EPON AF-201 Fairway Wood Review — For golfers seeking a beautiful look, buttery feel, and outstanding distance in a fairway wood
Today, I test-hit this golf club.
The club I tested was the EPON AF-201 fairway wood.
The shaft was a Fujikura ROMBAX 60HB.
Loft: 15°, club length: 42.5 inches, shaft flex: S, shaft weight: 69 g, torque: 4.1, swing weight: D1, kick point: mid.
This is EPON’s fairway wood. I’ve tested their drivers, irons, and wedges before, but this is my first EPON fairway wood.
Just holding an EPON club sharpens my focus and lifts my spirits. I haven’t tried a huge number of EPON models yet, but I’m already hooked.
Even at a glance, the design is simple and beautiful.
There’s nothing flashy—just classic, tasteful lines that feel truly authentic.
I wondered whether the EPON emblem in the sole acts as a weight or if it’s purely decorative.
Adjustable weights are common these days, but from what I can see, this model doesn’t appear to support interchangeable weights.
Even during a few practice swings, it felt great—very natural to move through the ball.
Just knowing I’m about to strike shots with an EPON puts a smile on my face.
This particular build doesn’t feel demanding; if anything, it’s on the easier side.
The shaft didn’t feel overly stiff or heavy.
Overall, it presents as a very straightforward, no-nonsense fairway wood.
Compared with many “game-improvement first” fairway woods on the market, though, this one still conveys a reassuring sense of solidity.
Behind the ball, its beautiful face genuinely delighted my eyes.
Lately I’ve been dealing with eye fatigue, but looking at a club this pretty makes me forget all about it.
It’s like staring at a serene mountain view or the ocean—so easy to set up to, and it fires me up to swing.
Positive shot images come quickly and clearly. Based on my past encounters with EPON drivers, I expected a great “at-address” look, but seeing it here still exceeded expectations.
Fairway woods, unlike some modern drivers, rarely drift into odd shapes, so it’s uncommon to find one that looks awkward.
Across brands, there are many handsome heads, and perhaps that’s why I’ve agonized far less over fairway woods than drivers.
Somehow it reminded me of a TOURSTAGE 3-wood I played for years.
The vibe is similar—not only the setup look, but the mental picture of a strong, penetrating flight. With that image fixed in mind, I started hitting.
As for launch, it was exactly as expected.
Not unusually high or low, and nothing about it felt overly demanding.
I would call it a very “standard” fairway wood.
Before testing the AF-201 myself, I’d heard from multiple golfers that it’s “tough” or “hard to hit.”
So I braced for difficulty, but after actually hitting it today, I didn’t find that to be true at all.
There’s no substitute for first-hand experience. More than friends’ opinions, magazines, or catalogs, your own feel should lead the way.
I started with a rubber tee, then went to fairway lies, and even off the mat it didn’t feel overly demanding.
It picks the ball up easily enough, so there was no sense of struggle.
This ROMBAX shaft also seemed to help get the ball airborne.
With a different shaft, the club could certainly feel “tougher,” but at least with this ROMBAX, it felt very user-friendly.
Launch was easy, there were no weird quirks, and I could swing through confidently.
The feel at impact is classic EPON—wonderful from the very first strike.
It’s a high-grade fairway wood. The tactile feedback matches its beautiful shaping.
In every respect, it’s a club that brings the player joy.
As I hit it, I kept imagining how fun it would be to keep this in my bag.
The sound was just as I’d hoped—excellent.
It’s a refined, pleasant tone that never grows tiring.
If the sound doesn’t suit you, your impact can decelerate and your directional awareness can suffer. Today, everything clicked.
The range was nearly full, but with this sound I wasn’t self-conscious at all.
I could focus on my practice without bothering others, which helped my concentration and the overall quality of my session.
Although this was my first time with the club, it felt instantly familiar—as if I’d gamed it for years. Very approachable, and my fondness for it only grew.
On workability, a compact, beautiful head like this performed exactly as expected—at a high level.
It was very easy to bend shots both ways.
Many modern clubs lean toward reduced curvature and stronger straight-line stability, but this one clearly prioritizes shotmaking.
Plenty of golfers want a straighter, more stable fairway wood, just like with their drivers.
From that perspective, the AF-201 could feel a bit demanding for some. Still, practicing with a responsive, workable head like this can be a great way to develop shot-shaping skills.
I often curve the ball for fun—not only with drivers but also fairway woods and irons—and I never really tire of it.
In terms of forgiveness, it won’t gloss over big mishits.
It’s not a pure “forgiveness-first” fairway wood; it asks for a certain baseline of skill.
That said, even a player like me could enjoy a productive session with it—this isn’t a prohibitively demanding club.
To me, this is what a true 3-wood should be—call it “the standard.”
If I wanted, I could curve it either direction with ease, yet with normal swings dispersion stayed tight and consistent.
I never felt it was excessively punishing.
Its looks are gorgeous, and because it’s EPON, some might assume it’s only for advanced players. I don’t think mid-handicappers need to avoid it at all.
In fact, putting a refined club like this in your hands can help sharpen your sensibilities and elevate your game.
Distance potential is excellent.
It launches fairly easily, but I could also keep it down—very appealing.
It’s capable of a penetrating, liner-style flight, which is highly practical on course.
The ball speed felt lively; as expected from EPON, distance performance is a strong suit.
Many modern 3-woods come in 13° or 14° lofts; I can’t say whether this beats those in raw distance, but among 15° 3-woods, the AF-201 ranks quite high.
It’s easy to cover yardage, and I’d love to put it in play for tee shots.
It would shine when my driver isn’t behaving, and also for smart layups.
I had a great feeling from the first ball, and the more I hit, the more trust I built.
If you stick to your pre-shot routine and make a good swing, this club seems to answer right back.
It’s a club that “gets in sync” with you quickly.
Today was my first time with an EPON fairway wood, and I had a great time—no real complaints surfaced.
Other manufacturers release multiple fairway wood variants, but I’m told EPON offers only this model.
I’d love to see a wider lineup, but I also get it.
Rather than chasing variety and risking misses, focusing on a single, high-quality model might better protect the brand’s image.
Like the AF-101 and EPON’s irons, the AF-201 is stamped “JAPAN FORGED.”
Once again, I’m reminded of the quality and trust that Japanese-made clubs inspire.
That extends beyond golf clubs to many industrial products and even agricultural goods.
Yes, the price can be higher, but you’re paying for confidence and peace of mind—which isn’t expensive when you think about it.
I’m drawn to high value-for-money gear, but the clubs I want to keep close are ones like this.
The AF-201 left a very strong impression, and I’m planning to recommend it to my friends.
It’s a “normal” fairway wood in the best sense—no gimmicky features jumping out—yet the overall level is very high.
Advanced players will appreciate it, and golfers who want to enjoy the game while improving through feel-rich feedback will also find it worth a serious look. It definitely rekindled my desire to buy.
