Gear: Callaway Big Bertha B-21 hybrid
Price: $249.99 each with Callaway RCH graphite shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet Soft 360 grip
Specs: Stainless steel body with carbon-fiber crown, internal tungsten weights and cup-face design. 3-hybrid through 8-hybrid available.
Available: Sept. 10
High-handicap golfers have no business carrying a 3-iron and probably would be better off without a 4-iron. Hybrids, with their wider soles, larger faces and more-forgiving nature, are a better alternative.
But some golfers still struggle to hit their hybrids consistently, so Callaway designed a new super-game-improvement hybrid, the Big Bertha B-21, specifically to meet the needs of players who struggle with distance and consistency.
Callaway designers used what they learned in creating last season’s Super Hybrid to create the Big Bertha B-21, then added more game-improvement features. The Big Bertha B-21 has a triaxial carbon-fiber crown that saves weight and a pair of Jailbreak bars positioned inside the head and directly behind the hitting area. The bars connect the sole to the crown and stiffen the chassis at impact to help direct energy back to the ball instead of deforming the head.
To lower the center of gravity and pull it back away from the face, Callaway added 70 grams of tungsten in the form of two internal weights to the Big Bertha B-21. The weights are positioned in the heel and toe areas, boosting stability on off-center hits and encouraging a higher ball launch.
To boost distance, Callaway used artificial intelligence to create unique cup faces for each of the six Big Bertha B-21 hybrids. The edges of the faces are attached behind the leading edge, the topline and the toe to create a trampoline effect across a larger area.
To help many recreational golfers hit straighter shots, the Big Bertha B-21 hybrids have significant offset, as do the Big Bertha B-21 irons. Callaway expects many high-handicap golfers to create combo sets of Big Bertha B-21 hybrids and irons, so having a lot of offset in both clubs makes the transition between them more comfortable.