Callaway Releases Big Bertha B21 Driver

[tommyhaka]

I’ll give an “amen.”

So what you are saying is that we should all just give positive comments and praise them for their purchase and wish them good luck? This topic was started to create a discussion in real-world parameters, that include scrutiny, sometimes skepticism , and so on. It's not that we aren't happy for those who purchase this driver, it's just that everybody likes to talk about it and give their own opinion, and they all can't be positive and they all can't be negative. It's just discussion, plain and simple.

 

[DataDude]

I'll go one further. It is easy to say it is easy to fix a slice. It is not an easy fix. The vast majority of people play a fade/slice and cannot fix it ever.

I will go one more further. I am working on my swing and have been getting some right to left ballflight on swings and unlike every slice fixing driver I have ever hit this one is not right on the edge of being a hook machine. The combo dialed up here by the engineers is very unique. High launch, mid-lowish spin, and some help straitening the spin axis. I applaud Callaway here.

 

[BuckNasty]

So what you are saying is that we should all just give positive comments and praise them for their purchase and wish them good luck? This topic was started to create a discussion in real-world parameters, that include scrutiny, sometimes skepticism , and so on. It's not that we aren't happy for those who purchase this driver, it's just that everybody likes to talk about it and give their own opinion, and they all can't be positive and they all can't be negative. It's just discussion, plain and simple.

you’ve literally come into this thread and have added zero discussion around the performance of this club, all you’ve said is “golf equipment doesn’t help your game, only lessons can help you improve”

 

[Duffer Seamus]

This design wasn’t created to eliminate a slice, it was specifically designed to help mitigate the spin created by golfers who are over the top and/or across the ball. Thus, ball more in play and more distance retained.

Though I called my brief trial with the B21 unproductive, perhaps it wasn't so much, after all.

One characteristic of my driver swing is that often, when I get an otherwise good strike with lots of height, at about the apex of the flight the ball all-of-a-sudden takes a dive to the right. With the B21 I had some slices right out of the gate--that is to say they took off to the right immediately off the tee, but I didn't get any of those that took a path, then veered sharply right at the top of their flight.

So maybe this driver is just what the doctor ordered for me.

as said, most amateurs have a fade/slice bias with a driver and many go to teachers in the hope of fixing what is their natural swing. Often they find some success at those lessons, but rarely can they keep the improvement up once they go back to playing without a teacher watching and advising.

Personally, I have found the only way to permanently fix a swing issue is finally getting it right on your own, feeling what you're doing when you get it right, and replicating it.

I was actually there with my driver for a couple games. Then I lost it again. When I get it back, I'll know it when I feel it. But, even when I was "there," I was still more likely to fade than draw.

Had a few friends with terrible slice issues and they finally worked out that aiming further left (a natural move to fix the problem) was really not helping at all - made it worse!

Yup. BTDT.

The game is a lot more fun when you can find your ball on shorter grass after the tee shot.

You can say that again. Particularly with all the verkakte leaves on the rough

I may try demo'ing the B21 again yet this year, depending upon a variety of factors, but more likely I won't approach it again until the season starts up again next spring. It's now week-to-week, almost down to day-to-day, as to whether I'll play again this year.

 

[JB]

 

[Tenputt]

So what you are saying is that we should all just give positive comments and praise them for their purchase and wish them good luck? This topic was started to create a discussion in real-world parameters, that include scrutiny, sometimes skepticism , and so on. It's not that we aren't happy for those who purchase this driver, it's just that everybody likes to talk about it and give their own opinion, and they all can't be positive and they all can't be negative. It's just discussion, plain and simple.

Informed or well reasoned opinions are always welcomed, positive or negative.

 

[bbuonic81]

Will be very interested to see the results of the weight testing...

 

[Boone]

I won a B21 in a contest but made the mistake of letting my best friend hit it right after I’d received it. He was immediately in love and since I hadn’t spent any money on it, and recently had gotten a PXG driver, I made his day and let him leave with it.

A month later, there is a Callaway fitting tent next to the driving range and I get sucked into a fitting. It took a lot of convincing. He said ‘Hey, want to be fitted for a Callaway driver?‘

He Immediately had me swinging the B21 and ended up putting me in the lightest shaft he had. a 45 RCH with senior flex (first time ever hitting anything below a regular flex). Also had me strengthen my grip a bit. I immediately began lunching bombs that were either straight or mild fade. He knew I didn’t want to spend the money so he said he would keep it shafted and to come back the next day and see if I continued to hit it as well.

You probably know how the story ends. For me, the lighter shaft was what I needed to really make this a great driver for me.

 

[Bernoulli]

I remain interested in what this driver could do for me. I have a tendency to come OTT. I admit it. I hit a fade off the tee. I'm not plagued by a big miss right. What I suffer from is a chronic lack of distance because I tend to hit high, spinny controlled fades with my driver. (Speedzone Xtreme). Accuracy, per se, is not a concern. Sure, I could take lessons and some say that a slice is easy to correct, if you're willing to work at it. I happen to disagree with that statement as to the ease of fixing a slice. And presently I don't want to take lessons. I would much rather play golf and play the shot I have on any given day.

I'm going to be pondering this driver during the upcoming off season.

 

[Tenputt]

I remain interested in what this driver could do for me. I have a tendency to come OTT. I admit it. I hit a fade off the tee. I'm not plagued by a big miss right. What I suffer from is a chronic lack of distance because I tend to hit high, spinny controlled fades with my driver. (Speedzone Xtreme). Accuracy, per se, is not a concern. Sure, I could take lessons and some say that a slice is easy to correct, if you're willing to work at it. I happen to disagree with that statement as to the ease of fixing a slice. And presently I don't want to take lessons. I would much rather play golf and play the shot I have on any given day.

I'm going to be pondering this driver during the upcoming off season.

You sound like a perfect candidate.

 

[thewilderside]

Can't wait to watch this!

 

[JB]

Can't wait to watch this!

Not a video for this one, as the Tech Studio is still set up for something else, but I will have some data soon.

 

[thewilderside]

Not a video for this one, as the Tech Studio is still set up for something else, but I will have some data soon.

Perfect, definitely intrigued to see the data

 

[Bernoulli]

You sound like a perfect candidate.

Thanks. I hope the driver works for me. I plan on hitting this driver several times over the winter.

 

[Tywithay]

I'm not sure where you live, but it seems like every decent golf course has a teaching professional. I just took a lesson about 2 months ago without any issues. As far as the money aspect for lessons , that driver cost $500! By manipulating weighting and whatever else to hinder spin, I wonder if it loses distance for those who can normally hit a straight ball. I think it is a bit of a trade-off, distance for accuracy. Like I said in an earlier post, it is not that difficult to rid yourself of a slice, you just have to be willing to work at it a bit. Also, again, this club will probably be in the back of people's Mind by Midsummer next year for the new driver that is coming out. I wonder if you have heard, the new 2021 Big Bertha is supposed to add 25 yards to your distance while reducing side spin.

There shouldn't be a trade off in distance whether you hit a draw, fade, or straight. At the end of the day, this is still a low foward cg driver, similar to Callaway's sub zero models. The only glaring difference is the placement of the weight to help influence the driver face at impact.

 

[tommyhaka]

Maybe I might go and demo the driver through the winter and compare it my xr16. For me, even if I hit it a bit better, is it really worth the purchase?

 

[bbuonic81]

There shouldn't be a trade off in distance whether you hit a draw, fade, or straight. At the end of the day, this is still a low foward cg driver, similar to Callaway's sub zero models. The only glaring difference is the placement of the weight to help influence the driver face at impact.

The Epic Flash Sub-Zero to this driver is the direct comparison I hope to make. I currently play the Sub-Zero today with the sliding weight in the Draw setting and, up until the last month or so, I've been driving the ball the best I have maybe ever. I've never been the longest, but the spin reduction has helped me for sure. That said, I get my best ball speed numbers with it lofted down to 8 which doesn't really lead to the Sub-Zero feeling very draw biased. I haven't swung the B21 yet, but even looking at it lofted down to 8 it seems like it may be more friendly to someone prone to the Big Right Miss (shout out to NLU) in that setting.

 

[Steve2100]

Maybe I might go and demo the driver through the winter and compare it my xr16. For me, even if I hit it a bit better, is it really worth the purchase?

Thats the best way to make an informed decision. Is it really worth the purchase is a question only you can make.

 

[tequila4kapp]

I remain interested in what this driver could do for me. I have a tendency to come OTT. I admit it. I hit a fade off the tee. I'm not plagued by a big miss right. What I suffer from is a chronic lack of distance because I tend to hit high, spinny controlled fades with my driver. (Speedzone Xtreme). Accuracy, per se, is not a concern. Sure, I could take lessons and some say that a slice is easy to correct, if you're willing to work at it. I happen to disagree with that statement as to the ease of fixing a slice. And presently I don't want to take lessons. I would much rather play golf and play the shot I have on any given day.

I'm going to be pondering this driver during the upcoming off season.

Go hit it and see what it does for you. I am less able to speak to fixing a slice.

The Epic Flash Sub-Zero to this driver is the direct comparison I hope to make. I currently play the Sub-Zero today with the sliding weight in the Draw setting and, up until the last month or so, I've been driving the ball the best I have maybe ever. I've never been the longest, but the spin reduction has helped me for sure. That said, I get my best ball speed numbers with it lofted down to 8 which doesn't really lead to the Sub-Zero feeling very draw biased. I haven't swung the B21 yet, but even looking at it lofted down to 8 it seems like it may be more friendly to someone prone to the Big Right Miss (shout out to NLU) in that setting.

I play the SZ with the weight in the draw setting and loft up to 11.5. There's a lot to process when comparing these two, at least for me. Definitely go some place for your demo where you can try different shafts and lofts. I think fitting may be particularly important for the folks who don't naturally fit in this driver's sweet spot.

 

[bbuonic81]

I play the SZ with the weight in the draw setting and loft up to 11.5. There's a lot to process when comparing these two, at least for me. Definitely go some place for your demo where you can try different shafts and lofts. I think fitting may be particularly important for the folks who don't naturally fit in this driver's sweet spot.

I have used that same setting in the past - moved away from it a bit after doing some indoor testing and seeing how lofting down changed my numbers for the better (with the massive caveat being "on good swings"). I have, let's say, a few Callaway tipped shafts in a bunch of weights, flexes and profiles, so I am hoping to be able to get some launch monitor or simulator time in to do a full test/fit over the winter, but my first plan of action is put it straight in the bag for my next round with the same shaft I'm playing now (and maybe a HZRDUS Yellow waiting in reserve), dial it to -1/D and see where it takes me.

 

[DataDude]

Maybe I might go and demo the driver through the winter and compare it my xr16. For me, even if I hit it a bit better, is it really worth the purchase?

That's up to you. This is America, we pay taxes and buy stuff. We get to choose what we buy.

 

[JonD]

Maybe I might go and demo the driver through the winter and compare it my xr16. For me, even if I hit it a bit better, is it really worth the purchase?

Best way to find out if it's worth it is to hit it for sure. I used to game an XR16, which is still one of my favorite driver releases, the forgiveness available now on this and the Mavrik line is noticeably better for me. YMMV of course.

 

[wristcock]

remember that when you're on your death bed (or even just your normal bed) and you've got 5 minutes to live....you will regret every great golf purchase you ever turned down.

 

[Tenputt]

remember that when you're on your death bed (or even just your normal bed) and you've got 5 minutes to live....you will regret every great golf purchase you ever turned down.

Well then, I am going to have few regrets.

 

[Duffer Seamus]

If I went through with every great purchase that crossed my path I'd be on that death bed a heckuva lot sooner. Mrs. MaybeDuffer would see to that