The Great Big Bertha is one of the most recognisable franchises in golf equipment but in more recent times, it has been utilised in more underserved areas of the market, like in the offset and draw biased Big Bertha B21 and the ultra adjustable Great Big Bertha driver from 2015.
Today, we found out that Callaway has reinvented this iconic line as a lightweight, super premium and high performance range of woods and irons for a niche market. On sale from November 11th in the US only for now (it will be coming to mainland Europe next year but won’t be sold in the UK), it shares many of the technologies found in its more mainstream lines, like the Rogue ST drivers, adapting them slightly to cater for the well-off, slower swinging demographic.
The Great Big Bertha driver is 30g lighter than the Rogue ST Max driver aimed at moderate swing speed players that want to swing it faster and also need additional draw bias. To increase MOI, it boasts a lightweight Triaxial Carbon Crown and a Forged Carbon Sole. The weight saved as a result paved the way for a lower and deeper CG to enhance forgiveness, helped by the addition of a steel sole plate. There’s also A.I. inspired Jailbreak for stability and a Flash Face for low spin and ball speed consistency. It will cost $699 and comes with an ultra-premium, lightweight UST Helium Nanocore Shaft and Winn Dri-Tac Lite Grip.
High density tungsten weighting is the way manufacturers are able to concentrate mass where they want to within iron club heads to maximise launch, ball speed and forgiveness. On the new Great Big Bertha irons, this has been taken to unprecedented levels with each iron containing a whopping 145g of tungsten via the Tungsten Speed Cartridge, which is 50 percent more than any other iron in the industry.
This has been made possible through Callaway’s thinnest ever A.i. designed titanium face and a body made from Commercially Pure Grade 4 (CP4) Titanium, an unalloyed titanium with trace amounts of impurities commonly used in the medical and dental industries for miniaturized implants. All this creates faster ball speeds and 96g of discretionary weight, creating the deepest center of gravity ever achieved in a Callaway iron. All this technology and performance does come with a hefty price tag of $449.99 a club.
There’s also a $499 Great Big Bertha fairway wood, which also has the Triaxial Carbon Crown and Forged Carbon Sole as well as Jailbreak with Batwing Technology, which pushes stiffness to the perimeter while still allowing the face to flex for high ball speeds across the face.
The Great Big Bertha hybrid comes in at $449.99 and boasts 78g of redistributed weight from internal tungsten and the sole plate to promote faster ball speeds and a higher launch. The sole has also been enhanced with more camber to improve turf interaction and versatility from poor lies and it features an adjustable hosel in all lofts to dial in launch.
GOLF MONTHLY INITIAL VERDICT
Make no mistake, the price will be an immediate stumbling block here but you could make a case for these being some of the most technologically-advanced clubs we've ever seen, especially in the case of the Great Big Bertha irons. It's interesting and refreshing to see the lofts haven't been jacked on the irons too. At 30° in the 7-iron, this is comparable to the Apex DCB and means that extra performance will come from the enhanced design rather than the spec.
The lightweight components should certainly help older players or those that struggle with launch achieve longer carries and visually, there's lots to like about the range. The matte grey crown on the driver matches up with the premium price tag and the irons look cutting-edge, refined and confidence inspiring behind the ball. Look out for our full reviews in the near future.
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