Remember the original Callaway Great Big Bertha? It
was the driver that made titanium a household name
(at least among golfers) when it hit the market in the
1990s, looking huge behind the golf ball at a whopping
253cc. Fast forward to 2014, which saw the release
(and huge success) of the Big Bertha 815 series. But
missing from the party was Great Big Bertha. And, like
a new Ford Mustang GT, you’ve got a modern
version of a classic, reborn with new lines, and all of
the best technical features that have gone into recent
Callaway drivers.
At the end of this review I will provide links to
Callaway website pages and a “Leave no Yard
Behind” white paper where you can learn more.
Because Callaway is really good at explaining how
everything works. But for now, let’s focus on
how the Great Big Bertha performs out on the course.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
I’m a 3-handicap player that loves driving
the ball and swings at about 102mph with an average
distance of 260-270 yards. Sometimes I even get one
out
there over 300, but the thing I’m most
concerned with on the golf course is hitting fairways
and avoiding the occasional “big miss”
that can lead to a big number. Based on our audience
I’m guessing that’s similar to many of
you. But even if you’re swing speed is
different, there are enough loft and shaft options to
fit everyone, except the 120mph folks who might want
to take a look at the low-spin Callaway Big Bertha
816.
FIRST LOOK
Upon opening the box and removing the plastic, I
found the red “boxing glove” head
cover which was introduced with the Big Bertha. I
love
the easy on-and-off of this style head cover, and
hope it will encourage more golfers to use it to
protect their drivers. (I hate seeing drivers clanging
around in carts getting all marked up.) The matte-
black crown, accented by
chrome sides (not visible at address) and a high
tech
looking sole give the Great Big Bertha my check
mark
in the looks category. And by the way, the crown is
actually carbon fiber, which is one of the key
elements of the Great Big Bertha's design that leads
to a lower center of gravity. The head shape
and face depth combination that caught my eye at
address.
It’s similar to the Big Bertha V-Series, but with
a flatter sole and slightly shallower face. And at 45
1/2" standard length, it's right where I like a
driver to be.
ON COURSE
 |
I like to start with several groups of balls, on a
relatively tight hole (as opposed to the range) for my
first test with a new driver. Doing that, I can
"A/B" test with my gamer without
worrying about a launch monitor or indoor golf
simulator. It's just me and the fairway, either early in
the morning or late in the day when nobody's around.
What amazed me the most about my first shots with
the Great Big Bertha was the dispersion. These shots
left the club with a tight draw, nothing wild at all.
Sound, feel, and distance were all really good, but the
ball flight was a bit high. So I notched down the 10.5
loft test model by 1 degree, and moved the sliding
weight on the back out towards the toe to promote a
straighter shot. Things got even better. Finally I
switched out the Mitsubishi Kuro Kage shaft for a
Project X LZ I have in my other Callaway driver and
got a nice boring trajectory and noticeable
improvement in lag and distance. Thinking back to
what a golfer would have had to go through just ten
years ago to make similar modifications made me
smile. Now we don't have to adjust to our equipment,
we can adjust it to fit us.
Now ready to take it out for a round, I put the
GBB in the bag for a round two days later. On the golf
course, I had no trouble adjusting to it from my
"gamer" and hit 11 of 14 fairways, which
is good for me. My playing partner commented on my
apparent confidence off the tee, and wanted to try the
Great Big - always a good sign!
SHAFT OPTIONS
I tested one of the four
stock shafts in the Great Big Bertha driver is the
Mitsubishi Kuro Kage, a black shaft with
white accents that provides a mid to high ball flight
and a really nice feel at the top and through impact.
As discussed above, I got a pretty tight
dispersion with the Kuro Kage, and a light bulb went
off as to why Callaway might have gone with this
shaft. Tightening dispersion is one of the three ways
to get back some of those yards that Callaway says
you’re leaving on the tee. Before you settle on
the Kuro Kage, you should consider one of the other
14 premium models that are available – get this – at
no upcharge. I tried a Project X LZ (Loading Zone)
that I had in another driver and got a more boring
trajectory and added run out, plus the feel of
“loading” the driver during my
transition.
Mitsubishi Bassara E 42
Mitsubishi
Kuro Kage Black Tini 50
Fujikura Speeder Evolution TS 665
Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70
Custom Shaft Offerings at No
Upcharge
| Aldila Tour Green or Blue |
True Temper Project X LZ Blue |
| Aldila Tour Blue |
True Temper Project X LZ Red |
| Aldila Rogue or Rogue I/O |
Fujikura Speeder 565, 665, 765 |
| Matrix Ozik Red, White, or Black Tie |
|
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING (AND PLAYING)
The Callaway Great Big Bertha is a driver that can
be fitted to a wide variety of golfers. It does have a
draw bias, which some better players might shy away
from, but in my case all I had to do is play around
with the sliding weight a little bit to get my personal
draw bias setup just the way I wanted it. And I had no
problem working the ball the other way.
On Tour,
Callaway staffer
Jim Furyk put it in play before it was released to the
public, and immediately contended for a big title.
He’s been known to be sensitive to equipment
changes, so that’s a pretty good sign. For my money,
I would rather look at what players like Jim Furyk are
using than Phil Mickelson (who plays the new
Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816). I can relate more to
someone that doesn't overpower a golf course. But I
realize that some of you can get it out there like the
pros, and you should definitely get custom fit for all
your clubs, but especially your driver.
Here's some feedback from Callaway's Tour rep,
Kellen Watson. "“He [Jim Furyk] was
really pleased with the ball flight and how easy the
shot-making was with Great Big Bertha. His draws
were consistent, his fades were consistent, he had a
great ball flight, and he was hitting a lot of
fairways.” Furyk averaged 311.4 yards per
drive in the first round on Thursday with his new
gamer, which has a 9 degree head, a Neutral
directional bias with a Standard loft adjustability, and
the adjustable perimeter weighting slide set very
close to the neutral setting.
THE WHITE PAPER
Whatever mode you fall into, be it the
“driver of the week” club, or the player
who seldom changes, Callaway wants to know how
many yards you’re leaving on the tee.
They’ve even posted a technical document,
which focuses on three things that need to be
optimized in order to maximize distance:
- Ball speed
- Dispersion
- Launch Conditions
If you're interested in Great Big Bertha, I suggest
you read the
white paper, and then follow up with a visit to
the Great Big Bertha product page,
where you can find videos, Q&A's, podcasts, and
everything to please even the biggest gear heads out
there. This is Callaway's go-to product for 2016, and
for good reason.