Callaway Epic Flash and Epic Flash Sub Zero Driver

I guess I am I the minority. I like the color scheme a lot. To me it screams, “look at me,” without being garish. You Grandaddy guys are killing it with your reviews and information. Thanks so much.
 
When we were told this, this is when jaws hit the floor

I'd be curious about the supercomputer and AI...but I digress.
 
The Epic Flash has given me the confidence at the tee box with the “big stick”. To give a backstory I tried driver (hand me down from my dad, not fitted into, also not adjustable) years ago with no success and my dad always told me the way I hit my 3 wood to not even think about it due to the length I’d get. Wasn’t always accurate but when hit properly it worked great. So of course my mind wondered what I could do with an actual driver that fit me. 2017 I used the driver again and when I connected on it I would go very far, 250-260 for me. Unfortunately most shots were high balloons that faded but mainly sliced so in 2018 I elected to go back to a 3W instead to try to gain more forgiveness off the tee.

At the Grandaddy fitting, Jason worked with me on shaft and suggested an x-stiff flex since I was 105-107 on most shots we then worked on the loft and draw settings so we took a 9* head and put it in the -1/D setting and also worked on moving the weight all the way down into the draw area too. My main problem initially was not turning the club over enough but I think that was me as my normal swing sometimes does a figure 8, along with just being exhausted too with the fitting since it was the final club. After his last adjustments my final shot went straight and 270 carry, we found our winner and I had a huge smile on my face. I think he did too, huge thanks to my fitter for putting up with my swing!!

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At the Hideaway I was pushing the ball at times and think that was also due to not finishing or my usual over the top swing, but when I turned completely I would just bomb this ball and was getting really good distance on soft soggy fairways. The lack of confidence in the driver was gone and I was constantly using driver at each tee. Even the miss hits felt off in my hands as if I could tell it wasn’t quite right, but the ball still went just as far. The Flash Face paired with Jailbreak will be very helpful for a golfer like myself that isn’t used to using a driver and had issues hitting the sweet spot frequently. I went to the range last week and hit fades and draws (not on demand though, working on that part), but most importantly I had no slices and a ton of straight shots that just took off. Wish I could see how far they went but was hard to track where they landed (maybe a good thing..).

With respect to looks and feel, The yellow is starting to grow on me! Makes sense to keep the green since it’s an Epic driver, and I understand the reason behind the yellow. I’ll rarely have it exposed without a headcover so the overall look of the sole doesn’t bother me too much. Looking down it’s got the same Chevon design for alignment which I like, along with a line running around the top and bottom too. Could be used for alignment in a way too, I could see myself using it to make sure it’s lined up along a part of my body before swinging. Pairing this with the HZRDUS Smoke shaft gives it a very sleek view when I look down at the clubhead. Look good, play good!!

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I think this will be a talking point with this driver because it's a pretty big departure from the dull, boring thuds of composite drivers in the past. The Epic Flash is not afraid to speak it's mind at impact and greets you with an explosive sound which right away reminded me of some older more classic drivers. There's a wide spectrum of sounds that come from different corners of the face, with some large misses actually getting pretty darn loud. One of my main criticisms of the original Epic driver was the dull sound and the fact that no matter where on the face I hit the ball, it sounds the same. I am happy to report that is no longer the case here and while the sounds may not always be 'nice', they are effective at telling you where you've strayed.
The feedback on center strikes is as good as I've ever felt with a perfect mix of "pleasant sound" and "BOOM!". I've so far found it incredibly rewarding and brings the enjoyment of hitting middle to an entirely new plateau. To me, the face has a nice firm feel and rather than feel like the ball is squishing into the face, it feels more like the ball wants nothing to do with the face and is gone instantly.
I'm still confirming this next part, but I'm convinced that the sound changes quite drastically as the APW is moved around the track. I have the APW weight all the way in the heel and for me it definitely makes the head a bit quieter than with the weight in the center.
As always with subjective topics like sound/feel - your mileage may vary. I'd love to hear what any of you guys think when you hit one!
I will dive into performance in future reviews but for now here are some pics:

Awesome write-up!

What shaft were you fit into? Can you speak to sound improvement over the original Epic?

Many of you have probably seen the Callaway teaser for the Flash driver. You probably focused on the green and yellow colors, or the carefully teased looks at the club face or maybe even the playful graphics which showed moving yellow lines. What most of you probably missed was the caption and its meaning: “Faster Than Humanly Possible.” Let’s explore that part more carefully.

Callaway employed the use of a super computer with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to design the Flash line of drivers and fairway woods. I’ll be honest, when I first heard this I had flashbacks to the first Terminator movie and a bit of a feeling that maybe this was going to be a marketing driven release. I could not have been more wrong.

Consider that during a typical release Callaway runs through a small-ish number of prototypes. For the sake of argument and confidentiality, let’s say less than 25. By using the super computer with AI they were able to generate over 30,000 prototypes. Now let’s pause to think about what a prototype is: the manifestation of design concepts to validate performance. It is an opportunity to learn which parts of a design work, which ones don’t and to improve upon that design until we reach a final product. By using the super computer and AI Callaway was able to exponentially spike the learning and improvement curve during the design of this driver: 30,000 iterations of improvements instead of less than 25.

But beyond the volume of prototypes Callaway was able to produce, using the AI super computer allowed Callaway to approach the design of this driver from an outside the box perspective. The process started by removing the traditional design parameters or constraints that Engineers are taught and conditioned to start with. The super computer did not start with those constraints. In this way, the “Fast Than Humanly Possible” tag line is literally correct. This was such an outside the box approach to developing a driver that it is literally true to say no human engineer would have EVER come up with this design.

So what did Callaway come up with? You have seen the picture of the back of the face elsewhere in this thread. Look at it again. Notice how it is irregular and seemingly haphazard, with thick and thin sections next to each other in unpredictable ways. The back of a typical Callaway driver face is flat and smooth, but for two regularly placed raised lines that look like an X on its side. How does this happen? Callaway engineers input parameters in place and told the super computer to build. The super computer designed a prototype. Callaway engineers tested the prototype then adjusted the instructions given to the super computer. Because it has AI the super computer learned and evolved as it developed new and improved prototypes. Repeat 30,000 times.

Now maybe – just maybe – some of you are still dismissive. “So what, the back of the face has some funny lines. Whatever, just throw that face onto every Callaway driver body and let’s call it a day.” Nope. The face is one part of an overall integrated design, it ONLY works with the Flash body. Callaway discussed what those other unique elements were but honestly, I’m not sure I could explain it again to anyone else. But suffice to say, this driver borrows from a familiar line…it’s not just a pretty face.


All of the above is interesting, but does it work? At the end of the day that is the bottom line. To be honest, my results so far have been mixed. From a recent session with my instructor and some time on a TrackMan I know that the worst of this is 100% Indian, not arrow. I am having a hard time controlling the face and getting it closed properly. I am coming from a Rogue with the EvenFlo Black shaft (stiff). I did not have this challenge with that setup – or at least not to the same degree. I’m going to chalk this up to having a new driver with a new shaft, and I’m going to give it some time. What else about the driver? Let’s take a closer look:


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Awesome share of the AI piece Frank, that is just mind blowing, reading it on the homepage and seeing all of you guys talking about it blows me away. Awesome to see all of this making it's way into the golf industry.

Here we go!


Overall I’m extremely excited about this driver. Last year was the first time in a very long time I didn’t make a driver change. I was absolutely in love with my Ping and my plan was to keep it around to do some head to head testing and keep stored away “just in case”. However after what I saw I came home and put that up for sale about 2 days after. Driver can be a weakness for me but I’m all in on what the Epic Flash can do for my game this year!

I remember reading about how much you liked the Ping, that you sold it that quick speaks to how crazy good this is, thanks for the initial thoughts.

The new 2019 Epic Flash Driver is the new big dog on the block! It’s been an absolute blast to play. There’s a ridiculous amount of tech that comes together to create a system of speed, distance, launch and forgiveness that is intoxicating on well struck shots and shockingly forgiving on off center shots. There were MANY times, I should’ve been punished for the garbage swing I threw at this thing and it still peformed like a champ. It’s not a miracle club so you can still snap hook or slice it, but it is a forgiving performer. That said….hit the middle and MY GOODNESS!

The story around this club is obviously the new Flash Face, which was designed using AI from a supercomputer that in short allowed for maximum optimization through accelerated iterations in design...34 years worth! Long story short. Ball go far! Ball go fast!

Lots of thoughts coming, but you really want is pics right?
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Great pics Clayton! Looking forward to your thoughts.

The driver - if you scan the web there has been a lot of criticism of the color choices, some of the graphics on the crown and the sound. I’ll admit that I’m not a big fan of the colors. Give me this driver and another with a color scheme more to my liking and I might gravitate to the other. However, the colors carry through the color green of the Epic driver with a touch of yellow added for differentiation I would assume. I use headcovers so the only time I see the sole is when I take the club out of the bag so in the long run the colors don’t matter to me at all, and the little bit of color at the back of the head is really inconspicuous at address. Not having seen or received the retail headcovers I can’t say anything about them. Some have commented on not liking the gray line that runs across the crown near the face and some do not like the Chevron used as an alignment guide. To each his own but I just don’t understand people not playing a club due to these characteristics! Personally, my focus is on the ball and I don’t even notice these things once I am set up.

Thanks for keeping it real and admitting your thoughts on the colors, but going into detail about it how you've gotten past the critiques.

EPIC Flash Driver Initial Review

Loft: 9*
*Opti-Fit Settings: -1 / D / Full Draw APW
*Shaft: Project X EvenFlow Green 55g
*Flex: 6.0
*Length: STD
*Grip: Lampkin UTX Black

Awesome distance gains, how is forgiveness for you compared to your previous gamer?
 
Awesome write-up!

What shaft were you fit into? Can you speak to sound improvement over the original Epic?



Awesome share of the AI piece Frank, that is just mind blowing, reading it on the homepage and seeing all of you guys talking about it blows me away. Awesome to see all of this making it's way into the golf industry.



I remember reading about how much you liked the Ping, that you sold it that quick speaks to how crazy good this is, thanks for the initial thoughts.



Great pics Clayton! Looking forward to your thoughts.



Thanks for keeping it real and admitting your thoughts on the colors, but going into detail about it how you've gotten past the critiques.



Awesome distance gains, how is forgiveness for you compared to your previous gamer?

I need to learn how to do multi quote! Damn man! I’ve heard the sound is more metallic than epic, which is a big improvement for me, anyway.


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Can any of you guys speak to the shaft offerings? Specifically, the Smoke and the AV Blue. I have a feeling the Smoke will be a decent option. But, I didn't really like any of the other HZRDUS shafts (yellow and black). I am curious how it stacked up against the AV Blue (which I know nothing about). Is it a true addition to the blue profile? I have had very good luck in the past with the blueboard, Kai'Li, B series and other similar profiles from other manufacturers. Did any of you guys test it during your fittings? Were they drastically different in any way?
 
I need to learn how to do multi quote! Damn man! I’ve heard the sound is more metallic than epic, which is a big improvement for me, anyway.


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I've got #skillz
 
Awesome write-up!

What shaft were you fit into? Can you speak to sound improvement over the original Epic?



Awesome share of the AI piece Frank, that is just mind blowing, reading it on the homepage and seeing all of you guys talking about it blows me away. Awesome to see all of this making it's way into the golf industry.



I remember reading about how much you liked the Ping, that you sold it that quick speaks to how crazy good this is, thanks for the initial thoughts.



Great pics Clayton! Looking forward to your thoughts.



Thanks for keeping it real and admitting your thoughts on the colors, but going into detail about it how you've gotten past the critiques.



Awesome distance gains, how is forgiveness for you compared to your previous gamer?
Thanks!

I was fit into the Graphite Design AD-IZ 7x shaft.
As far as sound goes its livelier than original epic and has a much wider spectrum across the face.
 
Awesome write-up!

What shaft were you fit into? Can you speak to sound improvement over the original Epic?



Awesome share of the AI piece Frank, that is just mind blowing, reading it on the homepage and seeing all of you guys talking about it blows me away. Awesome to see all of this making it's way into the golf industry.



I remember reading about how much you liked the Ping, that you sold it that quick speaks to how crazy good this is, thanks for the initial thoughts.



Great pics Clayton! Looking forward to your thoughts.



Thanks for keeping it real and admitting your thoughts on the colors, but going into detail about it how you've gotten past the critiques.



Awesome distance gains, how is forgiveness for you compared to your previous gamer?
The forgiveness is way better than the 2016 Taylormade M1. That's what I came from. I find myself in a lot more fairways or if I miss it's in the first cut. I have hit a few bad slices but that is operator error lol and I dont have near as bad a right miss like I used to. I love this driver. Driver is one of my favorite clubs to hit and this club makes it even more fun!

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I'm sold. Just based on the color scheme.
 
I posted this I. The fairways thread but interested in the #s in here also.

How much ball speed did the GD participants pickup? Do you know?


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Never having been on a simulator with my Epic I would have no idea about ball speed. If you watched the Live Stream I guess I'm more like Sergio. He's not a "numbers guy" and goes more with what he sees. If the numbers happen to match up with that, fine, but he is not driven by numbers, nor am I. I know where my drives typically would end up with my Epic and I see where my drives end up with the Epic Flash and the hows and whys of ball speed, spin, launch angles, etc., and how they all come together doesn't mean as much as the results I am seeing. Sorry!
 
I posted this I. The fairways thread but interested in the #s in here also.

How much ball speed did the GD participants pickup? Do you know?

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I do not know about ball speed differences. Sorry.
 
Never having been on a simulator with my Epic I would have no idea about ball speed. If you watched the Live Stream I guess I'm more like Sergio. He's not a "numbers guy" and goes more with what he sees. If the numbers happen to match up with that, fine, but he is not driven by numbers, nor am I. I know where my drives typically would end up with my Epic and I see where my drives end up with the Epic Flash and the hows and whys of ball speed, spin, launch angles, etc., and how they all come together doesn't mean as much as the results I am seeing. Sorry!

Simple answer to this question then for you is....the amount of distance you gained between the two on avg.


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I do not know about ball speed differences. Sorry.

Only asking as Callaway made a point to indicate how much more balls speed is coming with the flash


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Thanks!

I was fit into the Graphite Design AD-IZ 7x shaft.
As far as sound goes its livelier than original epic and has a much wider spectrum across the face.
That shaft is in my radar as a possible upgrade. I played the AD TP last year and liked it a lot. Can I ask you what kind of numbers you are working with? Swingspeed? Smooth transition?
 
Can any of you guys speak to the shaft offerings? Specifically, the Smoke and the AV Blue. I have a feeling the Smoke will be a decent option. But, I didn't really like any of the other HZRDUS shafts (yellow and black). I am curious how it stacked up against the AV Blue (which I know nothing about). Is it a true addition to the blue profile? I have had very good luck in the past with the blueboard, Kai'Li, B series and other similar profiles from other manufacturers. Did any of you guys test it during your fittings? Were they drastically different in any way?
I am like the worst person in the world to discuss shafts. I demo'd the Flash SZ in the EF Blue, a Tensei (blue?) and the Smoke. It just felt right, like a comfortable pair of shoes or something. My trajectory and dispersion improved dramatically. After having struggled for the driver fitting something terrible, I hit like 3 hit straight shots in a row with the Smoke and Nick, my fitter, said "We are done."
 
Not loving the colors but having played the Epic I can live with those. I may have to find a way to black out the line on the crown.

Biggest question for me is how do the launch and spin compare to the original Epic?
 
I am like the worst person in the world to discuss shafts. I demo'd the Flash SZ in the EF Blue, a Tensei (blue?) and the Smoke. It just felt right, like a comfortable pair of shoes or something. My trajectory and dispersion improved dramatically. After having struggled for the driver fitting something terrible, I hit like 3 hit straight shots in a row with the Smoke and Nick, my fitter, said "We are done."

Yeah, I don't really have access to a LM on a regular basis with no fitters in the area. So, I operate mainly off of feel and what I see on the course myself. Thanks for the response. I have a pre-pre-order in :) Meaning I gave them my money and am waiting for them to put the order through when they can. I have a couple of shafts already and am probably just over-analyzing things. But, dropping $500+ on anything makes me antsy to make sure I am making the best decision.
 
Not loving the colors but having played the Epic I can live with those. I may have to find a way to black out the line on the crown.

Biggest question for me is how do the launch and spin compare to the original Epic?
 
I'm sold. Just based on the color scheme.

Ditto. There's even a local place that already has them in the fitting cart too.
 
That shaft is in my radar as a possible upgrade. I played the AD TP last year and liked it a lot. Can I ask you what kind of numbers you are working with? Swingspeed? Smooth transition?
SS is 101 on Trackman, 105 ish on GC Quad.
I have a very smooth transition, but an extremely aggressive release through the zone with a lot of lag. Fitter said that I raise the handle through the zone, creating a +3 or +4 angle of attack, which is why I generate decent launch and very low spin, and my misses tend to be low on the face.

This shaft works with my release to create a really balanced set of numbers. With 9.5 loft I'm launching at 13.5 and spinning around 2400, carrying 265 with a 40 yard peak height.
 
Callaway Epic Flash and Epic Flash Sub Zero Drivers

Callaway Epic Flash and Epic Flash Sub Zero Drivers

Callaway Epic Flash Driver Initial Thoughts / Review / Feedback

Introduction

A little bit about my golfing self before diving into this driver. I am currently around an 11-12 handicap. I'd consider myself an average ball striker who has been struggling with driver for a couple seasons now. I swing my driver around 95-98 mph and my 7i around 82-83mph according to my most recent fitting at the ECPC. Before gaming the new Epic Flash driver (which I was extremely fortunate to receive at The Grandaddy brought to us by the incredible folks at Callaway and THP), I had been playing the Great Big Bertha driver for over 2.5 years. During that time, I played a 9.5* head set to +1D with the Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Black TiNi 50g regular flex shaft (which I was fit into). I also tinkered with other shafts, of which my favorite was the UST Mamiya Helium 5F4 proto (I was also fit into this shaft on a separate occasion with the XR16 head). My good misses are typically high straight pushes or push fades, but I do occasionally hook the ball as well. I have loved the profile, looks, and forgiveness of the GBB the entire time I've used it. I did not test the Epic or Rogue extensively, but I wasn't really a big fan of either (more on this below).

Technology & Looks

Familiar technology is here with Jailbreak to help increase ball speeds; with adjustability, including loft/lie via the dual cog adapter and a sliding weight to help impart more fade or more draw on the ball; and with triaxial carbon to create a lighter crown. In addition to the familiar, Callaway brought something truly unique and exciting to the table with Flash Face. Callaway's R&D team used a supercomputer, artificial intelligence and machine learning to run thousands and thousands of automated iterations to design a new face for the Epic Flash driver; they call it Flash Face. Traditional design processes would have only allowed for 5-7 iterations of the face, but the AI-based approach allowed for 15,000 (they could have done more, but you have to stop at some point and release a driver, right?). This new approach also allowed for a design that defies logic (well, human logic at least). It's important to note that the Epic Flash Sub Zero has a different face from the standard Epic Flash. Flash Face is designed to maximize ball speeds across the entire face, and Callaway's testing has shown that it does this better than their previous designs.

I'm a big fan of matte black heads on woods and hybrids, so I struggle to love the glossy crowns on the Epic, Rogue, and Epic Flash lines. That being said, it is already growing on me, and I think the Epic Flash is the best looking of the three. Many people don't seem to like the green and yellow accents, but I actually like the color combo a lot. Additionally, the triaxial carbon and the white line behind the chevron alignment aid look very cool.

Performance & Forgiveness

During my fitting, I achieved optimal performance with the standard Epic Flash 10.5* head set with the dual cog at SD paired with the Project X EvenFlow Green 55 in stiff (6.0) flex. I believe the weight of the shaft is around 58g. With this combination, I was able to carry the ball just under 240 yards. Based on my previous fitting and last couple years with the GBB, I was expecting a max carry of around 230-235 yards, so I'm quite happy with going beyond that.

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I don't find the center of the face often enough, which means I end up being a good candidate for testing forgiveness. More testing is required over the coming months, but so far I'd say the forgiveness is helping me get to places my swing didn't deserve, which is always appreciated. I believe I've tested high on the face more than other misses, and I'll add more feedback as I 'explore' other regions of the Flash Face.

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Feel / Sound / Feedback

This is obviously very subjective, so take my thoughts (and anyone's) with a grain of salt since your feel and hearing is not the same as mine.

One of my least favorite things about the Epic and Rogue drivers was their sound / feel. Coming from the GBB, both sounded too muted and dead to me when I tested them outside on a range. This sound often accompanied a harsher feel than I preferred. I liked the Rogue a little bit more than the Epic, but it was hard for me to get beyond those first impressions with both. The Epic Flash, on the other hand, sounds and feels much better than both of the aforementioned predecessors. This was a big relief to me as it was one of the things I was most concerned with before my fitting. Well struck balls result in a unique sound I don't recall ever hearing from a driver before...there's something oddly satisfiying about it.

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Golfers who want feedback on their swings will be happy to know that they should be able to feel and hear when they don't make center contact.

Durability

Longer term testing is required to provide a really meaningful report on durability, but so far, the Epic Flash face hasn't shown any abnormal wear. I recently hit a drive fat and didn't have any issues cleaning off the embarassing amount of dirt on the sole. It's holding up to normal wear and tear just fine.

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More Info

https://www.thehackersparadise.com/callaway-epic-flash-epic-flash-sub-zero-drivers/

https://cmp.callawaygolf.com/epicflashdrivers/
 
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