Callaway Epic Fairway Wood

Wood Options & Stock Shafts

Players Distance Fairway Wood

The 2017 Callaway Epic is the driver that made "Jailbreak" part of the golf vocabulary. Callaway welded two small titanium bars behind the face, connecting the crown to the sole just behind the hitting area. They stiffen the body so the face itself does more of the flexing at impact instead of the whole head deforming. The payoff is faster ball speed, and that mechanism is the reason this head got as much attention as it did when it landed in early 2017.

The rest of the build supports that goal. A triaxial carbon crown pulls weight out of the top of the head, and Callaway put that saved weight down low and back to raise the launch and stabilize off-center hits. This standard Epic carries a 17-gram weight on a track that runs across the back of the sole, so you can slide it toward the heel for a draw or toward the toe to knock down a hook. The OptiFit hosel lets you move loft up or down and change the lie angle, so one head covers a fair range of ball flights.

What you get is a driver built around raw speed that also happens to be easy to hit. It is not a small, spinny, shot-shaper's head. The standard Epic launches high and holds the line, and the adjustments are there to fine-tune, not to rescue a swing that needs a different club entirely. If you want the lower-spinning, more compact version of this story, that was the Epic Sub Zero, which is a different animal.

• You chase ball speed and want the face doing the work, not a heavier swing.
• You miss around the face and need a high-MOI head that keeps mishits online.
• You like to dial in a draw or fade bias with a sliding weight rather than swapping heads.
• You want a proven used-market driver and don't need the absolute lowest spin numbers.
• You launch the ball low and want a head that naturally sends it higher.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Jailbreak Technology in the Callaway Epic?

Jailbreak is a pair of titanium bars inside the head, standing vertically behind the face and connecting the crown to the sole. They stiffen the body at impact so the face takes on more of the load and flexes more, which raises ball speed. It was the headline feature of the 2017 Epic and Callaway kept refining it in later models.

Is the 2017 Callaway Epic driver adjustable?

Yes, in two ways. A 17-gram weight slides along a track on the sole from heel to toe to set a draw or fade bias. The OptiFit hosel then adjusts loft and lie across eight settings, so you can play a 10.5-degree head stronger or weaker and change the lie angle to fight a hook or a slice.

What's the difference between the Epic and the Epic Sub Zero?

The standard Epic has the sliding perimeter weight and a lower, deeper center of gravity, so it launches higher, spins more, and forgives mishits better. The Sub Zero uses two front weight ports to push the CG forward, which lowers spin and drops launch for faster swingers who fight ballooning drives. The Sub Zero is less forgiving in exchange for those numbers.

How forgiving is the standard Epic driver?

Quite forgiving for its era. The carbon crown and low-back weighting give it a high MOI, so off-center strikes hold their line and don't bleed as much distance. It launches high and stays stable, which is why plenty of mid-handicap players still game it. If you want tighter dispersion control at the cost of some forgiveness, that's the Sub Zero, not this head.

Is a used 2017 Callaway Epic worth buying now?

It can be a smart value. The Jailbreak speed story still holds up, and used prices have dropped well below newer models. You give up the incremental face and aerodynamic gains of later Epic and Rogue drivers, and shaft options on the used market can be limited, so check the flex and loft before you buy. For a golfer who wants a fast, high-launching head without paying current-year money, it's a reasonable pickup.

Alternatives to the Callaway Epic

Other players distance fairway wood models from different brands, closest to its model year.