Callaway Epic Flash and Epic Flash Sub Zero Driver

I’m going out on a limb and guessing the pro hits center more often than not. To gain 3mph is huge for him, but goes back to my original opinion that less than consistent players like myself will see some bigger gains and that’s where this one shines over the Epic and Rogue lines, let alone anything that might be it’s competition this release cycle.

I think the bigger story here is the dispersion and how on mishits it’s keeping people in play. I can only offer perspective based on what i saw on a launch monitor, but offline numbers were tighter.

This is so true and is really the test for any driver. I can tell you from experience I was really impressed with the low heel forgiveness compared to some others I've tried. I basically lived on that part of the face the first 10 holes I used it.
 
This is so true and is really the test for any driver. I can tell you from experience I was really impressed with the low heel forgiveness compared to some others I've tried. I basically lived on that part of the face the first 10 holes I used it.

One of the reasons I moved on from the Epic and put the 917 in the bag for a while. The 917 wasn’t as long, but dispersion was better and made holes playable and not playing defensively after a tee shot.


This is what has me the most excited, I feel like this one will give me some distance back and allow me to keep the dispersion I like/need.
 
I think the bigger story here is the dispersion and how on mishits it’s keeping people in play. I can only offer perspective based on what i saw on a launch monitor, but offline numbers were tighter.
Its what I’ve been seeing.

From the tourney...Hadwin just mashed one that sounded fabulous. Gooch hit one that sounded like crap. The announcer said “low heel”. The ball ended up middle of the FW 297 yards away. Announcers said something like “wish my heel misses ended up like that.” In both cases, Flash.
 
This is so true and is really the test for any driver. I can tell you from experience I was really impressed with the low heel forgiveness compared to some others I've tried. I basically lived on that part of the face the first 10 holes I used it.

Ball Speed Retention on mishits is a big part of the story... But not as sexy as max ball speed...


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One of the reasons I moved on from the Epic and put the 917 in the bag for a while. The 917 wasn’t as long, but dispersion was better and made holes playable and not playing defensively after a tee shot.


This is what has me the most excited, I feel like this one will give me some distance back and allow me to keep the dispersion I like/need.

Inherently, a driver that's longer is going to have a wider dispersion - that just comes down to math. The same amount of offline is going to result in it being more right/left just because it went farther. But that's only accounting for straight shots. When we start to talk about gear effect and the balls way off the toe that want to hook, that's where I've seen improvements over the XR16 for me. There's a par 5 on the course I've played a few times since being back that I often hit the toe hook on and end up at the bottom of a big hill having to pitch up - I've stayed on the hole each time with the Flash.
 
Is Hadwin playing the Flash?
 
I believe so.
Ok. I swear Phil's Rogue sounded waaaay higher pitched and louder than Hadwin's tee shot.
 
Ok. I swear Phil's Rogue sounded waaaay higher pitched and louder than Hadwin's tee shot.
Agreed.

I’ll also add that the Hadwin center strike and Gooch miss produced exactly the range of sounds I’ve tried to describe. Center strikes affirmatively sound good. Misses...not so much.
 
I wouldn’t put too much into tv noise the networks are notorious for pumping in artificial driver sounds.


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Ok. I swear Phil's Rogue sounded waaaay higher pitched and louder than Hadwin's tee shot.
Looks like Hadwin is playing the Rogue as well.
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I will say, and I mean no disrespect by this, this thread is pretty heavy in praise on the club. A stark contrast from other sites that I follow. Much of it is coming from a group of individuals who got an all expenses paid trip and fitting for all of the new Callaway product. I'm not saying that their feedback is any less valuable. But, their opinions can't be 100% unbiased. It's human nature. I have no doubt that the product is good and fully expect myself to get along just fine with it. But, there has to be balance. Not every one is going to like it. I welcome comments both good and bad. Maybe I have missed these really negative comments. I haven't seen anything that I would warrant as disrespectful or unnecessary.

Elsewhere on the interwebs there is a lot of feedback on the club. Sound has been one of the defacto sticking points. I'm hoping that it's blown out of proportion. I will find out soon enough. I have avoided Ping drivers in the past for this reason alone.

Hey radiman, it's great seeing you active here. Think you've brought a lot of good perspective to the forum. Wanted to circle back to this post, simply because I've tried to read up on THP feedback on as many products as possible and have noticed a couple things. A lot of the feedback has been positive, for sure, but not all. I remember tequila4kapp was struggling initially with the driver. So did Army back in the GD. They documented that. Also a couple have said they preferred the Rogue sound, while others preferred this one. Seems just like a few online reviewers too, tbh.

There were also some comments on the pricing and the lines of the ERC ball, and not everything was sunshine and rainbows.

From where I'm looking, I honestly think this is just a great lineup from Callaway, top to bottom. I can see some disliking the aesthetics and sound of the drivers. Past that, the new Apex irons are hard to nitpick about. The fairways, well Callaway fairways have performed for a few generations and these probably don't disappoint. The putters are incredibly innovative. There's just a whole lot to like there. And I do think the 2018 team is doing their very best to separate the outstanding treatment they received from the equipment reviews.

Hope to read about your feedback too, on this one. Think you'll definitely get yours in before me so I'll be following along eagerly.
 
I really would be that strong, it’s just my personality always has been always will be. I’m also the first to give credit and praise on things. I get it comes across different than most but that’s what makes everyday interesting. We are all different and approach things differently, sometimes we all agree, sometimes we don’t but I think we can all agree on golf equipment and wanting to improve and celebrate what is here now and coming in the future.

The rain will stop one day here in the Carolinas and when it does I would more than welcome/enjoy sharing a round with you and having an open discussion on equipment and why we like/dislike certain things.


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what the hell, ron? this is way too nice. i wanted you guys to fight.

seriously though, i appreciate your honest feedback. you rep’d the chev well and with honesty and integrity. you tried this release, that’s all anyone can ask. and anyone who has followed your other posts would see that you aren’t hating on the brand, because you thought well of other releases.


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After a fitting, the Flash Sub Zero has been ordered.

There has been a ton of talk about the sound, which is interesting to me because I don't find it particularly loud. I have the original Epic SZ in the bag now and find the sound/feel on it to be pretty boring and I am not a big fan of the muted sound, but that is just me. I have a 3.5 year old and 1 year old, so I'm guessing my tolerance for loud may be higher than average. The sound/feedback of the Flash SZ varies enough to let me know where I hit it on the face. In terms of the shape, I did not notice a big departure from the original and was not distracted by anything in the design of the head. I do not love the color scheme of the Flash and to be honest, I am not a fan of the color scheme of what's in my bag now, but I don't spend too much time looking at the sole of my driver and am more concerned with performance than looks.

In terms of my fitting, I was fit for shaft first and then it was fine tuning with finding the right head. I was hoping to be fit into the TEE EXS or the F9 for the sake of my wallet, but we kept coming back to the Flash SZ. Everyone is going to have different results, and according to my fitting, at least, the Flash SZ is driver that fits my swing really well. The Flash consistently had the highest ball speeds, lowest spin, and best disperion for me. I often put more spin on the ball than is advisable and with my mishits with other heads, I was seeing super spinny flare to the right, which is what I currently fight. Misses with the Flash SZ were much more manageable. I did not hit the original SZ vs the Flash with the same shaft, so it's not a true comparison, but I found the Flash SZ to be a more forgiving driver. This is all happened indoors, but it felt like point and shoot with the Flash SZ.
 
Hey radiman, it's great seeing you active here. Think you've brought a lot of good perspective to the forum. Wanted to circle back to this post, simply because I've tried to read up on THP feedback on as many products as possible and have noticed a couple things. A lot of the feedback has been positive, for sure, but not all. I remember tequila4kapp was struggling initially with the driver. So did Army back in the GD. They documented that. Also a couple have said they preferred the Rogue sound, while others preferred this one. Seems just like a few online reviewers too, tbh.

There were also some comments on the pricing and the lines of the ERC ball, and not everything was sunshine and rainbows.

From where I'm looking, I honestly think this is just a great lineup from Callaway, top to bottom. I can see some disliking the aesthetics and sound of the drivers. Past that, the new Apex irons are hard to nitpick about. The fairways, well Callaway fairways have performed for a few generations and these probably don't disappoint. The putters are incredibly innovative. There's just a whole lot to like there. And I do think the 2018 team is doing their very best to separate the outstanding treatment they received from the equipment reviews.

Hope to read about your feedback too, on this one. Think you'll definitely get yours in before me so I'll be following along eagerly.
I honestly meant no disrespect and didn't want to make it sound like I was addressing anyone within the group. When it only grabs one quote in a conversation, it is easy for the initial intent of what I was trying to say to get lost. I saw, what I thought, was someone's opinion getting slapped down because it was a negative one. Not by any granddaddy participant. I was attempting to keep things in perspective. I wasnt attempting to imply that there was any product shilling. Though, looking back, I could see how my comment could be taken that way.
 
Wow, Spicoli went after it?!

I want to hit these drivers SO bad.

Yep, and I am rarely an early adapter. Granted, my current setup is not ideal, but I was impressed with the Flash (we we will see what happens when I take it on the course). For someone who fights spin, it deserves your attention.
 
Yep, and I am rarely an early adapter. Granted, my current setup is not ideal, but I was impressed with the Flash (we we will see what happens when I take it on the course). For someone who fights spin, it deserves your attention.

I appreciate the suggestion, dude!!!
 
Yep, and I am rarely an early adapter. Granted, my current setup is not ideal, but I was impressed with the Flash (we we will see what happens when I take it on the course). For someone who fights spin, it deserves your attention.

Well now I’m just curious what kinda numbers you put up
 
After a fitting, the Flash Sub Zero has been ordered.

There has been a ton of talk about the sound, which is interesting to me because I don't find it particularly loud. I have the original Epic SZ in the bag now and find the sound/feel on it to be pretty boring and I am not a big fan of the muted sound, but that is just me. I have a 3.5 year old and 1 year old, so I'm guessing my tolerance for loud may be higher than average. The sound/feedback of the Flash SZ varies enough to let me know where I hit it on the face. In terms of the shape, I did not notice a big departure from the original and was not distracted by anything in the design of the head. I do not love the color scheme of the Flash and to be honest, I am not a fan of the color scheme of what's in my bag now, but I don't spend too much time looking at the sole of my driver and am more concerned with performance than looks.

In terms of my fitting, I was fit for shaft first and then it was fine tuning with finding the right head. I was hoping to be fit into the TEE EXS or the F9 for the sake of my wallet, but we kept coming back to the Flash SZ. Everyone is going to have different results, and according to my fitting, at least, the Flash SZ is driver that fits my swing really well. The Flash consistently had the highest ball speeds, lowest spin, and best disperion for me. I often put more spin on the ball than is advisable and with my mishits with other heads, I was seeing super spinny flare to the right, which is what I currently fight. Misses with the Flash SZ were much more manageable. I did not hit the original SZ vs the Flash with the same shaft, so it's not a true comparison, but I found the Flash SZ to be a more forgiving driver. This is all happened indoors, but it felt like point and shoot with the Flash SZ.

Dam you make me jealous I didn’t get the Sub Zero. Good luck with the new big stick.
 
Went epic flash 9* and should get some time on a monitor later this week if my back heals up and actually lets me move with a solid motion.


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I honestly meant no disrespect and didn't want to make it sound like I was addressing anyone within the group. When it only grabs one quote in a conversation, it is easy for the initial intent of what I was trying to say to get lost. I saw, what I thought, was someone's opinion getting slapped down because it was a negative one. Not by any granddaddy participant. I was attempting to keep things in perspective. I wasnt attempting to imply that there was any product shilling. Though, looking back, I could see how my comment could be taken that way.

0 worries. Didn’t think your comment was out of line in any way; thought your post was well thought out and written. I just wanted to add that the GD guys have provided some honest criticism too amongst the feedback. That was really all I was trying to say.

Happy PGA show week dude



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Good write up Spicoli, glad to see it worked out for you.
 
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