Callaway Big Bertha 2023 driver review
What’s new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Jack Backhouse brings you the low down on the new Callaway Big Bertha Driver
How does Callaway’s new easy-to-hit, slice-reducing driver perform? Find out in our Callaway Big Bertha 2023 driver review.
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NCG SUMMARY
Big Bertha is one of the most iconic names in golf. Callaway have brought it back again in their new easy-to-hit golf club line, and just like the Paradym drivers, they have not missed.
The new Callaway Big Bertha 2023 driver is super light weight, has an ultra-low forward CG and a big weight on the heel of the club, which all contribute to a draw bias, easy to launch driver.
Don’t think Callaway have forgotten about speed and distance; it is absolutely no slouch in that department either.
PROS
- High launching
- Super light
- Really forgiving
CONS
- Not sure there are any!
First Impressions
The Big Bertha name has been around since 1991 when Ely Callaway named his new technologically advanced driver after a German WWII Howitzer, which was notoriously big and powerful.
Although small by today’s standards, the Big Bertha was oversized in its day, with new technology that made it more forgiving and longer than any driver at the time. There has since been loads of iterations of Big Bertha, with the consistent tone of the line always being easy to swing, more forgiving drivers that will actually help golfers hit better shots and find more fairways on the course.
The 2023 edition is big. The elongated crown has a generous profile and is a completely different shape from the Paradym models, which have been a huge success already this year. Putting it behind the ball gives you confidence.
NCG Verdict
I’m embarrassed to say that in my 10 years of golf, I’ve never owned or hit a Callaway Great Big Bertha driver, which feels wrong to say they’ve been around longer than I have been alive. I tested the new edition of the driver a day after a nervy driving performance in a competition, so I was looking for some confidence.
I have always struggled with clubs that don’t spin enough and are generally not forgiving enough for my swing. So reading that this is Callaway’s super easy-to-hit range, I couldn’t wait to get out on the range at Scarcroft Golf Club to hit it.
Now it is big, the head is elongated, and there is plenty of club face to aim at, which is nice. I normally prefer a more classic round shape, but this looks good and sits very nicely behind the ball. I was very pleased with the results I got hitting it.
I used the standard 50-gram stiff graphite shaft and loved how it felt in the swing. Despite having fairly decent club head speed, I have always preferred a lighter shaft, and this one seems to work well for me, as I clocked a decent 112mph club head speed with it.
This speed translated into fast ball speed with numbers comfortably in the mid-160s, which I’m very pleased with. What I’m more pleased with is how consistently far the ball carried. I hit the ball all over the face and saw really consistent carry numbers, which is exactly what I don’t get from the low-spin tour drivers.
There’s a lot of technology in the head that we can thank for this, a lot of which is also in the new Paradym driver. There’s the jailbreak speed frame that gives the club face stability and ball speed on off-centre hits.
There’s the variable thickness AI-designed club face which ensures fast ball speeds from off-centre hits. The Callaway Big Bertha 2023 driver has a triaxial carbon crown and lightweight components to be able to move weight in the head lower and closer to the face. This gives maximum forgiveness and also super hot ball speeds without the spin being too high.
One of the big factors to consider whether this is the right driver for you is your shot shape. The Big Bertha has a big weight on the sole that’s close to the heel, which makes the driver draw biased. This may mean the driver might not suit hookers of the ball, but it’s really going to help those golfers who suffer with a slice.
I absolutely loved hitting this driver. I love the lightweight design, the draw bias, and just how easy the club felt to hit. I personally find some of the low-spin ‘good players’ drivers don’t have the same feel from the face as the more forgiving drivers do. I don’t like that harsh, fast feeling as It just makes me feel like I am going to toe the ball straight left, which is not a good thought when you are standing over the ball!
I genuinely feel like I could put this in the bag, and it would help my game. It may not be the driver that fitters want me to play, but at the end of the day, golfers need help from the club. Yes, long distances on the driving range are nice, but I need fairways out on the golf course, and I believe the Callaway Big Bertha 2023 driver will deliver that for me.
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The Details
Available: now
RRP: £449
Right-handed lofts: 9°, 10.5°, 12°
Left-handed lofts: 10°, 9°
Featured shafts: There are too many shaft options to count!
More information: Callaway Website
Jack Backhouse
Jack is a PGA Golf Professional who specialises in coaching, teaching golf to beginners and top-level amateurs for 10+ years. He also loves his golf equipment and analysing the data of the latest clubs on the market using launch monitors, specialising in blade irons and low-spinning drivers despite having a chronically low ball flight.
Although Jack has no formal journalism training, He has been reading What's In The Bag articles since he started playing at 12 and studying golf swings since his dad first filmed his swing to reveal one of the worst over-the-top slice swings he reckons has ever been recorded, which set him off on the path to be a coach. His favourite club ever owned was a Ping G10 driver bought from a local top amateur with the hope that some of the quality golf shots would come with it (they didn't), and worst was a Nike SQ driver he only bought because Tiger was using it.
Jack is a member of Sand Moor Golf Club and regularly gets out on the golf course to prepare for tournaments. Jack uses a TaylorMade BRNR Mini driver, a half set of TaylorMade P7MB irons, MG4 wedges and a TaylorMade TP Reserve putter.
