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Callaway Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha Review
02 Jan 2014
by Pete Wlodkowski of AmateurGolf.com

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Callaway Golf has unveiled two new drivers for the 2014 season, the Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha.

The Big Bertha ($399) promises length and accuracy off the tee with the introduction of a sliding weight that can be moved around the perimeter of the driver head. The face is also hotter and 10% lighter while the 8 gram forged composite crown moves the Center of Gravity (CG) lower.

Callaway’s “woods” story for 2014 is all about high performance products that can be fine-tuned for accurate distance.

That story jumps to an entirely new level in the Big Bertha Alpha ($499), which is directed at more skilled players. Big Bertha Alpha is the first driver with four independent adjustments: loft, lie, directional bias, and CG height. The adjustable hosel takes care of the first two, while the third (the directional bias) is fine- tuned by changing weights at the bottom heal and toe of the Big Bertha Alpha.

The fourth adjustment is the biggie - a reversible “Gravity Core” which slides into a graphite tube in the center of the sole. Changing its orientation allows a player to lower spin independently of launch angle. Whether you like high launch and low spin, or mid launch and mid spin, the ability to fine tune launch conditions is powerful stuff.

As for the name, most “seasoned” players know that Callaway was an early pioneer of today’s larger drivers and the original Big Bertha and Great Big Bertha were two of the top-selling drivers of the post-persimmon era. But a product remake isn’t what Callaway is after.

“We didn’t bring the name back out of some misguided sense of nostalgia,” says SVP of Research & Development Dr. Alan Hocknell. “We brought it back to advance the science of hitting the ball far.”

With that said, you can expect a huge buzz (Phil Mickelson already says it's going to be a 2014 game changer for him) leading up to general availability of the Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha in February of 2014. The Callaway Golf website, which was just re-launched, is a social network unto itself buzzing with product updates, videos, and news feeds. And right now, the home page is all about Big Bertha.

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