Quick Take: Callaway Great Big Bertha II Driver

Andrew Penner

Posted 2003-02-23

It all started during World War I. Men trudged through mire, cursing, wheezing and utilizing any means for survival, for gaining the upper hand in fierce hand-to-hand battles. As it turned out, one of the heroes of the war, and a serious threat to opposing forces, was a cannon. Its name: Big Bertha.

Now, 13 years after the original Big Bertha was launched, Callaway is once again introducing this most beloved name to golfers all across the globe – and it’s still a threat to the opposition. The Callaway Great Big Bertha II driver is here. It’s a force to be reckoned with.

Bigger, stronger, and way more forgiving than its grandpa, the Great Big Bertha II driver is, by virtue of most early scouting reports, including mine, one heck of a weapon.

In a nutshell, what Callaway has done with the GBB II metalwoods is take everything they have ever learned about optimum launch conditions, clubface efficiency (COR), and a whole whack of other scientific ‘stuff’ and incorporated it into this line of clubs. To ice the cake, they gave the line a tag – Great Big Bertha II – that resonates with a product that seemed to, ah, work pretty good for them the first time. Are they smart? Can Britney Spears get a boyfriend?

In my first test run with this ‘cannon,’ I was greatly impressed with the club’s forgiveness. Not surprisingly, I made some bad swings and was still rewarded with decent ball flight and the directional variance was only slight. This club is quite possibly the straightest ever made. During my testing I had a couple of other drivers nearby for trial use, but I’ll be honest, my hands and my heart quickly gravitated to Bertha.

True to its blood line, the GBB II metalwoods have the look and the performance that will likely make this endeavor a mega-hit for Callaway. Bombs away.

Andrew Penner is a 12-year member of the Canadian PGA. He has won five professional golf tournaments in Canada and narrowly, I mean narrowly, missed qualifying for the US Open last year. Well, OK, it was a few shots. Andrew writes for a number of golf magazines in Canada, the US, and Europe. His new book, titled "One Flew Over The Caddyshack," can be ordered at www.FalconPress.ca. He can be reached at andpenner@shaw.ca.