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

[chris975d]

I hit the Epic SZ at Club Champion:

 

1st hit = holy f&%*$ Sh** that thing is loud.

2nd hit = Awwwwwwww!!!!! it is loud as F...

 

I was about to put it away, but then noticed a rattle. The guy didn't screw it on right, so he fixed it. Thank goodness, because I was worried that it was so effing loud that my ear drum was literally hurting (indoors and tight space).

 

3rd hit = still loud as ...

 

Couldn't hit it anymore. Just hurt my ears, and I genuinely felt bad for the fitter to have to listen. The fitter in the bay next to us heard us complaining and he confirmed it was super loud.

 

Not a Callaway hater. I played the Epic SZ for 2 years and it is still my gamer. FWIW, my Epic with GP6-X beat out every club I tried: PXG Gen2 0811X, TS3, F9. Though I think that the F9 could be a contender if I got it tweaked to my liking. Had the highest swing speeds on my Epic SZ vs. other combos. Not sure what it was, but just felt better (probably GP shaft).

 

I'm starting to get the feeling that the "loudness" of these clubs is varying dramatically from model to model, and maybe even from head to head. It's crazy (to me) at how we are getting drastically different descriptions of the sound, from basically loud as h*** (mine, yours, and many others here) to others saying that it's not loud at all.

[stk123]

I hit the Epic SZ at Club Champion:

 

1st hit = holy f&%*$ Sh** that thing is loud.

2nd hit = Awwwwwwww!!!!! it is loud as F...

 

I was about to put it away, but then noticed a rattle. The guy didn't screw it on right, so he fixed it. Thank goodness, because I was worried that it was so effing loud that my ear drum was literally hurting (indoors and tight space).

 

3rd hit = still loud as ...

 

Couldn't hit it anymore. Just hurt my ears, and I genuinely felt bad for the fitter to have to listen. The fitter in the bay next to us heard us complaining and he confirmed it was super loud.

 

Not a Callaway hater. I played the Epic SZ for 2 years and it is still my gamer. FWIW, my Epic with GP6-X beat out every club I tried: PXG Gen2 0811X, TS3, F9. Though I think that the F9 could be a contender if I got it tweaked to my liking. Had the highest swing speeds on my Epic SZ vs. other combos. Not sure what it was, but just felt better (probably GP shaft).

 

I'm starting to get the feeling that the "loudness" of these clubs is varying dramatically from model to model, and maybe even from head to head. It's crazy (to me) at how we are getting drastically different descriptions of the sound, from basically loud as h*** (mine, yours, and many others here) to others saying that it's not loud at all.

 

I don't know if this changes anything, but the heads were freshly shipped and I was the first one to hit the SZ head. I had a similar experience with a TS3 a few months ago. I was first one to take it to the range and it was loud as heck (a ping sound that hurt my ears and caught me by surprise). Hit a range ball. Then on the course, same thing loud and not pleasant. Ask the ranger if it bothered him, and he said "no, it sounds great. But I am old and maybe my hearing isn't as good." When I took it out 2 days later, it sounded way better. I thought that maybe the face needed to "break-in". But people here told me that there is no such thing as a break in period. Probably my ears got used to it.

 

Note: the TS3 sounded okay to me at club champion yesterday. No loud ping sound. The PXG Gen2 X sounded really great. And the F9 sounded OMG good. Very satisfying crispy/solid sound.

 

But the first ball I hit with the Epic Flash SZ literally hurt my right ear. I had to put the club down because of sound. It was the first time this ever happened to me. Couldn't even demo it.

[Warrick]

I have heard much different sounds come from different players. I thought when Xander was hitting his the week he won it sounded fine. I was watching the Singapore Open last night and some guy was hitting it, sounded awful, reminded me of my demo.

 

I will take the head out again on course with my shaft and a TP5x this Spring and see if my thoughts change.

[stk123]

I was hitting Pro V's indoors, and that didn't help. Can't imagine hitting range rocks with that thing. If you stand next to me on the range with that club, I might accidentally trip an fall on your driver and accidentally break it, so you can' swing anymore.

 

One time in my life I had to pick up range balls and move to the other side of the range, because of a driver that was too loud. Think it was one of those square drivers, maybe Nike Sumo Squared.

[Redbird]

Anyone who feels this thing isn't loud needs to schedule an appointment with an audiologist.

[Lemonde]

Boy there’s not a lot of love for the sound.

[UnderPar18]

I’ve seen guys hit it at a golf club and at a golf store and I haven’t heard anyone comment it was too loud. They were excited and concerned about their numbers and if they gained any distance.

 

I’m not saying this driver isn’t louder than Epic and Rogue but the majority of people who Golf won’t be as picky as most of us on this website when it comes to acoustics.

 

I myself will probably have it hot melted and/or try and get a 3 diamond version.

[GOLF4373]

Epic flash was not good for me. I didn’t do any extensive testing other than hitting some shots on Gcquad with less than optimal shafts for me but it was loud and I don’t like the shape of it. Hard to say say much about the performance other than the sub zero was super low spin for me. FWIW the rogue sz was not super low spining for me and I gamed it for about 6 months last year. Probably just had a higher lofted head. And played epic sz for a year before that which was the best head I’d ever hit when it came out.

[buckeyefl]

I have heard much different sounds come from different players. I thought when Xander was hitting his the week he won it sounded fine. I was watching the Singapore Open last night and some guy was hitting it, sounded awful, reminded me of my demo.

 

I will take the head out again on course with my shaft and a TP5x this Spring and see if my thoughts change.

 

It could simply be that the player had the head hot melted for sound.

[buckeyefl]

Boy there’s not a lot of love for the sound.

 

Phil hit a drive the other day and I really disliked the sound.

[ShakeyT]

 

I'm starting to get the feeling that the "loudness" of these clubs is varying dramatically from model to model, and maybe even from head to head. It's crazy (to me) at how we are getting drastically different descriptions of the sound, from basically loud as h*** (mine, yours, and many others here) to others saying that it's not loud at all.

With so many conflicting opinions on sound, I'm beginning to wonder if its a quality control issue.

[PowerCobra98]

Boy there’s not a lot of love for the sound.

 

Phil hit a drive the other day and I really disliked the sound.

 

Unless I'm wrong it looks to me that Phil is still gaming the Rogue. Twice yesterday when I focused on the club I saw the teal coloring and the sole sure looked like the Rogue.

[ShakeyT]

Boy there’s not a lot of love for the sound.

 

Phil hit a drive the other day and I really disliked the sound.

 

Unless I'm wrong it looks to me that Phil is still gaming the Rogue. Twice yesterday when I focused on the club I saw the teal coloring and the sole sure looked like the Rogue.

He's still using the Rogue, but has the Flash cover on it.

[tbone18]

Boy there’s not a lot of love for the sound.

 

Phil hit a drive the other day and I really disliked the sound.

 

Unless I'm wrong it looks to me that Phil is still gaming the Rogue. Twice yesterday when I focused on the club I saw the teal coloring and the sole sure looked like the Rogue.

yes he is still using the Rogue Sub Zero. Most likely he can't get enough weight forward in the New EFSZ.

[buckeyefl]

Boy there’s not a lot of love for the sound.

 

Phil hit a drive the other day and I really disliked the sound.

 

Unless I'm wrong it looks to me that Phil is still gaming the Rogue. Twice yesterday when I focused on the club I saw the teal coloring and the sole sure looked like the Rogue.

He's still using the Rogue, but has the Flash cover on it.

 

Didn't even look that closely. Just noticed the bag and since he usually grabs the latest greatest at the first of the year I just assumed. I see where that got me ;)

[DTown3011]

I have heard much different sounds come from different players. I thought when Xander was hitting his the week he won it sounded fine. I was watching the Singapore Open last night and some guy was hitting it, sounded awful, reminded me of my demo.

 

I will take the head out again on course with my shaft and a TP5x this Spring and see if my thoughts change.

 

Sound is going to vary based on shaft installed and position of both movable and fixed weights.

[chris975d]

I have heard much different sounds come from different players. I thought when Xander was hitting his the week he won it sounded fine. I was watching the Singapore Open last night and some guy was hitting it, sounded awful, reminded me of my demo.

 

I will take the head out again on course with my shaft and a TP5x this Spring and see if my thoughts change.

 

Sound is going to vary based on shaft installed and position of both movable and fixed weights.

 

I have seen this said before, but I have found that neither of those make a bit of difference with my Flash SZ. It sounds the same regardless of shaft or position of the sliding weight. Also had someone ask if heavier weights in the front port made a difference, and they do not (on mine).

[golf9596]

Anyone who feels this thing isn't loud needs to schedule an appointment with an audiologist.

What! What Did you say???

[Lemonde]

Anyone who feels this thing isn't loud needs to schedule an appointment with an audiologist.

What! What Did you say???

 

Lol

[SwingMan]

Boy there’s not a lot of love for the sound.

 

Phil hit a drive the other day and I really disliked the sound.

 

Unless I'm wrong it looks to me that Phil is still gaming the Rogue. Twice yesterday when I focused on the club I saw the teal coloring and the sole sure looked like the Rogue.

He's still using the Rogue, but has the Flash cover on it.

 

Maybe he ought to switch - 43% of fairways on Saturday. BUT

 

First round - 71% and driving distance was 300 yds

Second Round - 57% and 315 yds

Third Round - 42% and 335 yds

 

Anyone see a trend here? The more he bombs it, the worse his accuracy.

 

He needs to stick with accuracy on tight courses; go bombing when he has room.

[GC70]

I’m so disappointed! I wanted the EFS soooo bad. I love the shape and the way it sets up, but it just couldn’t keep up with the F9 or TS3 at all for me.

[Keen]

Hit the Flash SZ today at an indoor store. Swing is so-so at the moment, being middle of winter and just after my second range session. Also hit the M6 and the F9, but shaft selection was non-existent. HZRDS Smoke 6.0 in the Cally, same in the M6, and the helium in the Cobra. Didn't get along with the TM, the Smoke felt way better in the Cally, perhaps due to difference in head weight. Really liked the feel of the F9, but the shaft made comparisons useless.

 

Overall I thought the Flash was great, the sound only bothered me once on a mishit. Loud sure, but performance was pretty damn good on the one good swing I put on it...

 

[3_Jack_Par]

I have heard much different sounds come from different players. I thought when Xander was hitting his the week he won it sounded fine. I was watching the Singapore Open last night and some guy was hitting it, sounded awful, reminded me of my demo.

 

I will take the head out again on course with my shaft and a TP5x this Spring and see if my thoughts change.

 

Sound is going to vary based on shaft installed and position of both movable and fixed weights.

I’m curious, why would the shaft make a difference? It seems like the connection point is the adapter, regardless of what shaft it is. Would the shaft that’s inserted into the adapter really have much of an effect on the sound?

[Lemonde]

I have heard much different sounds come from different players. I thought when Xander was hitting his the week he won it sounded fine. I was watching the Singapore Open last night and some guy was hitting it, sounded awful, reminded me of my demo.

 

I will take the head out again on course with my shaft and a TP5x this Spring and see if my thoughts change.

 

Sound is going to vary based on shaft installed and position of both movable and fixed weights.

I’m curious, why would the shaft make a difference? It seems like the connection point is the adapter, regardless of what shaft it is. Would the shaft that’s inserted into the adapter really have much of an effect on the sound?

 

Agree this is a stretch to think the shaft has anything to do with sound

[Treyball344]

Hit the epic flash next to F9, TS3, 400 max and both the max and the TS3 were louder. Was really surprised by that because I had read this thread....also, TS3 was without question the superior driver out of the group.

[Hookasaurus Rex]

Boy there’s not a lot of love for the sound.

 

Phil hit a drive the other day and I really disliked the sound.

 

Unless I'm wrong it looks to me that Phil is still gaming the Rogue. Twice yesterday when I focused on the club I saw the teal coloring and the sole sure looked like the Rogue.

He's still using the Rogue, but has the Flash cover on it.

 

Even Phil doesn't like the sound... :D

[Hookasaurus Rex]

I hit the Epic SZ at Club Champion:

 

1st hit = holy f&%*$ Sh** that thing is loud.

2nd hit = Awwwwwwww!!!!! it is loud as F...

 

I was about to put it away, but then noticed a rattle. The guy didn't screw it on right, so he fixed it. Thank goodness, because I was worried that it was so effing loud that my ear drum was literally hurting (indoors and tight space).

 

3rd hit = still loud as ...

 

Couldn't hit it anymore. Just hurt my ears, and I genuinely felt bad for the fitter to have to listen. The fitter in the bay next to us heard us complaining and he confirmed it was super loud.

 

Not a Callaway hater. I played the Epic SZ for 2 years and it is still my gamer. FWIW, my Epic with GP6-X beat out every club I tried: PXG Gen2 0811X, TS3, F9. Though I think that the F9 could be a contender if I got it tweaked to my liking. Had the highest swing speeds on my Epic SZ vs. other combos. Not sure what it was, but just felt better (probably GP shaft).

 

I'm starting to get the feeling that the "loudness" of these clubs is varying dramatically from model to model, and maybe even from head to head. It's crazy (to me) at how we are getting drastically different descriptions of the sound, from basically loud as h*** (mine, yours, and many others here) to others saying that it's not loud at all.

 

I'm going to say probably a lot of it comes from what brand predisposition a person has. If you go check out the other callaway centric site and look at the 60+ page thread on the epic flash, most everybody thinks its sounds great or fine, but then most of the guys commenting have all callaway bags. However, it seems like most all of the online reviewers comment negatively on its sound after the first few hits. Obviously, something is there. Whether you overlook the sound because of performance or you're a callaway guy is up to you. Performance wise, the epic flash series looks great. I owned an epic sz that was fantastic and sounded so good. If this series sounded like that, given the reviews I'm seeing, I would definitely take a look. As it stands now, if I were to get serious about a driver this year, the leader in the clubhouse would be the f9. I've yet to hit anything, because I'm trying not to buy a driver this season, but I was in a store watching someone hit a flash and it was loud- reminded me of my G30, which sounded like a steel trash can getting smashed against the ground by an angry black bear.

[Warrick]

I have played Callaway drivers exclusively since the RFE, and almost ordered this blind. I passed on the Rogue due to head shape, so the new EFSZ was going to be a no-brainer for me, then I hit it.....

 

I am 99% sure I will just play my Epic again this season.

[lanejsl]

I'm wondering if if I could benift from a SZ versus a the regular Epic Flash or if I'll even get much in the way of distance gains. I'm currently playing a Rouge standard 10.5 degrees droped down to 9.5 in the neutral setting. I have medium ball height. My club head speed is 78 mph (I'm working on it). Smash factor is 1.48, Launch angle is 15.5 and spin is 2510. Dynamic loft is 17.6 and ball height is 57 feet. Ball curve averages 28.5 feet. My shaft is Accra FX 2.0 140 M2 which is around 49 grams.

Will I notice any improvement with the Flash? Should I not even consider the SZ?

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

[chris975d]

I hit the Epic SZ at Club Champion:

 

1st hit = holy f&%*$ Sh** that thing is loud.

2nd hit = Awwwwwwww!!!!! it is loud as F...

 

I was about to put it away, but then noticed a rattle. The guy didn't screw it on right, so he fixed it. Thank goodness, because I was worried that it was so effing loud that my ear drum was literally hurting (indoors and tight space).

 

3rd hit = still loud as ...

 

Couldn't hit it anymore. Just hurt my ears, and I genuinely felt bad for the fitter to have to listen. The fitter in the bay next to us heard us complaining and he confirmed it was super loud.

 

Not a Callaway hater. I played the Epic SZ for 2 years and it is still my gamer. FWIW, my Epic with GP6-X beat out every club I tried: PXG Gen2 0811X, TS3, F9. Though I think that the F9 could be a contender if I got it tweaked to my liking. Had the highest swing speeds on my Epic SZ vs. other combos. Not sure what it was, but just felt better (probably GP shaft).

 

I'm starting to get the feeling that the "loudness" of these clubs is varying dramatically from model to model, and maybe even from head to head. It's crazy (to me) at how we are getting drastically different descriptions of the sound, from basically loud as h*** (mine, yours, and many others here) to others saying that it's not loud at all.

 

I'm going to say probably a lot of it comes from what brand predisposition a person has. If you go check out the other callaway centric site and look at the 60+ page thread on the epic flash, most everybody thinks its sounds great or fine, but then most of the guys commenting have all callaway bags. However, it seems like most all of the online reviewers comment negatively on its sound after the first few hits. Obviously, something is there. Whether you overlook the sound because of performance or you're a callaway guy is up to you. Performance wise, the epic flash series looks great. I owned an epic sz that was fantastic and sounded so good. If this series sounded like that, given the reviews I'm seeing, I would definitely take a look. As it stands now, if I were to get serious about a driver this year, the leader in the clubhouse would be the f9. I've yet to hit anything, because I'm trying not to buy a driver this season, but I was in a store watching someone hit a flash and it was loud- reminded me of my G30, which sounded like a steel trash can getting smashed against the ground by an angry black bear.

 

With me, I don't think it does have anything to do with brand predisposition. For the past several years I've been a staff player/staff account for Callaway, and played their drivers going back 4 or 5 generations now. And was really looking forward to the Epic Flash when I received it in Novemeber. But the sound and feel from the first ball I hit was so unlike anything I've experienced from Callaway drivers going back to the 815 DBD. And the more I hit it, the more bothersome it got, to the point that I knew I couldn't play it.