Callaway 2 Super Hybrid versus 17* UW?

[RobDMB]

I know both of these have been out sometime but I'm looking for some input regarding adding a Callaway 2 Super Hybrid or Epic Super Hybrid versus the Callaway 17* UW to my bad as a 3 wood replacement. My bag would go from Driver to SH/UW then to a 3 Apex Hybrid. I have never had good success with 3 woods. My intent would be that it be a club I could use off the tee for shorter or tighter holes and as a club that I could use off the deck on Par 5's.  Any opinion between the options would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Rbsiedsc]

2 hours ago, RobDMB said:

I know both of these have been out sometime but I'm looking for some input regarding adding a Callaway 2 Super Hybrid or Epic Super Hybrid versus the Callaway 17* UW to my bad as a 3 wood replacement. My bag would go from Driver to SH/UW then to a 3 Apex Hybrid. I have never had good success with 3 woods. My intent would be that it be a club I could use off the tee for shorter or tighter holes and as a club that I could use off the deck on Par 5's.  Any opinion between the options would be appreciated. Thanks.

I owned both but not in the same loft. Had a 17* super hybrid. Was ok but not consistent enough for me. Hit some real lasers. Moved to a Rogue St HL3w and much happier. I game a 21* UW. It’s like a cheat code. Way easier to hit than the super hybrid. YMMV

[RobDMB]

2 hours ago, Rbsiedsc said:

I owned both but not in the same loft. Had a 17* super hybrid. Was ok but not consistent enough for me. Hit some real lasers. Moved to a Rogue St HL3w and much happier. I game a 21* UW. It’s like a cheat code. Way easier to hit than the super hybrid. YMMV

Did you own the original SH or the Epic SH out of curiosity? Thanks!

[MountainKing]

SH and UW are two very different clubs. 

 

SH is super forgiving, and it seems like it's primary design is to hit the golf ball high and straight, it does that well.  Good fairway finder, decent from the fairway. Outside of that it's pretty non functional.

 

UW isn't as forgiving, lower spin and it really seems like it can do it all.  You can hit it high, low, left, right.  It's great from all area's of the course.  The only real weakness is it's not a club you can hit all over the face, it does require a good strike to perform.

[hitnfades]

@MountainKing is spot on. 
 

I play driver and then Apex UW 17*/19*/21* at the top of the bag for similar reasons that the OP mentioned. The Apex UW 17* is a great club overall along with the 19*. They are basically a mini fairway wood, but play like a hybrid with the head shape and playing length. They do require good contact though as mentioned above.
 

The 17* UW is really long and for me plays like a 2/3 wood from the tee box. I use my UW 17* primarily off the tee box for tight courses or a fairway finder. But, if I need to make up some yards off a bad tee shot then I will use it from the deck as well. I hit 3 wood great from the tee box, but do not get along with 3 woods off the deck. This was why I made the change to this setup. The 17* is extremely long from the tee box, but from the deck it can be a challenge to get the height/spin on it. So, I play the UW 19* as my 3rd club in my bag. The 19* from the deck is solid, plays hot and is a good tee club as well. The +2* seems to allow this head to spin a bit more and get the height needed from the deck into greens. From the tee box for me, I would say it’s 3/4 wood range. This is just my experience with playing these heads vs hybrids vs fairways.
 

Below is a good video comparison:

 

 

[RobDMB]

45 minutes ago, MountainKing said:

SH and UW are two very different clubs. 

 

SH is super forgiving, and it seems like it's primary design is to hit the golf ball high and straight, it does that well.  Good fairway finder, decent from the fairway. Outside of that it's pretty non functional.

 

UW isn't as forgiving, lower spin and it really seems like it can do it all.  You can hit it high, low, left, right.  It's great from all area's of the course.  The only real weakness is it's not a club you can hit all over the face, it does require a good strike to perform.

I generally dont work the ball. Just looking for a forgiving tee/fairway club. Is there a big difference in ESH and UW in terms of ability to hit off different lies? 

[Rbsiedsc]

1 hour ago, RobDMB said:

Did you own the original SH or the Epic SH out of curiosity? Thanks!

Original 

[MountainKing]

58 minutes ago, RobDMB said:

I generally dont work the ball. Just looking for a forgiving tee/fairway club. Is there a big difference in ESH and UW in terms of ability to hit off different lies? 

 

Yes.  The clubs are polar opposites of each other.   UW is versatile, SH is not.  I can hit the UW out of some gnarly lies,  the SH is pretty much only good from a fairway or light rough.

[zap311]

1 hour ago, hitnfades said:

@MountainKing is spot on. 
 

I play driver and then Apex UW 17*/19*/21* at the top of the bag for similar reasons that the OP mentioned. The Apex UW 17* is a great club overall along with the 19*. They are basically a mini fairway wood, but play like a hybrid with the head shape and playing length. They do require good contact though as mentioned above.
 

The 17* UW is really long and for me plays like a 2/3 wood from the tee box. I use my UW 17* primarily off the tee box for tight courses or a fairway finder. But, if I need to make up some yards off a bad tee shot then I will use it from the deck as well. I hit 3 wood great from the tee box, but do not get along with 3 woods off the deck. This was why I made the change to this setup. The 17* is extremely long from the tee box, but from the deck it can be a challenge to get the height/spin on it. So, I play the UW 19* as my 3rd club in my bag. The 19* from the deck is solid, plays hot and is a good tee club as well. The +2* seems to allow this head to spin a bit more and get the height needed from the deck into greens. From the tee box for me, I would say it’s 3/4 wood range. This is just my experience with playing these heads vs hybrids vs fairways.
 

 

 

Thanks for sharing this perspective. I'm looking at a UW as well to replace the 3rd spot in my bag (19* hybrid). Can you share your gap between 19* and 21* UWs and your next club down in your set? I'm looking for similar distance to my hybrid, but more height, which is why I think 21* would be better.

Edited May 8, 2023 by zap311

[MountainKing]

14 hours ago, zap311 said:

 

Thanks for sharing this perspective. I'm looking at a UW as well to replace the 3rd spot in my bag (19* hybrid). Can you share your gap between 19* and 21* UWs and your next club down in your set? I'm looking for similar distance to my hybrid, but more height, which is why I think 21* would be better.

 

You'll probably want to hit them both.  The UW is hot, the 19 is about 10 yards longer than the 18 degree it replaced.  It did create a bit of a gap between where it sits and my 4 iron, but choking up an inch on it solves that gap. 

[gioreeko]

I'm just getting used to my 17 degree UW, have about 3 rounds with it. Last round, I used it from the tee quite a bit. I'm getting about 250ish with the roll, really consistent and easy to use club. Really liking what I've seen so far, so thinking about adding the 21 soon.

[RobDMB]

So is it fair to say the Super Hybrid may be a bit longer and more forgiving but the UW may be easier to hit out of less than ideal lies? 

[ChunkMeDaddy]

What makes the UW more versatile out of the rough? I guess I never really thought about hybrid/wood heads performing through thick grass, I assumed it was all pretty much the same

[MountainKing]

7 hours ago, RobDMB said:

So is it fair to say the Super Hybrid may be a bit longer and more forgiving but the UW may be easier to hit out of less than ideal lies? 

 

Super hybrid spins more,  a lot more.   Lower swing speed players will probably see more distance out of it for that reason.  

 

 

[MountainKing]

1 hour ago, ChunkMeDaddy said:

What makes the UW more versatile out of the rough? I guess I never really thought about hybrid/wood heads performing through thick grass, I assumed it was all pretty much the same

 

Probably the club design.   It cuts through long grass well.

[Peanut191]

I agree with much of what MountainKing says here.  I have the original SH (17 degree) and Epic SH (16 degree). Have done extensive testing with the UW (17 and 19 degrees) as well.

 

 The UW has a more cambered sole and a smaller surface area on the face, which can help it get through the thicker rough easier than the SH’s.  
 

The face plays deeper on the SH’s, which can be helpful on fat tee shots(or fat shots in general). The SH’s are more forgiving as they are a little larger heads packed with a little more technology.  UW definitely a little easier to work.

 

Spin and launch wise I would say:

 

Original SH - low spin, mid launch

Epic SH - mid spin, mid-high launch 

UW - low spin, low-mid launch

I would recommend looking at some pics online of them if you aren’t able to see them in person.  Original SH looks like a large hybrid.  Epic SH looks like a small fairway with a little hybrid mixed in.  UW looks like a mix between a hybrid and a fairway wood.

 

I wouldn’t say you have to be a great ball striker to get the best out of the UW, but the SH’s are easier to get away with relatively bad misses and still end up with a decent shot.

 

Which one would suit you better depends on what you’re looking for it to do and what type of player you are.

[RobDMB]

9 hours ago, Peanut191 said:

I agree with much of what MountainKing says here.  I have the original SH (17 degree) and Epic SH (16 degree). Have done extensive testing with the UW (17 and 19 degrees) as well.

 

 The UW has a more cambered sole and a smaller surface area on the face, which can help it get through the thicker rough easier than the SH’s.  
 

The face plays deeper on the SH’s, which can be helpful on fat tee shots(or fat shots in general). The SH’s are more forgiving as they are a little larger heads packed with a little more technology.  UW definitely a little easier to work.

 

Spin and launch wise I would say:

 

Original SH - low spin, mid launch

Epic SH - mid spin, mid-high launch 

UW - low spin, low-mid launch

I would recommend looking at some pics online of them if you aren’t able to see them in person.  Original SH looks like a large hybrid.  Epic SH looks like a small fairway with a little hybrid mixed in.  UW looks like a mix between a hybrid and a fairway wood.

 

I wouldn’t say you have to be a great ball striker to get the best out of the UW, but the SH’s are easier to get away with relatively bad misses and still end up with a decent shot.

 

Which one would suit you better depends on what you’re looking for it to do and what type of player you are.

 

Thanks very helpful. Out of curiosity, which did you like better. The Original SH or the Epic SH? 

[Peanut191]

5 hours ago, RobDMB said:

 

Thanks very helpful. Out of curiosity, which did you like better. The Original SH or the Epic SH? 

I like the look of the original better, but am playing the newer Epic version.  I am naturally a low spin player and The Epic was spinning more, even at the lower 16 degree loft compared to the 17 degree on my original.  I found this to help the consistency of carry distance I was getting.

[RobDMB]

On 5/11/2023 at 11:13 PM, Peanut191 said:

I agree with much of what MountainKing says here.  I have the original SH (17 degree) and Epic SH (16 degree). Have done extensive testing with the UW (17 and 19 degrees) as well.

 

 The UW has a more cambered sole and a smaller surface area on the face, which can help it get through the thicker rough easier than the SH’s.  
 

The face plays deeper on the SH’s, which can be helpful on fat tee shots(or fat shots in general). The SH’s are more forgiving as they are a little larger heads packed with a little more technology.  UW definitely a little easier to work.

 

Spin and launch wise I would say:

 

Original SH - low spin, mid launch

Epic SH - mid spin, mid-high launch 

UW - low spin, low-mid launch

I would recommend looking at some pics online of them if you aren’t able to see them in person.  Original SH looks like a large hybrid.  Epic SH looks like a small fairway with a little hybrid mixed in.  UW looks like a mix between a hybrid and a fairway wood.

 

I wouldn’t say you have to be a great ball striker to get the best out of the UW, but the SH’s are easier to get away with relatively bad misses and still end up with a decent shot.

 

Which one would suit you better depends on what you’re looking for it to do and what type of player you are.

One follow-up if you don't mind since you've played all three. How would you compare the draw bias in the three? I know the UW is supposed to be pretty neutral but how about the Original SH and Epic SH? 

[Jfisch822]

I tried the experiment of replacing my 3 wood with a 17° UW last summer and here’s what I found…

 

when struck well the UW is an absolutely weapon. Can hit it high and land soft, and hit low stingers and can work the ball left or right. When hit well it was only a few yards shorter than my 3 wood. BUT I found it was not as forgiving. Less than perfect strikes are penalized with loss of distance or offline. And for me that’s not desirable for a club that needs (1) to be a bit of a safety club off the tee or (2) when going for a par 5 in two goes from trying to make birdie/eagle to bogey/double. 
 

This is just my experience and others will vary. But for reference I’m a pretty decent player at around a 6 hcp but didn’t feel like I hit this club consistently enough though I really wanted to like it. 
 

Since then what I’ve landed on in that spot is a Callaway Epic Speed 4w (16.5°) cut down -1.5 inches to almost UW length. And add weight in the head to maintain swing weight. What I’ve found is that it behaves much like the UW just slightly less workable but much more forgiving. 

[Peanut191]

9 hours ago, RobDMB said:

One follow-up if you don't mind since you've played all three. How would you compare the draw bias in the three? I know the UW is supposed to be pretty neutral but how about the Original SH and Epic SH? 

I found all 3 to be neutral bias.  Definitely not draw biased like many hybrids out there.