Interesting, the Alpha 816 4w is my favorite fairway ever. I wasn’t considering a 3 wood but am going to have to try it turned up a degree with the weight back to see if it launches/spins enough.
2019 Callaway Epic Flash and Epic Flash Sub Zero Fairways
Interesting, the Alpha 816 4w is my favorite fairway ever. I wasn’t considering a 3 wood but am going to have to try it turned up a degree with the weight back to see if it launches/spins enough.
Flash face works, and lets not forget the many benefits of Jailbreak.
This would be a MORE than worthy upgrade over your 816.
Not sure about ball speed, but my best hit with the 3w was 240ish off the deck. That’s a solid 10 yard gain from my XR 3w.
I’ve been hitting this one off the tee and off the deck a good bit and I’m in love, clean hits with this club just feel so incredibly fantastic it’s not even funny. Long, high, straight.....what more could you want from a club?
2019 Callaway Epic Flash and Epic Flash Sub Zero Fairways
Callaway Epic Flash Fairway Wood Initial Thoughts / Review / Feedback
Introduction
A little bit about my golfing self before diving into the fairway wood. 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; because of this struggle I often rely on a 3 wood as plan B off the tee, especially on shorter par 4s. 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 3 wood (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 3 wood for over 2.5 years. During that time, I played the 3 wood 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 (this is actually the shaft I've been using in the GBB shaft for the last 4+ months). 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 fairway woods at all, but I bought and really like the Rogue 3+. When I shop, I like comparisons, so I'll be comparing the Epic Flash to the GBB and the Rogue.
Technology & Looks
Rogue brought us Jailbreak in fairway woods, and Epic Flash brings Jailbreak with adjustability, which is no doubt a welcome addition for many. Callaway bringing adjustability back to its fairway woods was achieved at least partly by creating a smaller hosel that the dual cog adapter connects into. The only downside is that the drivers and woods no longer share the same adapters since the fairway wood one is smaller now, which means tinkering with different shafts is a litte more complicated. As with the drivers, the woods feature Flash Face technology.
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. I don't mind the glossy as much on the smaller fairway wood heads though. If you have no problem with glossy and/or already love the Rogue's looks, you shouldn't have any issue with the Epic Flash. That being said, many people don't seem to like the green and yellow accents on the Epic Flash heads, 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 found the best results with the standard Epic Flash 3 wood head set at +1D paired with the Project X EvenFlow Green 65 in stiff (6.0) flex. I believe the weight of the shaft is around 68g. With this combination, I was able to carry the ball about 225 yards with a 92mph swing. Based on my previous fitting and last couple years with the GBB, I was expecting a max carry of around 215-220 yards, so I'm quite happy with hitting numbers above that.
I wish it weren't true, but I'm pretty good at testing forgiveness. My experience with the Epic Flash 3 wood's forgiveness has been pretty positive so far, but I need to hit it more and follow up with additional feedback.
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.
To me, carbon fiber crowns don't feel or sound as good as they look. In fact, one of my least favorite things about the Rogue 3+ wood I have is its sound / feel. Although I have gotten used to the Rogue, I am definitely glad and relieved that the Epic Flash sounds and feels better to me than the Rogue. My preference is still the more metallic sound of the GBB, but I am having no problems adjusting to the Epic Flash.
During my testing so far, I've usually been able to tell where on the face I'm hitting the ball, which means I'm getting adequate feedback.
Durability
Unfortunately, I can speak to the durability of the crown paint just above the club face. Last time I played, I managed to hit a tee shot fat that somehow resulted in me also hitting the ball very high on the face, which scratched the crown. It's not the first time I've done this with a club, so I'm not surprised that the paint got scratched. I'm not pointing it out as a ding against the club, just more of a heads-up. Other than that sob story, I have nothing else to report yet on the durability.
Callaway Epic Flash Fairway Wood Initial Thoughts / Review / Feedback
Introduction
A little bit about my golfing self before diving into the fairway wood. 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; because of this struggle I often rely on a 3 wood as plan B off the tee, especially on shorter par 4s. 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 3 wood (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 3 wood for over 2.5 years. During that time, I played the 3 wood 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 (this is actually the shaft I've been using in the GBB shaft for the last 4+ months). 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 fairway woods at all, but I bought and really like the Rogue 3+. When I shop, I like comparisons, so I'll be comparing the Epic Flash to the GBB and the Rogue.
Technology & Looks
Rogue brought us Jailbreak in fairway woods, and Epic Flash brings Jailbreak with adjustability, which is no doubt a welcome addition for many. Callaway bringing adjustability back to its fairway woods was achieved at least partly by creating a smaller hosel that the dual cog adapter connects into. The only downside is that the drivers and woods no longer share the same adapters since the fairway wood one is smaller now, which means tinkering with different shafts is a litte more complicated. As with the drivers, the woods feature Flash Face technology.
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. I don't mind the glossy as much on the smaller fairway wood heads though. If you have no problem with glossy and/or already love the Rogue's looks, you shouldn't have any issue with the Epic Flash. That being said, many people don't seem to like the green and yellow accents on the Epic Flash heads, 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 found the best results with the standard Epic Flash 3 wood head set at +1D paired with the Project X EvenFlow Green 65 in stiff (6.0) flex. I believe the weight of the shaft is around 68g. With this combination, I was able to carry the ball about 225 yards with a 92mph swing. Based on my previous fitting and last couple years with the GBB, I was expecting a max carry of around 215-220 yards, so I'm quite happy with hitting numbers above that.
I wish it weren't true, but I'm pretty good at testing forgiveness. My experience with the Epic Flash 3 wood's forgiveness has been pretty positive so far, but I need to hit it more and follow up with additional feedback.
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.
To me, carbon fiber crowns don't feel or sound as good as they look. In fact, one of my least favorite things about the Rogue 3+ wood I have is its sound / feel. Although I have gotten used to the Rogue, I am definitely glad and relieved that the Epic Flash sounds and feels better to me than the Rogue. My preference is still the more metallic sound of the GBB, but I am having no problems adjusting to the Epic Flash.
During my testing so far, I've usually been able to tell where on the face I'm hitting the ball, which means I'm getting adequate feedback.
Durability
Unfortunately, I can speak to the durability of the crown paint just above the club face. Last time I played, I managed to hit a tee shot fat that somehow resulted in me also hitting the ball very high on the face, which scratched the crown. It's not the first time I've done this with a club, so I'm not surprised that the paint got scratched. I'm not pointing it out as a ding against the club, just more of a heads-up. Other than that sob story, I have nothing else to report yet on the durability.
I'm sure I'll be getting one, just trying to decide which model to go with. I'm low spin so I was a little worried about the lack of a 4 wood. But if the SZ 3 turned up 1 with the weight back launches/spins the same or a little more then I think that will be the winner for me.
Army, did you happen to try both the regular Flash 3W and SZ Flash 3W? I too need loft off the deck and get it with the 16* 816.
Just wondering which Flash would be better for me.
Wicked Cool Bearded Man
4thegolf+4thefriends
Also will be in my bag
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's actually pretty funny because going into the fitting I was 100% sure that I would end up with the regular Flash 3 wood. Like, I didn't even want to hit the SZ.
But the fitter explained to me that because I come in so shallow the lower center of gravity closer to the face in the Sub-Zero head would actually yield way more benefits for me. Basically it means that when I hit it a little thin, which is very common for me, the center of gravity wouldn't be as high relative to strike point. This means more speed and prevents too much gear effect spin from sapping distance.
Everything he said played out on the Trackman just like he said it would. I got much more speed and consistent distance out of the SZ with weight forward.
Now, I'm not sure if this helps you at all since it's all very swing specific, but hopefully it helps paint a picture.
Oh you just helped a bunch. My miss is thin. I'm shallow like you. Thanks for taking the time to answer.
I just watched the release video on Callaway and noticed the pre-order date is 1/11/19. I'm actually bummed, I'm ready to order now. I can't remember when I was this excited about a 3wd.
As mentioned elsewhere, the Epic Flash 3W uses the same Flash face technology as the driver. I described that technology in the driver review so I won’t do it again here.
Just like with the driver, I am coming from the Rogue at the 3W spot. The Rogue 3W was maybe the best FW for me that I have ever played. I was not super excited to move on from it because 3W is the spot in the bag that has been hardest for me to find winners. I’m very happy to report the Flash 3W has not disappointed in the least. Here are my very early observations:
I have had multiple instances of hitting this club off the tees during cold winter play and reaching good summer driver distances while playing known courses. There are real signs this club is a bomber. I have not yet played the club off the deck on a course. I did at the range and hit about 5 or 6 in row off the mat that were high and straight as an arrow. Couldn’t have been easier. I was ecstatic. It is still early but the Flash 3W may have a little more than what I remember seeing with the Rogue. It seems easier to move the ball left or right, whether that be intentional or not.
It is still super early, way too soon to be drawing any conclusions. At this point I can say I am very comfortable having the club in the bag. I do not hesitate to pull it for use off the tees. There are signs that it may be a new weapon off the deck for me. And I have seen some pretty compelling early evidence that this may be a bomber. I will continue to report back as I play the club and learn more about it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Just like with the driver, I am coming from the Rogue at the 3W spot. The Rogue 3W was maybe the best FW for me that I have ever played. I was not super excited to move on from it because 3W is the spot in the bag that has been hardest for me to find winners. I’m very happy to report the Flash 3W has not disappointed in the least. Here are my very early observations:
I have had multiple instances of hitting this club off the tees during cold winter play and reaching good summer driver distances while playing known courses. There are real signs this club is a bomber. I have not yet played the club off the deck on a course. I did at the range and hit about 5 or 6 in row off the mat that were high and straight as an arrow. Couldn’t have been easier. I was ecstatic. It is still early but the Flash 3W may have a little more than what I remember seeing with the Rogue. It seems easier to move the ball left or right, whether that be intentional or not.
It is still super early, way too soon to be drawing any conclusions. At this point I can say I am very comfortable having the club in the bag. I do not hesitate to pull it for use off the tees. There are signs that it may be a new weapon off the deck for me. And I have seen some pretty compelling early evidence that this may be a bomber. I will continue to report back as I play the club and learn more about it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
- Messages
- 24,445
- Reaction score
- 13,062
- Location
- Southeast, South Dakota
- Handicap
- 7.6
Here are my initial thoughts on this lineup.
To start out I wanted to give you a little feedback on me and my swing in case anyone wants a comparison. I’m 35 years old and 6’1. I tend to have a very flat and short backswing and my swing can become all arms. The 3 wood is that one club in the bag that I rarely ever replace and is used a lot off the tee as well as an occasional approach in to par 5’s. I thought the Rogue would be in my bag for years but it met its match in this new lineup. I ended up with both a 3 (15*) and 5 (18*, +1) wood.
It’s actually kind of funny because I didn’t realize I was getting Sub Zero models until I pulled the clubs out on the range at The Hideaway the first day! The woods were toward the end of my fitting and I didn’t get a ton of time to swing them so this came as a bit of surprise but overall a great one!
The Tech: I’m going to apologize in advance for copying this from my driver review also but here we go - By now everyone is probably aware of Jailbreak and it’s effect on ball speed and forgiveness. Bringing the Callaway woods lineup to the next level is the Flash Face technology which was an extremely impressive piece of technology. Imagine taking some of the smartest people in the golf industry and combining them with an extremely powerful supercomputer to create a driver/fairway wood face like nothing that has ever been seen. That’s what is going on here. Looking at the back of the face is such an interesting view. The backside of the driver face has traditionally had a support behind the sweet spot in the shape of an X across the face. In the case of this new face the pattern looks like the ripples in a lake when you throw a pebble. This pattern increases ball speeds across the face and offers unbelievable off center performance.
Looks: For an in depth look at my thoughts about look check out the Epic Flash Driver thread as they are basically the same look. The short version though is that the color combo is not going to do it for everyone, however it eventually blends in and becomes something I don’t really notice anymore.
As far as the profile goes I was fit in to the Sub Zero model which means a slightly smaller profile and I believe a face that is a little shallower. When comparing to my regular Rogue 3 wood you can tell there is a slight difference but nothing drastic. I was a little concerned about having these smaller heads but that concern is completely gone.
Sound/Feel: While the driver provides a louder, more metallic sound the fairway woods provide a nice plush sound and feel. Well struck shots provide a similar powerful, yet soft feeling that makes the ball feel like a rocket. Off center lets you know where you hit it but doesn’t feel harsh which was a surprise with this being the Sub Zero.
Performance: Again, it takes a lot for me to be happy with a 3 wood and going in to the fitting I was almost convinced I’d come home with another Rogue. These have taken everything that the Rogue did well and added to it. In simulator testing I was seeing a slight gain in carry over the Rogue, anywhere from 4-6 yards which I would attribute to a slight decrease in spin. What was really impressive was the ball flight. With the Epic Flash I am seeing this great flight that slowly rises up to its peak height and lands softly. It’s a thing of beauty to see and makes the shot that much more enjoyable.
The 5 wood has been interesting as a 3 hybrid replacement. It has been extremely easy to hit off the deck and really gets up in the air quickly for me. I may end up doing some adjustments to the loft as gaps may be a little too spread out but I really enjoyed hitting this one. I love having the forgiveness of a fairway wood and the extra height that I’m seeing vs. a hybrid gives me a lot of confidence in to long par 3’s and approach shots.
The takeaway so far has been that these are a worthy next step in the Callaway equipment timeline. I’m not seeing anything so far that has me concerned about stepping away from the Rogue and the 3 wood is going to be an absolute weapon off the tee.
To start out I wanted to give you a little feedback on me and my swing in case anyone wants a comparison. I’m 35 years old and 6’1. I tend to have a very flat and short backswing and my swing can become all arms. The 3 wood is that one club in the bag that I rarely ever replace and is used a lot off the tee as well as an occasional approach in to par 5’s. I thought the Rogue would be in my bag for years but it met its match in this new lineup. I ended up with both a 3 (15*) and 5 (18*, +1) wood.
It’s actually kind of funny because I didn’t realize I was getting Sub Zero models until I pulled the clubs out on the range at The Hideaway the first day! The woods were toward the end of my fitting and I didn’t get a ton of time to swing them so this came as a bit of surprise but overall a great one!
The Tech: I’m going to apologize in advance for copying this from my driver review also but here we go - By now everyone is probably aware of Jailbreak and it’s effect on ball speed and forgiveness. Bringing the Callaway woods lineup to the next level is the Flash Face technology which was an extremely impressive piece of technology. Imagine taking some of the smartest people in the golf industry and combining them with an extremely powerful supercomputer to create a driver/fairway wood face like nothing that has ever been seen. That’s what is going on here. Looking at the back of the face is such an interesting view. The backside of the driver face has traditionally had a support behind the sweet spot in the shape of an X across the face. In the case of this new face the pattern looks like the ripples in a lake when you throw a pebble. This pattern increases ball speeds across the face and offers unbelievable off center performance.
Looks: For an in depth look at my thoughts about look check out the Epic Flash Driver thread as they are basically the same look. The short version though is that the color combo is not going to do it for everyone, however it eventually blends in and becomes something I don’t really notice anymore.
As far as the profile goes I was fit in to the Sub Zero model which means a slightly smaller profile and I believe a face that is a little shallower. When comparing to my regular Rogue 3 wood you can tell there is a slight difference but nothing drastic. I was a little concerned about having these smaller heads but that concern is completely gone.
Sound/Feel: While the driver provides a louder, more metallic sound the fairway woods provide a nice plush sound and feel. Well struck shots provide a similar powerful, yet soft feeling that makes the ball feel like a rocket. Off center lets you know where you hit it but doesn’t feel harsh which was a surprise with this being the Sub Zero.
Performance: Again, it takes a lot for me to be happy with a 3 wood and going in to the fitting I was almost convinced I’d come home with another Rogue. These have taken everything that the Rogue did well and added to it. In simulator testing I was seeing a slight gain in carry over the Rogue, anywhere from 4-6 yards which I would attribute to a slight decrease in spin. What was really impressive was the ball flight. With the Epic Flash I am seeing this great flight that slowly rises up to its peak height and lands softly. It’s a thing of beauty to see and makes the shot that much more enjoyable.
The 5 wood has been interesting as a 3 hybrid replacement. It has been extremely easy to hit off the deck and really gets up in the air quickly for me. I may end up doing some adjustments to the loft as gaps may be a little too spread out but I really enjoyed hitting this one. I love having the forgiveness of a fairway wood and the extra height that I’m seeing vs. a hybrid gives me a lot of confidence in to long par 3’s and approach shots.
The takeaway so far has been that these are a worthy next step in the Callaway equipment timeline. I’m not seeing anything so far that has me concerned about stepping away from the Rogue and the 3 wood is going to be an absolute weapon off the tee.
Tadashi70
Well-known member
I’ve hit the 9.0 set to 10.0 EvenFlow 6.5 and the sub zero at 10.5 HZdus Smoke 6.5. I’m leaning toward the 9.0 with EvenFlow. Both, I hit well but the 9.0 is a beast. Long, straight and long. For those that have been to the EPC, the balls were just falling short of the back of the range.
The feel/sound is as solid as I’ve heard in quite awhile. It took me back to Savannah when I first stripped the Big Bertha. Just solid from start to finish. Zero reason to try and crush the ball because it just goes with my stock action. I can’t wait til my fitting at 130PST.
The feel/sound is as solid as I’ve heard in quite awhile. It took me back to Savannah when I first stripped the Big Bertha. Just solid from start to finish. Zero reason to try and crush the ball because it just goes with my stock action. I can’t wait til my fitting at 130PST.
dayum...back of the range there is deep!!! What were your thoughts on shaft offerings if you dont mind taking questions?
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
- Messages
- 24,445
- Reaction score
- 13,062
- Location
- Southeast, South Dakota
- Handicap
- 7.6
Dang, that's big boy distance!
Holy shite
- Thread starter
- #44
I didn't know you were a cyborg until now. Skynet is upon us!
@army and @kev, you both seem to guys with somewhat positive aoa and lower spin, yet if i'm not mistaken you were both fit into the sz models. that's really interesting to me. have you seen any issues with launch and keeping the ball in the air, particularly off the deck?
@bluehen i think you mentioned that you are coming off the regular rogue fairway. were you fit into the regular flash fairway? any comparisons between the two? i really like my rogue a lot.
@bluehen i think you mentioned that you are coming off the regular rogue fairway. were you fit into the regular flash fairway? any comparisons between the two? i really like my rogue a lot.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
- Messages
- 24,445
- Reaction score
- 13,062
- Location
- Southeast, South Dakota
- Handicap
- 7.6
I'll be honest, it seems really weird to me that I was put in to the Sub Zero fairways because when I tried the SZ driver I was hitting knuckleballs and my distance was horrible. I wish I had a good reason for why I was put in to the Sub Zero fairways and not in the driver but as I mentioned in my review I was getting short on time and we kind of rushed through the woods.
When I first realized this on the driving range I was really concerned that exactly what you said would happen but I've seen absolutely no problems with it. Dacatalyst and I talked about it in our video last night, both the 3 and 5 wood have been super easy to hit even in the Sub Zero setup. I was so scared that wouldn't be the case but my concerns are gone. The ball just kind of pops up in the air and goes like a missile.
Tadashi70
Well-known member
The EvenFlow is always money for me. Haven’t been a fan of the HZdus but the smoke was legit just shorter than the even flow. I have the UST Proforce in my epic at home so I’ll be trying that later. I am getting fit in an hour so it’ll be interesting to see what they come up with.
Was this driver setting or something else I'm not seeing w/ the FWY's? *Confused* but if you are knocking 3W's almost out of the range then I'm getting one of these for sure!!
from the website, it's the lightest options available. specs have it as 40g/50g for both men and women.