Callaway GBB Epic and Epic Sub Zero: Drivers and Fairways

[Leftymoose]

I went to my local Golf Town after work today and came across a lefty Epic SZ to hit. I absolutely hate hitting in simulators as the numbers always show worse then the real results on the course. I find that my ball flight is over-exaggerated on the screen (more slice and less cut) and go much shorter than I hit in real life). But whatever, wanted to try this bad boy out. I have not played a round of golf since early September so my swing was not up to par. I was also in winter boots and work clothes so not ideal but whatever. They also didn't have any X-flex shafts so I was forced to hit a stiff Rogue. So, right away I knew the numbers would be skewed and I shouldn't take much out of this session.

 

I have always hit a fade for my entire golf life so I have been on the hunt for a driver that I can tinker with and make draw bias to straighten it out a bit more. Last year I found the 816 DBD and placed the core in the heel position and instantly, this thing was money..straightened out my ball flight and hitting them long and straight.

 

So today, I hit about 20 balls in the sim with the Epic SZ and noticed that I couldn't get the ball as airborne as usual. I usually swing around 108mph but saw that I was down to 101mph today (which makes perfect sense considering). I also noticed my ball was showing it's old fade once again, some more than just a fade. In terms of feel, I thought it felt harder off the face in comparison to my 816 DBD. In terms of looks, I thought it was very sharp. I liked it more in person than I did when seeing pictures. I switched the adaptor to +1 and D to try to counteract the slice/fade and it helped a bit but I just couldn't get along with it. For months I thought if anything was going to knock my beloved 816 DBD it would be the Epic or Epic SZ. I don't think the SZ is the right club for me because it does not allow for weight to be moved to counter the fade bias in the club. If you fight a slice/fade the normal Epic may be a better option due to the sliding weight. The store didn't have the Epic so I couldn't test it today but I think I may have better results with that. Either way, I will test both clubs out again with the proper shaft, proper clothes and hopefully outdoors. Did I mention I absolutely hate hitting in sims!

[OspreyCI]

For those that ordered at DD's, how long is taking to get your driver? I ordered mine yesterday, just curious.

I ordered mine from DD on the 9th and it will be here Monday. GUYS ARE AWESOME AT DD!

 

Epic SZ 9* Speeder 665 Evo II TS 45"

[TheMoneyShot]

For those that ordered at DD's, how long is taking to get your driver? I ordered mine yesterday, just curious.

I ordered mine from DD on the 9th and it will be here Monday. GUYS ARE AWESOME AT DD!

 

Epic SZ 9* Speeder 665 Evo II TS 45"

 

DDs = only place to buy clubs.

[minteq]

DD's is the best!

[jcg132]

For those that ordered at DD's, how long is taking to get your driver? I ordered mine yesterday, just curious.

I ordered mine from DD on the 9th and it will be here Monday. GUYS ARE AWESOME AT DD!

 

Epic SZ 9* Speeder 665 Evo II TS 45"

 

DDs = only place to buy clubs.

 

Something I'm missing? Seems like they have the same prices and options as everywhere else online with no tax and free shipping.

 

Someone please DM me the secret I'm missing lol.

[youngunz5840]

DD or bust haha.

[minteq]

For those that ordered at DD's, how long is taking to get your driver? I ordered mine yesterday, just curious.

I ordered mine from DD on the 9th and it will be here Monday. GUYS ARE AWESOME AT DD!

 

Epic SZ 9* Speeder 665 Evo II TS 45"

 

DDs = only place to buy clubs.

 

Something I'm missing? Seems like they have the same prices and options as everywhere else online with no tax and free shipping.

 

Someone please DM me the secret I'm missing lol.

 

I have bought a ton from them, always best prices and service. I just email them asking for a quote for whatever I want. No special secret.

[rileyprather]

First off, DD to a New Englander is Dunkin Doughnuts... I was confused for a sec...

 

Second, hit the Epic SZ today. Best shaft for me was the HZRDUS. Gained 3 mph ball speed with an injury to the tfcc ligament in my leading wrist. Not bad for only being able to swing 70%.

[My2Dogs]

After 3 or 4 sessions on the monitor, a fitting, and an outdoor session, I've finalized my driver:

 

Epic SZ 9* weight back

45.5" Aldila Rogue Silver 70 X-flex

GP MCC plus 4 grey grip

 

I almost went with the Diamana D+. It loads nicely but the Silver got my spin down to the 1900-2100 range. Average carry to 272. Excellent dispersion. Excited for it to arrive.

 

What's your average swing speed during the sessions?

106-108. I have a quick tempo which is why an X flex works better for me even though that number is usually more suited for a stiff flex. All my other clubs are stiff.

 

I'm the same as you and play an X and my SS is around 105-108 because of the quick tempo. That's why I was curious what your swing speed was after your initial post.

[wkndhack]

Took a sim lesson last night and my pro let me hit his. Only took a couple swings so it was only for sound and feel purposes really. The shape was a little different for me, but it looked, sounded, and felt pretty good. If I was looking I would definitely consider one. Pro said he is going to bag it (he is Callaway staff). He is changing from the 816 Alpha. One of the other instructors, who was/is Nike staff said he was "going to bag it too and they aren't even paying me."

[eddiebigeddie]

So I had the chance to demo both Epics yesterday vs my fit for me Cobra F6. It wasn't a fair comparison as they didn't have a lot of options for me to tinker with, only had a 9' Epic & the 10.5 Subzero and only had the Fuji Pro & Rogue Max shaft to try. The winner for me was my F6, but I kinda expected that, it is cut to length for me 44.5", tipped 1/2", shaft I get along with, midsize grip, etc. Now having said that, if I was in the market to buy a driver...I would 100% be buying one of these. On looks alone, I would buy it! The looks, sound & feel were just great. I was able to play with moving the weights around in both heads & it definitely changed ball flight, spin numbers, etc. Off the short demo time with them, the Subzero looked to be the one I favored, but having a higher lofted regular Epic could change that.

 

Will definitely love to try these again when I can hit outside with a various number of shafts, etc.

[HISPL]

We had a demo day today where I work, most players were 15-20 yards longer with one gent being more than 30 yards longer than his M1! (M1 460 9.5 stiff Fuji v Sub Zero 9 degree with Rogue Max X flex)

[GC70]

We had a demo day today where I work, most players were 15-20 yards longer with one gent being more than 30 yards longer than his M1! (M1 460 9.5 stiff Fuji v Sub Zero 9 degree with Rogue Max X flex)

M1 17?

[jay65]

Any more Lefties out there being told that LH Epic Sub Zeros' are delayed until April?

[ShowMe]

I went to my local Golf Town after work today and came across a lefty Epic SZ to hit. I absolutely hate hitting in simulators as the numbers always show worse then the real results on the course. I find that my ball flight is over-exaggerated on the screen (more slice and less cut) and go much shorter than I hit in real life). But whatever, wanted to try this bad boy out. I have not played a round of golf since early September so my swing was not up to par. I was also in winter boots and work clothes so not ideal but whatever. They also didn't have any X-flex shafts so I was forced to hit a stiff Rogue. So, right away I knew the numbers would be skewed and I shouldn't take much out of this session.

 

I have always hit a fade for my entire golf life so I have been on the hunt for a driver that I can tinker with and make draw bias to straighten it out a bit more. Last year I found the 816 DBD and placed the core in the heel position and instantly, this thing was money..straightened out my ball flight and hitting them long and straight.

 

So today, I hit about 20 balls in the sim with the Epic SZ and noticed that I couldn't get the ball as airborne as usual. I usually swing around 108mph but saw that I was down to 101mph today (which makes perfect sense considering). I also noticed my ball was showing it's old fade once again, some more than just a fade. In terms of feel, I thought it felt harder off the face in comparison to my 816 DBD. In terms of looks, I thought it was very sharp. I liked it more in person than I did when seeing pictures. I switched the adaptor to +1 and D to try to counteract the slice/fade and it helped a bit but I just couldn't get along with it. For months I thought if anything was going to knock my beloved 816 DBD it would be the Epic or Epic SZ. I don't think the SZ is the right club for me because it does not allow for weight to be moved to counter the fade bias in the club. If you fight a slice/fade the normal Epic may be a better option due to the sliding weight. The store didn't have the Epic so I couldn't test it today but I think I may have better results with that. Either way, I will test both clubs out again with the proper shaft, proper clothes and hopefully outdoors. Did I mention I absolutely hate hitting in sims!

 

Me too. Too dark, the tee is never the right height, and lack of target depth makes it hard for me to visualize my aiming point. I usually just end up swinging as hard as I can, which is not what I do on the course.

[Bob57]

A shop near me had so many demos I thought they were for sale, but just demos for pre order. No trackman or monitors, just took a bunch of of shafts in sub zero and epic out to compare against my 917D3 and Mizuno JXP 900. Visually(shape not horrible color), Sound, Accuracy, Feel, Distance the Mizuno was still the best driver for me. The sub zero was pretty much equal to the 917D3. The epic with slider weight was pretty poor for me. Both Callaway clubs are nice looking and sounding (although not a big fan of the raised crown adornments), but I continue to be amazed at the Mizuno driver that I stumbled upon last fall. Dumb color, even dumber looking shaft with the blue head, but it it just plain works.. I hadn't touched a mizuno driver since the old 300S because they frankly were less than average. Don't know what attracted me to the Mizuno (certainly wasn't cosmetics), but I'm glad I did. Will be anxious to compare against new TM next week..

[Sir Larry Wildman]

Is Phil playing the Epic or Epic SZ? Didn't see any of the live coverage, only a few pics on the internet, none of which were clear.

[uflorida1]

Which no up charge shaft will have the highest resale value?

[WV_Golfer]

Any more Lefties out there being told that LH Epic Sub Zeros' are delayed until April?

 

Our club got the Epic demo heads in yesterday, but no left handed Sub Zero. Then my pro texted this morning and said the LH Sub Zero head arrived. So I immediately went to test it. Review to follow.

[WV_Golfer]

So here is my review indoors with a Foresight monitor and outdoors. My current gamer is a Ping G LS 9 deg with Ping Tour 65 X-flex. My normal numbers with it on the monitor is ~14 deg launch, 2500 rpms and 158 ball speed. Yesterday the only LH head our club had available was the regular GBB Epic - 10.5 deg. I tried a couple of shafts and settled on the Rogue Max 75-X but everything was launching too high (17-18 degs) and spin was ok, around 2300-2500 with 156-158 ball speed. It also really wanted to draw on me for some reason but shifting the sliding weight to fade really seemed to help that. Overall, it felt nice but just wasn't for me.

 

Today the LH Sub Zero head came in so I put the Rogue Max 75-X in it. Warmed up with my gamer and got up to my normal ball speeds and my average carry after 5 good balls was 272 yards...then went for the Sub Zero. First ball I hit with it was a slight draw that carried 285 with 1900 spin. The feel was perfect and needless to say i was excited. Hit about 10 more balls that all carried between 283-292 yards with a mix of slight draws and fades...with varying quality of strike. Ball speeds were 162-164 The biggest stand outs to me, besides ball speed, was how workable it was accompanied by control. It really wants to go straight but it's easy to curve it slightly either way.

 

I never buy a club without hitting it outside and today the temp got up to 58 so i took 10 pro v's out and went out to a par 5 on our course. I hit a couple balls with my gamer until I flushed a high little draw. Then i hit a couple of draws with the Sub Zero and a couple of fades, then went to check them. Our course is completely saturated so no roll whatsoever...they all plugged. I was very pleased to see that the two fades I hit with the Sub Zero were about 5 yards further than my gamer high draw. I stepped off the two draws I hit with the Sub Zero and the were 13 & 15 yards past my gamer. My gamer wasn't completely optimized but the immediate results were hard to ignore.

 

Needless to say I was very pleased and decided to order one. I'm going to experiment a little because even though the Rogue Max 75-X beat my gamer, I don't generally like heavier shafts and my launch and spin were both a little low with that shaft so I ordered my Sub Zero with a Graphite Design Tour AD TP-6X, tipped 1/2" to hopefully gain a couple degrees of launch. If it doesn't work as predicted, at least I know a workable combo. Thanks for reading.

[hurricanes7]

that is great news, good luck with the order

[TheMoneyShot]

Is Phil playing the Epic or Epic SZ? Didn't see any of the live coverage, only a few pics on the internet, none of which were clear.

 

It looked like the regular version from the one pic I seen.

[scottc25]

Any more Lefties out there being told that LH Epic Sub Zeros' are delayed until April?

 

I can build it on their site and it says 5-7 business days. So now I have no idea.

 

[Leftymoose]

I went to my local Golf Town after work today and came across a lefty Epic SZ to hit. I absolutely hate hitting in simulators as the numbers always show worse then the real results on the course. I find that my ball flight is over-exaggerated on the screen (more slice and less cut) and go much shorter than I hit in real life). But whatever, wanted to try this bad boy out. I have not played a round of golf since early September so my swing was not up to par. I was also in winter boots and work clothes so not ideal but whatever. They also didn't have any X-flex shafts so I was forced to hit a stiff Rogue. So, right away I knew the numbers would be skewed and I shouldn't take much out of this session.

 

I have always hit a fade for my entire golf life so I have been on the hunt for a driver that I can tinker with and make draw bias to straighten it out a bit more. Last year I found the 816 DBD and placed the core in the heel position and instantly, this thing was money..straightened out my ball flight and hitting them long and straight.

 

So today, I hit about 20 balls in the sim with the Epic SZ and noticed that I couldn't get the ball as airborne as usual. I usually swing around 108mph but saw that I was down to 101mph today (which makes perfect sense considering). I also noticed my ball was showing it's old fade once again, some more than just a fade. In terms of feel, I thought it felt harder off the face in comparison to my 816 DBD. In terms of looks, I thought it was very sharp. I liked it more in person than I did when seeing pictures. I switched the adaptor to +1 and D to try to counteract the slice/fade and it helped a bit but I just couldn't get along with it. For months I thought if anything was going to knock my beloved 816 DBD it would be the Epic or Epic SZ. I don't think the SZ is the right club for me because it does not allow for weight to be moved to counter the fade bias in the club. If you fight a slice/fade the normal Epic may be a better option due to the sliding weight. The store didn't have the Epic so I couldn't test it today but I think I may have better results with that. Either way, I will test both clubs out again with the proper shaft, proper clothes and hopefully outdoors. Did I mention I absolutely hate hitting in sims!

 

Me too. Too dark, the tee is never the right height, and lack of target depth makes it hard for me to visualize my aiming point. I usually just end up swinging as hard as I can, which is not what I do on the course.

 

I think I have a completely different swing in the sim...a terrible one! Like I haven't played golf for the past 20 years

[TaylorMadeLuv]

We had a demo day today where I work, most players were 15-20 yards longer with one gent being more than 30 yards longer than his M1! (M1 460 9.5 stiff Fuji v Sub Zero 9 degree with Rogue Max X flex)

 

Not surprised with two totally different setups.

 

M1 with soft high launch shaft vs. epic with stiffer low launch and spin shaft...that like lobbing softballs...

[jbaldwin]

Is the epic or epic subzero closer to the Alpha 816?

[jay65]

So here is my review indoors with a Foresight monitor and outdoors. My current gamer is a Ping G LS 9 deg with Ping Tour 65 X-flex. My normal numbers with it on the monitor is ~14 deg launch, 2500 rpms and 158 ball speed. Yesterday the only LH head our club had available was the regular GBB Epic - 10.5 deg. I tried a couple of shafts and settled on the Rogue Max 75-X but everything was launching too high (17-18 degs) and spin was ok, around 2300-2500 with 156-158 ball speed. It also really wanted to draw on me for some reason but shifting the sliding weight to fade really seemed to help that. Overall, it felt nice but just wasn't for me.

 

Today the LH Sub Zero head came in so I put the Rogue Max 75-X in it. Warmed up with my gamer and got up to my normal ball speeds and my average carry after 5 good balls was 272 yards...then went for the Sub Zero. First ball I hit with it was a slight draw that carried 285 with 1900 spin. The feel was perfect and needless to say i was excited. Hit about 10 more balls that all carried between 283-292 yards with a mix of slight draws and fades...with varying quality of strike. Ball speeds were 162-164 The biggest stand outs to me, besides ball speed, was how workable it was accompanied by control. It really wants to go straight but it's easy to curve it slightly either way.

 

I never buy a club without hitting it outside and today the temp got up to 58 so i took 10 pro v's out and went out to a par 5 on our course. I hit a couple balls with my gamer until I flushed a high little draw. Then i hit a couple of draws with the Sub Zero and a couple of fades, then went to check them. Our course is completely saturated so no roll whatsoever...they all plugged. I was very pleased to see that the two fades I hit with the Sub Zero were about 5 yards further than my gamer high draw. I stepped off the two draws I hit with the Sub Zero and the were 13 & 15 yards past my gamer. My gamer wasn't completely optimized but the immediate results were hard to ignore.

 

Needless to say I was very pleased and decided to order one. I'm going to experiment a little because even though the Rogue Max 75-X beat my gamer, I don't generally like heavier shafts and my launch and spin were both a little low with that shaft so I ordered my Sub Zero with a Graphite Design Tour AD TP-6X, tipped 1/2" to hopefully gain a couple degrees of launch. If it doesn't work as predicted, at least I know a workable combo. Thanks for reading.

 

Great write up, thanks.

 

I had a reply from Callaways' own Performance Centre in the UK re LH Fitting heads. They have the LH 9* Standard Epic, and 9* Epic SZ, but no LH 10.5* Standard Epic and no Epic Fairways of either type at all in LH. They have the full compliment of RH gear to Fit from. They also told me that they do not have a delivery date for the LH heads to their Callaway Fitting studio. All of which means that I have had to cancel my Fitting appointment, due to me not being able to get any guarantee of when the heads will arrive. Pretty poor really, as I hoped that this LH delayed issue had been confined to the annals of FT3 history. Hopefully it will be rectified sooner rather than later.

 

Fortunately, it is too earlr in the season to make any rash decisions anyway, I have time on my hands, and if I find something else that works well for me in the meantime, then I'll go ahead and buy without waiting for the LH Epic head situation to improve over here. So whilst, from a personal perspective, it doesn't make that much difference to me, I do wish Callaway would improve this situation going forward, so that everyone gets the same chance.

[TheMoneyShot]

Is Phil playing the Epic or Epic SZ? Didn't see any of the live coverage, only a few pics on the internet, none of which were clear.

 

Phil is playing the regular version Epic in the driver and the Epic SZ in his 3 wood.

[wonderbread24]

not a fan of the aero stuff on the crown, but the green isn't distracting.

Coming from a G30 with Turbulators, the Speed Steps don't bother me at all. And at address, I don't notice the green accents. I do wish they would have left the Chevron alignment aid off, that is my only aesthetic complaint.

 

i'm not a fan of the turbulators either.

 

but i'm a guy that takes all the DG labels off his iron shafts and puts the logo down on my tour velvets because i like clean and simple.

 

I'm from great bend and would love to play the dunes again, been about 10 years since I've played that great track!!! Wish I knew someone that could get me on :)

[hurricanes7]

I went to my local Golf Town after work today and came across a lefty Epic SZ to hit. I absolutely hate hitting in simulators as the numbers always show worse then the real results on the course. I find that my ball flight is over-exaggerated on the screen (more slice and less cut) and go much shorter than I hit in real life). But whatever, wanted to try this bad boy out. I have not played a round of golf since early September so my swing was not up to par. I was also in winter boots and work clothes so not ideal but whatever. They also didn't have any X-flex shafts so I was forced to hit a stiff Rogue. So, right away I knew the numbers would be skewed and I shouldn't take much out of this session.

 

I have always hit a fade for my entire golf life so I have been on the hunt for a driver that I can tinker with and make draw bias to straighten it out a bit more. Last year I found the 816 DBD and placed the core in the heel position and instantly, this thing was money..straightened out my ball flight and hitting them long and straight.

 

So today, I hit about 20 balls in the sim with the Epic SZ and noticed that I couldn't get the ball as airborne as usual. I usually swing around 108mph but saw that I was down to 101mph today (which makes perfect sense considering). I also noticed my ball was showing it's old fade once again, some more than just a fade. In terms of feel, I thought it felt harder off the face in comparison to my 816 DBD. In terms of looks, I thought it was very sharp. I liked it more in person than I did when seeing pictures. I switched the adaptor to +1 and D to try to counteract the slice/fade and it helped a bit but I just couldn't get along with it. For months I thought if anything was going to knock my beloved 816 DBD it would be the Epic or Epic SZ. I don't think the SZ is the right club for me because it does not allow for weight to be moved to counter the fade bias in the club. If you fight a slice/fade the normal Epic may be a better option due to the sliding weight. The store didn't have the Epic so I couldn't test it today but I think I may have better results with that. Either way, I will test both clubs out again with the proper shaft, proper clothes and hopefully outdoors. Did I mention I absolutely hate hitting in sims!

 

Me too. Too dark, the tee is never the right height, and lack of target depth makes it hard for me to visualize my aiming point. I usually just end up swinging as hard as I can, which is not what I do on the course.

 

I think I have a completely different swing in the sim...a terrible one! Like I haven't played golf for the past 20 years

 

i hate the sim, i feel like im awful indoors. totally different being outside