Just when you thought that with the Mavrik lineup and its three unique driver profiles Callaway might have totally nailed down the breadth of options for golfers, they hit you with something you never saw coming.
The return of the Big Bertha in the form of the B21 driver isn’t what is surprising, what is surprising however, is what is going on internally here. This is one that Callaway believes is totally unique to the market design-wise with its ability to mix a forgiving design with a low and forward CG. Yes, you read that right.
This article is going to focus on the release of the B21 driver, however for the first time in a long while Callaway is bringing a complete Big Bertha lineup to market, and there will be a subsequent piece up on THP pertaining to the fairways, hybrids, and irons.
Return of the Callaway RCH
Worth mentioning before we get into anything else is a bit of a shift for Callaway, not to anything new, but more back to their Big Bertha roots with the return of the RCH graphite shafts as a stock option for the entire B21 lineup.
Some of you have immediately hit that “huh?” face, so let me explain. In the 1990’s to the early 2000’s Callaway did a lot of in-house shaft R&D, and I mean a lot. The goal was creating the perfect shafts to compliment exactly what they wanted in their club designs, and while present day companies work with shaft manufacturers to either find a good fit from their catalogues or maybe make some tweaks here and there, the RCH was created by and for Callaway clubs. Some today will be screaming “made-for!” and you are right, literally made for their designs. Once upon a time there wasn’t the clamoring for after-market options like there is today, nor were shafts designed specifically for clubs frowned upon. Heck, those “made-for” RCH shafts were even used and won on Tour.
Why bring this back in an all new design? Simply put, Callaway wanted very specific things for the shafts in the B21 clubs, particularly the ability to have an active tip flex that would help achieve the dynamic lofts they wanted while also not feeling weak in the swing. For Callaway, the RCH is about being developed and not just picked. That said, for those of you wondering, yes, there will be a significant amount of no upcharge options available still.
Callaway B21 Driver
Price: $499.99
Lofts: 9°, 10.5°, 12.5° w/ Callaway OptiFit Adjustability
Shaft Options: Callaway RCH 45/55/65
Release Date: 9/10/2020
The B21 driver is being presented under the slogan, “Distance any way you swing it”, and based on the tech of the new Big Bertha driver, it should easily back that up. The B21 driver was designed around the reality that most golfers struggle through things like erratic impact locations, an open face angle at impact, and even swinging across the target line while also being steep into the ball. These are traditionally among the most demoralizing things in golf which result in a shot that is usually a weak high and right (for RH golfers) miss which can practically ruin the game for golfers of all skill levels. The goal of the B21 is to pack all of the technology Callaway has into a design that offers distance, forgiveness, and consistency no matter how you swing it.
The major preliminary focus was based around design features that would mitigate the issues so many golfers face with the driver given their swing faults. The reality is most who fit into the aforementioned faults often see significantly higher backspin averages creeping into the 3,000 to 4,000 RPM’s which not only affects control but also hampers ball and swing speed potential as the golfer falls into the trap of steering the ball. There has long been a search for the holy grail of slice reduction in drivers, but Callaway is taking the direction of countering each of these specific tendencies with design features that should free golfers up to enjoy the game more.
First thing first, the A.I. Flash Face is alive and present, not only that, it is by far the engine that is making this unicorn of a design possible. Flash Face with the Mavrik in particular allowed Callaway to see that they could move the CG of a driver low and forward to decrease spin while keeping forgiveness and ball speed through the A.I. face generation program. Usually going low and forward though is only for better players, kiss that idea goodbye.
The B21 is unique to the market in that it is using a low-forward CG in coordination with a huge face, a sub 10g T2C crown, and high-moi head shape which is longer and more triangular to protect ball speeds with impacts across the face. How this is possible though is solely because of A.I., the Flash Face SS21. Any time a new shape is created, a new Flash Face has to be generated that is optimized to just that face, so don’t think that this is the Mavrik’s pasted into the B21. In order to make the design which A.I. came up with work, a special heat treatment had to be used on the face to get it to be durable enough, combined with Jailbreak the internals of this club are pretty staggering and seeks to create a driver that offers low spin and draw bias.
That draw bias is being created through a few different methods. Externally, it is created through the reduced face progression which is the distance from the leading edge of the face and shaft axis. Fancy words to say that the hosel to head connection helps to create a flight that starts left without using the massive offset that is present in the rest of the B21 lineup. Internally, there is also weight placed in the heel to help cut down that spin that comes from an open face at impact.
Design wise, this is a bit of a head scratcher because it meshes things together which we never thought could be blended. There is a weight low and back in the head to increase the MOI even more with the triangular shape, but there is much more weight forward in the design to decrease spin and keep consistency. These are things that have historically been entirely contradictory in club design, but with the application of Flash Face SS21 the speed and forgiveness that previously had to be generated primarily with the shape and weight can now be done with the face.
The B21 driver is not going to be a driver that the golfer seeking the lowest spinning option from Callaway runs out and grabs. The reality is it won’t be as low spin as a Sub-Zero, nor should it be, but it will offer lower spin potential than other designs while still having draw bias, a middle-ground so-to-speak. While some will be curious of the comparisons to the Mavrik Max, this has potentially lower spin while having increased draw bias and both drivers can easily coexist in the market.
The Callaway Big Bertha B21 driver is looking to set a new standard when it comes to correcting the biggest miss in golf. What are your initial thoughts and reactions? Do you plan on giving one a swing? Be sure to jump into the conversation both here as well as the THP forum and let your voice be heard!
Is it lower spin than Epic Flash SZ?
Closer to Epic Flash standard IMO. I played that driver last year and the ball flight characteristics are similar. But I thought that was a lowish spinning standard driver.
Not in my experience, but for me it’s only about 100-150 rpm higher.
Here is a perfect example. I have a friend who is 6 foot 4 and a former D1 college defensive end. Very big, very strong, very athletic. He can nuke the ball with the very best in the world and has a decent move with the club. HIs issue, a huge slice. When this driver came out, I called him up and said callaway made a driver for you..
He went got fit, is playing it with an X stiff in it at 10.5 straight in. While he still hits a fade, and still will lose one right, last week he hit the most fairways I think I have ever seen him hit the entire time I have known him. While being fit he was seeing 170 plus ball speeds and mid-mid high 2000 spins.
This club is not a magic wand, it can still be missed, it can still spin way up on low strikes. But its ability reduce the big miss right is very very good. Its ability to do that and still maintain ball speed is the very best out there..
**Edit — For me though, I already hit a ball the tends to move left most of the time. When I hit the driver it just wants to go hard’er left. I can still if I really really try get it to go straight but It is 100% going to accentuate my miss. That is why I say in the hands of the right golfer. This is a great driver. But it is not for everyone.
Thank you. Same question for forgiveness, please.
One hundred percent more forgiving, imo.
Agree, I have hit some bad shots, but they have not been short at all. This thing launches off all parts of the face.
Agreed
A week ago, I went to my local store and hit it. I posted in this thread that the numbers were really good. I had a boatload of various equipment that was not worth much and that I didn’t want to go through the hassle of selling, things like wedges and hybrids. I piled them into the car and unloaded them in trade and walked out of the store with the drive and little money out of pocket. Last night, I had the driver in the bag for the first time.
I pulled the RCH shaft and used one of the two custom shafts that we received at last year’s Small Batch experience with True Sports. It is about 65 grams and plays in between a RipTide and Hzrdus Smoke Black. I got on the first tee and hooked the driver. Hmmm… The second hole was a par 3. The third hole is a long par 4. I hooked it again. I could tell it was close, but not quite there. The next hole I tweaked the set up, moving it from standard at 9 degrees to 8 degrees. I uncorked a huge draw with a boring trajectory. I used it three more times for the 9 hole round and each drive was very long, relative to what I see on this course, in perfect position, with a perfect trajectory and either straight or a slight draw.
This has me excited. If I can eliminate that high right miss that i see once or twice a round, it probably reduces my handicap by a stroke. As others have said, this driver would not suit everybody. However, it is truly a bit of a unicorn and could truly help certain players.
This is a lot like me with the sometimes push if i go after it with the Mavrik Max. When you tweaked it by dropping the loft do you think that resulted in reducing the draw bias or why do you think you got better results after the change. The more i read the more this driver interests me.
Reducing the loft by a degree also opens the club face, which was my reasoning for trying it. I think that this very slight adjustment (plus perhaps having loosened up after a few holes) and the resulting slightly more open club face allow the club to be square at impact. This driver also is pretty high launch. I think this helped bring my ball flight down just a touch and made it pretty optimal.
I originally set it up as draw/stated but bumped it to +1 for a little higher launch.
thee most forgiving driver ive ever hit, but then again ive never hit 100 different drivers..
out of 25 drivers lets say, this is the best most forgiving driver ive ever hit.
Did you try the RCH shaft in the driver also to see if it worked better/worse than your custom shafts? Just curious.
I hit it with the RCH shaft in the store. I am planning on getting to a launch monitor very soon. When I do, I will compare the numbers with the two shafts and report in this thread.
Just that little thought was all it took to put your Mavrik on notice and cause it to tow the line.
The other thing is this thing is long all over the face. I hit one off the low toe and got a mostly strait 220 yard drive dow the right side of the fairway. The other was off the high toe and got about 225 on a high draw that was just left of center in the fairway. Both great misses for me.
I like this driver a lot. I have a Project X EvenFlow White 65g 6.0 flex shaft.cut to play at 44.5" and a 12g weight to replace the 5g weight to really fit this thing to me. Both coming tomorrow.
More to come…
? ummm hello?
I will reiterate what others have said the B21: it is not a mask for a truly **** swing. You can still slice it. That said, if you are just a bit off , the lateral mitigation is crazy.
I am a big fan of the sound / feel of the standard Mavrik but I will echo James here, I think this thing is better. Touch more solid. It’s pure joy to hit.
The RCH just works. It still feels a touch loose in the tip to me, but it straight up performs. I am not a long ball hitter, but the stability of the head and shaft encourage me to really go after it, snd the number of straight and baby fade bombs yesterday were sky high. Touching 300 twice into the wind, and I don’t say that to brag, as it isn’t the norm, but only to highlight that B21 makes ZERO concessions when it comes to distance.
it’s a marvel. I don’t know how they did it, but I’m glad they did. I encourage anyone on the fence to just try it. Even if you might not think it’s for you, at least hit it. It’s really fun.
And the blue crown is perfect.
Hope it performs for you. I am eager to hear your feedback.
Please, when you can, go and hit a few with your Ventus blue shaft and let me know your thoughts.
From your post, it looks like you really liked the RCH performance. Was it the 55 or 65?
It’s a driver you can adjust to very quickly.
IMO
RCH 65 in mine. Will swap in my ventus blue 6s next time out
Hey, 300 is longer than me and most of the world, time to retire that not a long ball hitter thing
I think the fear of left thing is being overplayed in the heads of many when it comes to thinking about this. It’s not going to magically cause hooks or for faders to start hitting draws automatically. It definitely takes flights to more neutral though.
I have no idea why, but after reading the bold I thought "That’s what she said". After rereading I think my brain is broken LOL!
My favorite thing @HarryPotter said was about the blue crown. This club looks amazing. It’s beautiful. The blue they picked with the Spiderman red is such a good combo.
Not every time ?, but have had a couple both rounds out with the b21. I just can’t believe how good it is.?
More on that today though!
There will be an update.
As for in the bag or not, that’s not my goal with this one, my focus during the forum review period is on if it does what it claims more than anything else.
Sounds like it’s time for you to visit.
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Looks really good with the Evenflow shaft.
this is a good look
That looks like a deadly combo.
driving range this afternoon. I was pretty amped to hit this driver again after getting some pretty stellar numbers on the sim earlier this week. I had my reservations though. I know that sometimes what you see on the simulator doesn’t manifest itself in real time.
perform?! Well…it basically lived up to all the “hype” surrounding it at launch! Folks, it isn’t hype, it’s the “Truth!” Callaway has a sure enough unicorn here.
I had been hitting my gamer, that ball would have ended up at least one fairway over. This one just gently faded out to the right edge of the range. After that initial bad(better result than most I have hit in the last year), this club proved what it could do! Everything was either straight or with a little draw! I couldn’t believe it! As a serial slicer, it was absolutely astonishing! The ball launches quickly off the face resulting in a mid-high trajectory and seemed like it was carrying forever before it landed. And, something I couldn’t get out of my current gamer…when the ball landed, I could see it hop and continue to roll!
with the opti-fit adapter. I de-lofted the BB B21 1°. Hoping for a lower ball flight. The trajectory lowered slightly, but it seemed like I wasn’t getting the same output in the stock setting. So, I put it back in the stock position and just lowered my tee height a touch.
Callaway truly have created a forgiving, low spin, draw based driver that absolutely hammers the ball! This driver would probably benefit 80% of the members on the forum! If ego didn’t get in the way.
for” RCH shaft. I had concerns about hitting such a light shaft. After giving it the ol’ waggle test, I definitely was apprehensive! BUT…there’s something to this thing! It feels loose or super active when you waggle it back and forth, but when you make a full swing, it feels great! My current gamer has a Project X HZRDUS Black Smoke 6.5 60g shaft. My favorite is the standard HZRDUS Black 6.0. There is some definite voodoo here. I can feel where the club head is at all times. It’s stable without being overly stout, it’s smooth in transition, and definitely tip active. This shaft and club head combo works really well! I’ve not gone after one yet because I won’t have my stint removed until next week, but I want to see what this combo can do when I really hammer on it!
corded grip due to the humidity and I’m not a huge fan of the “bullseye” on the face. It’s just not my cup of tea. But, that’s just trying to find a negative with this driver.
point is to update my WITB!?
Nice review! Happy to hear you have a new gamer in your bag.
The grip is a little squishy – I’m with you there for sure
That is good stuff.