Callaway MAVRIK Drivers

[OldandStiff]

Oof. Lotta swings. Is there an exhaustion handicap I can apply to my upcoming round for gambling purposes??

Overall distance numbers very similar between the SZ and standard. Seeing them on an indoor mat the difference in the way they sit at address is more obvious. I've decided I actually like the head shape of the standard more. Toe numbers seemed better with it, which is my miss. Ball flight wasn't as drastically different as I expected after yesterday. Noticeable, but it would play. Spin numbers were actually a tad low on a couple SZ hits, but it won by a mile on ability to shape a shot for me. I couldn't move that standard left to right well at all, regardless of settings. Not that I move it left to right well generally, it's my weakness, but I could surprisingly well with the SZ, while still being able to easily hit my standard little draw. It was nice to see that wasn't a small sample size anomaly yesterday.

 

[Jman]

 

[Snickerdog]

Oof. Lotta swings. Is there an exhaustion handicap I can apply to my upcoming round for gambling purposes??

Overall numbers very similar between the SZ and standard. Seeing them on an indoor mat the difference in the way they sit at address is more obvious. I've decided I actually like the shape of the standard more. Toe numbers seemed better with it, which is my miss. Ball flight wasn't as drastically different as I expected after yesterday. Noticeable, but it would play. Spin numbers were actually a tad low on a couple SZ hits, but it won by a mile on ability to shape a shot for me. I couldn't move that standard left to right well at all, regardless of settings. Not that I move it left to right well generally, it's my weakness, but I could surprisingly well with the SZ, while still being able to easily hit my standard little draw. It was nice to see that wasn't a small sample size anomaly yesterday.

Good thought and nice little review.

 

[Jman]

 

[Jman]

 

[Jman]

 

[TRyan]

Jman,

Your pictures are phenomenal. This thing is freaking beautiful to me.

 

[McLovin]

I did ask about it, and they acknowledged that there was some demand so it was offered. They implemented some of those design elements into the new SZ driver.

my recollection from the presentation is that the MAVRIK Sub Zero is heavily inspired by the EPIC Flash Sub Zero Triple Diamond. maybe someone can correct me, but my takeaway was that it is nearly identical in shaping. again, I may have misunderstood.

 

[tomcat]

my recollection from the presentation is that the MAVRIK Sub Zero is heavily inspired by the EPIC Flash Sub Zero Triple Diamond. maybe someone can correct me, but my takeaway was that it is nearly identical in shaping. again, I may have misunderstood.

Notes say, "shape will be similar to Flash SZ triple diamond, flatter lie angle"

 

[Jman]

Notes say, "shape will be similar to Flash SZ triple diamond, flatter lie angle"

Yessir, that’s one thing I tried to denote in the article as well, Better players often flock to that flatter lie angle.

 

[TRyan]

I need some more Jman feedback on this bad boy.

 

[Jman]

I need some more Jman feedback on this bad boy.

Haha, home soon dude. I’m letting the Gdaddy guys do their thing before I jump in the game.

 

[bigskyirish]

my recollection from the presentation is that the MAVRIK Sub Zero is heavily inspired by the EPIC Flash Sub Zero Triple Diamond. maybe someone can correct me, but my takeaway was that it is nearly identical in shaping. again, I may have misunderstood.

I think this is right. Personally, I love the shape. It seems a little more compact and deeper-faced to me.

 

[McLovin]

all this buzz has me taking these clubs to the range everyday!

I went back to the range with this driver today. I bumped the setting up to state loft and neutral hosel. I got away from some of what my instructor had me doing last year, so i'm trying to get those feels back. I also wanted to focus on getting my belt to the target because I've been hanging back at impact. and lastly I teed the ball down a good bit, because I heard a tip not long ago that if you're missing thin you can tee the ball down and it will make you stay down through the ball which seems counterintuitive but it actually worked quite well.

out of the middle of the face, this is the best feeling driver I've ever hit. even better than last year's f9 that I said was the best feeling driver i'd ever hit. this one is just perfection. there's a youtube video that dropped recently in which they hit all 3 drivers, and commented that the max had a much different sound. personally, I love the sound of the max. it's such a great blend between responsive yet still with a soft/mute to it.

i was seeing much better height and distance, so i'm encouraged to keep working on this. this driver is FUN.

 

[Jman]

Grandaddy guys have me REALLY hoping THP can get a max head in to do some side by sides for this review article I’m working on!

 

[radiman]

Grandaddy guys have me REALLY hoping THP can get a max head in to do some side by sides for this review article I’m working on!

Ha! They're doing a great job selling it. I didn't get a chance to try it at my fitting and now I am wanting to sneak over and see if demo heads are available. For science and all.

 

[Jiffypop]

I hit the STD & SZ in 9* with the PX EF Riptide 60 S & the Aldila Rogue white130 in S
They feel light in my hand. The sound on a centered (not necessarily perfect) hit was sweet.
Both shafts felt long, very long. I actually had to choke down on them to swing.

Normally, I have no issues launching my drivers at 17-18.5*.
Both of these I never got above 15* for me. This is a good thing.

Mishits, even the really crappy ones, did way better than they should have.
They did not in any way save my awful swings.
However, I noticed that the ball speed stayed up on all hits except the very worse of strikes. Nothing saves those.

Both heads spun nicely, unless I really carved one badly to the left (FORE RIGHT!)
The STD model was in the 2200-2500 range. (about 40 swings)
SZ was 2000-2200 consistently (about 20 swings)

I think I prefer the SZ overall, but I want to try it with the hvy wgt in the back. This is where I have them in my OG EPIC SZ.
I like to see my spin right between these 2, so moving the weight back might just do it.

The STD wanted to lay way, way open for me. I did not like that at all. I think it’s the way I ground the club & then the short back of the STD model causes the
head lay wide open, toe up. This more a “me” issue than any fault of the club.

To confirm my swing was G-awful today, I had them put my EF Blue 6.0 into the STD model and things were not any better.
The launch was up about 1 to 1.5*, but that was the only difference.

Today just means I need to try this again another day.

 

[Snickerdog]

Mishits, even the really crappy ones, did way better than they should have.
They did not in any way save my awful swings.
However, I noticed that the ball speed stayed up on all hits except the very worse of strikes. Nothing saves those

This is where the driver shines on those mishits and retaining ball speed.

 

[uman]

View attachment 8922463

The Mavrik Driver

During my fitting at ECPC, my fitter, Nick, really honed in on the standard Mavrik after seeing me miss right with my irons more than I would like to admit What he told me was that the standard Mavrik has a slight draw bias to it. I was open minded and ready to try anything he wanted to put in my hands.

Draw bias the guy says. Huh? I look down at the club and the first thing I notice is that the face angle is far from closed as I would expect most draw biased drivers to be. If anything, it almost appears that it sits a bit more open than my Epic Flash SZ from last year. Anyhow, we pretty much stuck with the standard model as we tried a few shafts. The numbers with it were great. If anything, it was probably spinning a couple hundred RPM’s more than what I am used to seeing. But, the flight was good.

So, that’s how I came upon the driver. Now, I will try to break this down into what I see as the intangibles. Then, I will share what I have seen so far in terms of performance.


Looks:

I have always gravitated towards the smaller footprint drivers. I don’t like to see a lot of junk in the trunk. I played the Epic SZ, the Rogue SZ, and the Epic Flash SZ most recently. I could have played the standard OG Epic, but I felt the standard Rogue and Epic Flash drivers were too elongated for me. Just not a shape I wanted to see. So, I was a little apprehensive when the fitter recommended the standard Mavrik. But, I am glad he did. The shape isn’t quite as rounded and compact as the past SZ models that I have played. But, it is not elongated either. If I had to pick a comparison in terms of shape, I cannot think of a Callaway driver in recent memory that it reminds me of. From the side, you can see the noticeable aerodynamic design as the sole sweeps up to meet the crown. We’ll touch more on that later. Anyhow, it passed the looks test with flying colors.

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Sound/Feel:

Alright, here is the hot topic. The Epic Flash was not universally loved for its sound. I am not going to argue that. It wasn’t the most pleasant to me but I enjoyed the performance enough to overlook it. Here, we are entering what I would call probably the most subjective portion of a driver, or any club for that matter, review. What sounds and feels good to me does not necessarily mean that you are going to enjoy it. I got along fine with the Epic Flash, a lot of people didn’t. I could not stand the sound of the Ping G lineup, but it’s been a big seller for them and a lot of golfers love it.

I really enjoy the low tone, dull sound of a carbon driver. Ever since the FT Tour came out, I was hooked on it. Almost every Callaway driver that I hit from that point fell in that category. The Epic Flash did not. But, Callaway made a pivot here. They used their fancy super computer and created what they are calling Acoustic AI. There are fins designed within the head that aid in creating a more muted sound than the Epic Flash. It isn’t quite OG Epic dull. But, it is extremely pleasing.

When you connect with this driver, it feels like the ball sticks to the face for an extra milliseconds longer than normal and just absolutely launches. It is so hard to describe. I love it. And, if you give this club a fair chance, I would find it hard to believe that anyone could walk away and say that this club doesn’t feel great. Regardless if you are buying it or not.


Tech:

We are looking at some interesting technology at play here. First, they built off of the success of the Flash face and have designed a face for each model that is even further optimized, delivering great ball speed over a larger area of the club face. The cool thing here is that they optimized each model independently of one another. So, the standard, SZ, and Max models each have a different face. They have utilized a stronger titanium in the process as well. SS20, the Super Strength face for 2020.

Second, to improve the acoustics, they have implemented Acoustic AI. The engineers leveraged the super computer to come up with what appear to be seemingly random fins inside the head that give this driver it’s addicting sound.

View attachment 8922467

Third, at least in the standard model, they have implemented a pretty sleek aerodynamic sole shape. An aerodynamic design that makes the standard model the fastest out of the lineup. OEM’s have used aerodynamics in the past with some success. I recall the Cobra F9 being an interesting feel as you swing the club. That is the same feeling I get when swinging the Mavrik. You can feel that there is less drag as the club cuts through the air. How much more swing speed that equates to for myself, I am unsure of at this point.

View attachment 8922468

Otherwise, the Mavrik drivers all utilize the same Optiforce hosel that Callaway has used for the last so many years. So, if you have an old trusty driver shaft, you don’t have to worry. You can plug it into these heads with a few turns of the wrench.


Performance:

I suppose, it wouldn’t be much of a review if I didn’t share what I have been seeing in performance. Take this for what it’s worth so far as I have had an extremely limited time with this club in actual play. Minnesota winters are not conducive to early club testing.

From the first shot with this driver, I noticed that it is going to be a higher launching head than my old Epic Flash SZ. As long as the spin remains manageable, that’s fine by me. I wouldn’t call this driver low spin, but I really would never say that it’s a higher spinning club either. It seems to live in the realm of 2500-2700. Where I was probably 2300-2500 in my past SZ drivers.

My Epic Flash SZ was no slouch off the tee. So, I am not surprised to see that I am getting similar ball speeds as I did in the past. The only caveat is that I seem to be having less cringe worth drives. Lol. I don’t have the data yet to prove it. But, I have a feeling that this driver is much more forgiving than the SZ I was playing before. There have been a few shots off the toe that I look up and see that I have hardly lost any ball speed at all. That is what has me excited about this release.

I have been hitting the driver in an indoor only scenario since returning from the Grandaddy. I have made a couple attempts at retrieving LM data. But, it has not gone according to plan. It is still in the cards in the future and I will share comparison data on both the Mavrik and the Epic Flash SZ I am coming from.

These are the numbers I grabbed when my swing was most definitely showing it's winter rust.

View attachment 8922472

I am not too upset about the results. The smash was relatively high given the poor contact. If anything, it's a good example of what the driver can do for you when you're off

My Random Thoughts:

I understand that some people are going to try and make an apples to oranges comparison between the Mavrik and Epic Flash line. Just want to throw out the reminder that this line is not replacing the Epic Flash, rather complimenting it. I am providing my feedback between the two lineups as it is my most recent driver before this.

I honestly prefer the lack of a sliding weight. I have never felt that the sliding weights are a high enough percentage of the overall head weight to make a meaningful impact on ball flight. At least in my experience, I have not noticed it impact my game much at all. So, I am happy to save the weight of the sliding track and have it redistributed elsewhere to make a more forgiving club.

Seriously guys. This club sounds and feels fantastic. Plus, coming in right at $500 makes it a pretty attractive option vs other clubs on the market. But, get out there and try it for yourself. If you are content with what you have or find another club is a better fit, so be it. But, you owe it to yourself to at least give this club a look if you’re in the market.

Please, feel free to ask any questions. I will be here sharing what I know and trying to help complete the story on this line.

Here are some comparison pics I grabbed of my Epic Flash SZ and the new Mavrik.

View attachment 8922469
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I do like the shape and am happy to hear the sound is more muted than the Flash. The sound of the Flash was not something I could ever tolerate in my bag. I’ll have a chance hit the Mavrik today as I’m headed to the indoor simulator at the club with a buddy.

The black/ copper color scheme for me is t h e best look to date.Another winner far Callaway. Their driver releases are better than all the rest.

 

[uman]

So what about the shafts available? Are they "made for Callaway" or the "real deal" with all the bells and whistles or deviated somehow to cost less than the "real deal"?

I went to their website and viewed a Mavrik podcast. The Callaway guys stated that the stock shafts are all the real deal.

 

[uman]

There are no price reductions currently on Epic Flash, so price will play a difference there. As will sound/feel.
There are also more movable parts with Epic Flash that might appease to some.
Comes down to choices.

Callaway podcast guys said they feel a wider variety of golfers can be fit with the 3 Mavrik models. I feel the AWT WEIGHT track works but find it interesting that eliminating it may produce designs that equate to a little better performance in the line

 

[tomcat]

The black/ copper color scheme

Just so you don't get them in hand and are disappointed...it's very much orange, not really a copper tint.

 

[Nate]

Tech, Tech & more Tech!!

 

[uman]

Just so you don't get them in hand and are disappointed...it's very much orange, not really a copper tint.

I get it but my old eyes see it as copper on steroids. Have not seen it in hand yet

 

[fuffle master]

View attachment 8922463

The Mavrik Driver

During my fitting at ECPC, my fitter, Nick, really honed in on the standard Mavrik after seeing me miss right with my irons more than I would like to admit What he told me was that the standard Mavrik has a slight draw bias to it. I was open minded and ready to try anything he wanted to put in my hands.

Draw bias the guy says. Huh? I look down at the club and the first thing I notice is that the face angle is far from closed as I would expect most draw biased drivers to be. If anything, it almost appears that it sits a bit more open than my Epic Flash SZ from last year. Anyhow, we pretty much stuck with the standard model as we tried a few shafts. The numbers with it were great. If anything, it was probably spinning a couple hundred RPM’s more than what I am used to seeing. But, the flight was good.

So, that’s how I came upon the driver. Now, I will try to break this down into what I see as the intangibles. Then, I will share what I have seen so far in terms of performance.


Looks:

I have always gravitated towards the smaller footprint drivers. I don’t like to see a lot of junk in the trunk. I played the Epic SZ, the Rogue SZ, and the Epic Flash SZ most recently. I could have played the standard OG Epic, but I felt the standard Rogue and Epic Flash drivers were too elongated for me. Just not a shape I wanted to see. So, I was a little apprehensive when the fitter recommended the standard Mavrik. But, I am glad he did. The shape isn’t quite as rounded and compact as the past SZ models that I have played. But, it is not elongated either. If I had to pick a comparison in terms of shape, I cannot think of a Callaway driver in recent memory that it reminds me of. From the side, you can see the noticeable aerodynamic design as the sole sweeps up to meet the crown. We’ll touch more on that later. Anyhow, it passed the looks test with flying colors.

View attachment 8922464
View attachment 8922465
View attachment 8922466


Sound/Feel:

Alright, here is the hot topic. The Epic Flash was not universally loved for its sound. I am not going to argue that. It wasn’t the most pleasant to me but I enjoyed the performance enough to overlook it. Here, we are entering what I would call probably the most subjective portion of a driver, or any club for that matter, review. What sounds and feels good to me does not necessarily mean that you are going to enjoy it. I got along fine with the Epic Flash, a lot of people didn’t. I could not stand the sound of the Ping G lineup, but it’s been a big seller for them and a lot of golfers love it.

I really enjoy the low tone, dull sound of a carbon driver. Ever since the FT Tour came out, I was hooked on it. Almost every Callaway driver that I hit from that point fell in that category. The Epic Flash did not. But, Callaway made a pivot here. They used their fancy super computer and created what they are calling Acoustic AI. There are fins designed within the head that aid in creating a more muted sound than the Epic Flash. It isn’t quite OG Epic dull. But, it is extremely pleasing.

When you connect with this driver, it feels like the ball sticks to the face for an extra milliseconds longer than normal and just absolutely launches. It is so hard to describe. I love it. And, if you give this club a fair chance, I would find it hard to believe that anyone could walk away and say that this club doesn’t feel great. Regardless if you are buying it or not.


Tech:

We are looking at some interesting technology at play here. First, they built off of the success of the Flash face and have designed a face for each model that is even further optimized, delivering great ball speed over a larger area of the club face. The cool thing here is that they optimized each model independently of one another. So, the standard, SZ, and Max models each have a different face. They have utilized a stronger titanium in the process as well. SS20, the Super Strength face for 2020.

Second, to improve the acoustics, they have implemented Acoustic AI. The engineers leveraged the super computer to come up with what appear to be seemingly random fins inside the head that give this driver it’s addicting sound.

View attachment 8922467

Third, at least in the standard model, they have implemented a pretty sleek aerodynamic sole shape. An aerodynamic design that makes the standard model the fastest out of the lineup. OEM’s have used aerodynamics in the past with some success. I recall the Cobra F9 being an interesting feel as you swing the club. That is the same feeling I get when swinging the Mavrik. You can feel that there is less drag as the club cuts through the air. How much more swing speed that equates to for myself, I am unsure of at this point.

View attachment 8922468

Otherwise, the Mavrik drivers all utilize the same Optiforce hosel that Callaway has used for the last so many years. So, if you have an old trusty driver shaft, you don’t have to worry. You can plug it into these heads with a few turns of the wrench.


Performance:

I suppose, it wouldn’t be much of a review if I didn’t share what I have been seeing in performance. Take this for what it’s worth so far as I have had an extremely limited time with this club in actual play. Minnesota winters are not conducive to early club testing.

From the first shot with this driver, I noticed that it is going to be a higher launching head than my old Epic Flash SZ. As long as the spin remains manageable, that’s fine by me. I wouldn’t call this driver low spin, but I really would never say that it’s a higher spinning club either. It seems to live in the realm of 2500-2700. Where I was probably 2300-2500 in my past SZ drivers.

My Epic Flash SZ was no slouch off the tee. So, I am not surprised to see that I am getting similar ball speeds as I did in the past. The only caveat is that I seem to be having less cringe worth drives. Lol. I don’t have the data yet to prove it. But, I have a feeling that this driver is much more forgiving than the SZ I was playing before. There have been a few shots off the toe that I look up and see that I have hardly lost any ball speed at all. That is what has me excited about this release.

I have been hitting the driver in an indoor only scenario since returning from the Grandaddy. I have made a couple attempts at retrieving LM data. But, it has not gone according to plan. It is still in the cards in the future and I will share comparison data on both the Mavrik and the Epic Flash SZ I am coming from.

These are the numbers I grabbed when my swing was most definitely showing it's winter rust.

View attachment 8922472

I am not too upset about the results. The smash was relatively high given the poor contact. If anything, it's a good example of what the driver can do for you when you're off

My Random Thoughts:

I understand that some people are going to try and make an apples to oranges comparison between the Mavrik and Epic Flash line. Just want to throw out the reminder that this line is not replacing the Epic Flash, rather complimenting it. I am providing my feedback between the two lineups as it is my most recent driver before this.

I honestly prefer the lack of a sliding weight. I have never felt that the sliding weights are a high enough percentage of the overall head weight to make a meaningful impact on ball flight. At least in my experience, I have not noticed it impact my game much at all. So, I am happy to save the weight of the sliding track and have it redistributed elsewhere to make a more forgiving club.

Seriously guys. This club sounds and feels fantastic. Plus, coming in right at $500 makes it a pretty attractive option vs other clubs on the market. But, get out there and try it for yourself. If you are content with what you have or find another club is a better fit, so be it. But, you owe it to yourself to at least give this club a look if you’re in the market.

Please, feel free to ask any questions. I will be here sharing what I know and trying to help complete the story on this line.

Here are some comparison pics I grabbed of my Epic Flash SZ and the new Mavrik.

View attachment 8922469
View attachment 8922470
View attachment 8922471

This is a fantastic review. Thanks for all the pictures and how detailed you got. Just great.