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  1. #1
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    Callaway ERC Hot Driver

    I was at the local golf store at lunch and found a brand new Callaway ERC Hot 10 degree driver still in the original plastic. It's got the self adhesive sticker still on the face with both Japanese and English writing. It reads "Non-Conforming to USGA rules" but it also states that it is conforming to R&A rules. Then it has some Japanese lettering. The grip still has the plastic on it. I tried hitting it in the simulator and it's the loudest driver I've ever tried. It's 10 degree so a little too high lofted for me. I had never heard of it before but I just read about it and I guess it's 460 cc and it exceeds the COR limits of the USGA. It's the Japanese version of the FT-3 Fusion. It was listed at $49 but I talked the guy into letting it go for $29. I'm pretty sure I can sell if for over $125 and maybe even more because it's new. I put a few ball marks on the sticker, though. Naturally right in the middle.

    I tried posting a photo so let me know if you can see it.

    Anyone ever try one of these illegal drivers? I have a feeling it's no longer than anything else.

    I think the same person must have brought in another new club: Callaway GBB II 11.5 driver with senior shaft (brand new club).
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    Last edited by famousdavis; 04-16-2012 at 12:56 PM.

  2. #2
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    I never hit one of the too-high C.O.R. heads, but I know guys who did and they reported a heavy trampoline effect on solid hits in the center of the faces. This was sometimes in the '90's, if I recall. A friend who was my former club pro sold components and clones and I got a clone of the ERC called "HERC" with a good stiff Harrison shaft. The problem was that the head was a cheap knockoff and the face was dead flat--neither bulge nor roll. And the factory that knocked off the ERC with this head was not savvy enough or did not have the machinery or correct alloys to make a high-C.O.R. face. So what I had was a dead, flat face driver that I struggled to carry 200 yards with for a couple of years. Then I hit my first Titleist 975D at the range and realized that it was not my swing, but that crappy clone head that was costing me 40-60 yards of carry. You should be able to sell that driver for a good multiple of what you paid for it. Especially to a Japanese.
    Mostly Taylormade clubs now except for two Ping I25 hybrids, Mizuno 54 & Callaway 56 wedges.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by famousdavis View Post
    I was at the local golf store at lunch and found a brand new Callaway ERC Hot 10 degree driver still in the original plastic. It's got the self adhesive sticker still on the face with both Japanese and English writing. It reads "Non-Conforming to USGA rules" but it also states that it is conforming to R&A rules. Then it has some Japanese lettering. The grip still has the plastic on it. I tried hitting it in the simulator and it's the loudest driver I've ever tried. It's 10 degree so a little too high lofted for me. I had never heard of it before but I just read about it and I guess it's 460 cc and it exceeds the COR limits of the USGA. It's the Japanese version of the FT-3 Fusion. It was listed at $49 but I talked the guy into letting it go for $29. I'm pretty sure I can sell if for over $125 and maybe even more because it's new. I put a few ball marks on the sticker, though. Naturally right in the middle.

    I tried posting a photo so let me know if you can see it.

    Anyone ever try one of these illegal drivers? I have a feeling it's no longer than anything else.

    I think the same person must have brought in another new club: Callaway GBB II 11.5 driver with senior shaft (brand new club).
    Yes, it looks like cally FT-3 which is not a good driver compared to Cally GBB II

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pky6471 View Post
    Yes, it looks like cally FT-3 which is not a good driver compared to Cally GBB II
    I think you're right in that it's a Callaway FT-3 but with a face that exceeds the maximum C.O.R limits of the USGA so it guarantees an extra 20 yards. Yeah right. I doubt it makes any difference.

    On Sunday I played in a group of regulars who have indicated they'd like me to join them but I'm not sure if I want to yet. They bet a little too much and too much is riding on the bets. I've seen groups like this before and it's as if they are friends in an unfriendly way. Kind of hard to describe..I guess a bit of unsavory behavior mixed in. Naturally, handicap indexes are higher than they should be.

    Anyway, one of the guys appears to be around 55 to 60 years old, drinks beer and smokes while playing and outdrives everyone by 20 yards. On a good drive he'll hit it 270 to 280. He has a very quick motion but definitely hits from the inside and hits this low, piercing shot with a hook that runs out.

  5. #5
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    If it exceeds USGA limits you can be sure it is non conforming under R&A rules despite what the sticker says. I had a non conforming driver in the late 90s (a TaylorMade XR5) My R11 is just as long.

  6. #6
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    Ill vouch for the ERC2.The smaller head,think 360cc or something.There simply is no longer driver then that.I sold it just to get rid of the added distance.Plus the club was obvisouly less forgiving with the smaller head.

    And that ERC2 does conform to R&A. The year the driver came out the old guys was playing them on tournot sure which tour this was.But the guys where driving miles

    USG = 0.83corr rating
    R&A = 0.86corr rating

    And yes that makes a huge difference...Especially on impact.

    This ERC FD is talking about is not near the same as the ERC2.The ERC2 has a very very sublte noise when you hit the club,It's not loud at all.you hear a distinc pitched ping
    ----------------------------------------------------
    "The statement below is true.
    The statement above is false"

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pky6471 View Post
    Yes, it looks like cally FT-3 which is not a good driver compared to Cally GBB II
    I sold the Callaway ERC Hot on ebay. I'm starting to really dislike Golf Galaxy. Every time I go in there they have a whole wall of recently traded-in clubs that I haven't seen before. This just adds to my club ho'ing temptations. Today, I went in there and they had a set of Callaway X-16 Pro Series Irons, with the stock Callaway Tour Rifle Regular shafts in mint condition for $101. I tried the 7 iron and 5 iron in the simulator and they felt fantastic. I guess I never really looked at the pro series before but they have very little offset and a fairly compact head design. I may go pro.

  8. #8
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    I wonder if I should get a non-conforming driver to go with my non-conforming grooves. I've also tried non-conforming golf balls, but they suck pretty badly.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by NiftyNiblick View Post
    I wonder if I should get a non-conforming driver to go with my non-conforming grooves. I've also tried non-conforming golf balls, but they suck pretty badly.
    The only problem is that I don't believe any manufacturers have been making recent drivers that exceed the COR of the USGA. For awhile there it seemed popular to come out with these non-conforming drivers but I haven't heard of any 460 CC models other than the ERC Hot. Might as well give it a try. I saw another one the other day for only $29.99 but, like many Callaway drivers, it was missing a little piece of plastic that is supposed to adhere to the sole of the club.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by NiftyNiblick View Post
    I wonder if I should get a non-conforming driver to go with my non-conforming grooves. I've also tried non-conforming golf balls, but they suck pretty badly.
    Titleist made a non-conforming 983K for the Japaneses market and according to annecdotal accounts, it is pretty much hotter than the one sold to the Rest of the World. You will see them on Ebay from time to time. Since you are already familiar with the head, that might be just the thing for your Quest for Distance.
    Mostly Taylormade clubs now except for two Ping I25 hybrids, Mizuno 54 & Callaway 56 wedges.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by famousdavis View Post
    Today, I went in there and they had a set of Callaway X-16 Pro Series Irons, with the stock Callaway Tour Rifle Regular shafts in mint condition for $101. I tried the 7 iron and 5 iron in the simulator and they felt fantastic. I guess I never really looked at the pro series before but they have very little offset and a fairly compact head design. I may go pro.
    I still have my X-16 set, save it to play once in a while and out-of-town guess, I believe I hit 2002 BB better, but I am bagging MX-23 now, just to get used to those irons.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by famousdavis View Post
    The only problem is that I don't believe any manufacturers have been making recent drivers that exceed the COR of the USGA. For awhile there it seemed popular to come out with these non-conforming drivers but I haven't heard of any 460 CC models other than the ERC Hot. Might as well give it a try. I saw another one the other day for only $29.99 but, like many Callaway drivers, it was missing a little piece of plastic that is supposed to adhere to the sole of the club.
    Faces haven't got any hotter since the COR limit was introduced some years ago. OEM's these days are pushing MOI and fitting and adjustability to con pigeons into parting with their cash for a magic 25 yard increase. I have no doubt that there are a lot of guys out there who could go to a fitting and get an extra 30 or even 40 yards from getting fit proeprly with a driver that gives them optimum launch and spin numbers, but the same guy could get the same numbers with their 5 year old driver if it had the same shaft and specs as the new one they hit on the monitor.
    The views expressed by Not a Hacker are not meant to be understood by you primitive screw heads. Don't take it personally, just sit back and enjoy the writings of your better.

  13. #13
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    I once played with a guy that spent a fortune on a non-conforming Maruman driver from the Japanese market.

    The poor guy didn't hit the face of the club enough to find out how long it was. What he didn't hit off the toe, he hit off the hosel.

    I assume that he came to understand that the game wasn't for him, which is fine--it's not for everybody--but I've often wondered if somebody got a great deal on a four figure driver.

    I'm not really looking for a new driver, btw. I don't need any new clubs at this point, but those damned Spin Doctor wedges are calling me like a Siren.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by NiftyNiblick View Post
    I once played with a guy that spent a fortune on a non-conforming Maruman driver from the Japanese market.

    The poor guy didn't hit the face of the club enough to find out how long it was. What he didn't hit off the toe, he hit off the hosel.

    I assume that he came to understand that the game wasn't for him, which is fine--it's not for everybody--but I've often wondered if somebody got a great deal on a four figure driver.

    I'm not really looking for a new driver, btw. I don't need any new clubs at this point, but those damned Spin Doctor wedges are calling me like a Siren.
    I was a caddie for one summer and I remember just about every single member there had either a Big Bertha Driver (the original one..this was 1992) or a Bridgestone Whopper driver. The Whopper was probably the ugliest driver I've seen and most of the Asian members had them. I think at the time they went for $300, a large sum at that time.

    Spending tons of money on a driver is pretty silly unless you absolutely need the latest thing. What's really silly is the RBZ 3-wood mania that's going on. It's something like a whole inch longer than other 3 woods so of course it's going to give you greater distance when you hit it solid.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by famousdavis View Post
    I was a caddie for one summer and I remember just about every single member there had either a Big Bertha Driver (the original one..this was 1992) or a Bridgestone Whopper driver. The Whopper was probably the ugliest driver I've seen and most of the Asian members had them. I think at the time they went for $300, a large sum at that time.

    Spending tons of money on a driver is pretty silly unless you absolutely need the latest thing. What's really silly is the RBZ 3-wood mania that's going on. It's something like a whole inch longer than other 3 woods so of course it's going to give you greater distance when you hit it solid.
    I hit the RBZ 3 wood at the midnight Golf Galaxy grand unveiling event. It was the absolute worst feeling fairway wood I ever hit and I've hit a whole lot of them since 1955. I'm sure the ones the tour guys play are totally different animals.
    Mostly Taylormade clubs now except for two Ping I25 hybrids, Mizuno 54 & Callaway 56 wedges.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by mongrel View Post
    I hit the RBZ 3 wood at the midnight Golf Galaxy grand unveiling event. It was the absolute worst feeling fairway wood I ever hit and I've hit a whole lot of them since 1955. I'm sure the ones the tour guys play are totally different animals.
    I doubt the ones on tour are any different at all. The shafts are probably different but there's no reason why the heads of a 3 wood would be made to actually feel different.

    A good player I know recently bought the 3 wood and he raves about it. He's at an age where he has a harder time getting it up (in golf) and he says this 3 wood is actually 16 degrees and gives him great trajectory and distance.

    I tried the RBZ irons and, like you, I thought they were the worst feeling iron I've ever tried. That's saying a lot considering I thought the Burner 2.0 irons were the worst I had ever tried.

    Actually, the very worst feeling irons I've ever hit were the Cleveland TA3 Stainless irons. Next would be the Tommy Armour 845

  17. #17
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    The established members of a company's professional staff tour players get virtually anything they want. There is an entire internet forum on tour issue prototypes.

    The reality is that the OEMs don't make pro quality golf equipment anymore. Everything is what we used to call a "store model."

    Older players will remember "store models" like the Sam Snead Blue Ridge from Wilson and the Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear from MacGregor and the Louisville Grand Slam from H&B PowerBilt.

    That's everything, now. Serious equipment has to be custom ordered from a green grass pro shop with the help of a trained golf professional, not bought off the rack at Golf Galaxy, and those days are basically gone.

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