How To Repair Callaway Fairway Woods

Proving Ground: Tin Callaway's 'Ballsy Super Hybrid' actually replace a fairway wood?

Callaway's Epic Super Hybrid is a fully loaded version of a hybrid designed to compete with a fairway wood.

Andrew Tursky

I accept a problem club in my golf game handbag right now. Or, every bit Golf's Fully Equipped podcast co-host Kris McCormack would say, I have a "rat in the bag."

A rat in the bag is a club that gives you trouble almost every time. It's the lodge that as soon as you pull information technology out of the bag, yous just know something is going to get wrong.

For me, that social club is the 3-iron. Once upon a time when I was a meliorate ball striker and produced more speed, I relished the opportunity to hit long irons off the fairway to attack par-5'southward in 2 shots.

It hurts to admit, but as my game becomes less precise, hit 3-iron off the deck just isn't as fun equally it used to be. I'chiliad not hitting it as high, far or as accurately every bit I did years ago.

Then, when I'm around 230 yards out, I'grand hesitant rather than confident. I need to find a replacement that I'm comfy hit off the turf to start attacking greens from long distances again.

As a golfer who tends to hit a claw, and primarily plays a describe, hybrids have e'er been a worrisome club. Their left-biased trajectories produce a large hook when I miss it, bringing loads of trouble into play. That has left me testing loftier-lofted fairways recently, which has been a growing trend on the PGA Tour. So far, though, I oasis't found a vii-forest that produces enough accurateness off the turf to warrant a switch; and I tend to hitting them a scrap too high.

When GOLF's managing editor Jonathan Wall recently wrote near a new club called the Callaway Epic Super Hybrid, all the same, I'll admit I was a bit intrigued.

Essentially, the Ballsy Super Hybrid is a 2nd-generation design that has a slightly larger footprint than your typical hybrid, and it's souped upward with applied science. It has tungsten in the toe and heel for forgiveness, a Flash Face up for ball speed, a Triaxial carbon crown, A.I. Velocity Blades in the sole, and information technology'south designed to reduce the archetype left-biased trajectory of a hybrid that had me shook in the by. And, coming in a range of lofts (16, xviii, 21, 24 and 27 degrees), it'southward also designed to compete against fairway forest.

The engine backside the club is an Artificial Intelligence-designed titanium Flash Face insert that enhances brawl speeds.

Andrew Tursky

Here's how Callaway'southward Senior Vice President of R&D Dr. Alan Hocknell describes the gild:

"At that place'd been definite bear witness in the market feedback from better players that some of our hybrids just didn't suit them…they didn't want the hybrid to go left. They wanted a wood-replacement-blazon-society. A lot of better players gravitated towards the club's stronger loft. Simply we also found another audition there looking for the same characteristics. Maybe non as high head speed a player, simply someone looking to supersede a v-wood or longer clubs in and around that part of the handbag with those hybrids, because they were very forgiving. In that location were cries to aggrandize that concept, and that'due south what we've chosen to do here."

It sounded like an option that could exist exactly what I'm looking for, merely the simply manner to know for certain was to take it to the Proving Ground.

For this test, I took Callaway'southward new Super Ballsy Hybrid over to True Spec Golf in Scottsdale where I hit it against a slew of other pop options. Below, I'll take you through the results and discuss my findings.

The Clubs

This Proving Basis test was fairly simple. I hit 5 shots with each club, eliminating whatsoever obvious outliers along the mode, and I measured each shot with a Foresight GC Quad launch monitor. With the help of True Spec Golf's fitters, I dialed in each setup with similar shaft profiles and head lofts to reduce variables. Below are the clubs I used.

Callaway Epic Super Hybrid (21 degrees; Graphite Pattern Bout Advertizing TSG image shaft) at 40.25 inches.

Callaway Super Hybrid beginning-generation (21 degrees; Graphite Design Bout Advertising TSG paradigm shaft) at 40.25 inches

A popular 7-wood on the marketplace (21 degrees; Graphite Pattern Bout AD TSG prototype shaft) at 42 inches

A pop normal-sized hybrid on the marketplace (21 degrees; Graphite Blueprint Tour AD TSG prototype shaft) at 40.25 inches

My gamer 3-iron (21 degrees; KBS Tour C-Taper 130X shaft)

For the purpose of showing my altitude gapping at the acme-end of my iron set, I likewise hit my gamer 4-iron. The goal with altitude gapping is to ensure you don't have two clubs that go the aforementioned distance. You don't want to waste infinite in your handbag since you only become fourteen clubs, every bit per the USGA rules.

The Results

My Takeaways

Since my 4-iron was traveling 215 yards on average, I'thousand searching for a club that goes 230-plus. Ideally, I'grand looking for a society that provides me confidence that I can striking it consistently off the turf, and gives me control when trying to hit a green from long distances. This isn't an expanse of the purse that I merely want to striking it as far equally I tin can, so I'thou looking for that controlled 230-240 window.

It's important to keep in mind that you should consult your local trusted fitter or educational activity professional to conduct your own testing since every golfer is dissimilar. Beneath, I'll give my brief thoughts on each order I tested and what I'm seeing in the numbers.

The heads take an iron-like look with a squarer toe, flatter leading edge and crown that climbs to the superlative.

Andrew Tursky

Callaway Epic Super Hybrid: Unlike a "normal" hybrid, the Ballsy Super Hybrid seemed to sit down more like an iron with its tapered topline, while all the same having loads of mass to inspire confidence in the strike. It has almost a fairway woods size, just a more palatable look to my eye at address. While I did miss the center of the face on a few shots, it produced a penetrating, accurate brawl flight that didn't hook off the planet, or even go left of target at all. Compared to the 3-fe, information technology had more than 700 rpm of spin, meaning it will take better stopping power on the greens, and information technology carried half dozen yards further.

The "normal" hybrid: Honestly, I experience like the numbers are pretty practiced for how uneasy I felt hitting the hybrid. The smaller footprint compared to the Ballsy Super Hybrid, and more curved face, left me only waiting for a bad miss left. Overall, it flew a touch lower and touch shorter than the Epic Super Hybrid, and went a bit shorter than my 3-atomic number 26 overall. Non every bit bad as I thought, but reaffirmed my hybrid fears.

7-Woods: Since the 7-wood measures i.five inches longer and has a touch on larger caput, it was a given that it'd produce slightly faster ball speeds. That's not necessarily a bad matter if I could control it, but I tended to miss this one a little too far left for my liking. While it produced ten yards of altitude more my 3-fe, it just didn't provide the accuracy I wanted. Although it launched higher and went farther than Ballsy Super Hybrid, the misses were a bit too severe. The actress distance wouldn't exist worth it to me.

Callaway Super Hybrid first-generation: I was shocked at just how much higher this launched (12.6 degrees vs. nine.3 degrees) than the new Epic Super Hybrid at the aforementioned loft and with the same shaft. For some, that could be a great thing. A higher trajectory tin really help golfers who need more height on their shots to produce distance and accurateness. For me, though, the window was a bit likewise high; I'd be concerned about overall control, especially in the current of air. While it concluded up averaging more than overall distance than the new Epic Super Hybrid, I'd be hesitant to put this in the pocketbook. It even flew higher than the 7-wood!

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3-iron: As expected, this produced the slowest ball speed and everyman spin rate in the test, and it left me a fleck concerned with stopping ability when going at the green (it was rolling out 21 yards on average). While I actually hitting information technology relatively straight, and it nearly kept upwardly altitude-wise, a few of my mishits reminded me why I'm scared these days to pull the 3-iron. I felt significantly more comfortable hitting the four-iron, and most of the other clubs in the examination.

Final Thoughts

Commencement of all, this exam proved once again how of import it is to experiment with products for yourself to run across how they actually perform. Things never become exactly as planned, and the results can be eye-opening.

For me, I walked away from this exam knowing for a fact that I accept to supplant my three-atomic number 26. Also, an objective look at the results shows the new Epic Super Hybrid produced the best combination of long and straight shots with ample stopping ability. More chiefly, though, I felt comfy that I'd make clean contact with the Epic Super Hybrid compared to a long iron or fairway wood, and that it wouldn't dive to the left if I missed it.

In a category that has a lot of different options ranging from long irons to fairway forest, information technology seems this guild has institute an intriguing middle ground (particularly for golfers like me who tend to miss left).

Desire to overhaul your bag for 2022? Find a fitting location virtually yous at GOLF'south affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and data, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast beneath!

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Andrew Tursky

Golf.com Editor

Andrew Tursky is the Senior Equipment Editor at GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com.