Hands-on Test Results of the New Callaway Big Bertha V-Series
It seems as though the driver market is shaking out into three different categories. You have a collection of drivers promising low spin, such as the TaylorMade SLDR, Callaway’s Big Bertha Alpha and the PING i25. In another group you have the drivers that focus on center of gravity (CG) touting high Moment Of Inertia (MOI) and/or adjustability. Lastly, you have the group that seems to be making a comeback, which is the speed group. This segment of the driver market focuses on weight, aerodynamics and club head speed in hopes of getting you that coveted distance gain.
With the release of the new Big Bertha V Series, Callaway has entered the fray in the aforementioned speed department. The new line-up boasts a lightweight design, totaling approximately 290 grams in static weight. To help in reducing the overall weight and head weight, a forged composite material is used on the crown. The head has also been reshaped to reduce aerodynamic drag throughout the swing. All of these changes are in an effort to help you swing the club faster with the same amount of effort.
The hope is that with more club head speed comes more ball speed. But just in case, Callaway has incorporated the Hyper Speed Face to help deliver more ball speed across the entire hitting surface. Of course, the face is lighter and hotter than the previous face design in the X2 Hot product to help deliver faster, more consistent ball speed.
In the off chance that all those things don’t deliver enough speed, the stock shaft will be the Mitsubishi Bassara at 42 grams. This is the actual Mitsubishi offering, adding a great value with a high-end shaft at no additional up-charge. And what would any lightweight story be without a lightweight grip to help shave every possible gram of weight.
All of these changes sound great in theory but of course the real test is, does is actually produce more club head speed? Fortunately, we had the driver in hand today to find out. We tested it against the X2 Hot Driver on our Foresight GC2 launch monitor. The specs of each product used in the test are listed for comparison and the numbers are included below.
X2 Hot | 10.5 Degree Loft | Standard Settings | Aldila Tour Blue Regular | 46” | D3
Big Bertha V Series | 10.5 Degree Loft | Standard Settings | Bassara 42 Reg | 45.5” | D1
X2 Hot
Average Club Head Speed – 110.4 mph
Average Ball Speed – 159.9 mph
Big Bertha V-Series
Average Club Head Speed – 112.7 mph
Average Ball Speed – 163.3 mph
As you can see from the testing, the average club head speed with the V-Series driver was 2.3 MPH faster despite the fact that it had a ½” shorter shaft. In addition, the ball speed increased by 3.4 MPH. Overall, all the changes Callaway has made seem to add up to more speed all the way around. Of course, more speed means more distance and I don’t know anyone who would turn down that offer.
Below are the specifications for the clubs that will be available beginning August 22nd for both drivers and fairway woods:
To find out what you can gain with the new Callaway V-Series line of metal woods, visit your local GolfTEC center and compare your current driver on our Foresight GC2 launch monitors.