Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic Driver review

What is the point of playing golf? Some would say that there are a bunch of old people swinging clubs and trying not to be dew sweeper. But the truth is far from that. Golf is about precision, focus, and sharpness. This is why golfers need top-notch equipment.

Speaking of superb equipment, I love it, since I want the best the market has to offer. And that is the reason why I’m writing this Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic Driver review so that you can find your favorite new club.

♦ What is the most important feature of a driver?

The most important feature of a driver is its loft. It represents the angle of the face of a club (the part which hits the ball), and it impacts the angle of the ball, as well as its spin. Now, as with all other sports which include the trajectory of a ball, it is essential to understand how spin affects the path.

Backward spin will cause the ball to shorten its distance, since it rotates, well, backward. Forward one will prolong it, while the ball with no spin will have no such corrections. This factor can be used by professionals, but casual players might have difficulties, and that’s why I prefer the ball to have less of it, if possible.

Now, the loft directly influences that factor as well. Namely, drivers with lower loft, under 10 degrees, require more skill to use and create a lot of spin. Until recently, pros were utilizing this kind of drivers, but the situation had changed. Today, most often you will find drivers with high loft in the field.

♦ What this has to do with Callaway’s Great Big Bertha Epic?

As you probably noticed, this matter of loft is rather important. Why? Because it influences time needed for you to adjust to a specific club. But what if I tell you that this doesn’t have to be the case?

The most prominent thing about Big Bertha is that it features an adjustable loft. This sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Is it useful? YES!

At the top of the head of the club, there is an adjustable hose at the lower part of the shaft which can add or remove loft, depending on your preference. Also, the weight is something rather impressive.

It is important how much weight is in the head of the club. However, the factor which matters more is WHERE is this weight located.

Luckily, Great Big Bertha Epic has an adjustable slider at the back of the head, which helps Senior to add fade if needed, or to remove it. Although it seems like an overkill, it is not. I’ve tried to add some and managed to get intended fade, which might be tricky to achieve.

The weight slider also benefits Senior people, because they can correct the trajectory of the ball, which leads to better results, and ultimately the reduction of the handicap.

♦ Is the face most important?

There isn’t a straight answer to this question. Let’s start with the basics, shall we?

Due to its construction, every face of a driver has a sweet spot. This is the area you want to hit the ball with, to get the most significant distance. Now, good people from Callaway pushed things a bit further with jail bars.

I wondered why is their model has “Jailbreak” written on it? Will I go to prison because of the illegal club? It sure seems so, since the face of the head is reinforced with two titanium bars which remind of those seen in jail. The purpose is not of cosmetic nature, however.

As you swing the club and hit the ball, the head of the club distorts by a small margin. This seems like a trivial matter but can influence the trajectory of the ball. By adding these two bars, this distortion is lower, and the head remains “in shape.”

As for the sweet spot, it is quite large, which suited me just fine. And, to make things more interesting, since the head of the club is hollow, it will make a specific sound when you hit the sweet spot. In other words, acoustic effect played a role. Well done, Callaway, well done.

This acoustic feature will benefit older players as well since they can get used to the club faster. Also, the fact that the sweet spot is larger contributes to the easiness of usage, which I don’t need to mention, benefits elder players as well.

♦ What is the head like?

From purely visual aspect, the head of the Big Bertha Epic looks fantastic! (This sounds a bit odd)

By using high-end materials such as titanium and carbon, the manufacturer managed to get thinner head, which is lighter and yet remains firm. The exoskeleton is made of titanium and is cast as one piece, which increases compactness.

As mentioned, it is the hollow head, with only 37g which transfers speed of the swing better to the ball than some of the previous models. Why is that?

The weight matters since the same power you use will swing the club faster. Bars will keep it in place, and once you hit that sweet spot and get around 4 mph of increased ball speed and additional 5 (or more) yards, you will have your answer.

[su_highlight background=”#ffeb2d”]Senior players will benefit from this factor because they will be able to achieve greater distances with less power. As you will see later, one of my friends which is 59 years old will confirm this. Simply put, elder people will significantly reduce the risk of potential injuries.[/su_highlight]

♦ What to expect from the shaft?

When it comes to shafts, people tend to always go with stiff varieties, and I can’t understand why. The question you should ask yourself is how fast do you swing?

The math is simple, the slower the swing, the softer the shaft should be. For example, the majority of golfers will swing at the speed of 100mph or slower. This means that you should go with regular variety. Choosing wrong stiffness can cause the ball to have a larger angle or the shot to be misplaced. If you are in doubt, I can recommend going with slightly softer variety.

As for our Epic Bertha, this model is sold in four varieties, Stiff, Regular, X-Stiff and Senior. Of course, don’t mind what other people might say. Once you hit further with your Senior shaft than they with Extra Stiff, you will have your final laugh, trust me.

In case of material, I have used graphite, since I love my clubs to be lighter, to increase the speed. Of course, you can choose whichever suits you.

To be honest, the grip didn’t impress me, but it didn’t disappoint either. I haven’t noticed any sliding from the hand, the grip is firm, and since I love to feel that vibration when the ball is hit, it transfers it rather well. If you wish, you can add custom grips for better comfort.

However, the overall quality of the shaft is good enough to be reliable. Elder people often have issues with too stiff or too soft shaft are solved because there are four of those available, as I said. Moreover, if they decide on graphite variety, the will also have reduced weight and easy maintenance.

Instant success for the golfers who tested the Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic Driver

To test things a bit more, I have gathered a few of my friends who are all different in skill. All of them tried the Big Bertha Epic, and they had ten tee shots each. They were hitting with their clubs and then switched to Big Bertha.

Their thoughts are different regarding fields of improvement, but they all agree that is one hell of a driver.

With their drivers, the players…

• Sometimes had trouble to hit the sweet spot
• Didn’t have the slightest clue where their ball will end up
• Had issues with too much spin which resulted in shots off target
• Saw the ball ballooning or going too low

But with the Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic Driver, they…

• Had much better orientation due to the marker on top of the head
• Felt much more in control due to “Jailbreak” technology
• Gained distance because of adjustable loft and reduced spin of the ball
• Improved trajectory of the ball, it simply went where it should

Richard Stokes, a 13 handicap, managed to hit 8 out of ten shots, all of them sweet spotted.

Michael Murray, a 5 handicap, noticed an increase in distance, and much better flight line of the ball.

Dillon Smith, a 17 handicap, managed to get a higher speed on the shot (measured), without too much effort.

Mark Johnson, a 10 handicap, felt much better control of the club.

Here’s what they said about this driver:

 “You just relax, swing, and the head hits where you want it.

An amazing design, I really love the mark at the top of the head. It gives me an orientation, and at the same time, it is discreet.

The sweet spot is large and beautiful, which can be noticed from my results. I’m definitely going to buy one of these.”

Richard Stokes (13 handicap)

 “The ball isn’t struggling to get its natural trajectory. You hit it, and it goes straight, flat and far.

Not once I had ball ballooning or going too low. After the swing, it just keeps going, and going, and going. An amazing feel.”

Michael Murray (5 handicap)

 “I don’t know what happened. I took the club, tried its balance, hit the ball as I always do, and the measuring unit said I had an increase of 5 mph.

To check what happened, I put more effort into the next swing, and it leaped by 9 mph! This is an excellent result since I’m 59 years old.”

Dillon Smith (17 handicap)

 “My club has what I love to call a “trampoline.” I feel the face of the driver deforming as if I’m hitting the ball with a rubber stick.

Big Bertha is an entirely different story. When I hit the ball, I really FEEL that hit. The vibrations go up the shaft, and at the moment of hitting, I can tell where it will end.”

Mark Johnson (10 handicap)

There are a lot more positive reactions, but first of all…

If you believe, as I do, that the Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic Driver is…

• Real game changer, since it increases the distance
• Makes you in charge, without fooling around
• Beautiful, yet customizable and player-friendly driver

Then all there is left is to buy one. All that is left to do is to…

How much this pleasure costs?

Without a doubt, this driver sits among expensive ones. But, hear me out.

I have never looked into a price as a sheer number. Instead of seeing how much something will cost me, I look into what I will get for this money. This is one great driver, it can be adjusted to fit my needs better, and frankly, it looks expensive.

Therefore, the price is not that high, once the quality is taken into consideration. Thus, if you wish to lift your game by the notch, this is an excellent choice for you.

Summing up

So, to summarize everything lets’ break it down to basics.

Pros:

• The head is fantastic, it is lightweight and adjusted for speed
• The loft is adjustable so that you can give or take a few degrees
• Fade can be changed as well
• Large sweet spot
• The sound is different if sweet spot is missed
• “Jailbreak” technology actually works, and it is not just a show-off
• Improves speed of the shot, as well as distance

Cons:

• Might be expensive for some players
• The grip is average but can be replaced with custom ones

Conclusion

When everything said above is taken into consideration, it is clear why this club delighted me so. I surely hope that this Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic Driver review will be of use to you and that you will enjoy it as I have.

Simply put, this driver had improved my game, and I can recommend it both for those who are playing for some time, as well as for those who are just beginners.

Here is the driver :

Callaway Golf 2017 Men’s Great Big Bertha Epic Driver

Buy from Amazon