Callaway Epic Speed and Epic Max Drivers and Fairway Woods

I realize you’re talking to @erock9174 but I’ll add my thoughts here, since he and I seem to look for the same profiles.
The Riptide is a very good option. I know the RAD is a different head, but I tested it with the Riptide in it. Launched very high, but I was all over the place with it.
I’m not very shaft sensitive. I’ve never felt a shaft “loading” or not, I go off my eyes and numbers. The I’m-10 felt similar to me with a lower flight, and tighter dispersion. I’m thinking a 5.0 version might work best, but I’ll reserve judgement until my back is feeling better.
My other thought is I may have read too much about needing loft. This is the first time I’ve played a 10.5* head. I’m thinking with a slight ott move in the driver, I’d be better served lofting up a 9* like I always have. We shall see...
What's your swing speed? I'm looking at the IM10 but not sure wether to go with 5.0 or 5.5.
 
So one of things I'm struggling with is the larger Max head coming from the Epic Flash.
I'm still working on getting my timing down.

Anyone else have that issue? Maybe when you moved EF to Mav?

i moved from the EF Subzero to the Max LS and although I have only played 2 rounds I have had no difficulty with the transition. Head size is very different but biggest difference is my driver has the clean crown option so that has been taking a bit of an adjustment.
 
Epic Speed Max LS in the bag yesterday.
Epic Speed in the bag today.

100% with complete confidence, I'm an Epic Speed guy. LOVED it today.
I even hit a few that made me feel like I had a real driver swing again.
I can attest to this ⬆️... Dan hit the driver very well this weekend, both the Epic Max LS & Epic Speed.

Although it’s a small sample size (36 holes), my FIR % of 72% is well above my 2020 average of 55%. I saw even better distances with the Epic Max LS over what I saw with the Mavrik SZ. The Kinetixx Velocity pairing is a winner.
 
What's your swing speed? I'm looking at the IM10 but not sure wether to go with 5.0 or 5.5.
I’ve since switched shafts to the cypher 5.0 after bringing my Max back in for more testing last Monday.
I averaged 84 that day. I’d say you need to at least be in the low to mid 90’s or have a very quick transition for the 5.5 IM10.
The Cally rep was there with me and the fitter last week, and he said by definition it’s a stiffer shaft throughout it’s entire length than the riptide and the cypher. Then you get into the whole Project x line playing stiff to flex issue...
Here’s the thing, I could’ve played the 5.5 IM-10, and gotten away with it, but I’d never have gotten the best out of it. I never had a chance to hit it in the 5.0 like I wanted to, but the Cypher was so much better for me, I was okay with that.
I was almost leery of posting 20-25 yards better thinking how ridiculous that sounds at my SS, but it was. I wasn’t even getting 200 carry with the IM-10.
Good luck to you, let me know how you make out with your testing...
 
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I had a rocky start with my new speed Sunday in my simulator league. I think I hit every fairway but the ball speed was down from any other driver I've had. I have been fighting a sore neck and chest lately so I could be the main factor here. We didn't get much range time to warm up so I didn't see the head speed numbers but ball speeds were in the low 130's with most of the strikes closer to the heel or high on the face. With my mavrik I was 140-145 so some work to do and could be getting used to the smoke black RDX. I will say this thing is amazing on the heel. I hit one ball that shouldn't have been in play and it found the fairway and went 200 yards.

Playing Friday at my home course and I know my spots there. I should be able to figure out right away if my distance is suffering or not.

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Played in a lot of wind the last 2 days, so was working on trying to flight the Speed a bit. Was able to do it pretty easily. Could hit a bit of a low bullet with it teed down when I needed to, and then put one way up in the air when downwind. Continue to see pretty good forgiveness across the face. My miss lately has been off the toe, and while I am seeing more draw curve from that strike, its not severe and distance is still very good. Continue to enjoy the heck out of this driver.
 
I had a rocky start with my new speed Sunday in my simulator league. I think I hit every fairway but the ball speed was down from any other driver I've had. I have been fighting a sore neck and chest lately so I could be the main factor here. We didn't get much range time to warm up so I didn't see the head speed numbers but ball speeds were in the low 130's with most of the strikes closer to the heel or high on the face. With my mavrik I was 140-145 so some work to do and could be getting used to the smoke black RDX. I will say this thing is amazing on the heel. I hit one ball that shouldn't have been in play and it found the fairway and went 200 yards.

Playing Friday at my home course and I know my spots there. I should be able to figure out right away if my distance is suffering or not.

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:unsure: Move away from ball, check swing weight - a little more mass may help ball speed - an aspirin, not the whole bottle.

At 45 inches and 60g shaft, experimented with 11g, 8g and now 6g of aftermarket weights to find ball speed/carry balance. 11g was very straight but very heavy - D6-7, 8g was about D5+, 6g may be D4. Need to hop on Trackman sometime.
 
I am pretty surprised by how much of a difference there is in the sound/feel of the Speed and the Max LS. With the Speed, the sound/feel is almost intoxicating when hit dead center. I am not good at describing, but the Max LS is not quite as rich in feel.

I keep thinking I have my driver for the year. However, I hit my Max LS yesterday evening and it was so easy to keep it on a straight flight, with an ideal trajectory. However, I would definitely put the feel behind both the Speed and my Titleist TSi3.

Why do some of us have such a difficult time sticking with equipment decisions?
 
However, I hit my Max LS yesterday evening and it was so easy to keep it on a straight flight, with an ideal trajectory.
I think for me the Max LS is by far the most consistent driver and easiest to hit with a nice flight and a great trajectory that i have ever played ( coupled with the fact ive worked hard to improve my swing and be more consistent). And i definitely am already getting great distance with some good roll in less than ideal weather and conditions. I was too high a spin player and while lowering my spin to around where it probably should be Callaway was able to lower spin and keep foregiveness which is huge for me for where my game is right now. You are obviously an excellent ball striker and reading about the Speed intrigues me . But exactly what you said about keeping this on a straight ball flight and great trajectory tells me ive made the right choice for where i am right now. I think each of the releases in this cycle will perform better than the others for different player types and hopefully a month from now ill be talking about how great the LS has been and how coupled with working on my game hitting long and keeping it in play is one of the main factors in getting my handicap down. Time will tell.
 
I think for me the Max LS is by far the most consistent driver and easiest to hit with a nice flight and a great trajectory that i have ever played ( coupled with the fact ive worked hard to improve my swing and be more consistent). And i definitely am already getting great distance with some good roll in less than ideal weather and conditions. I was too high a spin player and while lowering my spin to around where it probably should be Callaway was able to lower spin and keep foregiveness which is huge for me for where my game is right now. You are obviously an excellent ball striker and reading about the Speed intrigues me . But exactly what you said about keeping this on a straight ball flight and great trajectory tells me ive made the right choice for where i am right now. I think each of the releases in this cycle will perform better than the others for different player types and hopefully a month from now ill be talking about how great the LS has been and how coupled with working on my game hitting long and keeping it in play is one of the main factors in getting my handicap down. Time will tell.
Great thoughts!
 
I am pretty surprised by how much of a difference there is in the sound/feel of the Speed and the Max LS. With the Speed, the sound/feel is almost intoxicating when hit dead center. I am not good at describing, but the Max LS is not quite as rich in feel.

I keep thinking I have my driver for the year. However, I hit my Max LS yesterday evening and it was so easy to keep it on a straight flight, with an ideal trajectory. However, I would definitely put the feel behind both the Speed and my Titleist TSi3.

Why do some of us have such a difficult time sticking with equipment decisions?
This is the exact reason I was fit...lol. I don't have will power when it comes to new golf equipment, so getting fit gives me justification I am hitting the right club for me, lol.
 
I am pretty surprised by how much of a difference there is in the sound/feel of the Speed and the Max LS. With the Speed, the sound/feel is almost intoxicating when hit dead center. I am not good at describing, but the Max LS is not quite as rich in feel.

I keep thinking I have my driver for the year. However, I hit my Max LS yesterday evening and it was so easy to keep it on a straight flight, with an ideal trajectory. However, I would definitely put the feel behind both the Speed and my Titleist TSi3.

Why do some of us have such a difficult time sticking with equipment decisions?
 
I am pretty surprised by how much of a difference there is in the sound/feel of the Speed and the Max LS. With the Speed, the sound/feel is almost intoxicating when hit dead center. I am not good at describing, but the Max LS is not quite as rich in feel.

I keep thinking I have my driver for the year. However, I hit my Max LS yesterday evening and it was so easy to keep it on a straight flight, with an ideal trajectory. However, I would definitely put the feel behind both the Speed and my Titleist TSi3.

Why do some of us have such a difficult time sticking with equipment decisions?
I agree regarding sound and feel. However, for me the draw biased in the Speed hurt me, as that is my miss. I found the same results in the Max LS as you. Straighter flight, great trajectory and excellent distance. Thus I went with the Max LS.
 
:unsure: Move away from ball, check swing weight - a little more mass may help ball speed - an aspirin, not the whole bottle.

At 45 inches and 60g shaft, experimented with 11g, 8g and now 6g of aftermarket weights to find ball speed/carry balance. 11g was very straight but very heavy - D6-7, 8g was about D5+, 6g may be D4. Need to hop on Trackman sometime.
Great insight on the weighting and thanks! I need to do some homework and figure out the SW of this combo. It does feel a little light but my scale broke so I need to get a new one of those too, lol. I do love this hobby though and the interesting data that comes with it!

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I had such a great day with the Epic Max LS. I hit a couple good drives on the first few holes but I could tell by the sound/feel that they were not center strikes. I ended up with a par and a birdie during that stretch because they were still in good shape in the fairway. I then hit my next three in a row in the center of the face and this thing is just filthy long when hit correctly. The sound changes pitch and the ball does this low spin mid launch thing that is just plain beautiful in the air. I did not hit it center the entire round but I drove the ball good all day with great results.

I would agree about the sound of the LS not being the best Callaway has ever made but it is not what I would consider bad. The Standard Mavrik sound/feel was the best I have ever played. I have not tried the Epic Speed as of yet but I would bet it is similar to the std. Mavrik. I can say without question that the Epic Max LS is a good bit more forgiving than the Mavrik and the left miss has been greatly reduced. The sound of a club is a small thing to overcome if it fits you and makes your miss more playable. If I was a better driver of the ball I would be drawn to the Epic Speed but I know that I am better off with the forgiveness of the Max LS and its neutral setup and fade capability make it perfect for my left miss. There is no aluminum bat sound with the LS no matter where on the face you hit it and for that I am grateful.
 
I had such a great day with the Epic Max LS. I hit a couple good drives on the first few holes but I could tell by the sound/feel that they were not center strikes. I ended up with a par and a birdie during that stretch because they were still in good shape in the fairway. I then hit my next three in a row in the center of the face and this thing is just filthy long when hit correctly. The sound changes pitch and the ball does this low spin mid launch thing that is just plain beautiful in the air. I did not hit it center the entire round but I drove the ball good all day with great results.

I would agree about the sound of the LS not being the best Callaway has ever made but it is not what I would consider bad. The Standard Mavrik sound/feel was the best I have ever played. I have not tried the Epic Speed as of yet but I would bet it is similar to the std. Mavrik. I can say without question that the Epic Max LS is a good bit more forgiving than the Mavrik and the left miss has been greatly reduced. The sound of a club is a small thing to overcome if it fits you and makes your miss more playable. If I was a better driver of the ball I would be drawn to the Epic Speed but I know that I am better off with the forgiveness of the Max LS and its neutral setup and fade capability make it perfect for my left miss. There is no aluminum bat sound with the LS no matter where on the face you hit it and for that I am grateful.
I think that you are correct. The Speed and standard Mavrik are very similar in sound/feel.
 
Think I hit one of the longest drives I've ever hit with the Speed today. On 17 we were right into a 20 mph + wind, smoked one and it went 230. On 18 we went back the other way and had the wind at our back, and I decided to hit one high and let it ride, and got one out to 310. Nothing like an 80 yard difference based on wind haha. Have played a lot of golf over the last 3 days and enjoying the Speed more every round is a telling sign of how good it is.
 
I just got my weird science on and tried to get some swing weight info using the primitive method while being precise as I could. My head weighs 193g and the total club weight was 322g. Being as careful as I could I found the balance point and took some measurements. SW was showing d0-d1 based on the chart I have. For fun I swapped in the 7g weight from my 3 wood to the driver head (had a 5g in it) and redid the measurement and got d4.

Kind of enjoyed tinkering around but not going to obsess over the SW as much as feel. I ordered an 8,10, and 12 gram weight to do some testing and see what happens. Should be a fun experiment.

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I’ve since switched shafts to the cypher 5.0 after bringing my Max back in for more testing last Monday.
I averaged 84 that day. I’d say you need to at least be in the low to mid 90’s or have a very quick transition for the 5.5 IM10.
The Cally rep was there with me and the fitter last week, and he said by definition it’s a stiffer shaft throughout it’s entire length than the riptide and the cypher. Then you get into the whole Project x line playing stiff to flex issue...
Here’s the thing, I could’ve played the 5.5 IM-10, and gotten away with it, but I’d never have gotten the best out of it. I never had a chance to hit it in the 5.0 like I wanted to, but the Cypher was so much better for me, I was okay with that.
I was almost leery of posting 20-25 yards better thinking how ridiculous that sounds at my SS, but it was. I wasn’t even getting 200 carry with the IM-10.
Good luck to you, let me know how you make out with your testing...
Thanks for the insight. I decided to to with the Max LS 10.5 with the Tour AD HD5s. I tried it today for the first time. I put the Max LS in the Draw position and hit some nice mid height drives. My swing speed is just shy of 90 but I hit a handful of drives over 225 according to my Garmin watch. I hit one downwind 241. I love the feeling of the ball off the head. The Tour AD HD 5 is a really smooth feeling firm shaft. Doesn't feel boardy at all. I do really have to turn my hands over and put the head in draw to get a nice baby draw with it. I can tell that the Max LS is low spin but not too low. Great combo for me.
 
Well after the honeymoon period, my struggles off the tee with driver are coming back a little bit. Only hit one fairway tonight and it wasn't really close on the misses either. I've said it before, but toe side on the Speed is really saving me strokes that I should be losing by keeping the ball relatively in play. Just wish I didn't have to test the damn forgiveness so often. I'm going to have a wear mark on the toe if I don't straighten my swing out soon lol
 
Kind of forgot I've been bringing the Epic Speed FW with me lately. Been hitting mostly shaped bullets with it in limited outings, which it excels at. Really only tried to spin one up in the air so far and it was a dogleg draw off the tee. Great trajectory and nearly plugged at 270y so it was more than encouraging. Kind of looking forward to using it when things dry out more or on one of our trips.

Feels familiar after playing the sub zero fairway a lot last year, and coming from the rogue White 130 70x, the MMT 70X tipped seems like a decent fit.
 
Well after the honeymoon period, my struggles off the tee with driver are coming back a little bit. Only hit one fairway tonight and it wasn't really close on the misses either. I've said it before, but toe side on the Speed is really saving me strokes that I should be losing by keeping the ball relatively in play. Just wish I didn't have to test the damn forgiveness so often. I'm going to have a wear mark on the toe if I don't straighten my swing out soon lol
Standing to far away from the ball? Reaching to much? Just something to check.
 
Love the epic max 10.5 regular smoke shaft feels so good
 
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