GBB & RHI: A LOVE STORY
9/11/2015 | by
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Callaway's Rhiona Sullivan finds true love in her new Great Big Bertha driver
Someone recently asked me, “How often do you fall in love?” I had to think about it for a moment, and then I replied, “Barely ever.” I was legit lying but not on purpose.
You see, I’ve always, ALWAYS, fallen in love with drivers. It’s one of the key strengths in my inconsistent game. If I am hitting it well off the tee, my game seems to piece – very awkwardly – together.
For me, it started with the X Hot Driver, which sadly, might have been my first actual driver – as in, not a hand-me-down but my very own piece of heaven – and we hit it off really well {see what I did there?!} I took her for multiple swings, we had a good time and I thought she’d stay with me for a while. She even helped propel #TeamCallaway to a win at the first Grandaddy. She WAS that good.
But then, well, Big Bertha happened. And though I’d like to believe that I am not the type to trade in, trade up; that’s exactly what I did. It was love at first hit and we had a very long, very successful partnership. She was in my bag when #TeamRhi came in 2nd during the Gauntlet and was a key instrument in my somewhat successful weekend with those boys.
The Sunday before the most recent #Grandaddy event this past December, my Big Bertha broke while I was playing a practice round in Oceanside, Calif. Enter Jason Finley (Director of Product Strategy for Woods and Golf Ball) to the rescue with the…. Big Bertha V Series and OH MY, did I hit that well on the range! She went immediately into the bag and we had some really good times. I may have loved her but I also kinda hated her; we had our ups and downs.
Which leads me to #TheKing where my most favorite female #ZooCrew member, Kirsten, let me borrow her XR Driver when my V Series and I were in a deep, deep dry spell. If I was a stealing lady, that XR Driver would’ve gone home with me but I love Kirsten so I just placed a quick text to my club guru, Jason, and had my very own XR Driver in the bag by the next weekend. I was 100 percent sure it was true love and she’d never leave the bag…
And there we were. It’s August 8th, 2015 and I am on No. 6 at La Costa, Champions Course. I’ve been quite spotty with my XR Driver and my trusty V Series Heavenwood. I have a brand new Great Big Bertha driver and Heavenwood untouched in my bag (Ely implemented a no club limit rule at Callaway) and I think to myself, “it’s only six holes but at this stage, it can’t really hurt.”
So I stand on the 7th Tee with my new Great Big Bertha, fresh out of the shrink-wrap, and I proceed to hammer one down the right side of the fairway. By far my best drive of the day. Now, you’ve got my attention GBB.
As I pull my cart up to my drive, I think, “that was a pretty decent drive.” I decide to pull out my Great Big Bertha Heavenwood (she’s so pretty), which I smoke down the right side of the fairway, which leads to a good angle into the green.
Still really far away from the green, I grab my GBB Heavenwood and smoke another wood OVER the right side of the green. WHAT THE… I’ve now managed to get PAST a PAR 5 in THREE SHOTS and I am beyond excited. Needless to say, I pitched onto the green, two-putted and made a bogey on the No. 1 handicap women’s hole at La Costa, Champions Course.
So yeah, that was my first entire hole with Great Big Bertha. It continued like that throughout the round. Bomb drives followed by bomb fairway wood shots (if only my irons and wedges were on point…)
I guess if my friend were to ask me again how often I fall in love, I’d have to tell him, “With every drive I take, with every swing of the club and with every yard I can possibly get.”
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