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GolfWRX Members Gain 11 Yards on Average with Callaway Epic Drivers

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What’s better than winning the trip of a lifetime? Gaining more driving distance, of course. And eight lucky GolfWRX Members had a chance to do both last month. Callaway flew them to its headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., where they were fit for the company’s new line of golf equipment, including the company’s new Epic drivers.

8 GolfWRX Members
Gamer Vs. Epic Driver
+11.675 Yards AVE on Trackman

The eight GolfWRXers were selected from more than 1000 forum members to be a part of an experience called #TheWRX. On the trip, they were given full access to Callaway’s leadership to ask questions about the Callaway brand, its products and test all the new gear before it was announced to the public.

Callaway also wanted to prove that its new products could outperform whatever clubs were in their bags, especially its new GBB Epic and GBB Epic Sub Zero drivers. So the company asked the eight GolfWRXers to bring their gamer driver with them to its Ely Callaway Performance Center, where they tested it head to head against Callaway’s new driver line.

The Results

TeamWRX_Epic2017.001 copy

Click the chart to enlarge it.

The eight GolfWRXers covered a wide range of both handicaps (10.5 to +2.1) and ball speeds (125.5 mph to 166.4 mph). They challenged the new Epic line with drivers from Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist. Impressively, all eight saw improved ball speed (+5.175 mph on average) and more carry distance (+9.837 yards on average) with an Epic driver. The average total distance gained (carry + roll) was 11.675 yards.

Only one tester didn’t see an increase in average total distance (Matt Quandt), but he did see +3.3 mph ball speed and +5.5 yards carry distance on average with an Epic. The biggest gains came from Sean Foster-Nolan. He saw an average of 24.2 yards more total distance with an Epic, increasing his ball speed 12.4 mph and his carry distance 19.2 yards.

Among the eight GolfWRX Members, there was an even split in those who performed better with a GBB Epic driver and those who performed better with a GBB Epic Sub Zero. See what driver each of the eight GolfWRX Members brought with them to Callaway HQ, as well as what Epic driver worked best for them below.

Bram Taylor (Brizam)

Bram_Taylor_The_WRX

  • Handicap: 8.8
  • Ball Speed Gained: 3.1 mph
  • Distance Gained: 17.6 yards

Epic Driver: GBB Epic Sub Zero (9 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-TP 7X

Gamer Driver: TaylorMade M2 Tour Issue (8.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Tensei CK White Pro 70TX

Greg Harris (gregh729)

Greg_Harris_TheWRX

  • Handicap: 8
  • Ball Speed Gained: 5.3 mph
  • Distance Gained: 10.9 yards

Epic Driver: GBB Epic Sub Zero (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana D+ 60S

Gamer Driver: Ping G25 (9.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Blur Red 005 (Stiff Flex)

Their Experience, Their Words: Read what Greg had to say about #TheWRX

Jeff Singer (MtlJeff)

Jeff_Singer_TheWRX

  • Handicap: 1.8
  • Ball Speed Gained: 4.2 mph
  • Distance Gained: 10.9 yards

Epic Driver: GBB Epic Sub Zero (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana D+ 70S

Gamer Driver: Ping Anser (10 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana ‘ahina 70S

Rodney Spruill (Hot Rod 71)

Rodney_Spruill_TheWRX

  • Handicap: 5
  • Ball Speed Gained: 1.2 mph
  • Distance Gained: 6.1 yards

Epic Driver: GBB Epic (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana S+ 60X

Gamer Driver: Callaway Great Big Bertha (10.5 degrees, set to 9.5)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 60X

Their Experience, Their Words: Read what Rodney had to say about #TheWRX

Scott Griffith (Waterboy)

Scott_Griffith_TheWRX

  • Handicap: 7.7
  • Ball Speed Gained: 7.1 mph
  • Distance Gained: 11.7 yards

Epic Driver: GBB Epic (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-TP 7X

Gamer Driver: Titleist 915 D2 (12 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 60S

Their Experience, Their Words: Read what Scott had to say about #TheWRX 

Matt Quandt (QMany)

Matt_Quandt_TheWRX

  • Handicap: +2.1
  • Ball Speed Gained: 3.3 mph
  • Distance Gained: 0 yards

Epic Driver: GBB Epic (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Tensei CK Pro Blue 60TX

Gamer Driver: Ping G30 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Ping Alta 55X

Their Experience, Their Words: Read what Matt had to say about #TheWRX 

Paul Macke (mackepa)

Paul_Macke_TheWRX

  • Handicap: +0.1
  • Ball Speed Gained: 4.8 mph
  • Distance Gained: 12 yards

Epic Driver: GBB Epic Sub Zero (9 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-TP 6S

Gamer Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki K 70X

Their Experience, Their Words: Read what Paul had to say about #TheWRX

Sean Foster-Nolan (sean2)

Sean_Foster-Nolan_TheWRX

  • Handicap: 10.5
  • Ball Speed Gained: 12.4 mph
  • Distance Gained: 24.2 yards

Epic Driver: GBB Epic (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Green M+40 (R-Flex)

Gamer Driver: Callaway XR ’16 (9.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder Evolution II 665 (R-Flex)

Their Experience, Their Words: Read what Sean had to say about #TheWRX 

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89 Comments

89 Comments

  1. shane gonzalez

    May 23, 2017 at 3:54 pm

    this driver is the bomb , i’m not saying other drivers arent good , i’m just saying that this driver has brought me back to places i was hitting it 10 years ago with forgiveness included. try it ,don’t try it . i hope you don’t if we have a match . in my opinion callaway did one hell of a job on this product.

  2. Bdfuruya

    Feb 15, 2017 at 8:18 pm

    I bought the subzero epic driver and have to say it’s definitely the straightest and longest driver I’ve had yet. Unfortunately I was playing in a tournament a cpl days ago and after hitting my driver on hole 10 I heard a cracking sound and looked down at the top of my driver and the part where the black and the carbon fiber meet had about a two inch crack. My local golf shop will replace immediately which is good but hopefully it was just a fluke and won’t happen again. I did call callaway and they sent me a box of balls for the inconvenience. Has anyone else experienced this issue with this driver?

    • Matt Quandt

      Feb 17, 2017 at 11:58 am

      I haven’t had that issue with the Epic, that is unfortunate. I did have that problem with Callaway composite drivers about 5-6 years ago, specifically the Razr Hawk Tour. I cracked 2-3 heads. Despite Callaway’s incredible customer service, I got tired of the hassle and moved on. I thought they’d fixed the issue. I hope it is a one-time thing for you.

  3. Vlad

    Jan 21, 2017 at 8:03 am

    Must be tough being a Titlesit fan when you see TM and Callaway dominate and produce monster drivers. Being stuck with their old tech drivers while the TM and Callaway guys blow it 40yards past them drive after drive

  4. chip

    Jan 20, 2017 at 11:24 am

    What I gained from this: only 1 guy had been previously fit for their driver.

    • Uhit

      Jan 20, 2017 at 2:50 pm

      …and as soon as you change your tempo, rhythm and / or speed of your swing, you need a new fitting. 😉

      • chip

        Jan 23, 2017 at 10:55 am

        ohhh so thats what my problem has been with my driver haha. I changed my swing a bit to hit a fade with my irons. its taking some time to get used to with the big stick…

        • Uhit

          Jan 24, 2017 at 12:55 pm

          How you accelerate is more important, than your swing-plane, or the face angle –
          in regard of finding the best fit.

          I can play a fade, or a draw, (without changing my tempo, my rhythm, or speed) with the same swing…

          …your mileage may vary – of course…

  5. Chris C.

    Jan 20, 2017 at 9:56 am

    Finally had a chance to try these clubs. I went back and forth between the two models. Alas, GG had very limited shaft options and none that were not 45.5″. After 45 minutes I was not blown away. However, I saw enough to peak my interest. First, unless the fitting cart comes with 45″ shafts, there will be no further testing. If 45″ shafts are available, I will be able to engage in some more extensive testing against my current gamer (Bridgestone 815) and the new Srixon 565 and Tour Edge Exotic EX10.

  6. S Hitter

    Jan 19, 2017 at 11:24 am

    Been playing last year’s M1 460 Kurokage 60-X (69grams) hit it ok
    Tried the SZ 9 degree turned to 8, got it best to 300
    Tried the 2017 M1 440 9.5 turned to 8, got it best to 316
    Good Bye SZ Hello 440

  7. ooffa

    Jan 19, 2017 at 10:48 am

    This story was visible on my computer. My add blocker must not be working.

  8. Darren

    Jan 19, 2017 at 1:49 am

    Its more about getting “fit” rather than just grabbing the stock club off the shelf.
    FOOLS GOLD!

  9. Dan Weitzel

    Jan 19, 2017 at 12:06 am

    If you listen closely to what Callaway talks about you will find that the increased ball speed is possible due to the USGA changing from COR testing to CT testing and Callaway finding a way to meet the CT test requirements with a better face. In addition, the Jailbreak design has succeeded in isolating the face from the head so energy is not lost in the crown and sole as in prior driver designs. I have done 5 fittings to date and everyone has resulted in increased distance (and a sale!).

  10. golfraven

    Jan 18, 2017 at 3:23 pm

    At this level of improvement I see big lines in front of the golf shops and stock being very limited. You better make your order now before it is too late and you go home empty handed and have to play this season with your old broom.

  11. Cornwall1888

    Jan 18, 2017 at 2:32 pm

    This is the first generation of mainstream drivers that I’m priced out of out of principle.

    I wouldn’t spend £480 or $575 for a driver

  12. chinchbugs

    Jan 18, 2017 at 2:13 pm

    I had to throw away two of the testers results because they were hitting from the wrong side of the ball…

    • Mike Honcho

      Jan 18, 2017 at 2:23 pm

      Thanks for showing up with that gem! I guess when your buddy leaves a 4-footer 2 feet short you give him the, does your husband play?

      • Brian

        Jan 19, 2017 at 10:15 am

        I usually ask them if their purse strap impeded their stroke.

  13. Cheetah Wiods

    Jan 18, 2017 at 1:59 pm

    Man, there are some idiot, hater comments on here. These are Trackman numbers! Different styles of swings will see different gains, but the point here is that this new driver is the real-deal if almost EVERYONE is seeing improvement. Don’t like Callaway? Don’t believe the hype? Can’t afford a new driver? Shut your pie-hole and keep shooting 100!

    • Brian

      Jan 19, 2017 at 10:17 am

      Triggered

    • Cr Ap

      Jan 19, 2017 at 1:23 pm

      Welcome to WRX

    • Buck

      Jan 19, 2017 at 5:13 pm

      Wait, so anyone who doesn’t play or can’t afford this driver cannot break 100?
      Welcome to WRX indeed.

  14. rogerinnz

    Jan 18, 2017 at 1:02 pm

    Thanks to Callaway for the test day and great to see Hot Rod and Mt Jeff in there!
    Well done Matt, great result. Custom fitting is all about WHY we are here on WRX !

  15. bpol

    Jan 18, 2017 at 12:12 pm

    I’m curious how they decided whether the players should get the GBB Epic or the GBB Epic Sub Zero? Looks like handicap was not the determining factor, nor was ball speed.

  16. Mike Honcho

    Jan 18, 2017 at 12:03 pm

    Paul Macke’s finish makes Jim Furky’s move look like it would get Hogan’s blessing.

  17. Chris Dolman

    Jan 18, 2017 at 11:56 am

    Did they get clothing as well? Looks like they have been kitted out with all the newest clothing and shoes. Maybe they are just part of the lucky few!

    • Cr Ap

      Jan 19, 2017 at 1:24 pm

      They only wish they were a team member of Me and My Golf

  18. Mike

    Jan 18, 2017 at 11:50 am

    I’m like confused with this test like some other guys on here, if you want to test a new drivers performance, it must be to a level playing field of golfers, I’m a 14 handicapper and I play the 2015 GBB 10.5 rear sliding adjustment, with a 43″ Grafolloy prolaunch blue 70shaft, the 43″ keeps the dispersion tighter, with a slight loss in distance, but hey Ho its all about keeping it on the fairway right?? and I wouldn’t mind betting that 85% of the worlds normal golfers are in and around the 20 to 12 handicap area, so why no higher handicappers, they are the golf club market main customers, so I cant see this as a random choice of test golfers, more like Callaway don’t want to be embarrassed trying to fit out your general run of the mill club golfers, they seem to think that distance is the be all main factor, well although we slightly higher handicap golfers like a little more distance, if we can only consistently hit a smash factor centre, which we cant, I’ve built my game around keeping it on the fairway at around 220 yards, good second approach shots, and chipping and putting, and using the right ball for my game Chrome soft summer and super soft winter, mind you I’m a fit 75 year old not a young gun like the testers want, but its been good reading all your comments guys.

    • Ben

      Jan 18, 2017 at 8:59 pm

      Mike, you and I should be testers! I’m 66 and hit a 44.5″ Fusion with a Recoil 460 F3, and work in the golf industry. Most drivers in stores are 45.5″, but pros hit 44″-44.5″ shafts. Manufacturers make amateurs think the longer the club the longer the hit! True, to a certain extent…as the ball goes 250 yards, with 50-70 yards right or left of center! The key is keeping the ball in the short grass, and shorter shafts with keeping the swing weight in check, is the key. Jimmy Walker used a 42″ a few weeks ago. When I went to a shorter driver I no longer needed to use my 3 wood off the tee on narrow fairways. I hope I’m a 14 hdcp when I’m 75!

  19. Ben

    Jan 18, 2017 at 11:46 am

    Judging by the ball speed, most or all of these “testers” were “S” or “X” shaft. A great majority of purchases are being made by 55+, who use “R” and “A” shafts. They HAVE the money to spend $500 on an Epic driver & can easily drop $2500+ on irons, woods, & hybrids, and want that extra few yards. This test did not include those who swing at 85 mph or less. The Epic seems to be geared to those with faster & stronger swings. I’d like to see testing with those of us who swing at 85 mph & less.

    • Ben

      Jan 18, 2017 at 11:58 am

      Note: One player with a higher 10.5 handicap is not enough for this testing. Players with 15-low 20’s handicaps are trying out this driver where I work, and I am definitely not seeing Sean’s 24 yard gains, especially with him hitting an XR-16 in comparison. Several more “R” shaft and a few “A” shaft player tests are needed for comparisons.

    • Nicklas

      Jan 18, 2017 at 7:42 pm

      The player with the highest swing speed/ball speed saw a gain of 0 yards and the player with the slowest swing speed/ball speed saw the biggest gain of 24 yards. At his ball speed his swing speed is right about in that magical 85 range your talking about. This was not a test of the golf club but a competition to see if Epic could beat their gamers. Going 7-0-1 is pretty good. From reading their individual comments sounds like dispersion was a winner too.

  20. DrB

    Jan 18, 2017 at 11:36 am

    In this case, it IS the head! The technology in their “Jailbreak” is responsible for those gains. Really. You just need to understand the USGA’s driver-testing protocol to understand how this is possible.

  21. Ric

    Jan 18, 2017 at 11:27 am

    Her we go again, another claim of yardage gains 11 here 17 there ! We must be silly to believe this . Just recycled, there is a sucker born every minute.

  22. Pingback: Callaway EPIC Drivers - D'Lance GolfD'Lance Golf

  23. Mike

    Jan 18, 2017 at 9:00 am

    What were the shaft lengths of gamer vs. epic?

  24. Joe

    Jan 18, 2017 at 9:00 am

    what happened when they put the correct shaft into their current gamer?

    • The dude

      Jan 18, 2017 at 10:38 am

      Ding ding ding….

    • Joe Siravo

      Jan 18, 2017 at 11:26 am

      Exactly. They were custom fit for the driver. I can take my same driver head and put it in 2 different shaft to get different results. the club head makes little to no difference when you see gains this big. its the customer fitting of the shaft and launch angles. As a 5 handicap i can tell you i have never been custom fit for anything and do more tinkering. Same as most golf nuts.

    • Smitty

      Jan 19, 2017 at 8:32 am

      Makes me wonder how many of these testers were properly fit into their gamer drivers versus them tinkering or just guying off the rack.

  25. Chip

    Jan 18, 2017 at 8:59 am

    I couldn’t care less about an extra 15 yards if I’m banging it into the trees. Were any of these guys more accurate? Hit more fairways? What was the difference in shaft length? That’s the kind of stuff a smart golfer should be looking at.

    • Chuck

      Jan 18, 2017 at 3:26 pm

      My questions, exactly. I stood on the first tee at the Scioto US Senior Open, with a group including Tommy Armour III (a reasonably long hitter on the Champions Tour) who is not a TM staffer, and he said very quietly to John Cook — no advertisement at all — that his M2 was “the straightest driver I’ve ever had.”

      Now; the Epic wasn’t out then. And the M2 is built a bit like the Epic, to be sure.

      I am not pro-any brand or anti-any brand. But I will say categorically, that these days I hit any driver far enough for my teeing ground, and I am more interested in hitting fairways, than in ball speed.

  26. Chris C.

    Jan 18, 2017 at 8:42 am

    The extensive fitting and testing opportunities provided to members of this site and others should lead all discerning readers to conclude that proper fitting is not only important – it may be the only reason to purchase new equipment. I find it significant that all of the testers were fitted for differant shafts and different lofts. I also found it interesting that the distance gains appear to be attributable to lower launch angles. This also applies to the two average swing speed testers. Obviously this sample size is too small to give lie to the decades of advise advanced by “experts” but one has to wonder if all the talk encouraging low and average swing speed golfers to “loft up” is terribly mistaken.

  27. Dottie

    Jan 18, 2017 at 7:50 am

    All the guys that participated in the event are (1) serious golf nuts, (2) equipment junkies and (3) low-handicappers. I’d say it’s highly likely that they were ALL professionally fit for their current gamer drivers. So I’m willing to take the experiment at face value and attribute the yardage gains to the new drivers. The best golfer in the group was the only one that experienced zero yardage gains – most likely because he already hit his driver in the middle of the clubhead. As for the others, the yardage gains might have been due to the increased forgiveness of the driver on off-center hits.

    • Matt Quandt

      Jan 18, 2017 at 10:08 am

      I did gain +5.5 Carry Distance with the EPIC. I think Total Distance can be deceiving; I know I didn’t normally get 24.2 yards roll with my GAMER. I was hitting both my GAMER and all EPIC combinations well (1.49-1.51 Smash), and I saw higher ball speeds with all EPIC combinations despite heavier and shorter shafts.

      • matzi

        Jan 18, 2017 at 10:27 am

        Not to nit pick on the data but isnt the highest smash factor possible 1.495 and the monitor rounds up to 1.50? I thought the driver is technically illegal if its producing anything more than the 1.495?

  28. Mike Stover

    Jan 18, 2017 at 5:27 am

    Why no mid to high handicappers? Hardly a cross-section of golfers. Is this driver only intended for 10 handicap and below?

  29. Bloody Obvious

    Jan 18, 2017 at 3:52 am

    So…EVERY player was also fit for a different shaft to their gamer and gained some ball speed and distance? Hmmmmmm

    • Joe Siravo

      Jan 18, 2017 at 11:28 am

      Where did you see that? The article only says ” So the company asked the eight GolfWRXers to bring their gamer driver with them to its Ely Callaway Performance Center, where they tested it head to head against Callaway’s new driver line.” Nothing states they were custom fitted on their gamer.

      • Ben Moores

        Jan 18, 2017 at 12:18 pm

        I don’t want to speak for BO but I believe he was referring to the fact that under the golfer “profiles” it references the shafts that each player had in their gamer and the EPIC. All were fitted to different shafts than their gamer.

  30. Mark

    Jan 18, 2017 at 2:48 am

    I shall compare it on a real course with my regular ball. Then decide if the hype is real.

  31. 'Ard Nut

    Jan 18, 2017 at 2:17 am

    Obviously it’s not the driver head. Why not try the heads with their gamer shafts? That would have been the true test. It’s not just the clubhead.
    So many of these guys all have been swinging the wrong shaft, obviously.

    • jeff singer

      Jan 18, 2017 at 8:40 am

      Hello, in many cases we did try the gamer shafts as well. The only data shown above is the driver we ended up getting fit with in the end, everyone tried various setups for the Epic. So some guys may have hit their gamer shaft further with the Epic, but then found an additional yard or whatever with another shaft and been fit for that. In my case Callaway tried to find an Ahina to compare but there were none (it’s an older shaft), but i did end up getting fit with a D+ which is a similar one from the same company. Pretty close to like for like i guess. I did bring the oldest clubhead however

    • Oliie

      Jan 19, 2017 at 5:39 pm

      So when you go and get fit for a new driver do you tell the fitter to use the shaft off your current driver ? I am trying to get my head around your comment and a lot of comments on here.The members went to Callaway to try their drivers out and they got fitted and they bar one gained more distance can someone explain what is wrong with that.I have just got A Cobra driver (fitted) and it out performs my previous Titleist by a few yards and is more accurate but i didn’t ask the fitter to use my old shaft.

      • Steve Rawlinson

        Jan 20, 2017 at 3:33 pm

        Ollie, I think the point is that this article seems to suggest that this driver head delivers yardage gain. But in fact the gains might be down to a number of other factors, including shafts. There’s no point asking your fitter to use the shaft of your existing driver because most fitting are about getting you the best club for your swing. But these fittings are *also* being used to promote a driver head and without more information it’s hard to know whether the driver head is really the reason for the distance gains.

      • Jeff Singer

        Jan 20, 2017 at 6:46 pm

        Hi Ollie, in this case i did want to use the same shaft in both if possible to truly isolate the clubheads in order to provide a review for the membership here. So i did ask Callaway if they had an Ahina (they didn’t, it’s a previous gen version from MRC so we used the current Gen which is the D+ to do a quick “head” comparison). In my case, i tried 4-5 different other shafts the fitter recommended to optimize me after that. But the D+ ended up giving me the best results actually. I play the Epic at the same loft and length (10 degrees, 45.5) with a very similar shaft to what i used prior, so i do feel the clubhead performed very well. The purpose of the fitting for me was both to try and evaluate the head alone as best as possible for review purposes, and also optimize me. It just so happened the same shaft did both

  32. Ardbeggar

    Jan 17, 2017 at 11:32 pm

    Interesting numbers. There’s a rough correlation between ball speed and distance gained. The sampling is overweighted to ball speeds around 145 mph.

  33. Dan

    Jan 17, 2017 at 11:31 pm

    How about you show club head speed as well or smash factor because it’s not possible to be getting more ball speed with the USGA limits unless you swing faster or are hitting this club in the center of the face more often on average than your gamer. Just look at the +2.1 handicap, he’s hitting the center of the face with both close to every time, but he’s probably swinging the lighter Callaway head much faster to be getting more ball speed…

  34. Chris C.

    Jan 17, 2017 at 11:20 pm

    Surprise! If you get fit like a tour pro, you will hit the ball better. It also appears that paying an additional $250.00 for optional shafts. Shocking!

  35. mhendon

    Jan 17, 2017 at 11:19 pm

    How does Matt Quandt and Jeff Singer hit it the same distance with a 17 mph difference in ball speed. Only a nine yard carry distance without a significant difference in spin and launch angle? Seams strange to me.

  36. Tim

    Jan 17, 2017 at 11:16 pm

    Blah blah blah…I’ll I take away from this is that the most important part of the golf club is the fitting. Go get fit!

  37. hdcp0

    Jan 17, 2017 at 11:10 pm

    Holy crap…..that’s a cross section of golfers on this site? Only one regular flex guy in the bunch? That provide me with zero info!!

    • birdy

      Jan 18, 2017 at 11:20 am

      what info were you hoping to obtain? the article points out fitting and shafts matter and epic is a great driver.

  38. The Rock Knows

    Jan 17, 2017 at 11:09 pm

    260. X-flex. Must be a GolfWRX member.

    • Anthony

      Jan 18, 2017 at 4:38 pm

      Anyone who has been fit by the best will know that 99% of the time, flex is not relevant to ball speed…..

      • Steve S

        Jan 20, 2017 at 9:28 am

        Right, Anthony. Been saying this for years. Flex affects launch angle and spin…and dispersion. Basic physics will show that.

  39. Cris

    Jan 17, 2017 at 10:03 pm

    I’m not sure how much someone with a sub-150 ball speed loads a shaft to warrant heavy and X-stiff shafts. But finding 3 people out of 8 being fitted in this manner is quite “interesting.”

  40. D Denyer

    Jan 17, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    What makes all of you think that they were not FIT for their current driver? Thought this was a testament to great new equipment.

    • Dj

      Jan 18, 2017 at 8:38 am

      No. Ball speeds are maxed if you have a properly fit driver. Look at their ballspeeds. No one is any higher than a 1.5 smash factor so if you have a driver where you strike it consistently and get a 1.5 smash, you can’t gain anything.

  41. Tom

    Jan 17, 2017 at 9:12 pm

    Hey wrx members thanks for your participation.

  42. Philip

    Jan 17, 2017 at 9:07 pm

    I wonder how much gain would be attributable to the shaft changes and fitting versus just the driver head? Most likely verdict is just to get properly fitted, regardless of the drive head being used.

  43. Chris Newport

    Jan 17, 2017 at 8:58 pm

    I was thinking the same thing. It would be interesting to know if the fitters maxed out their gamers as well.

  44. Moses

    Jan 17, 2017 at 7:32 pm

    http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/879780-golfwrx-taylormade-sldr-driver-fitting-sessions-review-and-recaps/

    It’s the fitting that’s making them longer and not the club. Been there done that.

    • bogeypro

      Jan 17, 2017 at 7:47 pm

      ^^^ This right here. It’s called being fit by a professional that works on the PGA Tour. I’d be disappointed if they didn’t gain any yardage.

  45. J H

    Jan 17, 2017 at 7:17 pm

    Dispersion?

  46. J H

    Jan 17, 2017 at 7:15 pm

    How was the testing conducted?

  47. kevin

    Jan 17, 2017 at 6:15 pm

    bram taylor whoever you are…. youre my new wallpaper!

  48. Cm

    Jan 17, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    Seems like a poor fitting if ball speed and carry was up by that much for Matt. Callaway fanboys will tell me I’m wrong, cause it’s their tour fitting Dept but the numbers don’t lie. How were they not able to outperform the gamer with those gains?

    • Justin

      Jan 18, 2017 at 11:25 am

      I would say it’s because trackman and other launch monitors estimate roll numbers. Matt did increase ball speed and carry, and in his case, an increase in 400rpm of spin, wasn’t too bad. As he said in a previous comment, he doesn’t feel like his gamer always gets 20+ yards of roll. It’s hard to find huge gains if you’re a +2, most likely you can hit a lot of drivers really well, tour fit or not.

      • Matt Quandt

        Jan 18, 2017 at 12:16 pm

        Well put, Justin. From my trip recap: “At my swing speeds and skill level, John told me he was going to fit me like he does Tour staff. It wasn’t necessarily about chasing [distance] numbers but instead minimizing misses.” We made a conscious decision to increase spin, while maybe sacrificing a little distance, to help dispersion. I sometimes fight too low of spin and those misses can be bigger than I’d like. The +5.5 yards carry was a nice bonus.

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Equipment

From the Forums: I need more forgiveness in my irons – Looking for recommendations

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In our forums, our members have been discussing the most forgiving irons currently on the market. WRXer ‘TheShark1’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons, saying:

“Currently gaming the Mizuno Pro 225’s but think I need more forgiveness in my irons. My well struck shots are real nice, but my mishits are not performing as good as I had hoped anymore. I really like hollow body irons so if I could find something more forgiving in a hollow body iron that would be great.

Open to any and all recommendations other than Ping. Can’t hit Ping irons at all.”

And our members have been sharing their best suggestions in our forum.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • AvidSwampThing66: “Another vote for the super forgiving and fast Paradym irons.   They look really good for being a GI iron.”
  • bobfoster: “I just went from MP20 MMCs to the new 245s in my scoring irons (just played my first round with them today). If you have a chance to try them, you might find them worth a serious look.”
  • vman: “Shoot me down, but spend the money on lessons.”
  • J_Tizzle: “i525s are great off the heel in my opinion.”

Entire Thread: “From the Forums: I need more forgiveness in my irons – Looking for recommendations”

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Best fairway wood for senior golfers? – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, our members have been discussing fairway woods for senior golfers. WRXer ‘gvogel’ is on the hunt for a new fairway wood to give him maximum distance, and kicks off the thread saying:

“I’m over 70 and seeking to replace my Ping G25 5-wood with something better.  This will be my fairway club to get maximum distance.  I also have a G25 4-wood, but I don’t think that it goes any farther than the 5-wood.  Is there some advanced tech in a higher lofted 3/4-wood or a 5-wood that I should be looking at?

Driver is a TSR1 12* with a Ventus TR Red 5R shaft.  Driver Swing speed is a bit over 80.”

And our members have been sharing their thoughts in our forum.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • brancamp52: “Can’t go wrong with the Ping G425 or G430. personally i like the 430s because i think they sound a little better than the 425s but that could just be me. I’m 71 and the 430’s won’t be going anywhere.”
  • jjfcpa: “I’m 76 years old and play a G430 HL 3 and 5 hybrid, however, I found that the Callaway AI Smoke Max D 5w has better performance than the Ping fairway woods.  I went with the Ping hybrids because they are a little easier to hit, but perhaps a bit shorter than the Callaway hybrids.”
  • PJE: “I would check out the Ping G425 fairway wood. I also owned the G25 (and then a G400) 5 wood. For me, the G425 was longer than both the G25 and G400. I think the face is hotter. It’s also very easy to launch. I also liked the clean appearance of the G425 head over the G430 graphics and I like the small hosels of the Pings compared to other OEMs.”

Entire Thread: “Best fairway wood for senior golfers? – GolfWRXers discuss”

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Shallow face vs deep face fairway woods – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, our members have been discussing shallow faced and deep faced fairway woods. WRXer ‘Mike412’ kicks off the conversation saying:

“I’ve always preferred a deeper face but with so many manufacturers making shallow face woods the deeper face models are hard to come by, especially on the used market and even more especially 7W’s. So for those that like a shallow face, what do you like about them?”

And our members have been having their say on the subject in our forum.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • CactusGolf: “Shallow-faced woods were always a problem for me, especially with the last Paradym release because I found myself making contact at the top of the face to the point of danger. Had to switch to the Paradym Triple Diamond model for the slightly deeper face and haven’t had that problem.  Made sure to loft up by at least +1* with the lower-spinning head. I don’t hit fairway woods off the deck very often due to the length of some of my courses, so the fairway wood is primarily a tee-only club.”
  • Bobb3rddown: “I like deeper faced woods. Especially out of the rough. I’ve slid under to many balls I the rough with shallow face woods.”
  • ChipNRun: “Prefer a deep face, but can handle a medium-face OK. Played with shallow-face FWs during early 2000s, but I changed my swing plane and started popping up shots, especially on tee shots. Ended up fluffing grass and putting ball atop tuft on tee shots.”

Shallow face vs Deep face fairway woods – GolfWRXers discuss

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