did you guys have to loft up or down compared to your gamer?

[MtlJeff]

I'm sorry if this has been answered, but for the 2017 drivers did you guys have to loft up or down compared to your gamer?

 

Mine was same loft, 10 vs 10...previous driver a ping anser with same shaft

 

I hit the Callaway higher than the ping

[TollBros]

Special invite and tour only for the ECPC.

 

The $150 fitting is at HQ and is on their proprietary simulator. And $100 of that fee can be applied to the purchase of your clubs. That fitting has the 6 month waiting list.

 

 

Did you happen to have any comparison data on your M2 vs Epic? I think your review was really the one everyone was waiting for in regards to that. I'd love to see the launch/spin/ball speed hard data, as that aspect of your review is the only reason I've been reading this thread for the last week. :)

 

Yes I will. My fitter is sending my trackman data. And I will post it

 

Much appreciated. Thank you. Also, do you know if they are going to have any lower loft options for Tour, as I see 9 and 10.5 loft on the USGA list. As I recall you were a low loft guy as well?

[MtlJeff]

I have a 9 degree head for the SZ, and it's adjustable 1 degree down if that helps

[TollBros]

I have a 9 degree head for the SZ, and it's adjustable 1 degree down if that helps

 

Got it. It's the reason I couldn't get along with the Cobra LTD Pro. I need a face angle of square to 1 degree open, but an actual loft on the face of around 8.5. I suppose if the 9 degree is actually 9 degrees and measures square in the neutral setting, it could work perfectly. I'm just so leary of retail lofts, as almost all of them are higher than stamped, and Callaway Tour issue seems to be a real unicorn these days. I hunted for a 2016 8.5 sub zero and never was able to find a single head. It sucks, because I really want to give these drivers a fair shot, but not being able to choose exact specs makes it nearly impossible. Out of curiosity did Callaway spec measure your head for actual loft and face angle? And if so, how close was it?

[MtlJeff]

I did not get it measured manually no, sorry!

[TollBros]

I did not get it measured manually no, sorry!

 

I known I'm digging into overly techy aspects of things, but I'm just looking for as much info as possible. I didn't know if your spec sheet might have listed the actual loft they wanted it built at. I assume you guys have Tour issue heads as well so I'd guess they all were spec measured at some point. I'm just fishing for as much info as I can get before considering dropping $900 on a driver by the time I get the shaft I want in it, which definitely isn't in the options list. Unfortunately I don't get any hook ups on Callaway, but I won't let that stand in the way of playing whatever is best for me. However I will need some detailed info to drop near 1k on a single club.

[Leftymoose]

Hey guys, just curious if any of the Magnificant 8 hit any of Callaway 2016 drivers during your fittings? XR16, GBB or 816 DBD to see how much better the new 2017 driver is compared to those. Or did they just hand the new models to everyone to test against your gamer drivers?

 

I hit my 816 DBD which was a pretty good fit as is. My carry increased a bit almost ten yards on good strikes. The real mind blowing stat was mishits. The low spin model was head and shoulders better than the 816 on mishits. I had some real toe balls and heel balls that still had minimal speed reduction and didn't get too far off line.

 

Oh boy, this will get interesting come Spring. I've only played one round (too cold in PA for me) with the 816 DBD I snagged off the classifieds here and launched a couple drives that were at least 15 yds longer than my 815 DBD. Just take my $$$ now Callaway!

 

Ya, so true...I think it's gonna be an expensive off-season again

[adfrick]

Gents, this sounds like a fantastic trip to say the least. I've read through all 51 pages. The write-ups were fantastic and I appreciated the diverse views expressed. I'm also thankful that GolfWRX chose a diverse set of golfers and handicaps that represent the melting pot of this group.

 

You guys are probably shocked that I don't hit a 310 yard drive consistently with 3 yards of draw on command, but I choose not to......LOL.

 

Thanks again and congratulations!

[The Chicken Connoisseur]

SZ with weight back vs LTD Pro will be very interesting to see the numbers on. They must be quite similar CG wise. Only thing is you can get LTD's for like $150 right now, steal

[Hot Rod 71]

SZ with weight back vs LTD Pro will be very interesting to see the numbers on. They must be quite similar CG wise. Only thing is you can get LTD's for like $150 right now, steal

 

I haven't hit the LTD but I have heard nothing but good things about it. I was on the verge of purchasing one when I got tapped for this trip.

 

I would love to see a head-to-head from someone in the coming months who owns both.

[QMany]

Hey Matt, apologies if I missed this in all the posts on various threads, and I know its probably way too early to say, but what do you think the odds are for the new irons to stay in the bag? Any issues on the course that would make you question the Cally's over your old TM's?

 

I'm sorry for the delay; mobile has been glitchy and I'm currently on my honeymoon. But she's sleeping and I found WiFi, so here we are.

 

The Apex Pro irons are really good. They have similar shape, size, flight, and forgiveness to my Taylormade Tour Preferred MC. But the Apex Pros are a little softer and a little easier to hit in the long irons. I think the shaft fitting probably helped me out the most. I only have a small sample size at this point, but going from KBS Tour to X100 seems to have improved my dispersion and made it easier to flight in the wind. I'm looking forward to further testing when I get home and the weather allows.

[MtlJeff]

This is the commitment we are giving to this community folks! ^^^ The guy is answering fitting questions on his honeymoon!!!

 

And similarly, most of my own responses require me to pause the adult video I am watching

[ZAP]

Well I guess they chose the right people for this because I can honestly tell you even though I played golf on my honeymoon I would not have been posting here.

That man's dedication is second to none.

[DavePelz4]

This is the commitment we are giving to this community folks! ^^^ The guy is answering fitting questions on his honeymoon!!!

 

And similarly, most of my own responses require me to pause the adult video I am watching

 

We all could see the bow chicka bow bow in your posts.

[hayzooos]

One thing that we haven't really discussed here, was that we spent an hour talking with Chip Brewer in essentially a group session where we got to pepper him with questions. For me, this was really one of the most fun parts of the trip. He really seemed to have fun answering them, and seemed to do it honestly.

 

I don't recall the full hour, but some of my takeaways:

 

-Chip has created an atmosphere there of people who love golf, from the top on down. Everyone there seems to love golf and talking about it

-The employees love Chip. There were 3-4 different guys we met with who, unprovoked, mentioned how great it's been since he got there

-Chip mentioned caring about innovation mostly even more than cost, he will put money into R&D, he will let the engineers take chances even if it costs them more money. The heads of product line seemed to love this about him, they felt like they had very little restrictions.

-He feels that tour presence is vital but they will not chase "count" totals. They want to have a staff of guys they like for various reasons, but they won't pay guys to win driver count totals, not their strategy

-He spoke highly of PXG and thought they were a very interesting company. I don't get the impression he saw them as a real competitor in their space but maybe i'm wrong

-I asked them about the changing retail market and if they thought about how to get clubs to consumers , and they basically said they were confident that they were pushing fitting well enough to be succesful in the pro shops too

-They seemed actually a bit cognizant of that if this goes really well, it may be difficult to top it on the next release, as they think this really is a breakthrough. It did get mentioned that they understand the next product line might end up being seen as a letdown

-I asked specifically about 2 year product cycles. They said one year put too much pressure on the engineers and didn't give enough time for feedback. I asked about doing 3 year cycles and if i recall the answer was that they also wanted to stay fresh

-He talked proudly of the Xhot woods release, as that was one of the first under him i think. Apparently they delayed the launch because they didn't think they had it right the first time. One of the signs that they cared about the product and only bringing things to market they believed in

 

Hmmmm, i'm trying to think of more. It was a really fun hour

 

If I may, good tidbit about that line specifically. Chip came in right around halfway through the 'new' product cycle. He met with the engineers and R&D team to find out what was coming out. When looking at what they were going to release, he asked the question, "Is this the best you can do or the best you can do with your current budget?" The answer was obviously the second one, so they scrapped everything and basically started from scratch. They did delay the release a little bit, but not much, so they really had slightly more than 1/2 a previously "normal" release cycle. The XHot series of woods was fantastic and a massive success, but I think they're still kinda underrated given what those guys did in that time.

 

It was after hearing this when I really started to get excited about Callaway making a real comeback to the company some of us, old enough to remember, used to love.

 

Apologies if someone already posted this, I'm a few pages behind on the thread :)

[Hot Rod 71]

One thing that we haven't really discussed here, was that we spent an hour talking with Chip Brewer in essentially a group session where we got to pepper him with questions. For me, this was really one of the most fun parts of the trip. He really seemed to have fun answering them, and seemed to do it honestly.

 

I don't recall the full hour, but some of my takeaways:

 

-Chip has created an atmosphere there of people who love golf, from the top on down. Everyone there seems to love golf and talking about it

-The employees love Chip. There were 3-4 different guys we met with who, unprovoked, mentioned how great it's been since he got there

-Chip mentioned caring about innovation mostly even more than cost, he will put money into R&D, he will let the engineers take chances even if it costs them more money. The heads of product line seemed to love this about him, they felt like they had very little restrictions.

-He feels that tour presence is vital but they will not chase "count" totals. They want to have a staff of guys they like for various reasons, but they won't pay guys to win driver count totals, not their strategy

-He spoke highly of PXG and thought they were a very interesting company. I don't get the impression he saw them as a real competitor in their space but maybe i'm wrong

-I asked them about the changing retail market and if they thought about how to get clubs to consumers , and they basically said they were confident that they were pushing fitting well enough to be succesful in the pro shops too

-They seemed actually a bit cognizant of that if this goes really well, it may be difficult to top it on the next release, as they think this really is a breakthrough. It did get mentioned that they understand the next product line might end up being seen as a letdown

-I asked specifically about 2 year product cycles. They said one year put too much pressure on the engineers and didn't give enough time for feedback. I asked about doing 3 year cycles and if i recall the answer was that they also wanted to stay fresh

-He talked proudly of the Xhot woods release, as that was one of the first under him i think. Apparently they delayed the launch because they didn't think they had it right the first time. One of the signs that they cared about the product and only bringing things to market they believed in

 

Hmmmm, i'm trying to think of more. It was a really fun hour

 

If I may, good tidbit about that line specifically. Chip came in right around halfway through the 'new' product cycle. He met with the engineers and R&D team to find out what was coming out. When looking at what they were going to release, he asked the question, "Is this the best you can do or the best you can do with your current budget?" The answer was obviously the second one, so they scrapped everything and basically started from scratch. They did delay the release a little bit, but not much, so they really had slightly more than 1/2 a previously "normal" release cycle. The XHot series of woods was fantastic and a massive success, but I think they're still kinda underrated given what those guys did in that time.

 

It was after hearing this when I really started to get excited about Callaway making a real comeback to the company some of us, old enough to remember, used to love.

 

Apologies if someone already posted this, I'm a few pages behind on the thread :)

 

That's essentially the same story Chip told us in our round table session.

[eldog-in-the-hizouse]

Do any of you guys who did the wedge fitting know, does the PM grind have the C grind or is it just a totally different animal sole-wise?

[mackepa]

Do any of you guys who did the wedge fitting know, does the PM grind have the C grind or is it just a totally different animal sole-wise?

 

You kinda answered your own question. It has the PM grind. It's like a combination of C and U grinds with a whole lotta Phil

[eldog-in-the-hizouse]

Do any of you guys who did the wedge fitting know, does the PM grind have the C grind or is it just a totally different animal sole-wise?

 

You kinda answered your own question. It has the PM grind. It's like a combination of C and U grinds with a whole lotta Phil

I did? I'm so smart. Thank you, I don't know what the U grind is, but I'm a big believer in the C grind. I have not tried that wedge before but it sure looks cool.

[mackepa]

Do any of you guys who did the wedge fitting know, does the PM grind have the C grind or is it just a totally different animal sole-wise?

 

You kinda answered your own question. It has the PM grind. It's like a combination of C and U grinds with a whole lotta Phil

I did? I'm so smart. Thank you, I don't know what the U grind is, but I'm a big believer in the C grind. I have not tried that wedge before but it sure looks cool.

 

The U grind is pretty cool. It allows the leading edge to sit pretty low to the ground while maintaining bounce. I loved it out of sand and thick rough

[Schnee]

I had a 58° Pm grind and loved it. Like a true ho, I sold it for something else. Right now I'm using an MD2 with the C grind and it's good, but not as great as the PM grind. For me, they perform similarly out of the rough but the PM grind is more versatile and I like it better than the MD2 C grind off tight lies. The lower leading edge really is nice to catch the ball clean but has enough trailing edge bounce to have margin for error. Definitely going to pick up another one in slate over the winter.

[Sean2]

Hey guys, just curious if any of the Magnificant 8 hit any of Callaway 2016 drivers during your fittings? XR16, GBB or 816 DBD to see how much better the new 2017 driver is compared to those. Or did they just hand the new models to everyone to test against your gamer drivers?

 

My previous driver was the XR 16. I was hitting the new 3-wood as far as the XR 16 driver, and the new driver a good 20 yards longer. I believe I saw the most gains. I also owned an Alpha, and the driver was longer as well.