The super game improvement iron category is typically the iron where a company throws the kitchen sink into development: new technologies to get the ball to launch high and far, while sporting a look more companies would probably make if traditional golfers didn't so often have distinct expectations for an aesthetic.
After all, if you're hitting super game improvement irons, more than anything, you want golf to be easier.
That's what Callaway Golf is trying to do with a refreshed set of Big Bertha irons and hybrids.
Callaway Golf Big Bertha irons
The big feature on the irons is what's been dubbed the Suspended Energy Core. That term describes a way of positioning center of gravity in the three-piece iron. The energy core part is a Metal Injection Molded (MIM) tungsten weight, which is then cased by the company's urethane microsphere material found in the Rogue irons. The idea is the insertion of this weight units allowed Callaway to place the CG deeper with a specific shape for the tungsten and positioning with the cushioning microsphere layer.
The end result allowed for a thinner Face Cup with improved flexibility at the edges, leading to higher launch (meaning lower lofts through the set) for maximum distance.
Of course, there's healthy offset for a player who struggles to hit the ball straight, but the topline is fairly reserved for this category.
The irons have a black "smoked" PVD finish to look sharp, though PVD fades fairly quickly, particularly fast for an avid golfer.
The Callaway Golf Big Bertha irons are available Jan. 18, 2019, in a 4-iron through AW set for $1,200 in a stock KBS Max 90 steel shaft or $1,3000 in Recoil ESX or Recoil ZT9 graphite shafts.
Callaway Golf Big Bertha hybrids
The new Big Bertha hybrids sport the same "smoked" look as the irons, and they have Jailbreak technology which was previously introduced in hybrids. However, the new thing, so to speak, is combining Jailbreak technology with adjustability in a hybrid for the first time.
For the uninitiated, Jailbreak technology uses a pair of crown-to-sole steel bars for stability, placing more energy into the ball through face load/stress at impact, leading to more distance. The hybrids have a Carpenter 455 steel face as part of the Hyper Speed Face Cup design.
Callaway says it took a new OptiFit hosel system to combine adjustability with Jailbreak. The hosel is shorter and lighter so as to have minimum impact on the center of gravity to keep a high-launching profile.
The Callaway Big Bertha hybrids are available Jan. 18, 2019, for $270 each ranging from 3- to 8-hybrid (yeah, 8!) in either the Recoil ESX or ZT9 shaft.
