Callaway Golf Reaches Far With Its Epic New Drivers

As the PGA Tour hit Hawaii the past two weeks, so did Callaway’s latest clubs — led by the three 2021 Epic drivers. The brand’s new marquee staffer Jon Rahm, as well as Xander Schauffele, each used the Epic Speed model to finish in the top 10 at Kapalua’s Plantation Course on Maui. In fact at one point, Rahm pounded a tee shot 397 yards with it. This past weekend, there were 13 Epic drivers in play at the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

Rahm says that making the transition from his TaylorMade driver to the Epic was “easy. It’s really long, the ball speeds are high, and I know that I can control it. That makes for a great driver.” Schauffele concurs, adding that “there’s really nothing like the ball speed you get with Epic. You can tell that there’s something different about the design, and it’s so consistently long.”

Among the other Tour pros using the Epic Speed is Phil Mickelson, who wants to keep up with the younger guys now that he’s in his 50s. “I’m always trying to find more speed, and that’s exactly what I’m getting with Epic,” says Mickelson. “I want to hit even bigger bombs, and now I can.”

The new drivers were made in part with artificial intelligence, which Callaway’s been using  for two years now. But for 2021, the company enlisted it to upgrade its Jailbreak technology. If you recall, Jailbreak was simply two vertical rods inside the clubhead that connected the crown and sole. The new version looks a little different, with angular additions that essentially help create faster ball speed anywhere the ball makes contact with the face. Of the three new drivers, Epic Speed is the fastest — and it’s forgiving. Via the hosel, golfers can adjust both loft and lie. Epic MAX is the most forgiving, thanks to a rear sliding weight and adjustable hosel — letting golfers easily home in on their preferred ball flight and shot shape. It’s particularly effective at eliminating fades and slices. Finally, the Epic MAX LS (lower spin) is for hard-swinging better players — officials singled out young up-and-comers as ideal for this model — looking for extra ball speed, neutral ball flight and some forgiveness. Its adjustable perimeter weighting lets you tune flight left and right, as well.

For what it’s worth, I played the Epic Speed for a round the other day and was impressed with both the distance and forgiveness. The impact feel was deceptively soft — not necessarily a bad thing — and the ball rocketed consistently off the clubface. What I found most interesting is that I have long preferred playing high-lofted drivers. Usually, I set mine to the highest-possible loft. The Epic Speed I played was a 10.5-degree model. I could have set it to 12.5 degrees, but found the 10.5 to generate the perfect ball trajectory for me. If I’m any example, I think average Joes are going to really like the Epic as much as the Tour pros do.