Recently made the plunge and had Epon build me a new AF101 driver.

Specs: Shaft: Graphite Design P9003x, 80gm/2.9° torque - Length: 45.75"
Lie: 1.5° flat - Loft: 9.5° - Face angle: 1.5° open - Swing Weight: D4

The new AF101 is one of two new drivers from Epon for 2008. While many here have already tried this driver out and have gotten great results, I felt the need to post yet another review. The most striking thing I found about this club is its incredible stability. A very marked improvement over the older 460ZR. And, by a large margin. The MOI numbers will tell you that, but until you hit I think its hard to imagine. I found this club very easy to control and in fact when I just let it do the work it produces very favorable results.

The combination of the head and shaft give me a club which is the first "anti-left" club I've hit to date. My main miss has always been left with the driver and its always something I struggle with especially when the swing is less than dialed in. With this club I don't see those massive left side misses. I feel its much more predictable and thus inspires confidence.

The feel is what you would expect from Epon and Graphite Design. Exceptional feel and an all around beautiful club. While I prefer taller club faces, and the new AF101 face is shorter than the 460ZR, its enhanced stability is making me forget all about those taller club faces. I just tee the ball up slightly lower to account for that but it has not affected the results I'm getting and I haven't had to change the swing. It feels very powerful to me.

Ball flight from this combo is a medium to higher trajectory which seems absolutely perfect to my eye. There is no ballooning to speak of and its the equivalent of a hand cannon in my opinion. I don't see a huge difference in distance, the AF101 is about 5 yards longer, but I feel the enhanced stability and greater feel does get me in the fairway more often. Besides, as Chris has stated many times, distance for drivers is pretty much maxed out and at this point, all I'm looking for is more feel and greater precision. The AF101 definitely lives up to that. I do notice though that off-center hits still gain very decent yardage and this would of course be due to the higher MOI.

This new AF101 I think would really be the way to go for those golfers seeking a driver with enhanced stabilty from higher MOI while still maintaining that classic look. I'm one that's not for the new squarish drivers. They just don't fit my eye.

As for the sound of this driver, I've never heard a driver sound better. Its not overly loud or distracting but its still there letting you know you've hit the ball. The sound is somewhat restrained while still producing power, if you know what I'm trying to say. I think the sound really works well with the way the club swings and the feeling it produces. The best word I could use to describe the total package of this club would be harmonious.

I'm looking foward to many more rounds with this new set-up and I'm very excited about it. I really didn't think Epon could've improved the driver as much as they have with this new AF101, but they really have. I did not expect this club to exceed my expectations but it has; greatly. Of course, matching the shaft along with swing characteristics plays a huge role in that as well. This combo is really, really something.

What a nice thorough review.
I see you have had your clubs knocked flat by -1. How tall are you?
Thanks

I'm just slightly over 6' 1". The flatter lie angles I've come to find work better in my swing. In fact my Epon wedges are all 3 degrees flat and my irons are 2 degrees flat. I find this helps not to hook the ball as much. Since I started experimenting a couple years back with this I've found my ball striking to be much improved. I don't know if it really does help but I feel it does. Just as an example, my new Yururi wedge is standard lie angle but I am drawing it a bit, so I do know I need to go and have it adjusted a little flatter and I'm sure it'll be much more consistent with the ball flight.

wow i was expecting you to be a short arse like me.im only 5"8 but have long arms so i like my clubs slightly flatter taking out the draw spin and the bad left of target shot.I dont like all these drivers with a closed face as they result in much frustration with the ball hooking draw spin off the fairways.ive been working on my wrist hinge (hand action)
this is carming my shoulders.And things are becoming much more smoother giving better results.So its no more heave ho through the ball with the body just a nice swish releasing it fully with the hands. so far so good!!
I really need to Learn how to putt now as this is where i give shots away.
Thanks

This post has been edited by Bombardier Smith: Jun 4 2008, 09:43 PM