Callaway Big Bertha B21 Fairway Review

Callaway’s Big Bertha brand is synonymous with quality and innovation in the metalwood market and in recent years, it’s been tied to the models that tend to be easier to launch and more forgiving. It’s immediately obvious that that’s exactly what the B21 fairway wood is designed to be when you take the headcover off.

The shape and profile behind the ball inspires huge amounts of confidence. It looks like there’s a lot of loft there with the silver face contrasting sharply against the dark crown to assist with alignment.

The overall shape with a pretty straight bottom edge along the face, shallow profile and deep head from face-to-back screams that it’s going to get the ball up in the air quickly although the offset design may take some getting used to.

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But players who have no confidence getting fairway woods off the deck should be able to get the ball airborne with this club.

The feel and sound across the face is really solid and consistent – overall a little closer to the titanium woods of a few years ago than the more recent carbon composite creations.

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There’s definitely plenty of forgiveness there as the performance didn’t drop off too much on off-centre hits and the offset really helps anyone who struggles with a slice to keep the ball in play. It interacts well through the turf and is effective from a variety of different lies too.

It launches and flies noticeably higher than most other fairway woods and it generates more spin than a few of the more powerful models on the market (many of which are aimed at the better player). This higher launch and spin are exactly what many club and handicap golfers need in a fairway wood to keep the ball in the air and maximise carry distance, but better players might prefer a more penetrating and lower-spinning flight, especially off the tee.

It also seems to have a little more draw bias built in than a traditional fairway wood, so slicers seeking a straighter flight should experience this with the B21.