Callaway GBB Epic Sub Zero Fairway Wood

While the hallmarks of Callaway‘s Epic lineup are far and away the drivers, the fairway woods are no slouches themselves. Though it may not include Jailbreak technology, the Callaway GBB Epic Sub Zero fairway wood is still plenty long with some forgiveness.

First Impressions

Callaway has had it dialed in with size and shape of their fairway woods for the past couple of seasons. The GBB Epic Sub Zero is no exception. At address, you have a smaller footprint with a shallower depth face. That said, the face isn’t ultra shallow. In my opinion, Callaway has one of the best looking fairway wood shapes in golf.

Like the driver, the Epic Sub Zero fairway wood has the carbon fiber crown with the black and green color scheme. If there’s a sharper looking fairway wood from the 2017 season, I’m not sure what it is.

How Does it Feel?

Callaway used what they call a “Triaxial Carbon Crown” in the GBB Epic Sub Zero fairway, which paired with the Hyper Speed Face Cup makes for a very hot feeling face. I won’t try to convince you that this fairway wood feels ultra forgiving, but the sweet spot seems to feel a bit larger. A well-struck shot will give you that powerful feeling like you cracked the ball in half.

How Does it Sound?

Unsurprisingly, the sound of the Callaway GBB Epic Sub Zero fairway wood mirrors the feel. A solid shot results in a pronounced crack. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, I would say the sound isn’t dissimilar to a crack of lightning (not as loud of course). The Epic Sub Zero fairway wood doesn’t have the quiet concrete sound of the classic fairway woods from the past, but it isn’t anywhere near the sound of all these modern metal bazookas. If you’re looking for a satisfying and affirming sound at impact, the Epic Sub Zero fairway wood gets the job done.

On-Course Performance

Like the driver, the Callaway GBB Epic Sub Zero fairway wood has two weights in the sole to control the center of gravity (CG). Placing the heavier weight forward reduces spin and launch, and the weight back raises both. With the weight forward, I hit a lot of low line drives that drove straight into the ground pretty quickly. With the weight back, I was able to easily launch the ball and get good carry with enough roll. The numbers above reflect the back weight position. My experience with the weight back as that I had a much easier time finding the center of the face and hitting consistently accurate shots. With the weight forward, I would get a little squirrely and fought the club too much.

It’s worth noting that my experience with the CG position (where the weights are placed) does not mean you’ll have the same experience. Others may find it easier to hit with the weight up and prefer a more piercing flight.

Final Thoughts

The Callaway GBB Epic Sub Zero fairway wood was easily in my top two for the 2017 season. So much so that it spent a majority of that season in my bag; both a 3 and 5 wood. Though the GBB Epic Sub Zero may not be as innovative as the driver, it’s still a tremendous fairway wood. I assume a common question will be, “is it worth the upgrade from my current Callaway fairway wood?” My opinion is, yes, it is worth it. I think the Epic fairway woods are Callaways best feeling fairway woods to date and are worth the upgrade. As always, I encourage you to test for yourself and get properly fitted to get the best results.

Stock Callaway GBB Epic Sub Zero Fairway Wood Specs

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