Callaway’s Epic Max driver is supposed to be the most forgiving they have ever made. So how did we find it? Let’s take a closer look…
Callaway Epic Max driver review: NCG Summary
NCG SUMMARY
A brilliant driver for players who often miss-hit the ball and are looking for some assistance keeping it in play. The Epic Max driver has a large footprint making the head feel massive behind the ball.
If you’re looking for a player’s iron but also want more speed and distance, then these might be the irons for you.
PROS
- Very adjustable
- Good ball speed from all strike locations
- Low draw-biased CG makes it easy to hit high and straight
CONS
- Not the longest Callaway driver available
Callaway Epic Max driver review: First impressions
The Callaway Epic Max driver is the most forgiving driver in Callaway’s Epic range, and it certainly looks that way when you put it behind the ball.
The face is relatively shallow compared to a lot of drivers on the market at the moment, and that has allowed Callaway to build a club that appears huge behind the ball, inspiring confidence in the player.
Callaway Epic Max driver review: NCG verdict
I tested this driver on a day when I certainly didn’t have my best swing, so I was able to really put all of Callaway’s forgiveness technology to the test. I like the oversized head design as it made me feel like I didn’t need to have my best swing to get the ball in play, which some of the more compact head designs don’t offer.
I was able to hit basically every location on the face and to be honest, I was very impressed at how straight the shots finished and how solid the driver felt. The Epic Max features a Triaxial Carbon material which allowed them to save 19g of weight that could be redistributed around the head to provide better ball speeds on miss-hit shots.
Although this isn’t the hottest Callaway driver I have hit, I was really pleased with how tight the left-to-right dispersion of my shots were. To only have about 14 yards between the furthest left and furthest right shot I hit on the day is a real testament to the new A.I. designed flash face, which optimises speed and spin for all strike locations.
The consistent spin should be a huge factor for players who often miss-hit a shot. This is because a mis-hit where the spin drops too much will result in shots that don’t hang in the air for very long, and too much spin robs you of the total distance.
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Some great news is that this driver features Callaway’s adjustable perimeter weight. Any time we can further customise a driver to our own shot pattern we should do so.
If you are a fade/slicer of the ball the Callaway Epic Max should certainly be an option if you are searching for a new driver as you can really set it up to stop the ball from going right.
I tried the Callaway Epic Max with the 10.5-degree head and Project X HZRDUS Smoke IM10 60 graphite shaft. The mid-kick point shaft option works great in the driver to maintain a powerful flight, with a lot of the technology in the head designed to get the ball up in the air more.
This driver should definitely be considered by players who aren’t the most consistent drivers of the ball and could do with finding some more fairways to reduce their score.
Callaway Epic Max driver review: The details
Available: Now
RRP: £499
Lofts: 9 degrees, 10.5 degrees, 12 degrees
Stock shafts:
Project X HZRDUS Smoke IM10 60 graphite: regular, stiff
Project X HZRDUS Smoke IM10 50 graphite: regular stiff
Project X Cypher 40 graphite: light
More information: Callaway website
Jack Backhouse
NCG Review Team
Specialism: Golf clubs
Jack is a PGA Golf Professional who specialises in coaching. He also loves his golf equipment and getting into the data of the latest clubs on the market.
Jack has quickly become a go-to for expertise on a wide range of golf products but specialises in reviewing hardware. If you are looking for some new golf clubs make sure you have checked out his latest driver, fairway wood or iron reviews.Â
He previously worked in wealth management, all of this means that number crunching and launch monitors are his favourite thing in the world.
Jack is a member at Sandmoor Golf Club and regularly gets out on the golf course to maintain his scratch handicap.
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