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!
Was the loft up with the SLDR because it was high/Fwd weight ?
If my thinking is right this puts the Bertha in a similar class as the XR16 Sub Zero, PXG 0811 X Gen 2 and TM M1 2016 (with weight set in the fwd position). But perhaps in a higher moi chassis.
I plan on telling you the answer to that during forum testing
SLDR was forward CG In a compact shape with a super deep face, the recipe for low spin with high ball speed potential and no forgiveness or added launch. This, sits different that that I’m SO many ways with launch being a priority for the B21 design while still dropping spin.
Also, imo, this is nothing like any of those heads. I mean it when I say we have never seen anything like this before for this segment.
Gotcha. I was just going by the cg charts floating around. Those were the most fwd and low heads in the past 4-5 years.
I’ll definitely give this one a try out of pure curiosity.
That’s but one aspect in this one, that’s something to keep in mind, the AI has potentially revolutionized the chance for combos of CG, moi, and spin we haven’t seen before.
What’s interesting about those CG charts "floating around" is that they were done by a single company, and then used by some "media" externally. That doesn’t mean they are not correct, but to put that out as if said media measured and confirmed or without saying where it came from is absolutely awful in terms of sharing news. Par for the course sadly. Really no different than putting out a distance chart by a company that says their driver is longest and not doing any testing to confirm.
It’s definitely new, it’s why I worked hard to explain that concept in the article
Thought that was the case early on but doing their own measurements in the last couple of years, no ??
I dont think its fair for me to discuss someone elses work, other than to say that the CG charts you are referring to are from an OEM still.
In theory this driver sounds like it will help the masses – the masses generally don’t like to spend the $500 on a driver and I worry that some people will look at the shape like the FT-IZ and Fusion and immediately discard it.
I hope Callaway knows what they are doing and can market it correctly.
I dont think there is a person in golf, outside of Bob Parsons that wouldnt like the equipment to be less expensive.
Although the masses have responded a bit and the top selling drivers in the golf are all $500 or more. So I am genuinely not sure.
I am a big fan of the color scheme and headcovers!
I agree with what you are saying about the top selling drivers. One could argue that this driver seems to be marketed towards the higher handicap player who may play less often. I could 100% be wrong in my assessment but when I read the F&B of the driver and then saw the price tag I thought that they may have missed the mark. I fear that this line may go the way of the V Series driver or the Steelhead XR Fwy Woods – Forgotten.
As I said – I hope I am wrong for Callaways sake
Be sure to check out the article if you haven’t, it dives into who it’s aimed at, it’s not just a high capper thing.
Yeah, I’m most curious to see how many will give it a shot, I think by now Callaway has solidified themselves as one people will grab, but this being outside the box, we shall see.
That is a great question.
I think you could probably say that about any piece of equipment in the bag. From ball to driver and everything in between. A swing change will result in a performance change.
There are SOOOO many golfers that need this profile. Even guys that have good speed that just cannot get out of the right rough.. Before an offset driver were generally low end. The only decent one coming to mind being the Cobra Fmax driver. As explained those all spin like crazy so it is a poor fit for many.
Precisely, the Fmax is a great example of helping eliminate that miss, but having to sacrifice adding spin to do so. This could be a game changer for this segment. It truly could.
I’m with you on this. And I have the Xtreme too. It’s very accurate for me but I lose distance because of swing faults.
High spin , steep angle, open face. yes, that’s me.
For me, the G400SFT helped eliminate the right side of the course. I think a comparison to the Ping SFT woods would be very helpful.
I played the G SFT driver for the last few years, up until this season. This year I’m playin the Xtreme thanks to THP and Cobra Puma Golf. Both drivers are accurate for me and the way right miss has been eliminated. My usual shot with these drivers is a fade. That said, with the Xtreme and with the GSFT, although I keep the ball in play, I tend to lose distance because of spin. A good shot is a fade to the middle or right side of the fairway. I’m high spin, steep angle and open face. Before the G SFT and the Xtreme, I rarely hit a driver at all. I’m intrigued by the new offering from Callaway.
The question at that point becomes: why?
Low and back has served the average golfer pretty well. And SLDR didn’t last for a reason or two.
Not discouraging anyone, but I’ll stick with low and back CG’s.
I also think that this low spin at any cost thing needs to go. You need some spin, and often, the feel of these clubs can suffer in chasing that low spin.
The faces seem "hard" on a lot of drivers that are low spin. I liked that slight trampoline softer feel years ago. And they were still very long. They felt more explosive.
Not a Cally knock at all, just a general comment. Low and forward for the avg player, I just think "uh-oh."
I know that’s the premise they’re working with here, but still… it’s hard for any company to ask for $500 and say "trust us."
Logically, this one doesn’t make sense to me. But maybe "AI" is the almighty? People still have to write the code somewhat.
The one piece of equipment I have complete faith in right now is my GBB epic SZ driver. I would love to test it side by side with this one and see how they compare. The only thing I’m really doing well right now is distance on my drives but I’m still a bit wild on accuracy. I would be curious if the new BB can maintain most of that distance and help a bit with the forgiveness. I have mostly fixed a slice but now see a snap hook sometimes, I think due to a stronger grip. I wonder if the draw bias on there could let me go back to a more standard grip without my slice coming back. Curious to see if you would see any pros add this to the bag.
@Jman – It sounds like this may have been designed with the higher handicap player in mind (Not sure if this is true???). Do you think this driver will help the lower handicap player as well? I mean a slice is a slice.
Im looking forward to finding out honestly and I know @Jman is too. Im a spin sufferer, so it will be a fun test.
I can say the T2C crown here is more than likely lighter than the material in the EXS 220. Not sure anyone is as proficient at carbon fiber as Callaway in recent years.
What risks? Honestly curious, the companies have always tried to optimize the stock shafts to what the head is designed to do and to fit the biggest spectrum, now they’re just TOTALLY designing the shaft to do it. Make sense?
I am always a bit skeptical at first, probably why my family says I am Dr. Doom and Gloom. My initial first reaction to the picture and concept is due to the Max being released just this year. That Callaway has an improved driver already is fast in my opinion, but I am not in the general market like many that know how often products are released and their normal release schedules. The Max should have most of the same concepts in AI and such, with two adjustable weights to dial in. That said, Callaway has earned my respect to the point that I always give their products first opportunity to fit into my bag. I think that is all any company wants. To be that first tested and hopeful purchase. I generally have most Callaway products in my current bag, and I am really intrigued by these new Big Bertha Irons.
I do think many will want to compare the Max driver to the new Big Bertha to see comparisons.
I guess the big risk would be can the stock shafts made by a company that isn’t a traditional shaft manufacturer stand up from innovation that manufacturers that specialize in shaft design can?
I don’t have an answer to that – I do think that being able to custom match a shaft to a club would be far superior in performance and then Callaway can do finely tune the specifications to the club needs. It’s an interesting series of things to consider for customers. Can’t wait to see how they stack up