2021 Callaway Epic Speed, Epic Max, Epic LS drivers (in-hand photos)

[haughdaddy35]

1 hour ago, jon12 said:

I heard the same, from what I was told it was to be uniform to how others were measuring.

This is correct. The lengths are the same, we just measure them differently than we used to.

[Yanger]

On 2/13/2021 at 4:50 PM, SwooshLT said:

 

 

@Yanger anymore input with beastly LS?

Really enjoying the MAX LS....even more so since I matched it up with an Graphite Design AD HD shaft.

 

The GD AD/HD (HD-4 Stiff) just feels so good to hit and matches up well for me.  

[Warrick]

Speed just arrived, great looking head for 460, does not look as compact as my 2016 GBB head, but one of the better I have seen, not intimidating at all.

 

I am excited to hit this Saturday, put a 12g in the rear, feels good.

[fishn]

Does anyone know if you can order the LS with a 17 gram movable weight like the max instead of the 13? I have read some about the fade bias and don’t need that but think the heavier weight might just make the LS a little better for me

[Warrick]

Heads do seem light.

 

 

[welch11]

I like how they kept the moveable weight for the max and max ls, it reminds me of the GBB Epic. 

[third-times-a-charm]

22 minutes ago, fishn said:

Does anyone know if you can order the LS with a 17 gram movable weight like the max instead of the 13? I have read some about the fade bias and don’t need that but think the heavier weight might just make the LS a little better for me

 

I ordered my club from Callaway -3/4" purposely so they could swingweight it with a heavier weight - hopefully the 17g vs the 12g. I normally play around 44.75-45" so that weight should work.

 

When I spoke with the CS rep he did admit they will re-swingweight the club to stock if you do order a custom shaft length. I'm not sure if theyll go over-weight, though.

[noodle3872]

Did my testing Speed VS LS. Speed 9° was the clear winner. As I was heading out, I noticed the club had a 9° Speed in the shop so I helped them re-home it! Giving me $100 off and a box of Chrome Soft X didn’t hurt! I took the club right back to the academy put my Tensei Pro White 50S on it in -1/N setting, put a 14G back weight in it (202G head weight) and went about making magic happen! 

CHS: 101 mph
BS: 143.8 mph

LA: 15.4°

Spin: 2083 rpm

Carry: 249.1 yards

 

LS took itself out of the running. Just not enough spin. But with these numbers why do I care! Picked up 7 yards carry over my Mavrik 9° at identical head weight and shaft setting. 

[fishn]

2 hours ago, third-times-a-charm said:

 

I ordered my club from Callaway -3/4" purposely so they could swingweight it with a heavier weight - hopefully the 17g vs the 12g. I normally play around 44.75-45" so that weight should work.

 

When I spoke with the CS rep he did admit they will re-swingweight the club to stock if you do order a custom shaft length. I'm not sure if theyll go over-weight, though.

Thanks I was actually wondering about the sliding weight but I worded it wrong. I am thinking about going 3/4” short too, I thought about specifying a D3 but don’t really know where I should be on that. If they adjust the swing weight I wonder what standard is. I thought I saw D2-D4 but don’t know how they determine what gets what. Hope you like your new club!

[third-times-a-charm]

27 minutes ago, fishn said:

Thanks I was actually wondering about the sliding weight but I worded it wrong. I am thinking about going 3/4” short too, I thought about specifying a D3 but don’t really know where I should be on that. If they adjust the swing weight I wonder what standard is. I thought I saw D2-D4 but don’t know how they determine what gets what. Hope you like your new club!

I believe it’s D3 for stiff and xstiff shafts and mine is specified as D3 on my order details

[BC33]

4 hours ago, noodle3872 said:

 

Did my testing Speed VS LS. Speed 9° was the clear winner. As I was heading out, I noticed the club had a 9° Speed in the shop so I helped them re-home it! Giving me $100 off and a box of Chrome Soft X didn’t hurt! I took the club right back to the academy put my Tensei Pro White 50S on it in -1/N setting, put a 14G back weight in it (202G head weight) and went about making magic happen! 

CHS: 101 mph
BS: 143.8 mph

LA: 15.4°

Spin: 2083 rpm

Carry: 249.1 yards

 

LS took itself out of the running. Just not enough spin. But with these numbers why do I care! Picked up 7 yards carry over my Mavrik 9° at identical head weight and shaft setting. 

The ball speed seems low for your club head speed.  Was your smash factor lower?  Not being a smart a** but does the higher MOI of the Max or Max LS help raise smash factor?  I’m about the same swing speed as you but it seems my ball speed is consistently above 152 and if I really go after one, swing speed may be 108 and ball speed gets to 160-162.  Is your 142 ball speed affected by a higher launch angle?  My launch is generally 11 or 12 degrees.

 

I’m going Friday to hit all three models and I’m going in with an open mind but I’m thinking the Max LS is probably going to be closest to my Mavrik TD.  If I don’t get substantially better numbers, I might just get a 3 or 4 wood.

 

And again, I’m not trying to be funny or confrontational , I’m just trying to understand because maybe what I thought I understood about launch, ball speed and smash factor isn’t correct.

[noodle3872]

2 hours ago, BC33 said:

The ball speed seems low for your club head speed.  Was your smash factor lower?  Not being a smart a** but does the higher MOI of the Max or Max LS help raise smash factor?  I’m about the same swing speed as you but it seems my ball speed is consistently above 152 and if I really go after one, swing speed may be 108 and ball speed gets to 160-162.  Is your 142 ball speed affected by a higher launch angle?  My launch is generally 11 or 12 degrees.

 

I’m going Friday to hit all three models and I’m going in with an open mind but I’m thinking the Max LS is probably going to be closest to my Mavrik TD.  If I don’t get substantially better numbers, I might just get a 3 or 4 wood.

 

And again, I’m not trying to be funny or confrontational , I’m just trying to understand because maybe what I thought I understood about launch, ball speed and smash factor isn’t correct.

Valid questions; my +5° AOA means the odd low strike which beats down my smash factor and a less than optimal launch angle leading to a higher than necessary peak height. My smash was low because I don’t delete shots and believe me, there were a few dogs in the data. The LS had a higher smash factor but spin was dangerously low and any curve to the ball flight was exaggerated. 

[Warrick]

19 hours ago, noodle3872 said:

 

Did my testing Speed VS LS. Speed 9° was the clear winner. As I was heading out, I noticed the club had a 9° Speed in the shop so I helped them re-home it! Giving me $100 off and a box of Chrome Soft X didn’t hurt! I took the club right back to the academy put my Tensei Pro White 50S on it in -1/N setting, put a 14G back weight in it (202G head weight) and went about making magic happen! 

CHS: 101 mph
BS: 143.8 mph

LA: 15.4°

Spin: 2083 rpm

Carry: 249.1 yards

 

LS took itself out of the running. Just not enough spin. But with these numbers why do I care! Picked up 7 yards carry over my Mavrik 9° at identical head weight and shaft setting. 

What length are you playing?

[juggernaut0629]

Hit the Max with smoke im60 stiff & it was right on par with the Sim2 with Kuro Kage stiff 60. Also hit the Max LS with MMT60 & I could not hit that set up for the life of me. Switched to the Max LS with 70g X and it was carrying further than all the other drivers 10yrds. I also hit  G425 with 60g Alta stiff. It was right there with everything else. The Ping felt best followed by Sim2. Max LS was longest. And all 3 clubs are just beautiful. Max LS behind the ball is just gorgeous. I don't know how anybody could choose.

[kuuuuch]

After a full bag fitting at Callaway HQ, I placed my orders yesterday. Like many have said, I’d be happy either in a Max or Max LS. Ended up going Max as it was effortless hitting it straight (set to a fade position, my miss is left). Hoping that and the new Mitsubishi MMT shaft helps find some consistency and fairways. 
 

The Max 3W was a different story - couldn’t stop it from going left. The Speed 3W was a great fit with the MMT - that shaft felt great and was consistently straight with optimal numbers. Ordered one in an Apex Pro 2H as well. Really excited for these bad boys to arrive. 

[Brooks_Cupcake]

Happy news for everyone. Impromptu conference call for new product launches on Mar 2nd, but no details were given on what new products.

also hearing that only 600 heads are available for the TD line they’re releasing and that’s it.

[jeffrey r]

1 hour ago, kuuuuch said:

After a full bag fitting at Callaway HQ, I placed my orders yesterday. Like many have said, I’d be happy either in a Max or Max LS. Ended up going Max as it was effortless hitting it straight (set to a fade position, my miss is left). Hoping that and the new Mitsubishi MMT shaft helps find some consistency and fairways. 
 

The Max 3W was a different story - couldn’t stop it from going left. The Speed 3W was a great fit with the MMT - that shaft felt great and was consistently straight with optimal numbers. Ordered one in an Apex Pro 2H as well. Really excited for these bad boys to arrive. 

 

That's great.  Max and Max LS are both so nice.  If I may ask, what is your driver SS, and which MMT shaft and flex did you go with?

[mtp]

Surprised this showed up for me today. Unfortunately, I live in the frozen tundra of Rochester, NY so it won’t see the course any time soon. I’m interested to see how it compares on course to the Sim Max I played last year. Inside, I really liked this combo. 

[kuuuuch]

19 minutes ago, jeffrey r said:

 

That's great.  Max and Max LS are both so nice.  If I may ask, what is your driver SS, and which MMT shaft and flex did you go with?

SS is about 110mph, slow takeaway (think Sungjae Im or Hideki, just a lot less pretty). I went X and tipped it .5” (miss is left) as I play shorter than standard length and add weight to the club head to D5-D6 which loosens the shaft a little bit. 

Shafts I’ve used and liked the last few years include Aldila Rogue I/O, Aldila Silver, and Ventus Black. Can pop one of those in and get it to swingweight if MMT experiment doesn’t turn out. 

[jeffrey r]

15 minutes ago, kuuuuch said:

SS is about 110mph, slow takeaway (think Sungjae Im or Hideki, just a lot less pretty). I went X and tipped it .5” (miss is left) as I play shorter than standard length and add weight to the club head to D5-D6 which loosens the shaft a little bit. 

Shafts I’ve used and liked the last few years include Aldila Rogue I/O, Aldila Silver, and Ventus Black. Can pop one of those in and get it to swingweight if MMT experiment doesn’t turn out. 

 

Thanks.  I am low 90s SS, and actually demo'd the MMT 60 X because they couldn't find the stiff at the store.  It wasn't quite in my wheelhouse, but I could still hit it.  I am a tweener between R and S flexes, but I went with the MMT 60 stiff in my Max LS order (along with the Smoke IM 60 stiff in my Max order).  I am having second thoughts about maybe switching to R flex in each, but it is what it is.  It's hard for me to really tell during indoor demos, and I never really know what shaft works until I get out on the course.   Like you, I have plenty of other good Callaway tipped shafts around ready to go if called upon.

[third-times-a-charm]

I’ve been reading that the Max LS is basically the TD from other years. Pretty neat of Callaway to release a retail club head like that finally.

[tigercolt77]

Is anyone selling the sliding weights for the new drivers?

[Warrick]

18 minutes ago, tigercolt77 said:

Is anyone selling the sliding weights for the new drivers?

Billy Bob’s is usually pretty quick on it, nothing yet. They have G425, so probably not far behind.  They did sell the slider weights from the Epic Flash 

Edited February 19, 2021 by Warrick

[noodle3872]

9 hours ago, Warrick said:

What length are you playing?

44.75” 

[mtex22]

I spent a ton of time today with different combos is the speed and Max LS and eventually went Max LS with IM 10. They were really close and I could have gone with either head but I did like the shape of the LS and overall extra forgiveness the LS provides. Also picked up the 4 wood!! Can't wait to test this weekend.

 

 

[NoCalHack]

I’m a callaway retail mavrik user who hasn’t tried these yet. Not hating on these all. 

 

But I think Callaway is being really stupid with this triple diamond nonsense. So most tour players seem to be using the triple diamond heads. They should just release those versions from the beginning. It’s one thing if they require 120mph club head speeds to hit. But it’s head scratching that the Mavrik triple diamond was actually arguably easier to hit than the standard subzero because it spun more. It turns out that tour players want the same thing as the consumer. Distance and forgiveness.  Taylormade sells the same driver that tour players are using. Why can’t callaway?  If the tour guys want more fade bias just open the heads or hot melt it for them. Don’t sell a different driver. 
 

I don’t understand their logic at all. Maybe they think they can milk a few extra dollars off the limited production and maybe they think most people don’t know/care about what a triple diamond is.  But this is short sighted.  Look at the sim2 can epic thread to see the relative level of interest. If you are going to pay tour players to sell drivers, then sell people the driver they are using.
 

Asking  people to pay a couple hundred more for a limited $500 head dumb. Just sell them the head they want and they will sell more of them for $500. 
 

 

Edited February 19, 2021 by NoCalHack

[jerryo]

If you order a Max at say 45 inch playing length, does anyone know how Callaway adds weight to the head ?

[third-times-a-charm]

2 hours ago, jerryo said:

If you order a Max at say 45 inch playing length, does anyone know how Callaway adds weight to the head ?

 

I was told by the CS rep they will bring it back to D3 weight (stock). I ordered mine -3/4 which is 45" (44.75 old method) and he said it would show up D3. D3 is also specified on my order.

[belh22]

anybody with a negative AOA try the max ls?  

[CallawayLefty]

5 hours ago, NoCalHack said:

I’m a callaway retail mavrik user who hasn’t tried these yet. Not hating on these all. 

 

But I think Callaway is being really stupid with this triple diamond nonsense. So most tour players seem to be using the triple diamond heads. They should just release those versions from the beginning. It’s one thing if they require 120mph club head speeds to hit. But it’s head scratching that the Mavrik triple diamond was actually arguably easier to hit than the standard subzero because it spun more. It turns out that tour players want the same thing as the consumer. Distance and forgiveness.  Taylormade sells the same driver that tour players are using. Why can’t callaway?  If the tour guys want more fade bias just open the heads or hot melt it for them. Don’t sell a different driver. 
 

I don’t understand their logic at all. Maybe they think they can milk a few extra dollars off the limited production and maybe they think most people don’t know/care about what a triple diamond is.  But this is short sighted.  Look at the sim2 can epic thread to see the relative level of interest. If you are going to pay tour players to sell drivers, then sell people the driver they are using.
 

Asking  people to pay a couple hundred more for a limited $500 head dumb. Just sell them the head they want and they will sell more of them for $500. 
 

 

 

I am not sure how long you have been at the equipment game, but Callaway's current approach to drivers was basically stolen from Taylormade in the 2007 to 2014 timeline.  I will agree with you that it was stupid then and remains stupid now.  In my opinion, the Triple Diamond is the best driver Callaway makes.  Since I am a lefty, it's almost impossible to get your hands on one, so I'm stuck playing two Triple Diamond Epic Flash heads.  I am just not sure why they wouldn't offer that head at full retail.  They don't even upcharge for it when they do sell it, so it's not like it's a "circle T" type cash grab.  Just makes no sense why they would only release 600 heads of their best driver.  And of course all 600 will be right handed, so I'll be left scouring ebay in 2025 trying to find a leftover that was made for Akshay Bhatia while 3 more driver generations have been released between then and now.  

 

And for heaven's sakes, my screen name is CallawayLefty, so it's not like I'm a hater or anything.