Callaway epic flash? is this legit? (New Pics added Pg 1)

chris975d · January 4, 2019

Most embarrassing "release video" ever. Where did they find the misplaced presenters? The guy in grey shirt is just the wrong person at the wrong place. When Michelle Wie enters to talk about "Stroke Lab" putters he goes "everybody gets to hug Michelle" and "when I talk to you Michelle I feel like I need to stand on a box" What a dork!

I need to have a pillow in front of me to hide my face from time to time, but I gave it 15mins and they still haven't started talk about irons or drivers yet.

Edit: Harry Arnett - Callaway Marketing guy is apparently the guy (that continues to embarrass himself).

Edit 2: Anyone notices how much harder Aaron did the second swing?

I did instantly notice how much harder Aaron swung on the 2nd swing with the Flash.

summerof · January 4, 2019

Per the golfbox review:

Flash - clubhead 120mph = 175mph ball

M6 - clubhead 124mph = 175mph ball

M5 - clubhead 124mph = 176mph ball

jbsg02 · January 4, 2019

Rick Shiels is only seeing about a 1mph gain over the Rogue, not the 4-5 that has been hyped up

Cottonseed. · January 4, 2019

I am not here to take away from the Flash..the SZ is a distance beast.

and i very well may wait a year and buy it for $250 off eBay....

BUT...i'll just point this out:

Per Rick Shiels:

G400 LST: 161.2 ball speed / 11.2 Launch angle / 305 total yards

Flash SZ: 161.5 ball speed / 14.8 launch angle / 316 total yards

with the same ball speed, could you chalk up the extra distance to launch angle?

an interesting note...the regular Flash is longer and probably more forgiving (higher spin) than the LST.

DatSliceDoe · January 4, 2019

Seems the price hike year over year is getting worse every time. I'll never understand it.

chris975d · January 4, 2019

I am not here to take away from the Flash..the SZ is a distance beast.
and i very well may wait a year and buy it for $250 off eBay....

BUT...i'll just point this out:

Per Rick Shiels:
G400 LST: 161.2 ball speed / 11.2 Launch angle / 305 total yards

Flash SZ: 161.5 ball speed / 14.8 launch angle / 316 total yards

with the same ball speed, could you chalk up the extra distance to launch angle?

an interesting note...the regular Flash is longer and probably more forgiving (higher spin) than the LST.

Can you really compare club tests that weren't performed on the same day/back to back though? Swings/swingspeeds can change from day to day, or even months apart.

radiman · January 4, 2019

Per the golfbox review:
Flash - clubhead 120mph = 175mph ball
M6 - clubhead 124mph = 175mph ball
M5 - clubhead 124mph = 176mph ball

You really cannot rely on the numbers he gets. He is using an AnoutGolf simulator which uses cameras mounted above the player to get it's numbers. We have a few of them in town here. It is not reliable when it comes to spin or swing speed. No reason to doubt the ball speed numbers. But in no way should it be used to calculate smash factor as the swing speed readings always seem off.

bogeypro · January 4, 2019

I am not here to take away from the Flash..the SZ is a distance beast.
and i very well may wait a year and buy it for $250 off eBay....

BUT...i'll just point this out:

Per Rick Shiels:
G400 LST: 161.2 ball speed / 11.2 Launch angle / 305 total yards

Flash SZ: 161.5 ball speed / 14.8 launch angle / 316 total yards

with the same ball speed, could you chalk up the extra distance to launch angle?

an interesting note...the regular Flash is longer and probably more forgiving (higher spin) than the LST.

Can you really compare club tests that weren't performed on the same day/back to back though? Swings/swingspeeds can change from day to day, or even months apart.

Yes you can! He’s using ball speed.... who cares what day it’s on?!

Warrick · January 4, 2019

so it appears higher launch, less spin, tiny bit of extra ball speed. He did hit farther.

chris975d · January 4, 2019

I am not here to take away from the Flash..the SZ is a distance beast.
and i very well may wait a year and buy it for $250 off eBay....

BUT...i'll just point this out:

Per Rick Shiels:
G400 LST: 161.2 ball speed / 11.2 Launch angle / 305 total yards

Flash SZ: 161.5 ball speed / 14.8 launch angle / 316 total yards

with the same ball speed, could you chalk up the extra distance to launch angle?

an interesting note...the regular Flash is longer and probably more forgiving (higher spin) than the LST.

Can you really compare club tests that weren't performed on the same day/back to back though? Swings/swingspeeds can change from day to day, or even months apart.

Yes you can! He's using ball speed.... who cares what day it's on?!

Fair enough. I glanced at it and didn't notice it was ballspeed and not clubhead speed.

Cottonseed. · January 4, 2019

I am not here to take away from the Flash..the SZ is a distance beast.
and i very well may wait a year and buy it for $250 off eBay....

BUT...i'll just point this out:

Per Rick Shiels:
G400 LST: 161.2 ball speed / 11.2 Launch angle / 305 total yards

Flash SZ: 161.5 ball speed / 14.8 launch angle / 316 total yards

with the same ball speed, could you chalk up the extra distance to launch angle?

an interesting note...the regular Flash is longer and probably more forgiving (higher spin) than the LST.

Can you really compare club tests that weren't performed on the same day/back to back though? Swings/swingspeeds can change from day to day, or even months apart.

Yes you can! He's using ball speed.... who cares what day it's on?!

Fair enough. I glanced at it and didn't notice it was ballspeed and not clubhead speed.

G400 LST: 111.8 club head speed

Flash SZ: 112.0 club head speed

essentially the same.

It seems that the latest M models and this Flash are really relying on launch angle to get distance.

I'm no club fitter so I cant discern how that is good or bad.

300_Straight · January 4, 2019

Per the golfbox review:
Flash - clubhead 120mph = 175mph ball
M6 - clubhead 124mph = 175mph ball
M5 - clubhead 124mph = 176mph ball

You really cannot rely on the numbers he gets. He is using an AnoutGolf simulator which uses cameras mounted above the player to get it's numbers. We have a few of them in town here. It is not reliable when it comes to spin or swing speed. No reason to doubt the ball speed numbers. But in no way should it be used to calculate smash factor as the swing speed readings always seem off.

I have them in the PGA SS by me and I can verify the swing speed is off significantly (8-9% I estimate). I don't know how it differs unit to unit, but I had a few readings of 130mph with 178 ball speed. I then saw Alex get 180mph on 123 swing speed and immediately started crying. Either I can get much more ball speed or my efficiency isn't as great as I thought.

With that said, all these new drivers are really making me want to hit them!

Golfingfanatic · January 4, 2019

I am not here to take away from the Flash..the SZ is a distance beast.
and i very well may wait a year and buy it for $250 off eBay....

BUT...i'll just point this out:

Per Rick Shiels:
G400 LST: 161.2 ball speed / 11.2 Launch angle / 305 total yards

Flash SZ: 161.5 ball speed / 14.8 launch angle / 316 total yards

with the same ball speed, could you chalk up the extra distance to launch angle?

an interesting note...the regular Flash is longer and probably more forgiving (higher spin) than the LST.

Can you really compare club tests that weren't performed on the same day/back to back though? Swings/swingspeeds can change from day to day, or even months apart.

Yes you can! He's using ball speed.... who cares what day it's on?!

Temperature has an effect on ball speed.

GolfChannel · January 4, 2019

So, Sheils loves the performance, but not a fan of the cosmetics (we know that’s been beaten to death for over a month) and the sound.

Curious to try it, sound has never been off putting to me, but it has enhanced my enjoyment of a driver (carbon thud of FT series or Ti face on old TM R7 fairway woods).

Lemonde · January 4, 2019

I am not here to take away from the Flash..the SZ is a distance beast.
and i very well may wait a year and buy it for $250 off eBay....

BUT...i'll just point this out:

Per Rick Shiels:
G400 LST: 161.2 ball speed / 11.2 Launch angle / 305 total yards

Flash SZ: 161.5 ball speed / 14.8 launch angle / 316 total yards

with the same ball speed, could you chalk up the extra distance to launch angle?

an interesting note...the regular Flash is longer and probably more forgiving (higher spin) than the LST.

Can you really compare club tests that weren't performed on the same day/back to back though? Swings/swingspeeds can change from day to day, or even months apart.

Yes you can! He's using ball speed.... who cares what day it's on?!
Temperature has an effect on ball speed.

Interesting that he went totally negative on aesthetics and sound and didn’t say if he would put it in the bag. Kind of a bad ending.

Lemonde · January 4, 2019

I did notice that he used the stock smoke 6.5. Did he do the same with the m5 and m6 reviews as the smoke is also offered as stock?

Cottonseed. · January 4, 2019

I think most of us care too much about sound and looks.

From the top it looks badass. And more than likely they will offer color options.

Stuff some cotton balls up in the weight cavity to deaden it out some.

Temperature certainly has an effect on ball speed but he's hitting these all indoors at a likely controlled temp.

chris975d · January 4, 2019

I am not here to take away from the Flash..the SZ is a distance beast.
and i very well may wait a year and buy it for $250 off eBay....

BUT...i'll just point this out:

Per Rick Shiels:
G400 LST: 161.2 ball speed / 11.2 Launch angle / 305 total yards

Flash SZ: 161.5 ball speed / 14.8 launch angle / 316 total yards

with the same ball speed, could you chalk up the extra distance to launch angle?

an interesting note...the regular Flash is longer and probably more forgiving (higher spin) than the LST.

Can you really compare club tests that weren't performed on the same day/back to back though? Swings/swingspeeds can change from day to day, or even months apart.

Yes you can! He's using ball speed.... who cares what day it's on?!
Temperature has an effect on ball speed.

Interesting that he went totally negative on aesthetics and sound and didn’t say if he would put it in the bag. Kind of a bad ending.

I'm beating a dead horse with as much as I've said it, but it IS extremely loud and tinny sounding in person. It is definitely something that will have to be experienced in person to know if you like it or not. In my experience of putting it in the hands of a handful of people on course, I found 1 person who liked the sound. Usually the better the golfer, the less they liked the sound.

rich_s2 · January 4, 2019

I am a bit of a sound expert for my job. After Ricks video, I took a sampling of the hit and started to slow it down. It resonates at 140Hz. I slowly kept dropping the Hz until I started to hear something recognizable. All I could make out at 40.6Hz was"...taylormade sucks...". That AI is impressive. Kudo's to Callaway.

Clarinetmonster2 · January 4, 2019

Per the golfbox review:
Flash - clubhead 120mph = 175mph ball
M6 - clubhead 124mph = 175mph ball
M5 - clubhead 124mph = 176mph ball

You really cannot rely on the numbers he gets. He is using an AnoutGolf simulator which uses cameras mounted above the player to get it's numbers. We have a few of them in town here. It is not reliable when it comes to spin or swing speed. No reason to doubt the ball speed numbers. But in no way should it be used to calculate smash factor as the swing speed readings always seem off.
I have them in the PGA SS by me and I can verify the swing speed is off significantly (8-9% I estimate). I don't know how it differs unit to unit, but I had a few readings of 130mph with 178 ball speed. I then saw Alex get 180mph on 123 swing speed and immediately started crying. Either I can get much more ball speed or my efficiency isn't as great as I thought.

With that said, all these new drivers are really making me want to hit them!

Ok let me get this straight, you swing the club at 130mph and you're a 9.5 hdcp...something seems amiss

As a side note, I'm glad to see the ball speed #'s are identical to my current (new) driver the G400 LST since my swing speed is about the same as Rick's. I would only attribute the extra yards to the higher launch angle. Now I can sleep easy and keep my beloved driver at least through the season.

lspky_muskie · January 4, 2019

Seems like this aimed at the better player and the Rogue is for the masses. Doesn’t seem like a home run, but I will withhold final judgement until Demo Day.

bladehunter · January 4, 2019

Rick Shiels is only seeing about a 1mph gain over the Rogue, not the 4-5 that has been hyped up

That’s still 1.5 mph more gain than he saw with Taylormade

bladehunter · January 4, 2019

Per the golfbox review:
Flash - clubhead 120mph = 175mph ball
M6 - clubhead 124mph = 175mph ball
M5 - clubhead 124mph = 176mph ball

You really cannot rely on the numbers he gets. He is using an AnoutGolf simulator which uses cameras mounted above the player to get it's numbers. We have a few of them in town here. It is not reliable when it comes to spin or swing speed. No reason to doubt the ball speed numbers. But in no way should it be used to calculate smash factor as the swing speed readings always seem off.
I have them in the PGA SS by me and I can verify the swing speed is off significantly (8-9% I estimate). I don't know how it differs unit to unit, but I had a few readings of 130mph with 178 ball speed. I then saw Alex get 180mph on 123 swing speed and immediately started crying. Either I can get much more ball speed or my efficiency isn't as great as I thought.

With that said, all these new drivers are really making me want to hit them!

Ok let me get this straight, you swing the club at 130mph and you're a 9.5 hdcp...something seems amiss

As a side note, I'm glad to see the ball speed #'s are identical to my current (new) driver the G400 LST since my swing speed is about the same as Rick's. I would only attribute the extra yards to the higher launch angle. Now I can sleep easy and keep my beloved driver at least through the season.

Entirely possible. I’ve seen 124 several times myself and never broke into plus territory. I’m certain I swung 125 plus the first year I played as I swung completely off the ground and hit it a mile when I connected.

Big guy -swing hard -doesn’t equal automatic pro.

3_Jack_Par · January 4, 2019

Pre-order date is 1/11, it appears.

radiman · January 4, 2019

Per the golfbox review:
Flash - clubhead 120mph = 175mph ball
M6 - clubhead 124mph = 175mph ball
M5 - clubhead 124mph = 176mph ball

You really cannot rely on the numbers he gets. He is using an AnoutGolf simulator which uses cameras mounted above the player to get it's numbers. We have a few of them in town here. It is not reliable when it comes to spin or swing speed. No reason to doubt the ball speed numbers. But in no way should it be used to calculate smash factor as the swing speed readings always seem off.
I have them in the PGA SS by me and I can verify the swing speed is off significantly (8-9% I estimate). I don't know how it differs unit to unit, but I had a few readings of 130mph with 178 ball speed. I then saw Alex get 180mph on 123 swing speed and immediately started crying. Either I can get much more ball speed or my efficiency isn't as great as I thought.

With that said, all these new drivers are really making me want to hit them!

Ok let me get this straight, you swing the club at 130mph and you're a 9.5 hdcp...something seems amiss

As a side note, I'm glad to see the ball speed #'s are identical to my current (new) driver the G400 LST since my swing speed is about the same as Rick's. I would only attribute the extra yards to the higher launch angle. Now I can sleep easy and keep my beloved driver at least through the season.

In no way is swing speed a defining factor in someone's handicap. It can certainly help to hit the ball a long ways, but it isn't everything. I have had my clock cleaned by guys who I can outdrive by 20-30 yards. If someone were to swing 130mph doesn't mean their swing is on a great path. Plus, when you are that fast, a small miss for a short knocker can be huge for someone at that speed.

300_Straight · January 4, 2019

Per the golfbox review:
Flash - clubhead 120mph = 175mph ball
M6 - clubhead 124mph = 175mph ball
M5 - clubhead 124mph = 176mph ball

You really cannot rely on the numbers he gets. He is using an AnoutGolf simulator which uses cameras mounted above the player to get it's numbers. We have a few of them in town here. It is not reliable when it comes to spin or swing speed. No reason to doubt the ball speed numbers. But in no way should it be used to calculate smash factor as the swing speed readings always seem off.
I have them in the PGA SS by me and I can verify the swing speed is off significantly (8-9% I estimate). I don't know how it differs unit to unit, but I had a few readings of 130mph with 178 ball speed. I then saw Alex get 180mph on 123 swing speed and immediately started crying. Either I can get much more ball speed or my efficiency isn't as great as I thought.

With that said, all these new drivers are really making me want to hit them!

Ok let me get this straight, you swing the club at 130mph and you're a 9.5 hdcp...something seems amiss

As a side note, I'm glad to see the ball speed #'s are identical to my current (new) driver the G400 LST since my swing speed is about the same as Rick's. I would only attribute the extra yards to the higher launch angle. Now I can sleep easy and keep my beloved driver at least through the season.

I don't have an actual Handicap, that's just an estimate based on GameGolf.

Like I said, the 130mph number is inflated. I swing ~120 at best, given the 178 ball speed is my highest ever. What can I say, my short game s*cks lol.

I'm interested to see a head-to-head M5/6 vs. Epic Flash. If I was reviewing them, I'd have hit them vs. every other Driver since 2005 already.

kclayton16 · January 4, 2019

Most embarrassing "release video" ever. Where did they find the misplaced presenters? The guy in grey shirt is just the wrong person at the wrong place. When Michelle Wie enters to talk about "Stroke Lab" putters he goes "everybody gets to hug Michelle" and "when I talk to you Michelle I feel like I need to stand on a box" What a dork!

I need to have a pillow in front of me to hide my face from time to time, but I gave it 15mins and they still haven't started talk about irons or drivers yet.

Edit: Harry Arnett - Callaway Marketing guy is apparently the guy (that continues to embarrass himself).

Edit 2: Anyone notices how much harder Aaron did the second swing? ��

I did instantly notice how much harder Aaron swung on the 2nd swing with the Flash.

Also, he said gamer was standard Rogue and if you watch closely looks like 2nd swing with Epic Flash was SZ model. Not apples to apples and per Rick Shiels video, ball speed w/ SZ was slightly higher than std Epic Flash version

Not saying new woods are not legit, just expected to see like for like

AThompson_3 · January 4, 2019

I've had the Epic Flash in my bag, along with the fairway woods and been playing them since December 5th. They are for real!

Unless Phil stands for Phil Mickelson I call BS.

radiman · January 4, 2019

So, does anyone have any experience with the Tensei Blue AV? Or the Smoke for that matter?

Lemonde · January 4, 2019

Per the golfbox review:
Flash - clubhead 120mph = 175mph ball
M6 - clubhead 124mph = 175mph ball
M5 - clubhead 124mph = 176mph ball

You really cannot rely on the numbers he gets. He is using an AnoutGolf simulator which uses cameras mounted above the player to get it's numbers. We have a few of them in town here. It is not reliable when it comes to spin or swing speed. No reason to doubt the ball speed numbers. But in no way should it be used to calculate smash factor as the swing speed readings always seem off.
I have them in the PGA SS by me and I can verify the swing speed is off significantly (8-9% I estimate). I don't know how it differs unit to unit, but I had a few readings of 130mph with 178 ball speed. I then saw Alex get 180mph on 123 swing speed and immediately started crying. Either I can get much more ball speed or my efficiency isn't as great as I thought.

With that said, all these new drivers are really making me want to hit them!

Ok let me get this straight, you swing the club at 130mph and you're a 9.5 hdcp...something seems amiss

As a side note, I'm glad to see the ball speed #'s are identical to my current (new) driver the G400 LST since my swing speed is about the same as Rick's. I would only attribute the extra yards to the higher launch angle. Now I can sleep easy and keep my beloved driver at least through the season.
Entirely possible. I’ve seen 124 several times myself and never broke into plus territory. I’m certain I swung 125 plus the first year I played as I swung completely off the ground and hit it a mile when I connected.

Big guy -swing hard -doesn’t equal automatic pro.

I 100% agree. I hit a pw 150 if not more. I’m not as efficient with the driver. I can easily take a birdie from 150 in or a double. If you fly the green with your 150 wedge and whiff a chip = double. I have taken triples from being near a green in two. And I have eagled from 275 yards out. Length is a blessing and a curse. No one can hit it three fairways over like I can. Lol!