Callaway Epic Max Driver

Callaway Epic Max Driver Product Review

To tee things off, we first need to iron out a common misconception which you’ve probably heard from your golf buddies at some point:

Your new driver won’t fix your *bad swing…:

(* Insert any alternative adjective you wish here *)

Well, to put it simply, they’re wrong.

Which, I know sounds too good to be true… but hear me out:

Technology in the sport has come a long way since Jack Nicholas and Arnold Palmer roamed the luscious fairways of Augusta. Despite there being mixed feelings about the distance the ball might travel now, one thing is for sure, we’ve all benefited from the new equipment in one way or another.

Don’t try and tell me you could hit a hickory golf club as far and straight as you can your old Callaway driver.

Every year, club manufacturers like Callaway stretch the legal boundaries when it comes to implementing as much technology as they can into their golf clubs.

Recently you’ve even seen some club manufacturers take their clubs beyond the legal ball speed limits, then dial them back. They are literally putting the club as close to the right side of the legal line than ever before…

Now, how will this fix your bad golf swing?

First things first, technology like Callaway’s Epic Max Driver has their patented: ‘Jailbreak’ technology.

Jailbreak is designed to not only improve ball speeds and smash factor but it’s also designed to drastically reduce spin on off-centered shots. Which for those non-techy among us, simply means straighter, longer, and more forgiveness on poorly struck golf shots.

Let’s dig a little deeper into Jailbreak:

Jailbreak Speed Frame Technology:

As previously mentioned, Callaway’s Jailbreak technology helps golfers hit the ball further.

Callaway used trifocal intelligence to measure the impact of a golf ball on their drivers. Through extensive research and artificial intelligence testing, they discovered that by placing two titanium rods parallel to the club face, with the aim of connecting the sole of the driver to the crown, resulted in the club face receiving double the kinetic load.

This was thanks to the crown and sole’s solid structure increasing the energy transfer to the face of the club, resulting in faster ball speeds and lower spin.

But you didn’t just come here to learn about Jailbreak, you came to learn about the Epic Max Driver, so let’s break down the specs.

Performance:

As mentioned, all Callaway Epic drivers have their Jailbreak a.i speed frame, so regardless of which model you choose, Epic Speed or Max, you can be reassured the tech is in both heads.

The most notable difference between the Speed and the Max is the adjustability of weights in the head of the club. The Epic Max has two adjustable weights at the front and side of the driver’s head, allowing golfers to set the weights at optimum positions across the club.

However, if your swing is more neutral and conventional, the Speed will save you a chunk of change as the weights are pre-set in the correct locations. Therefore, you’d simply be paying to have the ability to move the weights at your desire.

Launch

The launch of the driver is the height the ball takes off- the higher the launch, the higher the ball flight. Not everyone’s swing is suited to high launch conditions, so often seeking a low launch driver might be more suited to your ball flight conditions.

The launch of the ball is also majorly affected by the AoA conditions (Angle of Attack). So if you buy a high launch driver and still struggle to launch the ball high, go and work on increasing your club’s angle of attack.

Spin

The Spin rate of the driver is the number of revolutions the ball makes post-impact. Again, these numbers can be majorly influenced by a player’s swing conditions and how you release the club into the ball. However, equipping a Callaway driver with low spin technology can help you bring down your spin and improve your distance.

The spin rate of the ball is also majorly affected by your AoA, so if you still don’t notice dramatic distance increases, be sure to work with a coach on your angle of attack.

Flight Bias

The flight bias of a driver is exactly what it says. Is the ball more likely to go one way or the other based on the way the club is set up? For example, to hit a draw (right to left flight) you need to have a club face that is closed to your path and a path that is swinging from the inside.

A Callaway driver (Speed, Epic, Max) can be set closed or open, therefore aiding golfers in having a more closed path and subsequent draw-biased flight.

If you see a club with a draw flight bias in the description, it simply means the face is set closed or open, helping those using it hit either a draw (closed) or a fade (open).

Forgiveness

The forgiveness of the driver is its ability to control the ball if it’s not struck out the middle of the driver’s face. In previous years, if a golfer missed the middle of the face, the ball flight would drastically suffer.

However, thanks to Jailbreak technology and advancements in Artificial intelligence testing, Callaway has managed to become one of the leading manufactures of forgiving drivers.

If you miss the face nowadays, the ball flight will be nowhere near as affected. Do you ever see tour pros hit a shot and be disgusted with the swing yet the camera pans down the fairway and their ball is seen galloping right down the middle? Yeah, that’s thanks to the forgiveness in the face of the driver saving the golfer from embarrassment!

Footprint

The footprint of the driver is how large the driver’s head looks when you pick it up and look at it from underneath. All Callaway drivers are 460cc however, despite them being the same weight the epic speed has a slightly smaller head as it doesn’t have any of the back adjustable weights.

You Might Also Like: Our Review of the TaylorMade SiM 2 Max Driver 

Callaway Tour Pro Use:

John Rahm’s Driver Set Up:

Head: 9 Degree Epic Max Driver

Shaft: Hzrdus smoke im10 or Project x

Grip: Golf Pride TV Black

Phil Michelson’s Driver Set Up:

Head: 8.5 Degree Epic Speed Driver

Shaft: Hzrdus smoke im10

Grip: Golf Pride TV Black and white

Golf Pride Tour Velvet Black Edition:

Golf pride grips are used by more professionals than not and are available on all Callaway clubs as standard.

FAQs:

Is Callaway Coming Out With a New Driver in 2021?

Callaway historically releases a new driver every two years and in the years in-between they release fairway woods or hybrid clubs. In 2020 Callaway released their new Maverick triple diamond driver so their next release is scheduled to be the end of 2021 early 2022.

How Does the Callaway Epic Max Driver Differ From the Callaway Epic Max LS Driver?

There aren’t many stand-out differences between the Callaway Epic Max driver and the Epic Max LS when you sit them down behind the ball. However, hidden beneath the head are some major differences so it’s important you understand which club is better suited to your golf swing before your purchase:

Both have adjustable weights at the back however that being said the epic max ls is 4g lighter.

What does this mean for you?

Well, the weight at the back of the club helps golfers get the ball in the air. The lighter the weight, the less the ball wants to climb. This leads nicely on to the next difference:

The launch on the Epic Max is high whereas the Epic Max ls is low.

What does this mean for you?

If you have a high spinny ball flight, you would suit the Epic Max Ls as the launch and spin are lower. Whereas if you had a low and flat ball flight, you would suit an Epic Max

The Epic max has a slight draw bias whereas the epic max ls is set at neutral.

What does this mean for you?

If you lose your shots out to the right and struggle to turn the ball right to left then the epic max might be better suited for you as the club is set slightly closed helping improve your club’s face to path conditions.

Which is the Best Callaway Driver?

Callaway always strives to improve on their previous driver design. So with that being said, it would make sense to believe that their latest driver would contain better technology and aerodynamic characteristics than the previous models. However, the drivers are all that good nowadays that any of the last four models are still fantastic clubs

What is the Difference Between Callaway Epic and Subzero?

Aside from age, the subzero being the 2017-18 release and the epic being the 2018-19 release, there aren’t many differences at first glance, but each year the forgiveness and technology improves to help golfers squeeze out those extra few yards.