Callaway Great Big Bertha Driver Review Thread

I will have a bit more information later but I bit this during my fitting this morning and it was between this and the M2 but the adjustability on this gave it the edge along with a couple extra yards distance

Just a quick teaser but I gained almost 30 yards over the Callaway 815 I have been using lately despite my bad swing not getting the spin below 4000RPM..... So if I can get my swing fixed the fitter reckons there is even more distance that can be found and I will be able to adjust the sliding weight more towards ths neutral setting as my sbot shape straightens out from the fade it currently had

Hi
did you hit any other drivers at the fitting?
cheers
 
Hi
did you hit any other drivers at the fitting?
cheers

Sorry, didn't see this earler

I hit the TM M1 and M2, the new Nike but can't remember which head, Titleist 915
I also hit the Ping G30 as they hadn't been given the new G driver and they also hadn't been sent the new XR16 yet so I didn't have a chance to hit that either

I am almost certain I will be placing my order for this in 10.5 head with the Speeder 665 TS II Evolution shaft in stiff
 
Looking forward to your feedback Doctor.
 
Sorry, didn't see this earler

I hit the TM M1 and M2, the new Nike but can't remember which head, Titleist 915
I also hit the Ping G30 as they hadn't been given the new G driver and they also hadn't been sent the new XR16 yet so I didn't have a chance to hit that either

I am almost certain I will be placing my order for this in 10.5 head with the Speeder 665 TS II Evolution shaft in stiff

Thanks. I'm interested in hitting this, but like you, it's not always easy to compare all the latest equipment here together. I would have to go to 3 different fitting centres locally to cover all the major manufacturers, which makes it hard to compare properly, and the number of shaft options available to try is pretty limited. I also find that if you try something here, they pretty much expect you to buy something, even if it isn't really working for you..
i would like to hit the new cobra range too, and the Ping G and the XR16 against this.
ive also been told I need to improve my angle of attack to reduce spin.
good luck with your order. Be very interested to know how you get on...
 
If they had the new Ping and XR16 in I would have hit those too but they didn't and were a bit annoyed that they weren't available for customers to try

I was told that it would be approx 7-10 working days from ordering so I will post if (more likely when) I place the order
 
Callaway Great Big Bertha Driver Review Thread

For those that were fit into the GBB, how many shafts did you try to find out which one was the right one for you?
They have about 18 different free upgrade shafts available and I want to make sure that I'm using the best possible shaft!

I think we went through about 3 shafts when I was fit for this. But that was after I had been fit for irons, hybrids and a fairway wood, so the fitter had a good idea already what type of swing he was working with. Nick from ECPC is also an amazing fitter, it was impressive how fast he had me dialed in with this club. I can not wait to get out and hit it some more.
 
My latest round with the GBB and after 26 swings, here are the averages.

104.6 Club Head Speed
AOA -1.1
Ball Speed 152
Launch Angle 14.2
Spin Rate 2509
Max Height 31 yards
Carry 251.7
 
My latest round with the GBB and after 26 swings, here are the averages.

104.6 Club Head Speed
AOA -1.1
Ball Speed 152
Launch Angle 14.2
Spin Rate 2509
Max Height 31 yards
Carry 251.7
Dude you are taking a hell of an cut a it.
 
I know and I'm not sure where it came from
Lean and mean is certainly helping, and getting through some those nagging injuries perhaps.
 
Are any of the GBB owners noticing the same loss of color around the club head where the shaft goes into the head , it may just be the stress from ball contact and the matte finish coming off, The club is less than 1 month old with 2 rounds and some range time.
unnamed_zpsyetzb8pf.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Nope, mine still looks new.
 
I have finally decided on the Aldila Tour Blue shaft after playing 15+ rounds with this driver. It seems to keep the ball at the desired trajectory better than the other choices I have. I have hit some true bombs for me with this combination. That is most likely only 10 yards longer than I have been hitting them but as short as I am now that is truly noticeable. I really am happy with the Great Big Bertha's performance, and I love the sound when I hit one pure.
 
Nope, mine still looks new.
I had a great convo with the fine folks at Callaway yesterday and they are sending a brand new head out to me on Monday and are very interested in finding out why this hhhead has started discoloring the way it has. They are great people with great attitudes when it comes to taking care of the customers.

Thanks for the tip Jman .
 
Am sat at my PC now so I am able to put a few more thoughts down about this driver

To be brutally honest, I did not have a good swing going when I had my fitting on Friday - my back was giving me a little bit of trouble, but to take a positive from this, it showed how well the GBB can handle a bad swing

I started off by hitting the Callaway 815 to get some baseline numbers, which resulted in the following averages

Club - 96.2 mph
Ball - 135.9 mph
Smash - 1.41
Spin - 5220 rpm
Carry - 216 yds
Total - 222 yds

Now as already mentioned, my swing was not with me and those distances were quite a bit down on what I would expect to see normally, but they gave the fitter a starting point and something I could use for comparison

The first club I hit was the TM M2 and I immediately saw gains with the average carry distance jumping to 236 yards and the spin coming down to around 4500-4600

He then gave me the GBB and I saw another yardage increase and another reduction in spin

As this is the GBB thread I won't post any more details about the other clubs that I hit, but it ultimately came down to the GBB and M2 and even though I had slightly higher club and ball speeds with the M2, the fitter suggested that the adjustability of the GBB would be more helpful as it could be changed once I got my swing flaws worked out and give me more options to fine-tune the ball flight if needed

The final averages for the GBB were (and this included the bad shots as well, none were taken out)

Club - 99.1 mph
Ball - 139.7 mph
Smash - 1.41
Spin - 4137 rpm
Carry - 241 yds
Total - 248 yds

So with a bad OTT swing, I was still able to gain both club and ball speed, but significantly reduce my spin numbers with the GBB to pick up an additional 25yds of carry on average, but I actually managed a couple of semi-decent hits that put the ball out to over 265 yards which is not something I am used to if I am honest

After trying a couple of shafts, the ideal spec was as follows

10.5 head set to +1 / Draw
Speeder 665 Evolution TS shaft in stiff
Grip +2 layers (the same as my irons)

The fitter did explain to me the issues that I have with my swing and was pretty confident that if I got those sorted out, I could expect to see some further distance gains again, and this is where the extra adjustability of the GBB over the M2 would help to fine-tune the flight as my swing improved - this was all the incentive I needed to book a lesson and this is scheduled for Friday with someone local to me (the fitting was an hours drive away)

I haven't placed the order yet, but I am seriously considering making the phone call tomorrow lunchtime to get that sorted
 
I am walloping GBB with everything I have and am flying to new zip codes with a wide turn and a big pause. I have been training swing plane in my pvc ring and its sure apparent on the course. I have had not one duck hook miss in the last two rounds, and little draws either,my ball flight is dead straight. So I just hit it harder and harder and its flying BOMBS. Today on 18 dead into 30mph I fly it 265y tot (was all carry). Another drive was 302y with bushnell. The shaft was feeling new load stress it had not felt before, ball flight held its line nice. Its a combo of GBB with 'Attas Dk' is the key to the magic... add a good swing plane to it, has my confidence to go all out! My buddies are grilling me not to change a thing...they are right! A green ball against a blue sky moving out is a nice sight. I feel my LM numbers just went up...am stoked about tee-ing it up!
 
Last edited:
GBB is in the bag this morning to do some fun with the XR 16 today on the course. Both will see action one on the front and the other on the back.
 
I posted in the 'What did I buy' thread yesterday about this, but to add in here, I placed my order at lunchtime yesterday for this and they hope to have it for me in 7-10 working days so hopefully I will be able to pick it up at the end of next week

Looking forward to getting my hands on it and spending time on the range (or course if the weather allows)
 
I posted in the 'What did I buy' thread yesterday about this, but to add in here, I placed my order at lunchtime yesterday for this and they hope to have it for me in 7-10 working days so hopefully I will be able to pick it up at the end of next week

Looking forward to getting my hands on it and spending time on the range (or course if the weather allows)
Nice Doc!!!
 
Nice Doc!!!

And in the meantime I have a lesson booked for Friday to look at getting my swing sorted out :D

Wonder how many yards I have been leaving behind these last couple of years.....?
 
Have had 2 rounds with the GBB in less than optimal weather conditions.
Temps in the low 40's, windy, etc.
It took the better part of both rounds (13th hole of the 2nd round) to finally get the driver settings dialed in to where I like them.
10.5° + 1° / and N lie setting.
Weight set just a bit to the left of center to prevent any dramatic slices.

Once this was all set, I was absolutely bombing the GBB. Touching 240-250 total distance on my last few drives.
I could hit these numbers on absolute perfect swings with my previous Driver (TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2) but with zero consistency.

Stoked about the upcoming season with this driver in my bag.
 
I posted in the 'What did I buy' thread yesterday about this, but to add in here, I placed my order at lunchtime yesterday for this and they hope to have it for me in 7-10 working days so hopefully I will be able to pick it up at the end of next week

Looking forward to getting my hands on it and spending time on the range (or course if the weather allows)

Envious, hope it goes well, and that the weather improves soon...
 
This was an absolute rocket launcher today.
Murdered the ball off the tee for me and left me in some areas I dont recall being. On #1, hole was playing 396 yards and although we were downwind, it was more of a cross breeze. Had an AW in my hand afterwards and in previous rounds, I had 9 iron to the best of my knowledge.
 
This was an absolute rocket launcher today.
Murdered the ball off the tee for me and left me in some areas I dont recall being. On #1, hole was playing 396 yards and although we were downwind, it was more of a cross breeze. Had an AW in my hand afterwards and in previous rounds, I had 9 iron to the best of my knowledge.

Nice! Way to hammer that GBB!

Does someone need to be tested for HGH?
 
This was an absolute rocket launcher today.
Murdered the ball off the tee for me and left me in some areas I dont recall being. On #1, hole was playing 396 yards and although we were downwind, it was more of a cross breeze. Had an AW in my hand afterwards and in previous rounds, I had 9 iron to the best of my knowledge.

Did you hit the XR 16? Wonder how it compared if you did..
 
Back
Top