From the Big Bertha to the iconic Great Big Bertha drivers of the 1990s, Callaway Golf has pushed the boundaries to create drivers with maximum forgiveness that are playable for everyone from the weekend duffer to the PGA Tour star. Their latest creations continue the trend, as the GBB Epic and GBB Epic Sub Zero drivers feature revolutionary. At $399 and $499, the prices of these drivers are substantial. For golfers who thrive on adjustability and experimenting with settings and features, the Big Bertha models take Callaway’s adjustability to a new level. Somewhere the late Ely Callaway, who guided the first Big Bertha to market, must be smiling.
Big Bertha. In the world of golf, this is a name that is synonymous with forgiveness, feel, and performance. Introduced by Callaway Golf in 1994, the Big Bertha Irons began a revolution with an iron designed to push weight to the edge of the club. This unique produce became the foundation upon which Callaway would continue to improve, spectacular, us with each and every new model. In 1996, Callaway released an updated version of the primary Big Bertha Irons with a few modifications. In the new model, designers used the size of the club head and the volume of the cavity to push weight farther out to the edges of the club head. A Bore-through hosel which assuredly extends straight through the club shaft providing more stability and the feel that is unbelievable of all Callaway products. The Sole was modified slightly model to allow for the club to pass straight through poor lies with even less disagreement than the before.
Callaway also introduced the Big Bertha Gold Series Iron in 1996. Using the prototype of the primary Big Bertha Iron, designers repositioned the sweet spot, added a new contoured sole and redistributed the weight in the head. The Big Bertha Gold Series has a Rch Series 96 shaft and are man-made from an aluminum bronze alloy for a softer feel. The Gold Series Iron retained the original’s 360-degree undercut channel and the consistently thin face. The Great Big Bertha Tungsten Titanium Iron hit the procedure in 1997. In this design, Callaway used Titanium with a Tungsten insert to generate a club head that was perfect for use in just about all conditions. The Insert represents only 15 percent of the club head volume but accounts for 40 percent of the weight, holding the size perfect and the town of gravity exactly where it should be.
Callaway
The Big Bertha X-12 Irons and X-12 Pro Series Irons followed in 1998. Featuring a lower town of gravity than the primary Big Bertha Irons, the X-12 was designed to help golfers get the ball airborne. The X-12′s retained the 360-degree undercut channel, Callaway‘s patented S2H2 and Tru-Bore Technologies. The Pro-Series was designed for lower handicap golfers and featured the Less-Offset produce which enables the more experienced golfer the capability to work the ball more easily. Also featured are the 360-degree undercut channel, the S2H2 and Tru-Bore Technologies. The X-12 Irons were the first Stainless Steel Irons introduced by Callaway and many believe it was this iron that set the proper for high performance irons to follow. The Steelhead X-14 Irons followed the X-12 in 2000 and swiftly became the best-selling Iron in Callaway history. Also offered in a Pro-Series, the X-14 featured stainless steel construction and Callaway‘s variable Face Thickness (Vft) Technology that ensured a perfectly settled town of gravity (Cog). Optimized in the long, mid and the short iron, the Face Thickness tapered from top to lowest and heel to toe. The Pro-Series designed for the advanced golfer was designed with Less-Offset than the quarterly X-14
Callaway‘s primary Big Bertha Irons were upgraded once more in 2002. In this iron set, Callaway added all of it’s latest technologies which retaining the primary and very beloved appearance and shape the Big Bertha Irons were known for. These technologies took the game of the golfer using them to a whole new level with increased forgiveness and maximum performance. Also introduced in 2002 was the Hawk Eye Vft Irons. Quite simply, in this set, Callaway naturally used all of their produce knowledge and added the titanium package. The most beloved addition to the Hawk Eye Vft irons, however, was the internal weight pocket that allowed designers to position the mass deep and low across the clubface. This produce provides for unequaled trajectory without sacrificing forgiveness or feel. The following year, Callaway went back to the drawing board to generate the new Steelhead X-16 and the Steelhead X-16 Pro-Series. Changes included a shorter blade length and wider topline plus the addition of Callaway‘s latest technology, Notch Weighting. The X-16 features included a low town of gravity, a cambered sole, and a satin finish. The Pro-Series were given a more blade-like design, Less-Offset, a thinner topline, narrower sole, and a straighter important edge.
In 2004 and 2006, Callaway added two more models to the primary Big Bertha Irons as and in 2005, introduced the X-18, the X-18 Pro-Series, the X-Tour Irons and the Big Bertha Fusion Irons. Proving once more than theirs is not a business to rest on it’s laurels. Known today as the leader and trendsetter in game improvement, Callaway Golf continues to do it’s best to make us better on the course.
Big Bertha Irons – A Brief History
With all the new golf technology in today’s market, it isn’t easy to decipher all the components that now go into the assembly of the golf club, especially the maneuverability of weight and loft. Finding the right settings for your swing can often be a tedious and time-consuming task. However, compared to where we started just four to five years ago with no adjustability options, it does provide today’s golfer with an advantage of tailoring a club to his or hers respective game.
Today, we look at Callaway’s Big Bertha Alpha 815 driver and how you can make it fit your needs.
Big Bertha Callaway Driver
Opti-Fit Hosel Technology
This system allows you to adjust the loft of the club, from the standard printed loft on the club head, minus 1, plus 1, or plus 2. Also incorporated into this hosel is lie angle bias. There is a standard lie and a draw-biased lie that aims the club more left of an intended target and produces more right-to-left spin. With 8-way adjustability, you are sure to find the right option for you.
Callaway Big Bertha Draw
Gravity Core Controls Spin
Callaway’s Gravity Core technology was first introduced with the Big Bertha Alpha driver a few years ago and enables the golfer to fine tune the spin profile of the club head with a 10.5-gram tungsten end paired with a 1.5-gram nylon end. By positioning the rod in the head with the heavier tungsten end towards the crown (also known as the high-CG setting), the club will play like a mid-spin driver. On the flip side, with the low-CG positioning of the tungsten towards the sole, it will decrease spin and increase forgiveness. The movement of this core weight system can affect the spin rate of the driver’s head by up to +/- 300RPM’s (depending on the player).
Perimeter Weighting For Directional Control
Finally, the Big Bertha Alpha 815 has two moveable, perimeter weights positioned in the heel and toe of the sole for even more versatility. The driver comes with two weights, a 1 gram and 7 gram plug, each of which can be flipped from either side of the sole. If you are looking for more of a Draw bias for the golfer that misses too many shots to the right, position the 7g plug in the heel and 1g plus in the toe. This will enable the clubface to square up more through impact and reduce the left-to-right side spin placed on the golf ball. Vice versa, if you are seeking more of a Neutral/Fade bias, move the 1g plug to the heel and 7g to the toe.