Callaway Mavrik Driver Review: Expensive, But Worth It?
The newest release from Callaway is the Mavrik series of drivers. With the success of the Epic Flash last year, this was a highly anticipated model. Whether you have been in search of a new driver or you want to know how much better the Mavrik is than previous models, you are in the right place.
In our review, we will let you know who the Mavrik is for, why it’s so expensive and whether or not this driver will benefit your game enough to justify the expense.
- The new face architecture required FS2S titanium, an extremely strong material that’s 6 grams lighter than traditional titanium to promote optimal speed, forgiveness, and spin robustness.
- Two internal Jailbreak bars connect the sole and crown to promote fast ball speed, and the significantly lighter carbon crown allows us to redistribute weight for higher MOI.
- We also used A. I. to design a sophisticated internal titanium rib system that fine-tunes the head to produce a deeper, highly satisfying sound.
- Included Components: Golf Club, Headcover
Contents
Callaway Mavrik Models
Not all Mavriks are created equal. There are three different versions of the Mavrik driver, and they are all intended for a different type of player. The three models are the Mavrik, Mavrik Max, and the Mavrik Sub Zero.
- Mavrik: For all players. The Mavrik has a great mix of distance, forgiveness, and playability. Lower handicap players that want a little extra forgiveness on a driver should choose this model. Middle handicap players will feel right at home with the Mavrik.
- Mavrik Max: For higher handicap golfers seeking ultimate levels of forgiveness and launch. If you struggle with getting the ball in the air and you are still fighting that slice, the Mavrik Max is for you. The Mavrik Max has two interchangeable weights.
- Mavrik Sub Zero: The Sub Zero is the player’s model. The Sub Zero is a low spinning driver with tons of workability and two interchangeable weights.
Shaft Options
Callaway is still producing the Callaway Mavrik Drivers, so you can order them in any shaft you desire. However, something should be said for the stock shaft that a driver comes with. The stock shaft is the one that it went through all the testing with, and when you look at performance factors, it is based on the stock shaft.
Always make sure that the shaft you choose fits your game, but overall, the three shafts offered in the Mavrik models are high quality and premium shafts. If you are a lower handicap player looking to play the standard Mavrik, you may need a custom shaft. Same goes for the higher handicap player wanting to play the Mavrik or the Sub Zero.
Mavrik: Project X Evenflow Riptide
The Mavrik comes standard with the Project X Evenflow Riptide. The Evenflow Riptide is a sixty-gram shaft offering mid-launch and mid-spin. It’s available in three different flexes and works perfectly for the average golfer.
- Average swing speed
- Mid Launch
- Mid Spin
Mavrik Max: US Helium Black
The Mavrik Max comes with the UST Helium Black shaft in a forty-gram weight. You cannot get this shaft in the stiff flex. This is a higher launching shaft with ultimate forgiveness being the main goal of the Mavrik Max series. If you have faster swing speeds, this is not the driver shaft for you.
- Slow swing speed
- High launch
- High spin
Mavrik Sub Zero: Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI
The Sub Zero comes standard with the Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI. This shaft is offered in both the 60 and the 70-gram options and is available in the stiff or extra stiff flex. The Aldila Rogue is a low spinning shaft for the highest swing speed players. If you like to work the golf ball around the course, this is the shaft for you.
- Fast swing speed
- Low Launch
- Low Spin
Before we get well into the details, here’s a quick and easy video review of the Callaway Mavrik driver from Golf Monthly.
Forgiveness
By now, we have established that the Mavrik Max is the most forgiving of the three drivers, but all three of these clubs have some great features that make them more forgiving. The Callaway Mavrik series is really about speed. Speed is their main concern as speed helps to give distance.
However, distance applied in the wrong direction is a real problem for golfers. Callaway used artificial intelligence when designing the Mavrik to make sure that it’s weighting and shape promote as much forgiveness as possible.
The two jailbreak bars in the clubhead will help get you more yards, but they also help support a very large sweet spot. Callaway likes to help the golfers that miss in the heel and on the toe. If this describes you, you will likely notice a difference in the performance of this club compared to your current golf clubs.
Distance
Distance is where the Mavrik Drivers shine. Callaway took all of their distance technology from the last few years, made it better, and then put it in this driver. You will get the Jailbreak Bars, that act as a trampoline on the clubface of this driver.
You also get the Flash Face technology that gives these drivers some of the highest Moment of Inertia that golf has ever seen. If you are currently playing with a driver that is two or more years old, this Mavrik will be considerably longer.
If you are playing with the Epic Flash from last year, we think you will see a slight difference. The Epic Flash is certainly a very long driver, the Mavrik shaping, feel, and sound is a bit better.
Adjustability
All three Mavrik drivers have an adjustable hosel. We are big fans of the adjustable loft. If you are working on your golf game at all, an adjustable loft can save you a ton of money. For a higher handicap golfer who needs a lot of loft in their game currently, they must consider how long it will be before they need considerably less loft.
Setting a club at 11.5 will certainly give you plenty of forgiveness and launch. Once you learn to swing the club properly, setting it at 11.5 will cost you the distance. In the past, players would have to go and purchase a new golf club. This is no longer the case with all of the adjustability on the market.
The Sub Zero and the Mavrik Max also have adjustable weights. Adjustable weights can be great when it comes to fine-tuning the golf club to your needs. Don’t let the fact that the Mavrik does not have weights scare you away from this club.
The reason the standard Mavrik does not have weights is that it is perfected and optimized at its current setup. The center of gravity is exactly where Callaway wants it to make it the distance machine that it is. Any change in this weight would affect the performance, and that is not what they wanted.
Pricing
All three Mavrik drivers are priced at the top of the market. We love the fact that they kept the pricing across all three models the same. Some companies like to add a little different material to the pro version and charge an extra $50 or $100. It’s kind of getting old for the better players.
The Callaway is no higher than any other manufacturer would release a brand new driver. This has just become the pricing on a driver release. At least for the first year or two, it is on the market. We don’t recommend waiting for the price on the Mavrik to drop. It won’t drop enough to make a difference; it is either the right club for your game, or it’s not.
Handicap
Although we have laid out the differences between the three drivers and the high, medium, and low handicap options, golfers always want to know handicap ranges. Handicap ranges are difficult because some players have handicaps that are going up, and others have a handicap that is falling fast. The following is a basic guide of which handicap should use which Mavrik but it doesn’t need to be followed with extreme closeness.
- Mavrik: 5 to 20 handicap
- Mavrik Max: 15 to 30 handicap
- Mavrik Sub Zero: 10 and below
- Incredible distance off the tee
- Flash face and Jailbreak technology to help with both forgiveness and distance
- Adjustability
- Premium shafts
- Three models to choose from
- Great feel and playability
- Sound improvements from the Epic Flash
- Expensive
- Still needs a bit of work when it comes to sound
- The new face architecture required FS2S titanium, an extremely strong material that’s 6 grams lighter than traditional titanium to promote optimal speed, forgiveness, and spin robustness.
- Two internal Jailbreak bars connect the sole and crown to promote fast ball speed, and the significantly lighter carbon crown allows us to redistribute weight for higher MOI.
- We also used A. I. to design a sophisticated internal titanium rib system that fine-tunes the head to produce a deeper, highly satisfying sound.
- Included Components: Golf Club, Headcover
Frequently Asked Questions:
A few questions are being thrown around about the Callaway Mavrik drivers that we thought we would help clear up.
Is the Callaway Mavrik better than the Epic Flash?
If you spent $500 last year on an Epic Flash driver, you might be less than thrilled to hear about the improvements to the Mavrik. The bad news is that there are some improvements, the good news is that they are likely not significant enough to warrant an immediate upgrade.
The Mavrik feels better, sounds better, and is a few (as in five or less) yards longer than the Epic Flash. These results are based on lots of different product testers and may vary in your own individual game.
What Is Artificial Intelligence In A Driver?
Artificial intelligence is machine intelligence. It is intended to be more thorough, more expansive, and more revolutionary than human intelligence. When Callaway needed help bringing their golf clubs to the next level, they used computers to help them, and it worked.
Does the Callaway Mavrik Come In A Draw Bias Model?
Both the Mavrik and the Mavrik Max slightly draw bias. With the Mavrik, you will barely notice it, but with the Max, you might. You can then position the weights in the Mavrik Max to make sure it performs to be more draw bias. Draw bias drivers help golfers who slice the ball.
What Size Club Head Are the Mavrik Drivers?
All three Mavrik Drivers are 460cc, which is the maximum legal limit for a golf driver.
Alternative Options
If for some reason, you don’t think the Callaway Mavrik Driver is the right golf club for you, there are other options out there. The three most closely related clubs this year are the TaylorMade SIM Max, the Cobra Speedzone, and the Cleveland HB Turbo. Each will have its positives and negatives.
TaylorMade Sim Max
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The TaylorMade Sim Max Drivers are the newest release from TaylorMade and the update and replacement of the M6 driver that did so well last year. TaylorMade is all about speed. We mentioned that Callaway did a lot as far as speed is concerned about this driver, but TaylorMade generally leads the speed game.
The SIM Max driver comes in three different versions. The three models are the SIM, SIM Max, and SIM Max D. IF you want to compare them to the Mavrik drivers than the SIM would compare to the Sub Zero, the SIM Max would compare to the standard Mavrik, and the SIM MAX D would compare to the Mavrik Max.
The TaylorMade SIM Driver is a bit more money than the other models because of a special face on the club. This is the design for the lowest handicap player.
TaylorMade has been perfecting their speed pocket technology for many years, and it honestly only seems to get better and better. This driver has the revolutionary Twist Face Technology and a modern shaping and design. If you like TaylorMade products, you will like the SIM Max.
Cobra Speedzone
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The Cobra Speedzone Driver is the update of the very successful F9 release last year. For many years Cobra has been left a bit in the dust when it comes to distance. They almost always can compete when it comes to accuracy and forgiveness, but in the past, distance has lacked.
That has now changed.
The Speedzone Driver has incredibly fast ball speeds and can give the Mavrik a run for its money. We love that the Speedzone is highly adjustable and that you can use the Cobra Connect app to track how far your golf ball is going and how it changes based on the loft and lie adjustments.
The only real downside to the Speedzone is that it is intended for a wide range of players. If you fall in the middle of this group of players, then you will have no issues. However, for a very high and very low handicap golfer, the Speedzone may not be the best fit.
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo
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The Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo is a great choice for a golfer afraid to spend a mortgage payment on a new club but wants improvement in their game. The Turbo is the best-priced driver in our review, but you will not notice a large decrease in performance.
The Launcher has higher ball speeds than it has in years past, and it is helping mid to high handicap players reach distances that they have never seen before. The only real downside to the Cleveland is that the ball speeds seem to still fall slightly behind the Mavrik.
If the distance is your primary concern, it really will be worth it to go with the Mavrik and spend the extra money.
Conclusion: Yes or No to the Callaway Mavrik Driver?
The Callaway Mavrik Driver has everything you could want in a golf club, and more. The only factor will come down to your budget. Finding a driver with more speed, more forgiveness, more adjustability, and a better golf shaft is likely not going to be possible.
If you have not updated your driver in a few years or feel that you lack confidence off the tee, the Mavrik could change your golf game completely. Let us know if you bought the new Mavrik Driver and how it has changed your golf game.
- The new face architecture required FS2S titanium, an extremely strong material that’s 6 grams lighter than traditional titanium to promote optimal speed, forgiveness, and spin robustness.
- Two internal Jailbreak bars connect the sole and crown to promote fast ball speed, and the significantly lighter carbon crown allows us to redistribute weight for higher MOI.
- We also used A. I. to design a sophisticated internal titanium rib system that fine-tunes the head to produce a deeper, highly satisfying sound.
- Included Components: Golf Club, Headcover
