When Callaway blew a fuse a few years back and launched the C4 Driver, they made heads turn for all the wrong reasons. Had this company lost its proverbial mind? Could they rebound from the disaster? Thanks to a stellar effort with the GBBll in 2003 and some fine handiwork with the X-16 Irons, things have been getting back to normal for one of golfdom’s powerhouses. Oh yeah, and perhaps the outrageous success of Annika Sorenstam and the winsome talent of Charles Howell lll, Ricky Barnes and Rocco Mediate helped things out as well (the use of Callaway drivers on the PGA Tour increased from 10% to 20% in 2003).
So….when Callaway launched the ERC Fusion Driver this fall, expectations were high. The early verdict: they have another winner. The ERC driver, which combines a forged Titanium “cup-face” with a precision-weighted composite (graphite) body (the God-awful C4 was 100% graphite), is a finely-tuned hitting machine that yields explosive power. I recently gave it a few goes and each time have walked away thoroughly impressed. This club seems to have everything that the C4 didn’t.
One of the first things that I really liked about this weapon is its unique sound and feel at impact. It doesn’t have that eardrum-shattering hollow “ting” that so many new drivers feature. Rather, there seems to be an ultra-solid, yet reasonably low-key “thwack” that’s more reminiscent of some of the better stainless steel drivers of the late 80s. Am I nuts? Better go try it for yourself.
