Equipment
Callaway Great Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha 816 Fairway Woods
Callaway’s Great Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha 816 fairway woods were designed to make the game easier for an overwhelming majority of the golfing population, yet still deliver tailored performance for special cases. The trick was designing two distinct club heads that covered the needs of most golfers, and then adding enough models and adjustability to account for everyone else.
Typical users of the Great Big Bertha are those who want their shots to fly higher and straighter, while the Big Bertha Alpha 816 targets golfers who want maximum distance or the ability to adjust their launch conditions.
Here’s what else you need to know about the fairway woods.
Big Bertha Alpha 816 ($279)
- Lofts: 14 and 16 degrees (RH, LH), 18 degrees (RH only)
- Shaft: Aldila Rogue I/O 70 (R, S, X), Mitsubishi Rayon D+ 70 (S, X)
- Length: 43 inches
- In stores: September 18
There’s a reason the Big Bertha Alpha 816 fairway wood doesn’t have the words Double Black Diamond in its name. Unlike the Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond driver, you don’t need to be an accomplished golfer to use it.
[quote_box_center]“The Alpha 816 driver is for the better player, but the fairway wood is not,” said Evan Gibbs, Manager of Product Performance for Callaway. “It can be configured for the best players, but it’s arguably our best performing fairway wood for everyone.”[/quote_box_center]
The Alpha 816 fairway woods can work for two different types of golfers because of their dual center of gravity (CG) positions, which are made possible by two weights that can be installed in either of the two weight ports on the sole of the clubs. One of the weights is heavy (16 grams), while the other is light (3 grams).
Position the heavy weight in the back weight port (the one farthest from the club face), and the club will have a rearward CG that will create maximum forgiveness on off-center hits and a higher peak trajectory. Flip the orientation of the weights, and the club will have a forward CG for a flatter, lower-spinning trajectory that creates the potential for more distance. While forward-CG fairway woods are not as forgiving as rearward-CG designs, they can bring previously unreachable par-4s or par-5s into range, and they also tend to be more workable if you’re a shot shaper.
Last year’s Big Bertha Alpha 815 fairway wood from Callaway also had two CG positions, but Gibbs said there was room for improvement. The 815’s club head was smaller, so there was less space between the weight ports. The weights themselves were also different – one was 30 grams, and the other was 3 grams. Feedback from tour players was that trajectory differences were too extreme: the forward-weight position launched the ball too low, while the rear-weight position launched the ball with too much spin.
The fix began with a larger club head, which allowed engineers create more separation between the weights. Then they went about optimizing the trajectory of each CG location, which was aided by the addition of a Forged Composite Crown. The lighter structure, which is a first in a Callaway fairway wood, allowed engineers to move several grams of weight lower in the club head to create a higher launch and less spin. That’s a win-win for fairway wood design.
The Big Bertha Alpha 816 fairway woods measure about 165 cubic centimeters, depending on loft. They use Callaway’s Forged Hyper Speed Face Cup, the same technology found in the company’s XR fairway woods — top-rated clubs on our 2015 Gear Trials: Best Fairway Woods list.
Great Big Bertha ($249)
- Lofts: 3 Wood (15.5), 5 Wood (18), 7 Wood (21), Heavenwood (20.5), Divine 9 (24)
- Stock Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Black (50-gram range: L, R, S, X)
- Length: 43 inches
- In stores: August 28
The Great Big Bertha fairway woods are designed for golfers whose needs aren’t complicated; they want to hit their fairway woods higher and straighter more often.
To that end, the Great Big Bertha is Callaway’s most forgiving fairway wood. It’s large, lightweight, and has a low profile that makes it easy-to-hit from a variety of lies. It’s also designed to fly higher than the Big Bertha Alpha 816, offering the higher launch angle and additional spin that will lead to longer carry distances for golfers with slower swing speeds.
[quote_box_center]“Great Big Bertha is spinnier than XR, and probably our ‘spinniest’ fairway wood,” Gibbs said. “We don’t see these clubs being used by our best players or high swing speed players.”[/quote_box_center]
In the spirit of helping non-elite golfers hit better shots, Callaway made the Great Big Bertha in a unique configuration called a “Heavenwood,” which has the loft of a 7 wood but the length and head size of a 4 wood.
The Heavenwood’s 20.5-degree loft offers golfers a higher launch angle, while the larger head and longer shaft create more forgiveness and swing speed. In the past, the model has been a popular one for golfers who have slow swings, as well as those who struggle to get their fairway woods airborne.
The Great Big Bertha 3 wood, 5 wood and Heavenwood use Callaway’s Advanced Opti-Fit adjustable hosel, which gives golfers a 3-degree loft range and two independent lie angles. The 7 Wood and Divine 9 are not adjustable.
Related
- See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Great Big Bertha and Alpha 816 fairway woods in our forum.
- Callaway’s Great Big Bertha Driver: What you need to know.
- Callaway’s Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond Driver: What you need to know.
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Whats in the Bag
Alex Fitzpatrick WITB 2024 (April)
- Alex Fitzpatrick what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 TX
Irons: Ping iCrossover (2), Titleist T100 (4-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 9 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-12F, 56-12D, 60-08M)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Bettinardi SS16 Dass
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Alex Fitzpatrick’s clubs here.
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Equipment
What’s the perfect mini-driver/shaft combo? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing Mini-Drivers and accompanying shafts. WRXer ‘JamesFisher1990’ is about to purchase a BRNR Mini and is torn on what shaft weight to use, and our members have been sharing their thoughts and set ups in our forum.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- PARETO: “New BRNR at 13.5. Took it over to TXG (Club Champ but TXG will always rule) in Calgary for a fit. Took the head down to 12, stuck in a Graphite Design AD at 3 wood length and 60g. Presto- numbers that rivaled my G430Max but with waaaaay tighter dispersion. Win.”
- driveandputtmachine: “Still playing a MIni 300. The head was only 208, so I ordered a heavier weight and play it at 3 wood length. I am playing a Ventus Red 70. I play 70 grams in my fairways. I use it mainly to hit draws off the tee. When I combine me, a driver, and trying to hit a draw it does not work out well most of the time. So the MIni is for that. As an aside, I have not hit the newest BRNR, but the previous model wasn’t great off the deck. The 300 Mini is very good off the deck.”
- JAM01: “Ok, just put the BRNR in the bag along side a QI10 max and a QI10 3 wood. A load of top end redundancy. But, I have several holes at my two home courses where the flight and accuracy of the mini driver helps immensely. Mine is stock Proforce 65 at 13.5, I could see a heavier shaft, but to normal flex, as a nice alternative.”
Entire Thread: “What’s the perfect Mini-Driver/Shaft combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/26/24): Artisan 0521 custom putter
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for an Artisan 0521 custom putter
From the seller: (@Nobody2): “$775 -Artisan 0521 custom putter PVD (black finish) with sweep neck hosel. There are no personal stampings other than my player # in very small print on the side of the hosel (all Artisan products have this along with the date it was made). This putter looks absolutely amazing and has only been used for 3 rounds. It has a black steel shaft and has a very Cam Smith look to it. The putter looks new and has no wear marks anywhere on the putter. It comes with extra weights (one set of of 5 gram weights and one set of 15 gram weights). The head cover is a a navy blue ‘quilted blade putter cover.’ If you are wondering why I am selling…I flat out have the yips and the only thing saving me is a broomstick. New, this putter is $1085, so if the specs work for you (grip, length and lie can certainly be tweaked) it will save you some good money and 2 month wait time.
Specs:
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Artisan 0521 custom putter
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Ballstrikka
Aug 7, 2015 at 2:38 am
Yeah, looks like old Cally is trying to dethrone TM as the multiple product release champion! Sheesh,
how many drivers, 3 woods is it now? Oh, and various fairway wood lengths and purposes. Ugh!
This is gettin’ a wee bit out of hand trying to keep up with what I bought, and how that club
has been updated, revamped, repainted, re-weighted, and re-marketed 72 hours later. Maybe if I
drop all my golf mag subscriptions I won’t feel the pressure of having to keep up with the latest
incarnations. Wish I had my old Titleist Pro Model blades, my Cleveland Classic Persimmon driver and
3wood, one Cleveland wedge, and a bellota ball. Da good old days
Bob
Aug 9, 2015 at 10:48 am
Ha. Good one there bud
Joe
Aug 9, 2015 at 10:07 pm
Such a tired argument. It’s not an investment piece. Go buy what fits you at the beginning of the season and go golf your ball. Quit trying to keep up with manufacturers who are simply trying to improve upon their engineering. I welcome the improvements. Even if they come quarterly. When I’m ready for a new golf club I’ll go take a snapshot of whats available. You certainly don’t have to keep up with releases. (by the way, there is a new BMW 3-series coming out soon. Better go sell yours.)