50 Words or Less
The 2023 Callaway Big Bertha driver has plenty of forgiveness and a strong draw bias. Light weight shaft options allow players to add more speed with less effort.
Introduction
There’s no area of the game where forgiveness is more prized than off the tee, which is why Callaway Big Bertha drivers have been fixtures in golfers’ bags for three decades. The latest iteration honors that legacy by helping golfers achieve more consistent results and ridding their game of the dreaded slice.
Looks
The 2023 Callaway Big Bertha driver has the long, triangular footprint that we see from many of the most forgiving drivers. This shape does tilt toward the heel, indicating the draw bias in this club. Further evidence of the club’s slice-fighting is found in the fact that the face sits a little closed. The dark grey crown is largely free of ornamentation, but it does have a glossy, reflective finish.
Flipping the club over, you see a sole with a little more pop than most of this year’s offerings. Two bright red elements grab your attention and outline the large Big Bertha branding. The only tech called out on the sole is a subtle “Jailbreak Technology” near the face.
Sound & Feel
The large, tall face of the 2023 Callaway Big Bertha driver produces a powerful, appealing sound when it meets the ball. It’s louder than average – a stout “crack” – but the sound is concise. True to its forgiving nature, the Big Bertha doesn’t change its tune much regardless of how well you strike the ball.
Through the hands, you can get a good sense of where the ball met the face. This driver does feel fairly stable, but the feedback is still clear. The sensation of impact is a strong pop which complements the sound well.
Performance
After being thoroughly impressed with the 2023 Big Bertha irons [review HERE], my hopes were high for this driver. In terms of being easy to hit and designed for players who want more forgiveness, the Big Bertha driver met my expectations.
Big Bertha is synonymous with forgiveness, and that comes through in the way that this driver retains ball speed across the face. As we’ve come to expect from Callaway, the face was designed with A.I. technology to get more speed from a larger area. Callaway also utilized their Jailbreak technology to further stabilize and speed up the face. The end result is that whether you hit it pure or off-center, you’re going to see a high smash factor show up on the launch monitor. You can be pretty far from perfect and still send the ball a long way.
The Callaway Big Bertha driver also has a lot of slice-fighting power. Like the Paradym X driver [review HERE], it has a 60 degree lie angle – 3 degrees more upright than Callaway’s “standard” offerings. This alone can do a lot to straighten out a banana ball. Additionally, Callaway packed extra weight into the heel (disguised as a red stripe on the sole) to further combat the slice. If you want to learn more about gear effect, I explain it in detail HERE. Lastly, the Big Bertha driver has an adjustable hosel so you can close the face and raise the lie angle even further to truly take the right side out of play.
Finally, to help more golfers achieve greater distance, Callaway made this club lighter weight with lower spin. Depending on your needed flex, the stock shaft weighs as little as 40 grams. If you’re currently playing a 60 gram shaft, this weight loss can mean more speed with less effort. Callaway also touts an “Ultra-Low, Forward CG” for spin reduction. While this isn’t a true low spin driver like the Paradym Triple Diamond [review HERE], it is fairly low spin for a draw-biased, game improvement driver.
Conclusion
The 2023 Callaway Big Bertha driver does everything you would expect from this classic name. It’s long, forgiving, and does a great job turning slices into playable, straight drives. All this at a price that’s substantially below the “new normal” of $600. Get fit for the right loft and shaft, and enjoy a less stressful game off the tee.
Visit Callaway Golf HERE
2023 Callaway Big Bertha Driver Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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14 Comments
What shaft did you test ? I’ve always wanted to put my normal heavy extra stiff shaft in one of these ultra forgiving drivers to see how it would play, but not badly enough to actually buy one as an experiment.
Brandon,
I tested it with a Mitsubishi TENSEI White.
-Matt
Why don’t you just take your shaft with you to a fitting?
yes
Great ball speed! Are you speed training again? Is 109 typical lately or did Bertha surprise you?
Keith,
Thank you!
I haven’t been training any more than normal, but I feel like some things are coalescing between my swing and my training; the speed feels easier and more accessible.
Those speeds have been pretty normal lately.
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt, my fitted 2019 shaft for my GBB was stock 45.25”. This latest addition is 45.75 inches. Have lengths been creeping up? It doesn’t seem to make much sense to lengthen the shaft for a player who has a slice. (I cropped mine to 44.5 inches which gave me better control.)
Jonathan,
Yes, if you look over the last…10 years or so (maybe more) stock lengths have climbed from 45″ to as much as 45.75″.
Best,
Matt
Hi again, has Matt Meeker tested out this latest Big Bertha driver? This review is valuable, but for the older golfer with lower swing speeds (that would be me ) I’m not sure this swing data matches up with my swing. Of course, I would need to be fitted to be sure. Many thanks.
Jonathan,
To my knowledge, Matt Meeker has not hit the new Big Bertha.
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt
Just read your review of the Calloway GBB driver. I currently have the Big Bertha B21 senior which I love and helped me combat a slice. Now I’m looking for a little more distance and based on your articles I’m going to test both the Paradym X and the GBB. Think either of these could add 10 yards to the B21? Anything else I should consider? I’ve also liked Taylor Made over the years. Cheers and thanks for the many great articles.
Dave
Dave,
Thank you.
As a regular reader, you know that my advice is to get fit. During that fitting, I’d take a look at the new Paradaym Ai Smoke and the PXG Black Ops.
Best,
Matt
Yes Matt I know that testing is your motto! Because of your advice I tested the Paradym irons against the Mizuno P923 irons. Would never have believed the difference. The Paradym outperformed the Mizuno by a wide margin – even 8 yards more distance with the 7 iron and better dispersion. Yet on paper they looked the same. And I was identical between senior shaft vs regular so he suggested going with the one that felt better – which was the regular shaft. Thanks for making me a believer that testing is critical! Cheers. Dave
Matt, thanks also for the driver advice. Will go test both the new Smoke and the PXG Black Ops. Will let you know. Dave