Callaway Talks – Big Bertha Alpha
What is Adjustable Perimeter Weighting – Big Bertha Driver
Gravity Core – Big Bertha Alpha Driver
PMCARLSBAD, Calif., December 2, 2013 – Today Callaway Golf Company (NYSE: ELY) announced two new drivers for the 2014 season, Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha. The iconic Big Bertha brand name is synonymous with innovation, technology and performance leadership, and these new products deliver. The Big Bertha Driver debuts the company’s Adjustable Perimeter Weighting technology, an innovative sliding weight that can be moved around the perimeter of the driver head to help individuals produce longer, straighter drives. The Big Bertha Alpha Driver is the first driver to enable independent adjustments of four significant performance characteristics to promote distance: loft, lie, Center of Gravity (draw) bias, and – most innovatively – Center of Gravity height.
The New Big Bertha Range
Big Bertha Alpha
Nuts and Bolts:
US Retail Date: February 14, 2014
US Pricing: $499
Big Bertha Alpha DriverProduct Summary:
Where do we begin? Big Bertha Alpha is the first driver to enable independent adjustments of four significant performance characteristics, optimizing trajectory, control and distance for individual golfers. The four independent variables are loft, lie, CG (draw) bias, and most innovatively (and for the first time ever), CG height.
The Big Bertha Alpha represents the most advanced engineering Callaway has ever commercialized in a driver, and the Company’s most flexible and comprehensive fitting platform ever.
The goal of driver design at Callaway is to individualize performance optimization for every golfer, giving them the best chance to optimize driving distance. And the innovative Big Bertha Alpha Driver is the ultimate representation of this philosophy.
The Key Features:
Gravity Control Adjustability
For the first time ever, the Big Bertha Alpha’s Gravity Core lets golfers adjust spin independently of launch angle, a natural (and dramatic) extension to loft adjustability in a driver head. This adjustability breaks the fixed relationship between launch angle and backspin for the first time, providing a major asset in the fitting process to find optimal distance for a wide range of players’ abilities.
The Gravity Core sits within the club head in a carbon tube that connects the crown and sole. It has a tungsten end, weighing 10.5g, and a glass fiber reinforced body, weighing just 1.5g. The gravity core can be inserted into the club head two different ways, which allows golfers to change the vertical center of gravity and alter the spin rates based on how it is positioned. When the tungsten end is closest to the sole, it will create a lower center of gravity and lower backspin. When the tungsten end is inserted first and therefore closer to the crown, it creates more of a mid-CG position.
Generally, players with above average head speeds or those who are trying to prevent excessive spin will benefit from the lower center of gravity, which a creates a flatter, more penetrating trajectory accompanied by more roll out. For those looking for a more controlled and workable ball flight and less roll out, the mid CG position is recommended. Player testing has shown as much as a 600rpm spin differential between the two Gravity Core settings without a change in loft.
Hyper Speed Face
Hyper Speed Face technology is predicated on a deep understanding of the probability of where players’ impact locations will be across a driver face, and uses an optimization code based on huge amounts of impact data to help determine the thickness profile of the face. The result is an extremely lightweight and robust face that helps deliver more ball speed where players need it most.
Advanced Adjustable Hosel
Big Bertha enables golfers to independently adjust loft and lie angle to help translate the added ball speed into more distance. Golfers can chose from four different lofts (from -1 to +2) to optimize launch angle and backspin and two different lies, denoted by ‘D’ for Draw and ‘N’ for Neutral, to optimize the directional bias. Together, these provide eight unique combinations that help golfers optimize their distance and dispersion. Callaway’s proprietary hosel technology is also the only adjustable hosel to achieve changes in loft and/or lie without having to rotate the shaft (and graphics) on its axis between settings.
CG Bias
Big Bertha Alpha also enables golfers to make adjustments to CG bias, which helps influence the shot shape. Big Bertha Alpha has a screw port in the heel and toe of the body and comes with four interchangeable weights: 1g, 3g, 5g, and 7g. This gives golfers a ton of flexibility in controlling both the shot shape and overall head weight. See, we weren’t kidding when we told you this was the most comprehensive fitting platform ever.
The 7g and 1g screws are installed as standard.
And on that note…Swing Weight Adjustment
Big Bertha Alpha’s swing weight can be adjusted fro D0 to D5 with the standard installed screws achieving a D3 swingweight.
Forged Composite
A critical competitive advantage for Callaway, Big Bertha Alpha’s crown is made of this high strength, lightweight material, which allows Callaway to offer three forms of adjustability while maintaining a very playable D3 swing weight.
Who is this for?
The Big Bertha Alpha Driver spans a multiple segments of the player population due to its incredible flexibility and adjustability for individual golfers.
With the Gravity Core in the Low CG position of Big Bertha Alpha, the driver has a Low Spin Focus. This is best suited for Tour players and highly skilled amateurs with above average clubhead speeds who consistently hit the ball on the center of the driver face.
These players often prefer low spinning drivers to produce flatter drives that typically result in more roll, depending on course conditions. This driver is also a great choice for better players who hit down on the ball, producing extra, unwanted backspin that robs them of ball speed and distance.
With the Gravity Core in the Higher CG position in Big Bertha Alpha, the driver delivers more distance through a balance of the CG placement, low-to-mid spinand higher MOI. This configuration is best for players who want a total balance of distance, forgiveness and consistent control, even on off-center hits.
How Should I Recommend my Reader Configures the Big Bertha Driver?
The Big Bertha Alpha Driver is extremely configurable (and yes, that’s a real word). The recommended order for driver adjustments will be:
- Start with Loft matched to current driver, Neutral Lie and mid/High CG Gravity Core.
- Move CG Bias then Lie adjustment if necessary to dial Left/Right shot shape.
- Move Loft or Gravity Core, or both, to achieve more optimal launch angle and spin numbers as required.
Other Notes:
Loft offerings: 9-degrees, 10.5-degrees
Stock shaft offering: Fubuki ZT Shaft
Big Bertha Driver
Nuts and Bolts:
US Retail Date: February 14, 2014
US Pricing: $399
Big Bertha Driver
Product Summary:
Big Bertha is back. And she’s meaner than ever.
The Callaway Big Bertha is a Total Performance Driver that debuts our Adjustable Perimeter Weighting – an innovative sliding weight that can be moved around the perimeter of the driver head to help individuals produce longer, straighter drives. Much longer. Much straighter.
More than worthy of its legendary name, Big Bertha isn’t just long, it’s Bertha Long.
Four Key Features:
Adjustable Perimeter Weighting
Allows golfers to precisely locate an 8g sliding weight at any location on an approximately 5-inch track to help optimize shot shape and control dispersion. The placement of the APW along the perimeter of the head is critical in giving Big Bertha its high MOI, which helps retain ball speed and accuracy on off-center impacts, an essential element of a Total Performance Driver.
Hyper Speed Face
Hyper Speed Face technology is predicated on a deep understanding of the probability of where players’ impact locations will be across a driver face, and uses an optimization code based on huge amounts of impact data to help determine the thickness profile of the face. The result is an extremely lightweight and robust face that helps deliver more ball speed where players need it most.
Advanced Adjustable Hosel
Big Bertha enables golfers to independently adjust loft and lie angle to help translate the added ball speed into more distance. Golfers can chose from four different lofts (from -1 to +2) to optimize launch angle and backspin and two different lies, denoted by ‘D’ for Draw and ‘N’ for Neutral, to optimize the directional bias. Together, these provide eight unique combinations that help golfers optimize their distance and dispersion. Callaway’s proprietary hosel technology is also the only adjustable hosel to achieve changes in loft and/or lie without having to rotate the shaft (and graphics) on its axis between settings.
Forged Composite
A critical competitive advantage for Callaway, Big Bertha’s crown is made of this high strength, lightweight composite material. This enable Callaway to offer multiple forms of adjustability while keeping the head weight under 200g and the swing weight at D2, which makes the Big Bertha driver extremely easy to swing.
What is a Total Performance Driver?
A Total Performance Driver provides a balance of speed and control and is designed for the broadest segment of the player population, including highly skilled amateurs as well as golfers that are new to the game. Callaway drivers designed for this segment put a great emphasis on forgiveness and performance on off center impacts while also providing advanced adjustability to help optimize trajectory and shot shape for a wide range of abilities.
Other Notes
- Loft offerings: 9-degrees, 10.5-degrees and 13.5HT (see adjustability option above)
- Stock shaft offering: Fubuki Z Shaft
- Udesign options: Multiple body colors and paint fill options, plus custom laser engravings on the sole