2014 Callaway Big Bertha Quick Review

[juggernaut0629]

I had the chance to hit this club yesterday. First off it was a spur of the moment hit session at a local Dicks Sports. Was heading to the movies and had a few extra moments before. Also let me add that here in Upstate NY, there's snow and slush and LOTS of it. So I was wearing boots when I demo'd this club. Not the best combination for swinging a club.

 

They had a few 9* reg & stiff , a 10.5* in reg and only 1 Alpha in stiff. I desperatley wanted to swing the Aplha but just didn't have the time.

 

SO I pulled off a 9* stiff (Standard Fubuki) and took 6 swings. I know, besides wearing boots, 6 SWINGS is not much and chances of being warmed up is not in the cards.

 

1st swing, not swinging up to speed....DEAD CENTER contact on the face. 247yrds carry distance (verbalized from the attendant) I didn't see the spin rate or total distance or swing speed.

But the FEEL of this club was fantastic! It really shocked me how great the club felt.

 

2nd swing, Increased SS (effort anyway LOL) ....Slight push and contact about 1/2" off club face center. everything about the same, except for poor contact and miss to the right. Feel was just a touch "stiffer" off the face. As expected.

 

Swing 3 = Increasing swing EFFORT we'll say.....Center face contact. Smooth as butter feel. 6yrd left of centerline.

 

Swing 4 = Almost at max speed ( with these winter boots on ) missed face center by 1/4" towards toe. Again stiffer feel...Slight push.

 

Swing 5 = Max speed with control ( and BOOTS! LOL) center face contact. Superb feel!....Loving this driver.

 

Swing 6 = Max SS again....Center face contact .....Yeah, I just might have to buy this driver.

 

In the end of this quick session... first thoughts is simply this. The FEEL on contact is just AMAZING. I LOVE my XHot.....but this new BB just might be going in my bag.

I didn't get the #'s off the computer though. So I'm not too sure on what the spin, smash, etc. was. The attendant only told me SS. Which was 104-107 through swings 2 - 6. And dispersion was as far out as 6 yrds left and right.

 

So now my research into this is a few things. What shaft do I want to put in this? Or keep the stock Fubuki. And if the dual cog adapter is compatible with the XHot single cog. I have a few shafts for my X Hot. I may just wait until march, I have an appointment with a reputable custom fitter. And I have never been on a Trackman or Flightscope. He personally uses Flightscope.

But I have all intentions of going to Golf Galaxy tonight and hitting the BB there. Hopefully see what #'s their simulator throws my way. Although I am not sure I fully trust those simulator #'s.

 

Final thoughts.....So far, IMO, this is an ABSOLUTE must try club from Callaway.

[Lobber]

Going to give it ago. Have hit the Alpha and just don't like it. Not as easy for me to manage as my current SLDR. Gaming Apex Irons and loving them!

[kuuuuch]

As a fitter and tech I am lucky to hit all the new toys year after year. I sprung for the BB for the same reasons! I put an DIamana Ahina 70X in it and have the most consistent flight, dispersion and good distance as with any driver I have owned. This will be sticking around...

[juggernaut0629]

[quote name='Taylor Made fanatic' timestamp='1392749703' post='8695203']
As a fitter and tech I am lucky to hit all the new toys year after year. I sprung for the BB for the same reasons! I put an DIamana Ahina 70X in it and have the most consistent flight, dispersion and good distance as with any driver I have owned. This will be sticking around...
[/quote]

Unfortunately ,for me, where I'm located there just aren't any options for custom club fitting without traveling. Going off simulators at Dicks Sports or Golf Galaxy, collecting data, is shoot or miss. How accurate are they? How much weight should I be putting into those numbers? And thats just numbers for what I'm swinging. Does nothing for "suggesting" some other shaft that would tweak those numbers. I did get fit when I bought my irons. But when you buy clubs from a store, how much faith can you seriously have in that STORE member fitting you the proper way? It's a constant battle. At 2 of the local Dicks Sports, the golf "pros" are young kids that are still in high school. The golf specific store where I purchased my irons has some more knowledgable staff. But after the team member watched me hit a dozen shots with clubs I chose, he didn't have much to offer other than I was standard. In all aspects. No loft, lie, grip, length, etc. changes.....just standard. No launch monitor used, nothing. Another team member came in and I asked about launch angle, AND seriously they said that if I launched the ball about even with this overhanging branch of a tree on the side of the range, that was the correct launch angle.
So for a guy like me, HAVING the correct shaft is something that needs TLC while living in an area where most everything is played off the rack. So I'm left with experimenting myself, which can be quite costly. HURRY up march! Melt this snow so I can get custom fit outside by someone who actually knows what they're doing!

[juggernaut0629]

I also have a brand new still in wrapper Aldila Rip 60 Alpha tour stock stiff that I was going to try out in the Bombtech. I was thinking maybe I'll wait on that and tip it with a callaway adapter for a BB.

[juggernaut0629]

I went down and hit this driver outdoors yesterday. Im really on the bubble with this driver.

1st swing was a nice subtle draw.
2nd swing I pushed out with a soft fade
3rd swing was striped right down the center.

After the 3rd hit I heard a rattle. The weight in the heel had loosened up. Which also happened the 1st time I demo'd this club at Dicks. Wondering if this is something that tends to happen with this club? 2 sessions at different places at 2 different times. Hmm.

I hit a dozen or so more shots with the new BB and the 97% of the shots were just absolute beauties. I did hit a couple shots to the right. But those shots came from me putting a horrible swing on the ball. I was getting wrapped up in trying to hit it farther. And my mechanics were wretched.

Distance control was very consistent. Shot dispersion was tight ( withing 10 yrds )
Ball flight was high IMO. The ball had serious hang time and didn't seem to want to come down. Makes me wonder how the club would fair in a headwind.

But this was all with the stock Fubuki shaft. ( stiff flex )
I also hit the Cobra Bio Cell with stock Project X Stiff. And it is EVERY bit as good as the BB. IMHO, but that is for me. I may now be unable to choose which club I go with as both were almost identical in performance. yet I was slightly favoring the Cobra yesterday. It may actually be a hair more forgiving. All adjustments for the clubs were same loft with no face adjustments. Both set neutral.

I also hit the Titleist 913 D3 and liked it the least.
And also had my XHot ( Rip'd NV shaft from OptiFit) and Bombtech. I hit balls with those clubs as well. Distance between all were pretty much even. However the trajectory of my XHot was IMO the most pleasing to my eye. It was far more penetrating than the others.

In the end the BB is a fantastic club. Wondering how it would fair with a different shaft? Retailing $399 stock and adding a shaft upgrade might be more than most would be willing to spend. The Cobra Bio Cell being $299 might be more budget friendly for most.
For ME personally....I find myself in a battle. I don't know which one to go with now.

Cobra is slightly more forgiving. High ball flight, nice distance. No face correction ( open, closed )
BB has face correction, nice distance , High ball flight.

Grrr. Decisions, Decisions.

[gpleonard]

I went thru a demo day at our local Golfsmith and loved the action of the Big Bertha. I bought on the spot. Stock shaft 10.5b regular flex. With just about the same kind of numbers. Great club. Callaway has a huge winner .

[juggernaut0629]

I actually bought the Cobra Bio Cell. But I KNOW I'm going to end up with the BB as well. I'm sure it's just a matter of time. I'm just going to wait until I go to my fitting appointment next month.

[JB lefty]

I would also say try the X2Hot as well. This thing shocked me at how easy it was to hit and its a cannon.

[juggernaut0629]

[quote name='JB lefty' timestamp='1393745050' post='8776308']
I would also say try the X2Hot as well. This thing shocked me at how easy it was to hit and its a cannon.
[/quote]

If it's anything like it's predecessor I don't doubt that at all.

[Fluvanna10]

I didn't try the regular BB but did hit the alpha thought it felt amazing. Way better than covert 2.0, sldr and xhot2 for me

[juggernaut0629]

I hit the Covert 2.0, SLDR, jetspeed, 913 D3 also. Was NOT a big fan of the Covert feel and sound. Performance with all the clubs were nice. Actually liked the Jetspeed and the SLDR. The D3 was my least favorite ,which I found strange being that I was SO close to buying it last year. I REALLY liked it then and had more distance than my XHot. But I walked out with the XHot because I hit ball after ball pretty much exactly where I wanted it.

I liked the Jetspeed over the SLDR (close 2nd) then the Covert , followed by the D3.
But there's just a little something more to the BB and BioCell. Honestly though it's such a close race between them.
But for me, I'd rank them in all total categories of play. ( Distance, control, Feel, forgiveness, dispersion, spin, game improvement, etc.)

1. BioCell
2. 2014 BB ( Very CLOSE 2nd )
3. Jetspeed
4. SLDR ( VERY close )
5. Covert 2.0
6. 913 D3

[Lobber]

I am gaming without regret the BB non Alpha model. Fits me perfectly stock off the shelf. As long as my SLDR 12 degree(loft up right) with Matrix Black Tie. Much more forgiving btw. Tried the Alpha but the regular BB is great for me.

[KarstenK]

Similar story to my experience. I ended up with both the BB and the Bio Cell. I need this snow to stop so I can get more rounds in with both to decide. I bought an extra Cally adapter and put my Miyazaki Kusala Blue in the BB. It lowered the flight down considerably for me. For now I'll stick with the stock Fubuki. I think the Bio Cell is a little more forgiving, but the BB is a little longer and better feeling.

[Jaywh2]

Regular bb model is fabulous with the right shaft. I fitted with a ust tour elements chrome. Fantastic combo. Great feel and sound (subjective). Ball speed on mishits was higher than anything I tried. About same as g25 but more traditional look and not nearly as loud. Just a phenomenal driver.

[valmario]

i went to the PGA superstore with my coworker, he went to test the BB and the X2, the X2 looks alot better IMO, but the BB just flatt out performed well for him. so he picked one up. i decided to hop on the simulator and see what it was all about. the big bertha actually surprised me. i didnt tinker with any of the settings but it felt solid, and all my numbers looked really good.

[trackstar19]

Big Bertha - fond memories with this club. When I was younger I had one in my first set of clubs... I fondly remember the day i accidentally missed the ball and ended up breaking it and watching the head of it go like 100 yards. Surprised my dad didn't kill me that day. hah.

[juggernaut0629]

[quote name='KarstenK' timestamp='1394060810' post='8806405']
Similar story to my experience. I ended up with both the BB and the Bio Cell. I need this snow to stop so I can get more rounds in with both to decide. I bought an extra Cally adapter and put my Miyazaki Kusala Blue in the BB. It lowered the flight down considerably for me. For now I'll stick with the stock Fubuki. I think the Bio Cell is a little more forgiving, but the BB is a little longer and better feeling.
[/quote]

Yes I would agree with this. The Cobra does seem to be a touch more forgiving over the BB. And that's both having the stock shaft. I wonder about playing around with different shafts. I do still have the RIP Alpha 60, but which adapter to throw on it? I've never been custom fit for driver or shaft. So maybe I'll wait just a little longer when I get fit in a month or so. But will this snow EVER melt?

[juggernaut0629]

Golf is definitely an expensive way for an adult to pass time. A grown up hobby indeed.

[BigHook25]

Moral of this post...wear boots when you test out new drivers.

[juggernaut0629]

A) only wore boots the first time. I wasn't expecting to be swinging a golf club.

B) i think it might be a good idea for people to wear boots. Probably will force them to control their swing instead of hacking at it like the majority of weekend warriors do. Balance is a good thing & wearing boots could keep the lower body more stable. Keeping the golfer swinging within himself.

C) don't let wearing the wrong footwear deter you from hitting a golf club!

[mbradley]

[size=5][color=#000000]I went from a Ping G25 Driver to an X Hot driver. I liked the Ping a lot but the X Hot was just as forgiving and had better spin characters and was much longer. With the limp stock shaft, I did have to swing more within myself. The Big Bertha is a shockingly big step up from the X Hot, and for me, the X2 Hot.[/color]

[color=#000000]The trajectory that I’m getting is good at 10.5, but it is obvious that if I move to 11.5 that I’ll get more distance. The fitter suggested that I get the Fubuki ZT as opposed to the Stock Fubuki, no extra charge. That would have been a mistake as the Fubuki is not launching particularly high. The fubuki is going to be a very good stock shaft for most. I could see how really hard swingers with fast transitions would look elsewhere.[/color]

[color=#000000]The adjustability of the BB is amazing. I put the back weight in the fade position just past the first position and I was getting a very consistent slight fade. It was just very consistent. The lower draw positions seems to take the right side of the course out of play. The Ping K15 driver was similar in that regard, but loose swings with that driver could give me hooks. The Bertha, however, from the draw position, is just delivering tight draws with no tendency to hook. [/color]

[color=#000000]I have not hit the Bio Cell, but I can say that this is the most directionally forgiving driver that I have hit. Hits very low on the face go very straight with decent distance. The Jet speed delivers good low spin forgiveness and distance but it is not this forgiving or nearly this adjustable. Even with all of the constant technical innovation that we are seeing in drivers, the Big Bertha is a driver that could stay in many bags for longer than usual.[/color][/size]

[Arizonalefty59]

Anyone else notice how huge the face is on the BBA?