An Honest Callaway Epic Max Driver Review [2023 Edition]

Callaway is known for its high-launching, forgiving drivers that deliver the best yardage for average golfers. I will be giving you a detailed Callaway Epic Max driver evaluation to help you decide if it is the right fit for your swing.

You’ll find this driver produces high forgiveness, rampant ball speed, and moderate spin for a consistently elevated launch. Its draw bias profile makes it easier for amateur golfers to avoid slices with straighter drivers.

How does it do this? Continue reading to find out more about the inner workings and most forgiving Epic drivers.

 

Features

A.I. Designed Jailbreak Frame Speed Frame

Sometimes I feel Mark Zuckerberg pulls strings at Callaway due to their generous use of artificial Intelligence (A.I.). I feel like Mark Zuckerberg is pulling strings at Callaway, given their liberal use of artificial intelligence (A.I.) in their products. It’s not something I complain about, because it requires consistency and forgiveness.

The previous jailbreak architectures were only vertically stable, but the new construction is torsional in direction stability. This resulted in consistent ball speed and increased yardage for all shots.

Flash Face by A.I.

You will see what I mean when i say Callaway engineers enjoy AI. The clubface was designed with AI by the engineers to maximize spin and speed across a larger area. You’ll notice this prompts fast speeds, even on heel and toe mishits, to mitigate a loss of yards.

Lighter Triaxial Carbon Material

A triaxial carbon material was used to produce the Callaway Epic Max driver. This is another genius move. You’ll notice the frame is constructed with this material instead of titanium, enabling the engineers to save 19 grams of weight.

They then took the mass and applied it low to deep to get a low center gravity (CG), and high moment of inertia. Due to the CG position, I was able to produce a consistent, elevated lift on all shots. The MOI kept my clubface square for straighter shots.

Sliding rear weight

The 17-gram sliding rearweight is a mass-related feature. You’ll find a simple tweak of the position alters the shot bias of your drives. It is defaulted to a draw bias to restrict side spin and promote straighter flight. But you can alter it as you wish.

If the draw bias setup is not delivering hooks, then you can change the position to a neutral bias or fade bias. Callaway suggests that weight can improve your shot shape by 20 yards, but I was able to achieve an average of 12 yards.

Optifit Hosel

The Epic Max comes with an Optifit hosel which allows you to adjust loft and lie angles. You’ll see that it has four adjustment settings to strengthen, weaken or keep it neutral.

The hosel helped me reduce loft by one degree, which allowed me to lower my launch and spinoff the tee. When I wanted a consistent, high tee shot, I decreased the loft by 2°. If I have a 10.5-degree, I can increase the driver loft to 9.5-degrees and decrease it to 12.5-degrees.

Lofts

The Epic Max, like most drivers, is available in three loft profiles to suit slow, moderate, or fast swing speeds. You’ll notice your lowest lofted option is a 9-degree driver, which you can reduce to 8 degrees or weaken to 11 degrees.

The middle child in the series, the 10.5-degree lofted design, is for golfers who have moderate speeds and want to achieve medium-level flight. If the flight is too high, you can increase the loft to 9.5 degrees or to 12.5 degrees.

A 12-degree setup is the last option. This is great for beginners or seniors who have slower swing speeds. You can also reduce the launch angle by setting it at 11 degrees. You can also increase it to 14 degrees for a more easy high launch.

Shafts

Two shaft options from Project X are available for a Callaway Epic Max stock driver. You have more options for medium and high swing speeds with the regular, stiff, and extra stiff shafts.

Project X Cypher shafts 40 are the best choice for slower swing speeds. It is the only senior flex design. The graphite shaft comes in three different shaft options: regular, stiff, or extra-stiff. Naturally, you’ll find these flex designs are ideal for moderate and faster swing speeds.

I found that the Cypher40 shafts helped me achieve a remarkable increase in apex. Higher handicappers may appreciate this. In my case I felt like I had ballooned my shots, which led to me feeling short of carry and losing total distance.

The HZRDOUS Smoke IM10 shafts, contrary to popular belief, are a smart choice for golfers who want a mid-to low launch for better control off the tee box. You’ll find these are only offered in a stiff and regular flex which works for moderate and fast driver swing speeds.

 

Performance

Price

The Epic Max, despite its advanced age in Callaway’s driver releases, is not the most affordable model. Although it is less expensive than the Rogue ST range but still a premium model, this is still a good deal.

It is built with premium materials and advanced game improvement technology that offers forgiveness and consistency. It is a reliable, durable golf club that will last for many years.

Feel and hear

The Epic Max felt solid and my ball felt like it was springing from the face. It produced a clear sound from the titanium face, which is something every golfer will appreciate.

Spin

I was able to spin more than usual, reaching an average of 3500 RPM. This resulted, as you can see, in a higher launch. This is great for slow-swinging high-handicappers and mid-handicappers. My apex was too high, which caused me to lose carry as well as total distance.

Let’s not get bogged down with my preferences. I believe that those who have difficulty getting their ball up and running will benefit from the increased spin. Callaway Epic Max LS drivers are a good choice for players who want a lower launch, but not sacrifice forgiveness.

Forgiveness

You’ll find this edition offers superior forgiveness compared to the Callaway Epic Flash driver, thanks to its draw bias profile and enlarged sweet spot. It will not eliminate your slices, but it will reduce the severity.

 

What I Love About The Callaway Epic Max

Consistent ball speed

I loved the consistency in my ball speed that the A.I. provided. I designed Jailbreak Speed Frame, and A.I. I designed a flash face. They helped me keep my ball speed at heel and toe to get the distance I needed for all shots.

Accuracy

You’ll find the combination of a high MOI construction and draw bias profile help high handicappers combat slices. The high MOI setup will help you square your clubface at impact, and produce straighter ball flight.

Forgiveness

The Epic Max is extremely lenient, promoting straighter shots, a higher launch and maintaining ball speed for all strikes. It is perfect for high handicappers who struggle to find fairways or consistently elevate their launch.

Versatility

Although I don’t recommend altering your loft or weight position, it is nice to know you have the option. You can adjust your driver’s loft and lie angle with the optifit hosel to create a higher or lower trajectory. You can also set up the driver to draw, fade, or neutral by using the rear sliding weight.

High Launch

The driver’s high launch is a huge benefit to slow-swinging players. Although it’s not my favorite, it is easy to swing and launch well on every shot.

 

What I dislike about the Callaway Epic Max

Price

The Max is still expensive, even though Callaway has released Rogue ST drivers from Epic.

Spin

I didn’t enjoy the higher spin rate, as it caused me to lose distance and balloon my tee shots. This will be a good choice for slower swingers. The Epic Max low-spin driver is a good choice if you feel the same.

Limited Workability

Due to the draw bias profile and high MOI design, I was unable induce a draw. This is not an issue for high handicappers who should be focusing on hitting straight, but it could be irritating later when you start to become a mid-handicapper.

 

Overall Rating and Thoughts

Overall, I am very positive about the Callaway Epic Max driver. It provided exceptional forgiveness, consistent ball speed, and encouraged straighter ball flight.

This club offers forgiveness and consistency that can be beneficial to mid-handicappers. I believe that high-handicap golfers are the best to benefit from this forgiving driver.

Overall Rating: 91/100