TESTED: CALLAWAY EPIC SPEED FAIRWAY WOODS

The latest member of the Epic family.

MODELS PLAYED: Callaway Epic Speed 3-wood, 5-wood and 7-wood, all fitted with Mitsubishi Chemical MMT shafts.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: These are some very nice-looking fairway woods to my eye. A fairly compact shape sits really well behind the ball and the face shape, as well as scoring lines, have a classic Callaway look.

The sole is also nice and simple with some standard Epic green.

Off the face they are absolutely great. A solid and powerful feel is complimented by a strong, boring trajectory.

HOW THEY PERFORMED: Testing these fairway woods was an intriguing prospect, in part for the general performance but also the ability to test out a 7-wood after discussions with Callaway about the loft’s popularity on Tour.

From a performance standpoint all three could not be faulted.

The ball flight was exactly what I look for in a fairway wood option. And all three could be made to fly a little higher and lower as needed to either carry a certain distance or due to wind.

My standard shot shape was a tight draw, but stronger draws were easily achieved and a fade certainly wasn’t out of the question.

The feel continued to be a real standout throughout numerous range sessions and time on the course. So too was the ability to hit the Epic Speed in a variety of situations.

Off the tee they were outstanding and a very nice option when not hitting driver the best or in need of something less. As one would hope from a fairway wood, there was no issues off the mown portion, and the two higher lofted woods were very good out of the rough given the neither deep nor shallow face depth.

Forgiveness was also noticeable, with my common mis-hit out of the toe flying nice and straight without significant distance loss, and overall the distance on good strikes was a little longer than my own clubs I believe largely due to the lower spin of the Epic Speed.

The ability to test a 7-wood can only be described as a huge success.

I have carried every variation of club that fits in that space, including irons, utilities, hybrids, but a 5-wood was the highest lofted fairway wood I have used consistently.

The 7-wood in the Epic Speed was a real game changer. Not spinning too much or launching straight up on a standard swing, I was confident hitting it off the tee, something I struggled with when using 5-woods in the past. But when faced with a long approach to a green could throw the ball way up in the air to land softly.

Beyond the 7-wood, the 3- and 5-wood performed equally well, and when teeing it up each time the hardest part was picking which of the three to leave on the bench.

By the end of my testing I typically opted for the 3- and 7-wood in the bag, with which I could cover a large number of distances and flights.

For some golfers, the Epic Speed might not offer as much forgiveness and spin as they desire, but the Epic Max is built for that with a larger head and shallower face that will suit golfers looking for a club to be mainly played off the deck.

The Epic Speed blends some classic Callaway traits with updated performance and I was seriously impressed in all areas.

As for the 7-wood, consider me a convert who would gladly recommend adding a higher lofted fairway to your bag.