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In this review, I’ll be taking a look at the Callaway Epic Flash Star driver.
The new Epic Flash Star family is Callaway’s latest attempt to accommodate golfers with slow to moderate swing speeds.
It has all the features of the original Epic Flash, except it features a lighter design (in the crown, shaft, grip) and has a lower center of gravity (CG) for easier launch.
How does the Epic Flash Star perform in comparison to the Epic Flash? Is it worth its price tag? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
Read on to find out what you need to know to make an informed purchase.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The ratings and reviews that have come out so far have been positive.
Golfers with slower swing speeds have noticed an increase in clubhead speed, carry, and overall distance compared to the Epic Flash. However, many question if it’s worth the $170 additional cost.
What People Like
- provides all of the benefits of the original Epic Flash
- very long and forgiving
- lightweight shaft, grip, and head are great for slower swing speeds
What People Don’t Like
- very expensive; quite a bit more expensive than the Epic Flash
- may only perform well for a certain subset of golfers
- no adjustable hosel
What are the features?
The core features of the Epic Flash Star are the same as the Epic Flash, which I talk about in my review here. To summarize:
Flash Face Technology
Callaway’s engineers used a supercomputer and machine learning to arrive at the Flash Face.
This face has a design meant to maximize ball speeds in the center of the face, unlike anything that’s been seen before.
Jailbreak Technology
Lightweight yet strong titanium bars that connect the crown to the sole of the club transfer impact loads to the face, increasing ball speeds. This technology was first seen in the Rogue driver.
T2C Triaxial Carbon
The T2C carbon fabric is a new addition. It has a tight weave, allowing for some weight savings.
In the Epic Flash Star, these weight savings are used to lower the center of gravity (CG) and promote a higher, easier launch.
The main difference in the Epic Flash Star lies in the lightweight design.
The crown, stock shaft and stock grip are all lighter, and combined with the fixed hosel, this saves 50 grams of weight over the original Epic Flash.
For golfers with slower swing speeds and less strength, this means faster clubhead speed, a higher launch, and more distance.
Stock Info
The Epic Flash Star driver is available in 10.5°, 12°, and 13.5° standard lofts at 460 CC. Also available is the women’s Epic Flash Star driver in the same lofts.
The stock shaft is the UST ATTAS Speed 30g/40g, and the stock grip is the lightweight 30g Golf Pride JL00. You can alternatively choose from a number of custom shafts when ordering from this site.
If you’re interested, full information on the driver, shafts, grips and their specs can be found on the Callaway website.
Below are the specs of the Epic Flash Star driver. Click or zoom to enlarge.
How does the driver perform?
Distance
Because my swing speed is a little faster than the Epic Flash Star calls for, I did a couple of things.
- I swung easier to keep the clubhead speed down a little bit.
- I got a couple of students with slower swing speeds to give the Star a try.
Now on to the results. I must say that I’m quite impressed. While I myself saw 3-5 yards of distance loss because I was swinging easier (lets be honest: there are other factors at work here), my students saw distance gains of 10-15 yards on average over their gamer drivers.
The bottom line is that the claims ring true: the Epic Flash Star promotes a higher launch and more distance for those who need it.
Forgiveness
The forgiveness of the Epic Flash is excellent. It turns out that the forgiveness of the Epic Flash Star is about the same.
I was getting similar dispersions and distance variation across the face.
I would venture to say that the forgiveness is even a touch better, because unless I’m mistaken, the CG is a little farther back, which increases the MOI.
Playability/Trajectory
The first thing to note is that the trajectory will tend to be higher than heavier drivers for golfers with slower swing speeds. That’s just how it is, and it’s typically going to result in more distance.
Moreover, a lighter driver is going to feel better in the hands for a lot of people. This is going to translate to increased comfort and confidence, and just a better experience is overall.
Aside from all of this, playability is more or less the same as the Epic Flash.
What about look, sound & feel?
The Look
Naturally, I’ll continue to compare the Epic Flash Star to its brother, the Epic Flash. There’s not much to complain about in the looks department.
The look from the top-down is pretty much the same, with the elongated crown, sweet spot a touch towards the heel (apparently), and the alignment aid with the white stripe behind it.
The face shape also looks the same. One big difference is in the hosel, which is fixed and not adjustable.
Moving to the sole design, the Epic Flash Star has similar geometry, but there’s less colour overall, and the bright yellow in the Epic Flash has turned into a sandy, whitish yellow, which I honestly like better.
The headcover, on the other hand, is quite different. It’s mostly black, and the Star logo occupies a small area at the top. I prefer the headcover of the Epic Flash this time.
The Sound & Feel
I would say that the impact sound is a touch higher-pitched than the Epic Flash; this isn’t surprising considering the lighter head design.
Aside from that, the feel and sound are nearly the same, with sweet spot strikes feeling amazing and solid.
While mis-hits feel pretty good compared to center hits, you can still isolate the impact through both feel and sound, which is a plus.
I said in the past that the Epic Flash is one of the best-feeling drivers I’ve ever tested. All indications from myself and students say that the Epic Flash Star is on the same level.
Where should I buy the Epic Flash Star driver online?
The best place to order an Epic Flash Star driver with custom specifications (loft, length, shaft, grip, etc.) is this page on the official Callaway website.
However, it’s very expensive — more expensive than the Epic Flash.
If you want to save money, I recommend picking up a discounted stick (new or used) on eBay.
You can alternatively order an Epic Flash Star on Global Golf.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the Epic Flash Star driver delivers the top-level performance of the Epic Flash in a lighter package.
Amazing distance, excellent forgiveness, a modern look, comfortable feel, and an easy launch are all there.
For slower swingers who feel that the weight of the Epic Flash is keeping them from their full potential, I definitely recommend trying the Epic Flash Star if you can stomach the price.
The big issue I see is that the Epic Flash Star is $700 full price; many players won’t want to shell out this amount of money for a driver. Also keep in mind that the hosel is fixed.
Are you interested in the Epic Flash Star driver? Have you tried it yet? What have your results been? Let us know in the comments below.
