Callaway ERC II Driver Golf Club

Lets break it down to a components standpoint starting with the shaft. Callaway has gotten a bad reputation in the past about the shafts they have used in their clubs, And rightfully so to a certain extent.....BUT there was a reason for doing what they did. Installing moderately high torque, lightweight, flexible shafts in their golf clubs gave the average Callaway consumer a chance to hit the ball further and straighter than they ever had before. The new Callaway shafts are supposed to be better than their predecessors in so much as the shafts torque is lower at the same or similar weight as Callaway's previous shafts. The only real problem with the shaft arises when you try and put an after market shaft in the head. Callaway has installed what they are calling a shaft protection sleeve on the hosel that goes down into the head. Being as how this sleeve is made of plastic it makes it very difficult to pull the original shaft out of the head and install a new one.

When i look at the club head of the E.R.C.II I am very impressed by the way Callaway hid the overall size of the head. The deep face is very impressive (as it pertains to looks) and it allows the overall size of the clubhead to rise above 320 cc's without looking like an anvil. The problem with making a high C.O.R. driver is that the actual club face has to have quite a bit of surface area for the club to have a large "spring like effect". To sum it up the head in my opinion is one of the best looking on the market.

As for my opinion on this particular club.....

The first thing I have to say on this subject is...I have done head to head testing between a driver I have of similar size and the E.R.C.II and was quite impressed by the difference. There is no doubt in my mind that this driver is hotter than a VERY similar driver that I have. The only problem that arises (the one that Callaway doesn't want you to know about) is that you have to be able to compress the face of this club to get any advantage out of having it. What this means is that you have to have a significant amount of club head speed before you see a significant amount of extra distance. But with that said, yes, the hotter face on this club as compared to a club with a cor of .830 is quite noticable. But again, you have to have a pretty good swing speed to notice the difference.

The second thing I have to say on this subject is... This game is not played off of the tee. It is played within 90 yards of the green, those who take the fewest strokes here will win. Think of it this way.....You enter a tournament, you get paired with a group of people you don't know. Now, what difference does it make to you if someone you do not know has this club and hits it ten yards further than they may hit a conforming club...They may still hit either one of them longer than you do.....WHO CARES. This club isnt going to lower your score THAT much, if at all. But its still kinda cool.