If you’re looking to maximize clubhead speed for more distance in your shots, you’re going to love the Callaway Epic Speed driver. This straightforward driver is the fastest of the three clubs in the Epic range, and reviews show it’s around 0.8-1.5mph faster than the Epic MAX or MAX LS.
So, with a 1-mph increase in clubhead speed equating to around three yards of extra distance, that means you get more out of your drives with the Epic Speed. Callaway also managed to pull off the extra head speed without reducing the size.
You get a full 460cc clubhead with advanced aerodynamic design bringing you the lowest levels of drag during your swing.
Content
Technical Review
The Epic Speed driver comes with a revolutionary A.I. design of the Flash Face and Jailbreak Speed Frame. This translates into more speed across the clubface than the Mavrik, the predecessor to the Epic Speed.
You get a “Cyclone Aero” design that flattens the crown on the clubhead, elongating the trailing edge to provide less drag for higher club speeds. The Epic Speed comes with a 16-gram weight reduction over the Mavrik. The composite design of the Callaway Epic Speed driver is its secret sauce. Callaway chose to go with a triaxial carbon over titanium for the crown.
You’ll find a low positioning of the toe patch to enhance ball flight and give you the perfect trajectory for your shots. The rise never seems to end with every shot from the Epic Speed, and you’ll feel like a pro when you dial it in at the range. You’ll find the composite clubhead adds draw bias while improving your carry distance.
The A.I. tech used in combination with proprietary materials in the Epic Speed brings the beginner a driver with more club speed and forgiveness than many others in its class and price range. The updated Jailbreak Speed Frame brings torsional and horizontal stability to the already amazing vertical stability in the frame.
The result is a higher ball speed off the tee and more distance. The new “Flash Face” technology gives you plenty of forgiveness across the clubface. So, if you’re a beginner/intermediate, it won’t matter where you contact the ball as the sweet spot is large, and you get consistent drive towards the edges.
Callaway designed the Jailbreak Speed Frame to optimize the performance of the Flash Face, and the combination produces some of the cleanest, longest drives in its class. The Flash Face features variable thickness at strategic points, allowing for faster ball speeds across a much larger clubface area.
Callaway chooses to go with the use of triaxial carbon for the toe. The result enhances the natural draw bias and the tendency to promote powerful shot shapes. We think Callaway’s OptiFit Hosel is a handy feature of the club, allowing customization of the loft and lie to suit your swing.
The OptiFit Hosel allows adjustment of the loft and lie to eight combination settings. The hosel operates through the use of dual cogs rotating independently to adjust the loft from -1 to +2 degrees, with full adjustment between draw, lie, and fade biases.
- Epic Speed will change the industry forever with a simple equation that creates a profound impact on driver technology and performance. We’re not just making drivers; we’re framing the future of speed.
- Epic ball speeds start with our new A.I.-designed Jailbreak Speed Frame. By applying Artificial Intelligence, this new structure improves stability in the horizontal and torsional direction as well.
- Our A.I.-designed Flash Face is specifically engineered to optimize the Jailbreak Speed Frame, promoting fast speeds across a more expansive area.
- The advanced aerodynamic head construction promotes lower drag for higher head speed. The taller ribbon and flatter crown are engineered for a precise and more aerodynamic shape that can help golfers generate more speed from their swing.
- Our proprietary Triaxial carbon covers a larger portion of the crown and toe, leading to weight savings of over 16 grams vs. a titanium crown. Callaway engineers have redistributed that saved weight to enhance forgiveness versus previous MAVRIK designs.
Shaft and Loft Options
The Callaway Epic Speed features a premium shaft as standard equipment. You get the Project X HZRDUS Smoke iM10 available in 50 or 60-gram options. There’s also the option for the Project X Cypher 40-gram for a more lightweight option with greater flexibility.
The Callaway Epic Speed driver offers you three loft options at 9, 10.5, or 12 degrees. The OptiFit Hosel offers full adjustment capability from -1 to +2 degrees.
Performance
The Epic Speed is a hard club to beat when it comes to straight-line speed. Compared to the other drivers in the Epic range, the Speed is a standalone that anyone who needs to up their ball speed and distance can appreciate.
Callaway’s reshaped clubhead design in the Epic series is an effort to get more speed while mitigating the problem of sacrificing forgiveness across the clubface. So, if you have issues landing dead center at the bottom of your swing, the Epic Speed will give you enough forgiveness across the face to keep the drive straight and in line with your aim.
John Rahm relies on the consistency of the clubface towards the center and the distance it achieves, along with its remarkable workability.
The Epic Speed also offers better MOI (moment of inertia) over the Epic Flash driver, keeping the clubhead stable through your swing, making it surprisingly forgiving. The carbon patch on the toe of the Epic Speed generates mid-range spin rates, with higher launch angles and a slight draw bias over the Mavrik.
Suitable Handicaps for the Callaway Epic Speed Driver
Callaway designed the Epic Speed with all levels of golfer in mind. The Callaway Epic Speed offers you reliable performance and outstanding balance and weight distribution from beginner to advanced golfers and even the pros.
The Epic Speed is ideal for mid-level handicap golfers looking to upgrade their equipment to something affordable and reliable, with a performance edge. You’ll probably have a better time going with the MAX model if you’re a beginner. However, those beginner/intermediates will love the extra speed and distance they achieve with the Epic Speed.
Weight Distribution
The Callaway Epic Speed relies on its proprietary triaxial-carbon materials on the construction of the club head crown and toe to increase clubhead speed. The 16 to 19 gram saving of weight across the clubface compared to titanium models increase ball speed and distance without affecting the stability in your shots.
Styling and Finish
The Epic Speed comes with a clean, minimalist look. The understated design on the crown is not distracting and feels stable when addressing the ball. Apart from the “Epic” branding printed on the trailing edge of the crown, there’s not much going on here.
You get a distraction-free environment to focus on your alignment aid with the chevron guiding your lineup to the center of the clubface. The bottom of the clubhead is another story, and the Epic comes with colorful, flashy “on brand” bright white and green accents. There’s the “Speed” branding over the bottom to remind you what you’re focusing on when you fill it from the bag.
The four Jailbreak anchor points on the clubhead are visible from the bottom. There’s a noticeable difference between the Epic and Mavrik lines. The green accents integrate well with the design of the HZRDUS shaft, completing the look.
You get an attractive green, and white headcover included with the Epic Speed.
Acoustics and Feel
When you pull the Epic Speed out of the bag at the driving range and remove the cover, you’ll notice the impressive acoustics and balanced feel of the driver right from the first shot. Contact the ball on the sweet spot, and it explodes off the face, even when you’re slightly off-center with your shot.
When making contact with the ball, you get minimal feedback through the hands, giving you the impression of solid control over the club at all times throughout your swing. You’ll feel the power and the speed even when taking warm-up swings at the range.
The acoustics of the Epic Speed match its explosive power. It’s not as high-pitched as you expect, with more tone rounding out the sound than in titanium models. Making off-center strikes results in a less impressive sound and feedback through the club, giving you an idea of when you make mistakes in your swing.
Callaway Epic Speed Driver – Pros and Cons
Pros
- Square and powerful address to the ball.
- Better clubhead speed than its predecessor, the Mavrik.
- Increased distance over the Mavrik.
- The Flash Face technology and Jailbreak V 2.0 frame enhance forgiveness across the clubface.
- Cyclone Aero-head increases your head speed for generating extra distance.
- Unmatched acoustics, feedback, and a feel of control in the hands.
- OptiFit Hosel permits easy adjustment of the loft/lie/face angles.
Cons
- No transferrable weight across the depth or width of the clubhead.
- Off-center hits are not as forgiving as models like the Cobra RADspeed.
- Limited feedback through the shaft may irritate advanced golfers that rely on more feedback.
- The Callaway Epic Speed comes with a premium price tag.
Wrapping Up – The Verdict on the Callaway Epic Speed Driver
The Callaway Epic Speed driver is a great choice for those beginner-intermediate players looking to upgrade their driver to something with more club speed. You’ll find you get a lightweight, high-performance driver that adds to your distance totals.
The Epic Speed promises you the best clubhead speed in its category and a significant upgrade to the Mavrik. The A.I. enhanced design makes a difference in the forgiveness of the clubface, clubhead speeds, and distances you achieve with your shots.
It’s one of the best Callaway drivers to date, and you also have the option of going with the Epic Speed Max version for beginners. Callaway outdid themselves with the Epic Speed, and we can fully recommend this model with 4.5 out of 5-stars.
