Equipment

Callaway Epic Forged irons: Premium speed in a forged body

Published

5 years ago

Jul 16, 2019

With the release of the original Epic irons, Callaway did something they had never done before—build an iron that oozed ball speed and hid a lot of tech in a mid-sized package. Now imagine all that technology and greater speed in a more refined shape with a forged body…that is the all-new Epic Forged.

Built with the idea of offering speed and shotmaking in one package, the Epic Forged achieves all of that thanks to tech that is being used for the first time in a forged iron. The most notable being the Suspended Tungsten Core—which is comprised of the densest form of this heavy element. The issue with using this almost pure form of Tungsten is that it’s extremely hard to work with when using conventional construction methods. But Callaway defies convention and is using the patented Urethane Microspheres in the Suspended Tungsten core of the Epic Forged to precisely position mass creating the ideal center of gravity. This promotes controlled launch and spin, while allowing the face to flex as needed to create maximum ball speeds.

So what good is all this speed if you can’t control it?

Variable Face Thickness: Sure this tech isn’t new, it dates back to the above Hawkeye VFT driver (that was a great driver in its day), but if the Epic Flash driver has taught us anything, it’s that by looking beyond convention you can find new ways to utilize known technology. Built into the 360 Cup Face, the newly designed VFT pattern helps players achieve even more consistent ball speed and spin rates club to club. The reason this is so important: Callaway knows even average golfers want a club they can hit controlled shots with. A 7-iron isn’t any good if you’re not confident in the hitting the shot you want to.

Don’t think that we’re done talking about what these have under the hood just yet…

Since the Epic Forged irons go all the way into a sand wedge, there were some design decisions to be made to on how to make sure the scoring and recovery clubs still offer forgiveness but with even greater consistency and feel, Starting at the approach wedge and going to the sand wedge (the set goes PW, AW, GW, SW), instead of using the 17-4 SS cup face, Callaway engineers are using a forged faceplate to compliment the forged body. Inside of these still-hollow wedges, they are using a resistance welding technique to precisely locate a MIM (metal injection molded) Tungsten weight to achieve superior trajectory control.

The last piece to the puzzle.

A club will always be the sum of its parts and Callaway is pulling out all the stops with the Epic Star Forged set and the components that will accompany this technology package. The stock options will include Aerotech Steelfiber FC (flight control) and Mitsubishi Chemical’s Tensei AV Silver shaft to optimize feel and control. The other upgrade is the Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align Silver Grips (Align grips offer a textured raised rib on the bottom of the grip to help the golfer place their hands in the same position over and over again). All of these pieces come together to create a premium iron from Callaway.

The Epic Forged will be available at retail starting August 2nd. 4-SW. Retail price of $300 per iron.

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Ryan Barath

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

27 Comments

Reese

Oct 1, 2019 at 7:26 pm

All I know is that I hit a demo seven iron this week. Awesome feel and I hit it easily 150 yards,which, since I am seventy years old and a 20 handicap, the equivalent to my five iron. It is expensive but at my age why hold back any longer ????

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John Doe Argie

Jul 30, 2019 at 11:38 am

PW at 41 degrees? Give me a break! From a set a sticks I just expect consistency and performance, not a placebo for my ego. For that I have my therapist already….

Reply Report comment
Martin

Jul 26, 2019 at 6:52 am

Nice looking irons, but $300 each ouch.

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Dave r

Jul 17, 2019 at 6:55 pm

Ya right $300.0 a club . There is no way one club is worth that much. R&D has not gone up 700% in the last 5 years who are you people kidding. No wonder the game is dying

Reply Report comment
Travisty

Jul 17, 2019 at 6:04 am

$300 per iron?! What is happening to golf equipment lately?!? These insane price hikes across the board just make me sad. And that’s coming from someone who can afford these if I wanted to. OEM’s are actively not growing the game by releasing $2-3K iron sets, $600 drivers, $200 wedges, $500 putters. It’s getting absolutely ridiculous.

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jgpl001

Jul 17, 2019 at 3:46 am

A little bit further up the web page you had the new MP20, now you have this ugly ducking?

Truly awful

Callaway make some good stuff, but it time to stop this nonsense, nobody will buy this stuff

Reply Report comment
Brandon

Jul 17, 2019 at 12:47 am

I don’t understand the need to rename the clubs. Why not just call the 18 degree a 2 or 3 iron and go from there???

Reply Report comment
Bobbyg

Jul 16, 2019 at 11:48 pm

Give me blades or give me death.

Reply Report comment
Midwest Golfer

Jul 16, 2019 at 8:38 pm

Yes $300 an iron is too much. and expected of these PXG WANNABES. 41 degree PW is too strong and there would be 11 degrees difference between it and my 52 gap wedge.

Reply Report comment
- Johnny Penso
  
  Jul 17, 2019 at 10:14 am
  
  Yes, you couldn’t possibly find a wedge to bridge that gap.
  
  Reply Report comment
- cajunone1983
  
  Jul 19, 2019 at 12:58 am
  
  People get caught up on the certain clubs loft. Forget that the pw is 41° and just go with the aw as your pw and go from there. Look at the lofts and not the club. If you play a hybrid than your set would stop at a 5 iron instead of a 4 iron. I have the first Apex Irons from 2014 and I have a 5 iron and a u85 3 utility bent from 20° to 21° to make the gapping correct. Worry about putting your set together by lofts and not which club it is. The aw is the pw
  
  Reply Report comment
jim

Jul 16, 2019 at 7:41 pm

yall are upset at 300$ a club but not upset at a 41 pitching wedge…gonna need 3 gap wedges in this set.

Reply Report comment
- JP
  
  Jul 16, 2019 at 9:54 pm
  
  It’s getting plain stupid. Soon enough they’ll market iron sets by the distance the Pw flies. 190? 200? Haha
  
  Reply Report comment
- Gibson888
  
  Jul 17, 2019 at 9:38 am
  
  They’re essentially forcing you to buy a 9 club set to attempt to keep the gapping consistent. Sneaky sneaky.
  
  Reply Report comment
Books Kepka

Jul 16, 2019 at 3:11 pm

3 clams per iron?!! So uhhh….really?! Callaway iron, $300 per? Does the club swing itself? Callaway? Come on game ‘o golf, you’re better ‘n that!

Reply Report comment
2putttom

Jul 16, 2019 at 2:02 pm

300 a club ! that makes em’ a target for theft.

Reply Report comment
Thomas A

Jul 16, 2019 at 10:48 am

Jacked lofts. That’s it, nothing more.

Reply Report comment
- gunmetal
  
  Jul 16, 2019 at 10:52 am
  
  Amen
  
  Reply Report comment
dat

Jul 16, 2019 at 9:20 am

Insane price for insane people.

Reply Report comment
Big mike

Jul 16, 2019 at 9:00 am

Have any of the Callaway “Premium Offerings” ever been a hit? I’m thinking Epic and Epic Pro Irons which can be found now for about a third of their original price. I guess this is Callaway attempt to go after the ultra premium PXG consumer and I can’t fault them for that any more than I could PXG for chiming out with their cast,0211 irons

Reply Report comment
Patrick J Floyd

Jul 16, 2019 at 8:55 am

$300 per iron, I sell golf equipment and I can tell you this will be a tough sell. The ultra high end iron is falling away-

Reply Report comment
JP

Jul 16, 2019 at 8:24 am

“Suspended Tungsten Core—which is comprised of the densest form of this heavy element”

Really? How many different densities does one element come in? What kind of marketing babble is this?

Optimum COG? That changes player to player. So these will not be suited to everyone.

Reply Report comment
- A. Commoner
  
  Jul 16, 2019 at 12:22 pm
  
  Great post!
  
  Reply Report comment
- gdb99
  
  Jul 16, 2019 at 4:40 pm
  
  I’ve heard many reports that some OEM’s use a lighter tungsten. It’s mixed with other metals, not pure tungsten.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Gunmetal
    
    Jul 16, 2019 at 6:19 pm
    
    Then it’s not tungsten.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - JP
      
      Jul 16, 2019 at 9:48 pm
      
      Bingo.
      
      Reply Report comment
    - PG
      
      Jul 18, 2019 at 9:48 pm
      
      That’s like saying Ti alloy isn’t Ti…
      
      Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

14 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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