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Callaway GBB Epic and Epic Sub Zero Fairway Woods: What you need to know

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With Callaway’s new GBB Epic and GBB Epic Sub Zero drivers, the company is relying on a new technology called “Jailbreak” to offer breakthrough performance. With its new fairway woods that have the same names, the company is using a new-and-improved version of a tried-and-true technology, its Hyper Speed Face Cup, to deliver better performance.

Callaway_fourth_generatin_face_cup

Callaway’s new fairway woods used the company’s latest Hyper Speed Face Cup technology.

Now in its fourth generation, Callaway has been using Face Cups to give golfers more fairway wood distance since the company launched its X Hot line in 2013. What’s new with the latest version of the technology is that the Face Cups now have a thinner rim on their inside edge. Callaway says it “flexes and releases more uniformly and efficiently at impact to increase ball speed across the face.”

Here’s what else you need to know about Callaway’s new GBB Epic and GBB Epic Sub Zero fairway woods (both $279.99), which will be in stores January 27.

GBB_Epic_Sub_Zero_Comparison_Address

  • The GBB Epic and GBB Epic Sub Zero borrow new technology from Callaway’s new drivers. They use the company’s triaxial carbon fiber crowns, which are 78 percent lighter than the all-steel crowns used on the company’s XR ’16 fairway woods (Epic Crown = 5.8 grams, XR ’16 Crown = 26.5 grams). Callaway used the reclaimed weight to make the fairway woods more forgiving.
  • They use new aerodynamics, too. Last year, Callaway debuted a technology developed with help from Boeing to improve the aerodynamics of its XR ’16 metal woods. They were called “Speed Steps,” raised portions on the front of a club’s crown that help golfers swing the clubs faster. Both the GBB Epic and GBB Sub Zero employ Speed Steps.
GBB_Epic_Sub_Zero_Fairways

Callaway’s Epic Sub Zero fairway woods use two adjustable weights (22 and 3 grams) to help golfer’s tweak launch conditions for better performance.

  • Two distinct models. Like Callaway’s GBB Epic Sub Zero driver, the GBB Epic Sub Zero fairway woods use two adjustable weights (22 and 3 grams), which allow golfers to position center of gravity more forward or more rearward in the club head. The heavy-weight-forward position is the lowest-spin setting. The heavy-weight-back position creates a higher ball flight and adds forgiveness. The GBB Epic offers an even higher trajectory, as well as slightly more draw bias in its neutral setting.
  • GBB Epic Sub Zero Lofts: 13.5 degrees, 15 degrees, 18 degrees

GBB_Epic

  • GBB Epic Lofts: 14 (3+), 15 (3), 18 (5), 21 (7), 24 (9), 20.5 (Heavenwood)
  • Both fairway woods have adjustable hosels. Callaway’s Opti-Fit adjustability hosels offer golfers a 3-degree range of loft adjustability, as well as two different lie angles (standard and draw).

GBB_Epic_Sib_Zero_Face_Comparison

  • Stock Shaft Options: Project X HZRDUS T800 Green, Fujikura Pro Green, Diamana M+ Green and Aldila Rogue MAX. Several more shafts are available at no extra cost from Callaway.

From the Forums: See what GolfWRX Members are saying about Callaway’s GBB Epic and GBB Epic Sub Zero drivers and fairways.

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6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. Brent

    Jan 4, 2017 at 9:28 pm

    Looks just like the Titleist 915F.

    • golfraven

      Jan 6, 2017 at 7:11 am

      I fully agree with you! Titleist hasbeens.

    • JGOLF

      Jan 6, 2017 at 11:20 am

      Minus the visible weight and speed channel.

  2. Sean

    Jan 4, 2017 at 9:11 pm

    I am a big fan of the fairway woods.

  3. Kevin

    Jan 4, 2017 at 9:50 am

    From the bottom, the SZ version almost looks like a hybrid.

    • Nd

      Jan 4, 2017 at 11:14 am

      Yeah. And it’s got grooves on the face like an iron too

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

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Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

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With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

 

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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play? 

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week. 

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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