Equipment

Callaway introduces new Great Big Bertha lineup

Published

2 years ago

Oct 25, 2022

Callaway Golf has today unveiled its new Great Big Bertha family of clubs.

The ultra-premium lineup includes driver, hybrids, fairway woods and irons, with all hitting retail on November 11, 2022.

In contrast to the Rogue ST line, Callaway envisions the GBB family as a more targeted product that will appeal to a smaller audience of slower swing speed players looking for easier distance.

Great Big Bertha Driver

Engineered with an ultra-lightweight design in design for unmatched distance characteristics, the Great Big Bertha driver is nearly 30g lighter than the Rogue ST MAX driver.

To increase MOI, Callaway engineers paired a lightweight Triaxial Carbon Crown with a Forged Carbon Sole. With all this discretionary weight, the engineers moved the CG lower and deeper in a bid to enhance forgiveness, while the steel sole plate is designed to make it easier to hit a draw.

The driver includes a Jailbreak Speed Frame that is powered by A.I. in design for enhanced horizontal and torsional stability. All this stability bids to promote increased ball speed across the face.

In addition, Callaway has now included spin optimization in its industry-leading A.I. face technology. The new formula bids to increase ball speed while lowering spin to increase total distance.

Available Lofts: 9°, 10.5°, 12°
Pricing: $699.99

Great Big Bertha Irons

By leveraging materials that are typically reserved for drivers, Callaway generated up to 96g of discretionary weight and precisely repositioned this saved weight in their new irons in design to increase launch and forgiveness.

The Great Big Bertha iron features the thinnest titanium face the brand has ever used in an iron. On top of that, it’s also the lightest. In addition, the Commercially Pure Grade 4 (CP4) Titanium body flexes more at impact than traditional steel and works together with the thinner face in a bid to transfer more energy to the ball.

The Tungsten Speed Cartridge features up to 145g of high-density tungsten, which is designed to provide increased speed and launch by giving Callaway the deepest center of gravity they’ve ever achieved in an iron. This level of tungsten is a 133% increase over Rogue ST Max and the most ever in a Callaway iron.

The forged titanium face is optimized to increase speed and improve spin consistency, while the brand’s urethane microspheres bid to enhance sound and deliver a softer feel while still allowing the face to flex for more ball speed.

Available Lofts: 4-SW
Pricing: $449.99/stick

Great Big Bertha Fairway Woods

Featuring a titanium face and body, 53% of the total head weight of the Great Big Bertha Fairway Woods is made up of discretionary weight. This weight savings enabled Callaway to create a larger, more forgiving footprint and an ultra-low CG that steel does not allow.

The titanium face is uniquely optimized for each fairway wood head through A.I. for enhanced ball speed and spin consistency in a powerful design. Callaway’s Jailbreak with Batwing Technology pushes stiffness to the perimeter while still allowing the face to flex for high ball speeds across the face.

The fairway woods feature a lighter, stronger triaxial carbon crown that saves a significant amount of weight. The Forged Carbon sole also aids in weight savings and relocates the CG in design to create a slight draw bias. With all this discretionary weight, Callaway engineers also leveraged 50g of internal tungsten and a 15g steel plate on the sole in order to create an easier, higher launch.

Available Lofts: 3w, 5w, 7w, 9w
Pricing: $499.99 each

Great Big Bertha Hybrids

In their Great Big Bertha hybrids, Callaway engineers leveraged a titanium face and body, resulting in 100g of discretionary saved weight. After extensively reviewing performance characteristics, this weight was then redistributed in design to enhance ball speed, improve forgiveness, and promote an easy launch.

The titanium face has been uniquely optimized through A.I. in a bid to enhance ball speed and spin consistency in a hybrid construction, especially on off-center hits. And for the first time ever in a hybrid, the A.I. designed Jailbreak with Batwing Technology seeks to increase stiffness in the perimeter while allowing the face to flex for high ball speeds across the face.

In addition, a lighter, stronger Triaxial Carbon Crown saves significant weight vs. a traditional steel crown. The Forged Carbon sole plate also aids in weight savings and relocates the CG in design to create a slight draw bias. All this saved weight is then meticulously redistributed to promote high launch and more forgiveness.

With the substantial amount of discretionary weight available from titanium, Callaway engineers also redistributed up to 78g of weight between internal tungsten and the sole plate in a bid to promote faster ball speeds and a higher launch.

Available Lofts: 3H, 4H, 5H, 6H, 7H, 8H
Pricing: $449.99 each

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Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

14 Comments

Jason

Oct 27, 2022 at 7:24 am

Kudos Callaway marketing and pricing departments! You have ensured that I will never consider buying a new Callaway club. Pricing is an absolute joke.

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Jason

Oct 27, 2022 at 7:22 am

Kudos Callaway marketing and pricing departments! You have ensured that I will never consider buying a new Callaway club.. Pricing is an absolute joke.

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Ned

Oct 27, 2022 at 5:49 am

Shades of PXG there’s no way any club is worth 2-3 times any other club out there. I can see a massive sale in 6 months or so.

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ericsokp

Oct 26, 2022 at 8:06 pm

At these prices I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that these will be taking up a lot of shelf space about this time next year.

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Jim

Oct 26, 2022 at 1:55 pm

The pricing on these is completely out of control. Who would pay $450 per iron? And $700 for a driver. You can buy much better clubs even within their own lineup for much less money. The cost of golf lately is not only out of control but is going to drive people away from the sport, not to mention the club manufacturers as most sane people will look to the used market instead. Between golf clubs and cars the prices are too high for most people to afford. When is too much too much for these companies?!

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James Sparks

Oct 26, 2022 at 12:11 pm

Agree the prices are out of control

Reply Report comment
Dunce

Oct 26, 2022 at 9:57 am

You’d be better off taking the money you’d spend on these and put it towards lessons.

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Garrett D

Oct 25, 2022 at 10:55 pm

Callaway is kind of lame-Ooooo.

I’ll take my Mizuno, Srixon, and Titleist any day over their stuff. I could probably buy 3 full sets for one of their ridiculously overpriced game-improvement sets.

If I see someone w these clubs, in my head I will think to myself this person is trying to cheat the game no matter what the cost. Practice, not purchase.

Reply Report comment
Sef

Oct 25, 2022 at 7:56 pm

In a bid to do this, bids to do that, can I lend you a thesaurus brother?

Reply Report comment
geohogan

Oct 25, 2022 at 7:42 pm

Just bought six club set, JPX919 on ebay for less than $300 with graphite shafts.

Now that is a “forgiving” set of clubs.

Reply Report comment
Bryan

Oct 25, 2022 at 1:03 pm

$450 per iron is insane! Almost feel like this is being released at this price so when their next flagship line comes out and is only priced at $300 an iron people will think it’s a bargain. Or not.

Reply Report comment
Geno4952

Oct 25, 2022 at 11:00 am

So…. without adding an overpriced putter to the lineup, woods and irons would cost me… $5299.89 plus tax. (8% in NY state). ARFKM??? Might as well add in the lawyer cost for the divorce as well.
And they want to bring more young people into the game. Come on Suzie… we’re going to the bank to get a loan for your new clubs. This is definitely getting ridiculous.

Reply Report comment
Zach

Oct 25, 2022 at 9:13 am

These prices are getting out of hand. Who’s going to pay that much for game improvement irons?

Reply Report comment
- Brandon
  
  Oct 25, 2022 at 10:15 pm
  
  Rich Asians who don’t want another set of Honma Berres or XXIO. Pretty much the only market I see for these.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

10 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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