If you want a high-flying, draw-biased, super-forgiving fairway wood, you’ll have a hard time finding a better option than the Callaway Epic MAX fairway wood. Is it expensive? Yup – very expensive. But, if money is not a major concern, then you might as well pull the trigger on it.
Here’s our unbiased review of the Callaway Epic Max fairway woods.
Appearance
The first thing that I want to point out is the wide, flatter sole of the Callaway Epic Max fairway woods. Compare this to most other fairway woods that have a more rounded sole. I’m a HUGE fan of flat soles, as it makes the sweet spot so much larger and just gives you more reassurance when you are standing over the golf ball.
The next thing that I want to point out is the interchangeable weights on the front and back of the club head. One weight is 2g, while the other is 14g. If you move the weight to the back of the club head, you’ll make it slightly more forgiving and slightly higher launching. If the heavy weight is towards the club face, you’ll decrease the spin and launch angle.
Surprisingly, and especially for a $300 fairway wood, there is no adjustable hosel.
Other than the flatter sole and interchangeable weights, the Callaway Epic Max fairway wood looks practically just like every other Callaway fairway wood. Black crown. Non-distracting design. Callaway logo on the center of the crown above the sweet spot. You know how it goes.
Performance
I tried out the Callaway Epic Max and Epic Speed fairway woods at the same time. I hit a total of around 50 shots between the two clubs. Compared to other testers, that is a tiny number. However, keep in mind that other people’s personal experience might not help you at all, anyway. I can’t tell you exactly how you’ll perform with this fairway wood. However, I can give you general expectations. If you can, I’d highly recommend that you demo this wood first hand to see how you really perform with it.
In general, the Callaway Epic Max wood is a great performing fairway wood for the majority of golfers that continue to struggle with hitting solid shots with these low lofted clubs. You can expect very high flying shots, even on slight mishits. The flatter sole is far more forgiving in my personal experience. Even if you mishits the center of the club face by an INCH, your shot will still fly relatively straight and high. The same can NOT be said with a less forgiving, more curved-sole fairway wood.
There is a slight draw bias due to the rear weight being slightly towards the heel of the club. It’s not a very significant one, though. The draw bias will be stronger when you have the 14g weight in the rear.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Comes in lots of different lofts/styles: 3+ (13.5 degrees), 3, 5, Heavenwood (larger headed 7 wood), 7, 9, 11
- Very forgiving due to the flatter sole, oversized club head, deeper center of gravity (when heavier weight is placed in the back), and slight draw bias.
- Able to change the trajectory and spin by switching the position of the 2 and 14 gram weights.
- Plenty long
Cons:
- Very expensive. I’d never dare spend $300 on a fairway wood, but that’s just me.
- Not an adjustable hosel like you’d expect on an expensive club
Epic Max vs Epic Speed Comparison
The Epic Max is a far better choice for the majority of golfers. Here’s why:
- The Callaway Epic Max fairway wood is higher launching.
- The Callaway Epic Max fairway wood is more forgiving (weight is focused towards the back of the club head)
- The Callaway Epic Max fairway wood has a slightly larger club head, and a flatter sole. I’m a huge fan of flat soles on fairway woods and hybrids.
- The Callaway Epic Max fairway wood is more adjustable (you can switch the front and rear weights) and slightly more draw-biased (weight is more towards the heel of the club head).
- The Callaway Epic Max fairway wood has more loft options (has Heavenwood, 9, and 11 fairway woods)
Who It’s Best For
The Callaway Epic Max fairway wood is best for golfers that want as much forgiveness as possible. Fairway woods are hard enough to hit already. Why make it harder? The flat sole, oversized club head, draw bias, and lower/deeper center of gravity make this one of the most forgiving fairway woods that you can buy. Shots will fly (relatively) straight and high, even on your slight mis-hits.
If price is not a concern, then just go ahead and pull the trigger on this one. But if the price is far more than you are willing to spend, then keep in mind that there are FAR better value options out there (see next section).
Better Value Option
If you want a forgiving, flat soled fairway wood, then I’d strongly recommend the Callaway RAZR-X Black fairway woods. I’m a little biased here – I’ve been gaming this fairway wood for a 5+ years. It’s extremely easy to hit, plenty long, and has a flat sole as well.
The main differences compared to the Callaway Epic MAX: no jailbreak technology (not a huge deal) and no adjustable weights (again, not a huge deal). You can find the Callaway RAZR-X Black fairway woods for around $60 in awesome condition. The significant price difference warrants the small, minuscule difference in performance in my opinion.
