ILLEGAL!...THIS CLUB GOT CALLAWAY GOLF INTO TROUBLE! |

[@chubeviewer]

I think we all needed that intro

[@martgamer0197]

My mate had one of these OG "trampoline effect" drivers back in the day. He could hit the bloody thing miles, mostly into the woods. ;)

[@johnweita9976]

Just got one of these for $2 at Goodwill. Can't wait to go to the range and try it out. Also got the matching ERC-3 wood for $2. Awesome!!

[@Siggy_Sour]

wow dude great find

[@zefolantar]

I have THREE ERC 2’s in my basement and still pull one out from time to time for “Texas Scramble” tournaments. Hit my career longest drive with the ERC 2, so it lived up to the billing! 👍👍

[@garydavis8213]

500 bucks back in 01. Still got one in my garage. 👍🏻

[@robertbeaudette8665]

Reshaft and bring the spin rate down to around 2k, then watch it go forever!

[@markgarcia123]

I was going the say the same thing.... a re-shaft is in order.

[@stuartanderson2528]

@Samantha Balint 2 shafts to use, Matrix Black Tie or the Graphite Design BB shaft. Carry goes to 330 plus yards.

[@magellanx7]

In these times, seeing you shake it, was much needed. Stay safe Big Al and thanks for the videos!

[@zanefoster9352]

Just ran across one the other day in a box from when I had my golf shop. Going to shaft it with a Grafalloy Blue s-flex shaft.

[@rare2well]

I still have one of these with a 10 degree head and stock regular Callaway shaft. It’s still the longest driver I’ve ever hit after 23 years later.

[@bernardblumberg803]

I’ve got one! I’m 71 y.o. I’ve had it since 1990 something. Very hard to control.

[@danrivera9084]

Great video man, thanks for not pointing out the negotives of that year. I didn't know Callaway made an illegal driver. Thanks for smashing it a mile, keep up the great work.

[@alexetchesgolf]

Thanks mate - will never forget those moments but I do want to keep a positive vibe with these and keep everyone smiling :) appreciate it!

[@JakeTheSlinger]

I miss the super loud full titanium heads... good thing i have one!

[@Reffitt2]

If you could get that spin to drop about 1k rpm that thing would haunt dreams it'd be so long! Love the retro review videos! Glad I came across them and your channel, Al!

[@ianfellows725]

I still play with my 8 degree ERC II, love it and it eats Par 4's and5's, but somewhat agree with MartGamer 01 it find's the woods a bit too often.

[@royals7888]

Love the retro reviews! Keep them coming please!

[@shaneducholke364]

I bought the Taylormade R580 when it came out. It added about 20 yds to my drive from my TM 360. I was winning long drive at the weekly league night almost wvery time at my club. After a while, it was deemed non-conforming. The club said we could use it for normal rounds but nit competitive league rounds. I got tired of hitting my 3 wood all the time so I did the free exchange to the conforming version. I think they brought it back too far as I was shorter than my 360. I wish I kept it and just bought a new driver as I miss hitting 330 yard drives.

[@Ipolevaultandstuff]

How does this channel only have 32k subs?? quickly becoming a favorite

[@Tywithay]

If you think that's loud, hit the Nike Sumo square driver. I hit one in 2006 and still occasionally hear the echo when I drive by the range.

[@alexetchesgolf]

I had that driver!

[@jeremyabbott9909]

Very cool video. Amazing distances from such an old club. Amazing how little improvement in drivers over the years. Love the retro

[@stuartanderson2528]

This club will last forever, put a Matrix shaft in it and you got a 350 yard driver, also that noise can be taken out if it. Check E-bay and you will find several there.

[@robertroth6521]

Very informative, now I’m going to look for one on eBay.. Thanks for feeding my sickness.

[@garysmith6994]

Another great video AL thanks really lifts my spirits

[@beaney56]

I inherited this off my dad when I was a junior, it was MASSIVE when you middled it and WILD AS ALL HELL!!! when you mis hit it lol.

[@keithkatz1350]

Lots of guys played these back then. It was this or Great Big Bertha you need to do that one. Thanks for the entertainment BA. Cheers from sheltered in place in Norcal

[@guyhall6592]

Found one, 10* for $12.50, let the fun begin. Thanks Al, GOD Bless! /gHr

[@fernandov2838]

Got mine for 3.99 at a Goodwill. In near perfect condition. Can't wait !

[@andya2665]

Awesome numbers for 2001. I would play illegal clubs but I hate always looking over my shoulder, and that guilty feeling where you can never look anyone in your foursome in the eye. You're thinking, "Will this be the round where the USGA catches up with me?" When you have the driver in your trunk at a check point you always think "I hope they dont have club sniffing dogs." The pressure is too great so I gotta be on the up and up, therefore i dont play illegal clubs, but i do wonder, "What if i did?"

[@joebradley7317]

Come on Andy where is your sense of adventure !! F em if they can't take a joke.

[@andya2665]

@@joebradley7317 lol

[@bradkendrick6759]

I still own one of these... I should take it out to the range for a hit. Haven't swung it for years

[@MrLeftyno1]

I remember callaway launched this at the big tradeshow held each year and at the same time they asked the current world long drive champion to try it out Jason Zuback well good old Jason agreed and hit his first drive smashed the face,he went on to smash 5 faces before callaway stopped the wrecking demo. what callaway learned was that the trampoline faces to truly work had to be tuned to a individual player for them to truly work. Tour players gained 20 yards but the average Joe gained very little as you had to flex the face to gain distance and most did not or in Jasons case over flexed it.

[@sudinnz]

You should do a review of all the clubs USPGA has deemed illegal..would be fun to see how the game of golf would have chnaged

[@MrGlk]

Would be fun to see what they could make now with modern R&D and no face regs

[@jamiedowling8787]

Had a Callaway big bertha around the same time. Callaway were the big leaders. Never got a chance to hit that bad boy. Love the sound.

[@matthewdumble7415]

Good to see you hitting the middle of the face a LOT!!! My dad's TM M3 does a similar noise thing if struck out of the middle.

[@JamesRobinsonGolf]

Enjoyed this

[@GrumpyTy34er]

Had one I bought used when I was in my crazy buy every Big Bertha club phase. I did hit it great

[@glencalvert9510]

I still have one in the garage I take out to the range from time to time.

[@adrianjones5521]

He is lighting fire to that thing!

[@ForetoFourGolf]

so that drivers conforms now if the smash factor is less than 1.5? Aren't you usually around the 1.47 mark? Maybe you should start a movement to get it de-criminalised 😂

[@larslewis7189]

Retro Reviews: Do a Titleist Acushnet Persimmon Driver Some of the most beautiful set of woods ever made.

[@gtsgolf9410]

can't believe as a good Australian you didn't mention the hit 'can't get you out of my head' by a certain kylie minogue

[@useyourblues]

I really enjoyed this!

[@GrumpyTy34er]

So I am a lover of the Big Bertha line to the point where all but 3 of my clubs are Big Bertha clubs (Square Strike because I need to practice my short game but this will do for now, 58 degree Mack Daddy 3 or 4 [don't remember which], and my putter which I need to still do a lot of testing on but might be an Odyssey). I have one of these. I love it. My shaft is different and I've only ever seen that shaft on my 2 fake Big Bertha 460 drivers (non-Pro version, which is probably fake too). Take that as you will. (I also have a Big Bertha Fusion 5 wood which is DEFINITELY PROBABLY fake and is probably just a rebranded Fusion 5 Wood, which makes no sense to me.)

[@geordiegibson1210]

I worked for a company in Melbourne that designed and engineered these clubs, called Super Alloy Technologies (since bought out by TIL, thailand based). We designed and made the original GBB, GBBII, ERC, ERCII, Ping and Titleist drivers, and putters, all based out of Thomastown, Melbourne. Raw forgings were bought from Russia, stamped in Thailand then sent to Melbourne for quality control, engraving (such as artwork on the sole, scorelines on the face etc.).We also did a lot of R & D including destructive testing etc. Once the parts were checked, they were sent back to THailand for final assembly then off to the US for painting. I can tell you for fact now, the USPGA banned them after they had been released, as the overseas players using them were hitting the ball "too far" for the Americans to keep up. Royal St Andrews deemed the clubs to be legal from the design stage through the development stage, so in fact the clubs were conforming. Once the USPGA banned the clubs (and pros stopped using them), we retooled the gear for the driver and changed the loft to 12.5 degrees, outside the laws governing what is classified as a driver, and sold it as a 3+ wood (there was already a 3 wood in the fairway wood range). I have 4 of these (3+, 3, 5, 7), plus an unpainted Ping Anser W Ti putter that is still pure titanium.

[@alexetchesgolf]

Wow, that’s super interesting and cool...Thanks so much for sharing!

[@geordiegibson1210]

@@alexetchesgolf if that ERCII driver is up for sale, I wouldn't mind adding it to the collection, as the 3+ i have i can hit nearly as far as my driver......... off the fairway. Another side note, I played the NZ Open a couple of years ago with 3 of the woods in my bag, without a problem.

[@williamheld7672]

I would like to see you hit the square drivers from callaway and Nike.

[@stuartanderson2528]

The Nike Ignite Plus

[@richb326]

It’d be good see some of the old illegal drivers against the modern counterparts. R360 vs Sim for example

[@danielc114]

Love the education with it. Like a full trivia show. Who would of know Al knew sooooo much stuff. Or if Wikipedia wasn’t released then would Al know this much 🤔. Another good one keep them up please

[@Pocketpatriot]

I've got one I brought for £25 last year, got it cut down and its a beast

[@Andrewsmith03]

You should do a comparison with the new callaway driver to see weather it is just as good or better being illegal

[@guyhall6592]

Fun stick, sound not so much but the results are fabulous. The bore through shaft makes all the difference for me. Best drive of the day was 297, fairways are firm here in So Cal. Dude, I'm 63 years old. Ireland / UK fits you better golfmate All the Best.

[@troypuckridge762]

Naughty or not, I love a good retro review

[@edlowery9946]

Like the retro bud. Keep it up

[@_.Dave._]

4:00,.. "Low Rider Donny!,.. Donny, Low Rider?"

[@coegj]

Fun good stuff, it's raining here in mid Western Illinois, and burr too.

[@ryankelso7980]

Al please do a "driver to the beats" video! Long drive video but change music to get you pumped! Blues, country, rap, rock, metal and hardcore! How amped does the music make you and how far can you hit it!!

[@JRXIX]

I remember my old man's mate having this and everyone commenting on the crazy sound! Love the reviews AL - keep it up! Ps - retro review some old Hogan Apex Blades from the 70'z or 80'z!

[@stuartplant3140]

Retro all the way !!!

[@robbiles]

Love a #RR. You should wear the clothing of the era as well, Oh and get a wig.

[@rymo66812]

More retros! Love your vids #teamAl

[@Gilrodah]

I think it would be fun to do a comparison video of the Taylormade R7 460 vs a current 460cc SIM driver

[@MrAshtute]

The 1st variable face thickness driver I remember was a srixon driver I had - I think callaway ran ad campaigns claiming they invented it (about 5 years after the srixon i owned)... I remember the erc driver as I was using a conforming driver and my mate had this.....i was still 30 yards past him though 😝

[@roberttudor455]

A club i remember well is the Mizuno Blue Rage .. also illegal and one of the nicest looking drivers ever. Please review one if u can :)

[@tonyrodriguez813]

With a 119 club head speed how far total do you hit your modern driver?

[@sarcasticazn73]

In the early to mid 90's, Taylormade produced a driver with a ceramic face. I had one then gave it to my brother. Cannot remember what it was called. If you could find one of those and do a retro review, that would be awesome.

[@guyhall6592]

Al, Range session at Rickie Fawler’s place. 230 into stiff (I should be so lucky) wind using new range balls. Im gaming Monday

[@taylorarmstrong1980]

Love the Retro Reviews...please do Orlimar Trimetal fairway woods!

[@donpepeho4534]

Too bad you aren't closer, I'd let you review my Taylor Made fire sole irons that I use. I'm pretty sure they came out in 1997 lol

[@James_Vaughn]

Less spin and it's keeping up with the new stuff...hmm. Maybe that's why it was made illegal "can't max out the ball speed yet, we have to eke it out over the next 20 years".

[@toddaho9781]

Now that you have higher clubhead speed, you should bring this club back

[@davidlockyer9787]

great review. how about the taylormade 540 i have the 9.5 and 8 degree loft one reg and one stiff shaft

[@tcofield1967]

No 9-11? Probably the most significant event of 2001. And I never knew it was illegal. I never had one but I knew a few folks that did.

[@mikeb3835]

If you want to hear something loud, you need to try the Northwestern 460 plus 10 driver, it came out in 2003 I believe, it was advertised as the largest longest driver, but was deemed illegal for competition because they stamped the words beta titanium on the face.

[@pearlssbu8749]

Ik ppl used to put 38-40” shafts on these

[@erikjoven2388]

Can you just go ahead and review every golf club ever made so there can be tens of thousands more of your videos? That'd be great thanx :)

[@erikjoven2388]

And actually - i have a 48" TaylorMade Burner Superfast I want to replace (Cobra F9 maybe?) - if i send you this old TM - would you hit it till it explodes? It's still got some good pop to it

[@patrickbee4402]

More #RetroReviews ! Thx !

[@jean-pierreheyns4579]

Is that carry distance?

[@nicksharples3277]

Oh dear god stop middling that thing it hurts!🤪 It reminds me of my Nike square driver with that noise. People would pick up their balls at the range and move away from me😂 horrendous

[@stuartanderson2528]

You can get the noise out of it.

[@caseyjones9644]

3rd house on the left with the big picture window please!

[@bad98rt1]

I like how you test odd ball clubs and you hit the ball rather long. So my question is why don’t you test the KRANK golf driver line. Both the USGA conforming and nonconforming clubs side by side and see how much of a difference it makes

[@andya2665]

Alex, have you ever hit the legendary Tour Edge Exotics CB2 three wood? This sucker is long. I am not a long hitter at all. but when the conditions were perfect with a slight tailwind, and Jupiter was aligned with Mars I could hit this guy 300yds. just wondering if you know about this 3 wood?

[@phildiegidio4658]

Boom.............. Love it. What the heck? 300+ yards and you are complaining? By the way.........when are YOU going to hit the Pin? I'm starting to lose faith. Get with it dude. Carry on.

[@simongiguere8794]

So why no more illegal Driver for amateur golfer ??? If you gain 10 -20 yards, what is the problem ??

[@bikergolfer]

Review the Alien Tutch Mallet putter please!

[@bradfordcotta5925]

Love this.

[@peturstefansson]

Love it AL 👍🏻

[@Leftylobber]

Wheres your Teardrop Putter, Mac Burrows Wedge/ Driver and Orlimar Trimetals?

[@iancooper3287]

Still got one magic driver.

[@johnnyhershberger6294]

I still have the Hawkeye vft

[@craigs19721972]

Imagine 2000 rpm spin!!

[@paulshepherd27]

Had one..... was proper awesome ha ha

[@angelarichards1911]

I bought a biggest big bertha 500cc and three months later it was made illegal. Never bought Callaway again grrrrr

[@Seve007]

The Biggest Big Bertha was 290cc

[@angelarichards1911]

@@Seve007 mines a 500cc still got it in the shed

[@Seve007]

@@angelarichards1911 Don't recall them ever making a 500cc version. What year are you claiming you bought it

[@angelarichards1911]

@@Seve007 the same year that they banned them because of the trampoline effect. It used to fly mind you. I got a cobra LD after this along with cobra s9 irons . Well graphites

[@angelarichards1911]

@@Seve007 I will take a photo when I can get to the shed

[@thomaschumley3904]

I bought one. Still have it. Hit my Cobra F8 farther.

[@joshlynch5676]

Retro review reminds me of Rick Shiels in 2013.

[@crazybarryfam]

Callaway bought the patents from crunch golf in Pennsylvania. Funny enough this looks(and sounds) just like their cherry bomb driver. It's not much shorter than a modern driver considering it's agree and head size.

[@TheMook555]

Good videos. Iike this one alot.

[@timm1583]

they should make a modern version I would try it out

[@stuartanderson2528]

Japan does it's called the Callaway collection.

[@FarnzworthIII]

They had a legal version

[@RogerKomula-kl9lb]

Isn't the 2 the legal one? I just bought a titanium E.R.C for $20.

[@kadecannongolf]

Might have gotten in a fight with the USGA and came out on the bottom of that... your left arm is slightly damaged

[@TwiceBakedDeep]

Would this still be illegal? Or has new tech surpassed this by miles by now?

[@banditbaker1675]

I categorically deny that I ever owned this club or tried to use it in a Comp.............honest......and my Nickname isn't Bandit!

[@deanjones3834]

Srixon XXIO please, Al

[@davidstout2930]

Hey AL I would like to try a Driver called (High Heat)

[@DrBirnie]

Might be one for outer bounds but: Top Fite Magna Driver........those who know........know.