Callaway Epic Speed and Epic Max Drivers and Fairway Woods

I feel ya on that 4wd love! I had about 240 on a par 5 against the wind and hit the Speed 4wd at the left edge of a greenside bunker on the right side of the green and ended up pin high about 15' from the flag on the green. Super stoked with that result although I wish I would have hit it a bit higher.
So I have good things to look forward to!! Glad I just pulled the trigger!
 
Epic Speed 7 wd is pretty lethal
 
Speed driver was really good in heavy winds today. I did hit 2 off heel side and you can definitely hear a sound difference and I lost a bit of distance.
 
Looking for comparison of Epic Speed driver versus Epix Max driver. I have the Soeed with the 40 gram Project X shaft. I like the feel and forgiveness but with my very slow swing speed ~80 mph, I wonder if Max would be a better fit. No problem with launch trajectory- hit it plenty high with 10.5 degree head.
 
Looking for comparison of Epic Speed driver versus Epix Max driver. I have the Soeed with the 40 gram Project X shaft. I like the feel and forgiveness but with my very slow swing speed ~80 mph, I wonder if Max would be a better fit. No problem with launch trajectory- hit it plenty high with 10.5 degree head.

They call it "Speed" for a reason. The head is more aerodynamic than Max and should get you more clubbed speed. It's also more handsome than Max. The Max is easier to keep straight (more forgiving) if you are "off". If you are having no issues with Speed, it's easier to bomb. Keep it. I love the Speed and Max. BUT if everything is working/semi-working .... Speed.;)

Edit - I need to say that after a lesson yesterday, I was working on the components of the lesson today. By the time I got to the Speed, I had hit 80 balls in full or partial mode, and 50 chips/pitches. After a few wild swings, I put it away. Earlier, I had put the Max through its paces, and it was delightful. I later took out the Speed again after a rest, and my swing had returned and so had bullets with the Speed.

Wasn't really going full speed today since I was incorporating new patterns into the swing.
 
Last edited:
Another round with my epic max regular shaft 10.5 first Callaway driver I really like played with epic max fairway 15 regular shaft like it as well but it hasn’t won a spot in bag yet but it’s really close
 
Went out on a day where it was a little rainy but no wind. I was able to get back to normal with the Speed! Ball was going straight and long. Missed a few fairways but those were because I drove through the fairway not because I was inaccurate. Felt good to be confident off the tee again. Score didn’t really show it but today was much better!
 
They call it "Speed" for a reason. The head is more aerodynamic than Max and should get you more clubbed speed. It's also more handsome than Max. The Max is easier to keep straight (more forgiving) if you are "off". If you are having no issues with Speed, it's easier to bomb. Keep it. I love the Speed and Max. BUT if everything is working/semi-working .... Speed.;)

Edit - I need to say that after a lesson yesterday, I was working on the components of the lesson today. By the time I got to the Speed, I had hit 80 balls in full or partial mode, and 50 chips/pitches. After a few wild swings, I put it away. Earlier, I had put the Max through its paces, and it was delightful. I later took out the Speed again after a rest, and my swing had returned and so had bullets with the Speed.

Wasn't really going full speed today since I was incorporating new patterns into the swing.
I have been hitting driver well lately and I am definitely seeing more distance out on the course with Max LS than Speed. As we all know, part of the distance equation is optimizing launch, speed and spin, as well as squaring the club face at impact. Not everyone will hit the Speed further, even when making solid contact. If it generates another mph of club speed, it may still lag if the launch and spin conditions of Max or Max LS are better.
 
Last edited:
I have been hitting driver well lately and I am definitely seeing more distance out on the course with Max LS than Speed. As we all know, part of the distance equation is optimizing launch, speed and spin, as well as squaring the club face at impact. Not everyone will hit the Speed further, even when making solid contact. If it generates another mph of club speed, it may still lag if the launch a spin conditions of Max or Max LS are better.

Solid post.:)
 
Got more time in with the Max LS this weekend. If I could pick two words to describe it, I would say intoxicating, and fun. Hit it on the screws, and it just goes. Don’t hit it perfectly, and it still goes. Now, compared to the Max, the misses can be a bit worse. That is something I will monitor, in that the Max really does a great job of keeping you out of big trouble, while still being long.

The Max LS is not like the SZ models for me, which were an occasional feast, and mostly famine. The Max LS is the opposite, with mostly very good drives, with an occasional bad one. I was switching off between the Max and Max LS today on my own for 9 holes (swapping the same shaft, the im10 60), and they are both so good. Yet, the Max LS is just more fun to play if you can call it that, and again, intoxicating when you nail it. Max will be there waiting in the wings if I end up needing that extra bit of forgiveness.
 
So a pure RAW emotion for a Monday however, I'm just not "Enamored" with my Max set up and I can see others are the same way as I've seen a couple up for sale here. It seems like it has such a Draw bias that I have to put the weight all the way to the toe and have the shaft set up -1/N. Even with these changes, I can still draw the ball and get "Duck Hooks" Might be going back to the Epic Flash for a round to see if I get a better result.
 
Guys, getting properly fit is such a huge deal. Once I got warmed up, I was striking the Max LS so well, it was basically point and shoot and the ball goes straight where I was aiming. The last two drives I had were dead into the wind. The first I aimed directly at the 150 yard marker, and ended up a few yards right, with 243 yards off the tee into a 2ish club wind. Win. Last drive, same wind, aimed right at the center of a bunker, ball goes straight right on that line, 241 yards of pure carry into a wet fairway. For a 50 degree day into a stiff wind, I will gladly take both of those drives. Having the right shaft paired with the head is such a huge confidence boost. I can't remember the number of straight drives I had with my old driver. And the sound of the Max LS is so pure.

3 wood Epic Speed is excellent as well. High and straight off the tee for my one tee shot I had with it. Point and shoot.
 
Guys, getting properly fit is such a huge deal. Once I got warmed up, I was striking the Max LS so well, it was basically point and shoot and the ball goes straight where I was aiming. The last two drives I had were dead into the wind. The first I aimed directly at the 150 yard marker, and ended up a few yards right, with 243 yards off the tee into a 2ish club wind. Win. Last drive, same wind, aimed right at the center of a bunker, ball goes straight right on that line, 241 yards of pure carry into a wet fairway. For a 50 degree day into a stiff wind, I will gladly take both of those drives. Having the right shaft paired with the head is such a huge confidence boost. I can't remember the number of straight drives I had with my old driver. And the sound of the Max LS is so pure.

3 wood Epic Speed is excellent as well. High and straight off the tee for my one tee shot I had with it. Point and shoot.
I'm using the Speed and seeing similar results. It seems to be getting more ball speed over Mavrik and is more forgiving on mishits.
 
A few weeks until you play, it until it's fixed?!

I too did not get on well with the MMT when I tested it. Just couldn't quite figure it out well enough to have it actually compete for a spot.
Oh, I absolutely love the MMT! So good for me, even though I hit the driver like crap on Saturday, but that was every club in the bag. It was mental because the day before I was striping the driver (Max LS), fwy woods (Mavrik Max) and irons (Apex Pro '21). I like the MMT so much I put it in both my Mavrik Max 3w and 5w and it was one of the best things I could have done! minus Saturday, my last 2 of 3 rounds have been some of the best ball striking I have had in a long time period (too bad one was at a tournament and the other was a practice round playing shamble, so I don't know what my score actually was). You could have given me any driver or any iron on Saturday and I wouldn't have been able to hit the broad side of a barn with it, lol.
 
So a pure RAW emotion for a Monday however, I'm just not "Enamored" with my Max set up and I can see others are the same way as I've seen a couple up for sale here. It seems like it has such a Draw bias that I have to put the weight all the way to the toe and have the shaft set up -1/N. Even with these changes, I can still draw the ball and get "Duck Hooks" Might be going back to the Epic Flash for a round to see if I get a better result.
I am near trading back my Speed for a Max and have some concern about draw bias being too much.
 
Oh, I absolutely love the MMT! So good for me, even though I hit the driver like crap on Saturday, but that was every club in the bag. It was mental because the day before I was striping the driver (Max LS), fwy woods (Mavrik Max) and irons (Apex Pro '21). I like the MMT so much I put it in both my Mavrik Max 3w and 5w and it was one of the best things I could have done! minus Saturday, my last 2 of 3 rounds have been some of the best ball striking I have had in a long time period (too bad one was at a tournament and the other was a practice round playing shamble, so I don't know what my score actually was). You could have given me any driver or any iron on Saturday and I wouldn't have been able to hit the broad side of a barn with it, lol.
I have a friend here who has one in his driver and loves it too. I have a 70X in a 3W that I hit well enough, it's just not the shaft for me in driver. Kind of felt like they abandoned certain swingers with their offerings of that and im10 this year. The MMT plays.. not stout to me, at least to flex. Or something. I don't get along with a lot of the 'mid' everything shafts either.
 
Last edited:
I have a friend here who has one in his driver and loves it too. I have a 70X in a 3W that I hit will enough, it's just not the shaft for me in driver. Kind of felt like they abandoned certain swingers with their offerings if that and im10 this year. The MMT plays.. not stout to me, at least to flex. Or something. I don't get along with a lot of the 'mid' everything shafts either.
I have the 60X in the Max LS and then the 70X in the 3w and 5w. I came from the Epic Flash w/ PX Evenflow Green 6.0 60g in the driver, so it is much stiffer than that shaft, but I don't think it's overly stiff. It doesn't feel like I'm swinging a 2x4, lol. I had the PX Evenflow Riptide 6.0 60g in the fwy woods and the funny thing is I couldn't figure out why they felt whippy for so long (( meant to order the heavier shaft, but I guess it was a flop on my end). I hit them good some times but it was hit or miss and then after I got the driver this year and I went into an X-flex, I started wondering what moving to an X-flex in the fwy woods would do and then looked at the shaft to see the weight at 60g and it was like a lightbulb went off in my head, but I scored the MMTs for the fwy woods for $67 shipped for both, so it was a no brainer when thinking about tinkering and then it worked out exactly as I had hoped it would lol.
 
I am near trading back my Speed for a Max and have some concern about draw bias being too much.

I think you can definitely manipulate any draw bias in the Max head in a number of ways, whether through the sliding weight, lofting down and opening up the face, different shaft, etc. Or, you can go in the direction of the Max LS, which will mitigate that draw bias, is still very forgiving, and lower spin. If the Speed isn't quite doing it for you, and you are concerned about draw bias, I think the Max LS might be the one to try for you, but YMMV.
 
My swing experiment with trying to hit a draw with the driver has come to a close. I am hitting baby fades with the Epic Max driver now, and actually trying to hit it like that. I moved the weight just slightly fade balanced of center, and have since been able to hit a straight to slightly fading ball. And i've been hitting more fairways in the last couple rounds than I ever have, and have broke 80 twice now (first times ever).
Importantly, not taking nearly as many penalties!
 
Importantly, not taking nearly as many penalties!
Exactly. I had the Mavrik Max which I liked but my miss ( particularly when I went after it and I like to go after it) was left and at my course if not OB it would still put me in trouble in the trees. Also needed to lower spin which in my case is why I chose the Epic Max LS. Love the straight ball and am working on a nice fade with it and early in the season as you said not taking nearly as many penalties in fact and I hope im not jinxing myself have not put one OB left which would happen frequently. The only ones I missed but still in play left are with swings no club could help.
 
The good driving range session yesterday carried over to the course and I had my best driving day ever this morning. The Epic Max LS kept me in the fairway the entire round with long straight bombs. I can be wild from the tee at times with a pull hook that sets in and it takes me a while to get back on track. Since I put the LS in play the left miss has been nearly non existent. My miss is now a push that stays straight as a string that does not get me in trouble most times. I hit a shot today that drew a little too much but stayed on the left side of the fairway. If I would have put that same swing on the Mavrik it would have been in the woods down the left side of the hole.

Irons are the strength of my game. If you saw me hit irons only you would think I am better than my 12 handicap. If you saw me hit tee shots you would think oh boy its going to be a long day haha. Having a driver that fits me perfectly and mitigates my miss is a game changer. I can scramble my arse off and put up a decent score but playing from the fairway is a lot more fun. @mikeg_74 has seen my struggles from the tee over the last few years more than anybody so it was fun to have him there to see me have a break through round. This could just be a hot streak that I am on but I think it is more than that.
 
I had the exact same issue. I also had these issues with the Mavrik and the B21. None of them have been able to displace my Epic Flash.

i‘m open to trying a new driver be it Callaway or another OEM to see if there is a significant distance and dispersion improvement over the Epic Flash. Suggestions are welcome.

So a pure RAW emotion for a Monday however, I'm just not "Enamored" with my Max set up and I can see others are the same way as I've seen a couple up for sale here. It seems like it has such a Draw bias that I have to put the weight all the way to the toe and have the shaft set up -1/N. Even with these changes, I can still draw the ball and get "Duck Hooks" Might be going back to the Epic Flash for a round to see if I get a better result.
 
Last edited:
Pretty good round with the Speed today. Didn't get to hit it as often as I prefer on the course we played, so that was a downer, but when I got to pull it, most of the drives were pretty good. Ended the day with a bomb for me down 18. Absolutely love the sound of this club when its hit on the screws. Intoxicating.
 
I worked on my driver swing with my coach tonight and was ripping the Epic Speed driver by the end of the session. It has a really strong flight when i catch it
 
Back
Top