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Callaway Great Big Bertha Driver Review Thread

SuperStroke
Just found out the local yearly tournament prob will not have a mid amateur division, due to low entry numbers. I will prob play the Champion black tee's @7000yrs 73/128. I have to compete with a bunch of mini tour players that show up

I need the longest combo possible, going through the boxes of shafts, I found a old long bomber UST Attas Elements DK (wind) 6x. Its in the GBB head at 46 D5 washer under the port no ferrule. I hope to hit it better/longer with less duck hooky. I been training in my PVC swing ring set to the driver settings, in order to be not so inside, or too far back. My playing partner did say yesterday he reckoned I should go get 815 again. Shot 75 yesterday from the Champ and driving was horrible, I will say my iron game 5i in, is very good shape due to the fact most tv commercials I get up and swing ring train 5i past 3 weeks, muscle memory works! plus my range of motion / form is better (Santa bought the swing ring is in the house and not leaving!), just need to grove the hooky out that was my go to high draw with 815
 
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ProZoneGolf said:
Just found out the local yearly tournament prob will not have a mid amateur division, due to low entry numbers. I will prob play the Champion black tee's @7000yrs 73/128. I have to compete with a bunch of mini tour players that show up

I need the longest combo possible, going through the boxes of shafts, I found a old long bomber UST Attas Elements DK (wind) 6x. Its in the GBB head at 46 D5 washer under the port no ferrule. I hope to hit it better/longer with less duck hooky. I been training in my PVC swing ring set to the driver settings, in order to be not so inside, or too far back. My playing partner did say yesterday he reckoned I should go get 815 again. Shot 75 yesterday from the Champ and driving was horrible, I will say my iron game 5i in, is very good shape due to the fact most tv commercials I get up and swing ring train 5i past 3 weeks, muscle memory works! plus my range of motion / form is better (Santa bought the swing ring is in the house and not leaving!), just need to grove the hooky out that was my go to high draw with 815
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Do post a future report on how the GBB/ Attas fared in this event. That is an awesome shaft. Put one of Those in X flex in my sons R11 S 3 wood , insane how far he hits that club.
 
uman said:
You will get it right, still early in the process. Better weather will allow you to determine for sure your best shaft option.
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Yesterday the temps started out in the low 50s and moved to the low 60s, I started losing shots left with the senior flex and went back to the regular flex, everything went back to baby draws in the fairway. The senior flex will be my go to in low temps and the regular flex in 50 and above. At least I am comfortable with when to play which shaft now. Next time out I will tinker with the other adjustments.
 
uman said:
Do post a future report on how the GBB/ Attas fared in this event. That is an awesome shaft. Put one of Those in X flex in my sons R11 S 3 wood , insane how far he hits that club.
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IMO: It hit very well, I am still testing it. I was about the sell GBB with 757 (from Taylormade pull), then I started thinking give it another chance. Now I am ball striking center/toe not heal. Not sure why, perhaps its shaft bend lag shortening the radius. Attas Dk (wind) 6x is tipped 3/4 inch (272cpm), Its 68g and plays true to flex. I was hitting the longest yet, ball was going very long and dead straight, center to right center FW, not left, unless I do my ducky swing, which is too much inside and a poor finish. It was like a breath of fresh air that I have a stick working, felt like a different club, by the back 9 I was dialed in more. I think the Attas DK is a top shaft similar to GD-DI, Fuji .0, but longer than .0. Attas Dk has a butt that is firm (unlike GoGo), and super smooth. It sure cranks it and being a lowish bend point is nicer on miss hits, and very receptive to most swings you put on it. Nicely timed smooth swings put blistering inertia to the ball, my buddy was Wow!, I wondered were that came from, I was at the tips and he was at the blue tees and we ended up the same in the FW. He was hitting GBB/Aldila Tour Blue reg flex very well with a upper mid high flight. I need more time and LM to say its a def keeper, the eye says yes. I may tinker with another aftermarket low bend Kyoshi or GD-DI. I will say its tighter than 665x and feels more solid, with similar performance, perhaps higher Traj, as 665 was lagging for me being tad soft to flex.

Tip: take the big washer off of the Callaway adapter tip screw, and place it under the weight behind the R-Moto, weighs .6 SW...might as well get that mass behind the ball for a yard or two more...do two if you have a spare
 
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ProZoneGolf said:
IMO: It hit very well, I am still testing it. I was about the sell GBB with 757 (from Taylormade pull), then I started thinking give it another chance. Now I am ball striking center/toe not heal. Not sure why, perhaps its shaft bend lag shortening the radius. Attas Dk (wind) 6x is tipped 3/4 inch (272cpm), Its 68g and plays true to flex. I was hitting the longest yet, ball was going very long and dead straight, center to right center FW, not left, unless I do my ducky swing, which is too much inside and a poor finish. It was like a breath of fresh air that I have a stick working, felt like a different club, by the back 9 I was dialed in more. I think the Attas DK is a top shaft similar to GD-DI, Fuji .0, but longer than .0. Attas Dk has a butt that is firm (unlike GoGo), and super smooth. It sure cranks it and being a lowish bend point is nicer on miss hits, and very receptive to most swings you put on it. Nicely timed smooth swings put blistering inertia to the ball, my buddy was Wow!, I wondered were that came from, I was at the tips and he was at the blue tees and we ended up the same in the FW. He was hitting GBB/Aldila Tour Blue reg flex very well with a upper mid high flight. I need more time and LM to say its a def keeper, the eye says yes. I may tinker with another aftermarket low bend Kyoshi or GD-DI. I will say its tighter than 665x and feels more solid, with similar performance, perhaps higher Traj, as 665 was lagging for me being tad soft to flex.

Tip: take the big washer off of the Callaway adapter tip screw, and place it under the weight behind the R-Moto, weighs .6 SW...might as well get that mass behind the ball for a yard or two more...do two if you have a spare
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AD DI gives a nice high launch with this head in my experience. It is shorter than my XR Pro but way better LA and more accurate, just shorter.. not worth the 300 it would take for me to find one. Love the thing though. Great driver.

Sent from my SM-G925W8 using Tapatalk
 
Nice stuff ProZone, hope you get that GBB way dialed in. Prior to my back surgery, while playing with my son, I hit my very best drive ( 260 plus) on a par 5 . Son was playing tips (I was not), he hit his 3 Wood . I put that x flex Attas shaft in his R11 S 3 wood. Doug's 3 WOOD drive was a good 10 yards past my best Driver. His tee shot was approx. 290 .
Doug is 32 , I am 70 so it is not a shocker that he is longer, but that Attas/ GBB combo could be solid
 
Just absolutely pounded this thing today. I need to stick with the Tour Green in it, because it is just such a bomber and feels so good. I have mine set to +1* (10*), Draw, and have the APW straight back on the clubhead over the word "fade". Such a killer combo for me.
 
cbaker2882 said:
Just absolutely pounded this thing today. I need to stick with the Tour Green in it, because it is just such a bomber and feels so good. I have mine set to +1* (10*), Draw, and have the APW straight back on the clubhead over the word "fade". Such a killer combo for me.
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You were hitting it well today.
 
Fairways hit % creeping up from 52% last 20 and up to 63% after 3 rounds with GBB/stock shaft. Definitely more forgiving than my old XHot and the KK 50G stock shaft is really a good all around all conditions performer.

Still have no idea where to set all the thingamajobs. I get similar performance from any combo of them.
 
Was driving very very straight today, give the credit to Ust Attas Dk 6x, and grooving my driver swing plane in my PVC swing ring. After a 'lot' of driver swing ring training, I am not so flat at the top. That with a slightly shorter back swing I was down the middle most drives, and it was blowing 20mph. Its hard to estimate distance/yards in wind for a 'real' drive, however one down wind was 317y. Traj was up a tad since the weight is lowered by two washers. I did notice shots lower on the face fly better, guess that is because more mass is lower behind face/R-Moto. The two washers make a noticeable difference...try it
 
So curiosity got the better of me after such awesome results with my new GBB 5w. I hit the GBB against my XR on a monitor indoors at my local golfshop today. I didnt have my best swing today but holy crap. I hit my XR first, then the GBB in numerous settings with the 9 deg head. We deleted the real crappy swings with both to get a better idea of results. I had 4 or 5 that made the averages of both and are as follows........

XR 9.5 Neutral PX LZ Reg
96 ss, 11 deg launch , 139 ball speed, 2600 ish spin, 217y carry, 249 total.

GBB 9 deg, KK black tini stiff S/N (stock as a rock)
97 ss,13 deg launch 141 ball speed, 2150 ish spin, 231y carry, 260y total.

I need to demo this on the course at home to see the real world difference. One interesting thing is most of the XR shots had draw too as only 1 of the GBB drew.... This means the GBB could go a little further again. Very close to buying one now.
 
I was fit into this club over the weekend and it has already impressed me. The fitter went with a 9* head and the speeder 665 shaft after about an hour of trying out different clubs and GBB combos. I left the weight setting on neutral with a plan to change it on the course.

I played nine Sunday using my balls that I found on the course throughout the year and forgot the adjustment wrench at home. First tee shot of the day on Sunday....hit off the toe for a nasty slice. It was cold and I was wearing layers and never got a chance to warm up. Mulligan.
Second shot felt just as bad, small fade in my ball flight. I figured I hit it in the right rough as I usually do on the first hole. I went over to wear I figured the ball landed and could not find it. I was about to take a drop when I saw a white dot about 20 yards down in the middle of the fairway. That's a spot I usually hit in summer with my old Bio Cell after a good warm up session. That was one of three good shots of the day with the GBB. The other times came with mishits and holes not requiring a driver. The last two holes I used the driver and was more than impressed. #8 was a short par four and I smacked one down the middle, still farther than what my old driver would have done. #9 was a dogleg left with trees on the left side. I figure I would try to draw the ball around the trees and get on the FW for a good second shot. Nope. Hit one high and long, over the trees and dead straight. I figured I would still be on the FW, but when I came across my ball, I overshot the fairway and wound up in the rough. Again, still further than my BioCell.
Overall I felt that I did gain a lot of distance combined with a proper fitting and really cannot wait to see what results I get when the weather warms up and I use my gamer balls.
 
Here are a few shots today with Cally 2015 GBB 10.5 (N+1) / UST Attas Elements Proto Dk 6x / 70g / 272cpm / Tipped 3/4' 45.75 / D4 / S1 12 o Clock. Washer under weight.
I feel I did not time it 'perfect' but it was close...The shaft is probably a hair too tipped, however it tames my draw. These shots were at the end of my session were I tee'd it up more and got better carry results, for those who only consider carry data. On the course I am getting roll out with slightly lower launches to 'big' distances for me also
'For me' IMO...it out preformed the stock 665x that was 5g lighter in weight, and 'for me' blazed the stock Aldila Rogue i/o 70x tot yards, by almost carry alone.
My hcp is coming down, and I hope to get it back under 3.3 again. Its went to almost 5 with stock shafts that did not work as well 'for me', at one point I had GBB for sale on e-bay only to re-shaft and give it another chance. These shots were with used LM balls, not new Srixon Z-Star XV's. UST make some fine shafts in the Attas Elements range, and have made further advancements to the range since this 2012/13 offering. check out the new G7 http://www.ustmamiya.com/golf-shafts/woods/attas-g7 (FWIW I am a Danny Lee fan)


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I feel a little heretical posting this query given the enthusiasm for the GBB, but what the heck.

I've not playing at all for a few years due to a new child and beer.

So in a blatant attempt to get my fat arse off the couch and slim it down by getting me back onto the golf course, my honey bunny bought me a brand spanking new Big Bertha Alpha (2014 version) for Christmas.

I suspect she was swayed by the massive discount from the golf shop. I'm in Australia and it was $499, now $199!

In any case, she was undoubtedly unaware that the Alpha is for 'better' golfers, and that I am not one of those mythical beasts.

But to humour her, I took it out on the range to compare the hooks I'd hit with it to those I hit with my long term left-side companion, the R7 Superquad (made more expensive by it's trendy at the time Matrix shaft).

To my consternation, I hit the Alpha notably better than the R7.

Somewhat longer, somewhat higher, somewhat less left.

I also loved the sound and feel.

Enthused by this, I got back into reading golf forums, especially this one, and learned that the new Great Big Bertha was even betterer! More forgiving, more longer, more unspinny, more higher launching. More more!

So of course I bought one. Well, two actually with different shafts and lofts.

But now, to even more consternation, I find that I hit the unforgiving obsolete Alpha better than the shiny new (albeit used) GBBs.

The GBB feels too light, too 'flighty' and too lefty.

I'm obviously in the minority, but am I alone in this?

Lofts are the same at 10.5. Shafts are the stock Fubuki ZT reg in the Alpha and the Kuro stiff in the GBB. Swing speed is high 90s and I can get a bit aggressive.

It may be a weight thing as I'm a big lad and do like the feel of a weightier club and GBB feels much lighter.

In the GBB's defence, this is based on a few (long) range sessions, with crappy balls. I haven't explored launch monitors yet.
 
sfdoddsy said:
I feel a little heretical posting this query given the enthusiasm for the GBB, but what the heck.

I've not playing at all for a few years due to a new child and beer.

So in a blatant attempt to get my fat arse off the couch and slim it down by getting me back onto the golf course, my honey bunny bought me a brand spanking new Big Bertha Alpha(2014 version) for Christmas.

I suspect she was swayed by the massive discount from the golf shop. I'm in Australia and it was $499, now $199!

In any case, she was undoubtedly unaware that the Alpha is for 'better' golfers, and that I am not one of those mythical beasts.

But to humour her, I took it out on the range to compare the hooks I'd hit with it to those I hit with my long term left-side companion, the R7 Superquad (made more expensive by it's trendy at the time Matrix shaft).

To my consternation, I hit the Alpha notably better than the R7.

Somewhat longer, somewhat higher, somewhat less left.

I also loved the sound and feel.

Enthused by this, I got back into reading golf forums, especially this one, and learned that the new Great Big Berthawas even betterer! More forgiving, more longer, more unspinny, more higher launching. More more!

So of course I bought one. Well, two actually with different shafts and lofts.

But now, to even more consternation, I find that I hit the unforgiving obsolete Alpha better than the shiny new (albeit used) GBBs.

The GBB feels too light, too 'flighty' and too lefty.

I'm obviously in the minority, but am I alone in this?

Lofts are the same at 10.5. Shafts are the stock Fubuki ZT reg in the Alpha and the Kuro stiff in the GBB. Swing speed is high 90s and I can get a bit aggressive.

It may be a weight thing as I'm a big lad and do like the feel of a weightier club and GBB feels much lighter.

In the GBB's defence, this is based on a few (long) range sessions, with crappy balls. I haven't explored launch monitors yet.
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Glad you are getting back to golf. It's all good and we are all different. The 2014 Alpha is a design that works better than GBB for me too. Both are great offerings. I was in your shoes 2 years ago, getting back into golf and upgrading older clubs. I was hell bent on the 2014 Big Bertha being my driver but it just didn't give me decent numbers. Yet, like GBB now, it was getting rave reviews here which really had me questioning WHY am I so screwed up? Eventually I found that certain deeper low spin designs, supposedly for good players with fast swing speeds, fit me much better. This despite me being neither good or a fast swinger. 2014 Alpha was one of the few that just worked for me, you might be similar. The 815 DBD offered me the same pop as the 14 BBA with a little more forgiveness, that might be a cheap way to go too.
 
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Finally got my GBB on Monday and plan to put it in play tomorrow. Right now going with settings we thought worked well during my fitting -- +1 D and APW moved about 1.5 'notches' towards draw.
 
Spent some time with this this morning and went to the range and came away with the same thoughts I have had for several months now. Its the best combination of distance and ball flight I have had from a driver in as long as I can remember.

I still dont like the matte crown, but Im not as much a looks guy as others are. I love the deep thud/crack at impact and love the versatility. Paired with my Grandura shaft, it just flat out performs for me.
 
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I became a member of the "BADASS DRIVER" club today.... Should be out for its maiden voyage in the next few days... Thoughts to follow
 
Been meaning to write this up since my fitting, but never got around to it.

Coming into this thread to eat a little crow, I guess. I've taken a few swings with the GBB on course with folks, and it just never worked well for me. I spent the most time during my fitting on irons and putter, but we took some swings with driver at the end. Compared the Great Big Bertha to my 2014 Big Bertha, both with the Kuro Kage Black shaft, which has always worked well for me.

The difference in ball speed was staggering. Swinging at ~100, it took a REALLY bad swing to get me below 225 carry with the GBB, while I was dropping down as low as 205 with the 2014 Bertha. I think the thing that impressed me the most was that this was after a lot of swings with the irons. The Vapor Pro will give me longer drives dead center, but I was seeing better overall results with the GBB.
 
So i managed to play today with my new GBB. I've read this whole thread a couple of times and everyone raves about the forgiveness and just how well misses go. Well....... I AGREE COMPLETELY..!!! A couple that stood out to me. 4th hole, i hit one low off the face and it managed to go 250y total. (As far as a pure strike with the XR) 13th hole, i hit even lower off the face and i mean literally the bottom and it still got to 230y. I was getting results that were wwwaayyyy much better and every bit as far as my XR and i hadnt got near the middle of the face.. There was no one around when we finished so i played 2 balls off the first tee and went and got them... I got one just below the centre of the face and it was long, silly long for me... I hit it off the ladies tee that measures 354y. I walked down with my laser rangefinder and had 84y left. I've never ever been that far down on that hole and I've played it 100's of times. Slightly higher tee height should fix the low face strikes but im just in awe at the moment. Im talking a 2 club difference for my second shots and thats huge for me...
I promptly sold my XR to my mate who i was playing with straight after. I just want to get back out asap and take some more swings.
 
I think I will have this Friday off, hoping to make the drive to Indianapolis to hit my new GBB and hopefully the new XR's at Golfsmith. It sucks having to hit indoors...I need a launch monitor for my garage:angry:

Skytrak may have to move up on my pondering list.
 
Looking forward to your thoughts bodog.
 
Hit this today along with a number of other drivers and it's still the longest of the bunch for me especially when I miss a tiny bit.
 
JB said:
Hit this today along with a number of other drivers and it's still the longest of the bunch for me especially when I miss a tiny bit.
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The results with the GBB are amazing when u miss the middle. So much better than my XR...
 
JB said:
Looking forward to your thoughts bodog.
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Guess my thoughts will have to wait a bit longer, due to a bad cold I didn't make the drive to Indy to infect fellow golfers, but have spent some time hitting into a net in my garage with the GBB.
 
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