Official Callaway Big Bertha V Series Member Testing and Review Thread

Recently, hundreds of GolfWRX members applied to test the new Callaway Big Bertha V Series driver. It was difficult, but 5 were chosen to receive the new V Series, play it, and report back with their results.

They'll be posting their reviews here, so let's keep this thread clear until they start their testing.

Thanks!

Mine came in yesterday, 10.5 degrees regular flex at 44.75". Haven't had a chance to hit it yet but playing in a scramble today so that should give me some good feedback. A few first impressions just from handling it:

-Very sharp looking club all around and looks great at address. Been skeptical of the cartoon on the bottom but I will admit it looks much better in person.

-Take this with a grain of salt since I ordered it at 44.75" without a sw adjustment, but to me it feels very light. Even lighter than my SL290 that I chopped down to 44.5". Personally, I like that, but some may not. Not sure how it would feel at stock length though.

-I've never sniffed a stiff flex shaft, so naturally ordered regular flex in this. Feels like the Bassara plays very soft to flex. Not sure I've ever held a shaft that felt so noodle-like. I'm not bothered by it, but I know some are very picky about that so if you buy one, Flex-Up!

Will give a more detailed review and post pics this evening.

Very interested to hear the review on this.

Getting out the popcorn.

I was one of the lucky ones chosen to test the new Big Bertha V. Big thanks to GolfWRX and Callaway for the opportunity!

I requested a 9^o head with the stock stiff Speeder 565 shaft at standard length. I felt that since the review was for a stock set-up, I'd get it completely stock which included the 45.5" length. I received a regular flex 565 shaft. Not a huge deal but not ideal either (more on this later).

A little about myself: I feel it is nice to have some background info so you might have an idea as to how my review relates to you and your game. I'm a typical weekend warrior golfer that can shoot anywhere from 80 to 100 depending on the day (typically I'm in the upper 80's to low 90's). I don't belong to a club and I don't carry an official handicap. Driver swingspeed is ~105 with an aggressive transition. I currently play a Cobra Bio Cell driver, which beat out my Ping G25 after a year in the bag. I haven't decided on a shaft for the Bio Cell yet but an old Project X 6C12 is leading the pack (head set at 9.5^o neutral). Natural ballflight with the driver is straight to a pretty good fade. I can miss both ways but tend to miss with a high slice.

Looks: I'm not overly concerned with looks of a club. I can easily get over some ugly colors or shapes if the club performs well. With that said, I do have a soft spot for the traditional black paint schemes. Of course the BBv delivers on this. Even the sole is well done in my opinion - flat black with simple lettering. Yes, there is the little Newton inlay part that many people railed on but I think it is nicely done. Call me strange, but I think it is a nice little touch. The white of the Speeder 565 is a nice contrast to the black head. The headcover follows the trend of not being overly flashy, even with the shiny patent leather looking accents. The head doesn't have a huge footprint like a G25 but it doesn't look small(er) like a 913D3 or Covert Tour either. The face looks to be a little deeper than my Bio Cell. Overall I really likes the looks of the club.

Comparison pics with a Bio Cell:

Performance: For reasons I can't explain, I have never really played a Callaway driver. I have demoed a few over the years but never took one to the course. So this testing was going to be my first long-term trial with a Callaway driver. Unfortunately, I was going to have to do it with a regular flex shaft. It has been years....many years....since I played a regular flex shaft. My thinking before starting the actual testing was to just smooth out my transition and I should be fine. I planned to keep the head set at 9^o, maybe adjusting down to 8^o, to account for the potential higher launch of the regular flex shaft. This plan worked...sometimes.

So far, I've played two rounds and gotten in two range sessions with the BBv. When I have been able to keep my swing on the smoother side, results have been really good. I have hit this as far (and sometime farther) than my Bio Cell set-up, which is no slouch in the distance department. When I get a little quick (or swing my normal swing I should say), results can vary widely from "wow, I really got a hold of that one!" to "where in the world is that ball going to land?" Luckily I have been able to keep those wild shots to a minimum while on the course. Looking at my fairways hit for the two rounds so far, I'm slightly less accurate with the BBv than I am my Bio Cell, but not by much. Forgiveness seems to be up there with most of the other drivers I have tried lately. I can miss out toward the toe and those shots generally stayed on their intended line and had acceptable distance. Shots low on the face seem to be pretty good too. I don't miss there often but have a few times with the BBv and have been pleasantly surprised at how well the shot turned out.

The sound of the head is really nice. I played the G25 for over a year and I was never a fan of the sound of it. I like the Bio Cell sound much better, but it can be loud and a little tinny at times. The BBv has a more solid thwack sound. Between the G25, Bio Cell, and BBV, I prefer the BBv sound.

Feel is so subjective and can vary depending on shaft for me. I like the feel of the BBv head. It has a softer feel than the G25 and the Bio Cell without feeling mushy (as if a driver can feel mushy). Of course this soft feel may be due to the shaft? Either way, it feels nice at impact with the stock shaft.

Early Conclusions: I plan to continue testing and playing the BBv and will continue to post my thoughts as the testing progresses. In the stock form that the BBv is in now, regular flex shaft and all, I can say without a doubt I would not put it in the bag. I think with a shaft change though, the head could be something special. I have a few spare driver shafts lying around and plan to put some Callaway tips on them to try them in the BBv. I am also thinking about tipping the stock regular flex shaft, maybe 1-1.5", to see how that might work. I will keep you updated!

Mine also came in yesterday. 10.5* stiff flex shaft. Very nice looking driver. Love the colors and the finish on it was great. I too have never played a stiff shaft in a driver but thought I needed one in this club because my initial impression of the regular flex was whippy. I hit it a few weeks ago at DSG and thought it felt really flexible. All they had was regular and lite flex. I didn't take very many swings with it to form that opinion and the manager there said the same thing so I may have let him sway me on it. I hit it a 2nd time at GG and started out with the stiff flex and couldn't get the club head speed above 89. Uh oh, did I pick the wrong shaft? The guy working wanted me to try the regular and what do ya know...93-98 club head speed. It didn't feel as whippy this time but I wasn't focused on that as much. Just put a smooth swing on it and the ball would flat out go. So it looks like I'll be hunting down the correct shaft. Man I really screwed that one up. My first chance to get it out on a course will be tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how it does against my X Hot. When I get a regular flex shaft I plan on testing it up against my X Hot and another older Callaway driver I have to see if the improvement is really there.

I am also one of the testers chosen. I selected the 9* head with Speeder 565 X Flex.

Background-

I am somewhere around a scratch when I am playing consistently, but right this second probably a 3-4 hcp. I played D1 college golf back in 2005-2009, was ranked somewhere around 300-400 in the country individually, and finished 2nd in our state am in 2009. From about 2009-Present I just haven't played much golf because of work among other things. I still play some, but never practice. I'm just not even close to the same person/player I was then. I said that to say this, I've started the transition to lighter/softer shafts with more forgiving heads which I think some of you guys can relate to. I've never really tried a "light" driver, so I was really pumped to be selected to test this driver.

Looks-

I took some pics, but with the previous post and the original post containing all the pics you could ever want, I'll spare you the pics. I can say that this driver is very sharp at address. Yea I'm not in love with the little cartoon on the sole, but that kind of stuff doesn't bother me one bit. I played a great big bertha for many, many years and this driver looks so much like it from the face lines to the sole plate!

Performance-

I got to play 22 holes with it yesterday and hit all the shots with it. I had it set at neutral 9*. I was obviously worried coming from an i20 8.5 with a 75X that control would be the #1 issue. 2nd concern would be spin since my natural shot shape is a slight fade. The first few shots were fairway balls, but spinny with the fade. I turned a few over and they were flat flight bombs, but I gotta be able to fade it the way I want, I can flatten out a 10.5 Reg with a draw, so I cranked the loft down to 8*. There was the sweet spot. My fades flattened out considerably. Launch really isn't a concern as my positive angle of attack naturally allows for high launch. Now as far as distance, my i20 is the longest driver I've ever hit so I didn't expect gigantic distance gains, but it was definitely as long as my i20, however I cant say definitively that it was consistently longer. What it is though is much easier to swing. Especially at this stage in my life the i20 gets to feeling like work to swing, and without fail I quit on a few towards the end of the round and hit those weak rights! After 22 holes, the V was as easy to swing as hole #1. It really is what I'm looking for, similar distance and control, flat flight, easier to swing.

Overall-

Quick tempos, super high swing speeds, I'm sure with hot melt/different shafts you can get this driver to perform, but thats not who this driver targets. Get a BB Alpha if thats who you are. If you've "lost a step" over the years, or your club head speed needs a boost, but you don't want to sacrifice control for distance this driver is definitely on the radar for you. I think the speeder really contributes to the dispersion factor, yea its light, but its quite stable as well. This driver fits a niche that I was looking for

Great write up so far guys!! The head looks so good and is so forgiving, if you can match up a shaft I am sure alot will benefit from this high MOI beast!

Finally got out with it yesterday. As a preface, I currently play a Cleveland Launcher SL290 driver cut down to 44.5". In the past few years I've dabbled with a 909D2, Amp Cell, and FT-IZ. I hit my longest drives with the 909, but the Cleveland is consistently longer if that makes sense. I'm a big fan of the ultralight design and it's been a really reliable club for me over the past couple years but the one thing it's lacking is that hot/solid feel and even though it's been overall the longest driver I've hit, I can't help but think there are a few more yards out there for me.

[b]Looks [/b]
As I said before this is really a sharp looking club. Not really sure how to expand on that but looks awesome in person. I know it's a 460 CC head, but to my eye it has a really nice shape and doesn't appear to have an overly large footprint. It could be the all black, or the scoreline's on the face, but that was a big positive for me.

[b]Shaft[/b]
I feel like it's important to point this out. I said it before, but I've never sniffed a stiff flex shaft so I ordered this with the Bassara in regular flex. Right when I picked it up I could tell it was very soft and whippy compared to anything I've ever held before. I'm not a shaft snob like some here, so I can play with it no problem, but I know many people would be interested to know. I don't concern myself with launch angle or spin numbers, but that thought did pop into my head.

[b]Feel[/b]
The overall club feels much lighter than my SL290 at about the same length. I like the light clubs, I could play a full set at something like C0 and have no problems. I did have it trimmed though so I can only assume at standard length it feels closer to normal. Off the clubface I got exactly what I was looking for. My current driver I would describe as "tinny", the VSeries feels way more solid when struck. I would say more of a "thwack" than a "ting" is the only way I can really describe it. To date, the Amp Cell was the best feeling driver I hit, but it lacked distance compared to the SL290 and 909D2. I felt like this one had a similar feel, but would it close the distance gap?

[b]Performance[/b]
I do not have a high swing speed, so squeezing every yard out of a driver while staying accurate is very important. I'd say my best pokes may reach 250-260, with my typical drive being in the 240-245 range. I was concerned about what kind of launch I would get with the whippy shaft/head combo. It was substantially higher than I'm used to but didn't feel like it was ballooning. I was getting about 10-15 yards more carry than my current driver but rollout was close to nonexistent which made total distance even or maybe a yard or two longer. So overall the first impression was I got what I was looking for. An ultralight design where I could keep my distance with a better feeling club. The forgiveness was also on par if not better, I was swinging pretty good thought so interested to see how that works out on an off day. I'm not one who needs extensive testing with a club, so as is it's going straight in the bag, but I can't help but think what the results may be with a properly fit shaft?

The driver came earlier today and I finished up some work early to hit the range! This is my first attempt at a review, so please bare with me.
I opted for a 10.5 (Stiff Flex with Bassara shaft).

[b]Background:[/b]

I play anywhere from 4-5 rounds a week during peak season and have an unofficial handicap of around 6-7. Since the season is winding down here in Michigan, I’m not getting out as much as I have been due to weather and because I’ve been battling an injury that just doesn’t make golf that much fun (tendonitis).

It’s been a while since I’ve been on a launch monitor, but I have a swing speed of anywhere from 105-110. For the past 3 years I’ve been playing a Taylormade Burner Superfast 2.0 (10.5 stock/stiff). I like the lightness of the Superfast and actually prefer the longer stock-shaft. My average drive is around 270y. I’ve demo’d a lot of clubs, tried to bag a few different ones over the years but this one keeps finding the bag. My Superfast has a sentimental value to it because I recorded my first and only hole-in-one on a 310y par 4.

[b]First Impressions:[/b]

I really don’t care much about aesthetics of a driver as much as I do for irons. I’d hit a log if it got the job done. Out of the box my first impressions are that it’s a great looking driver. The head is very traditional and doesn’t have a large footprint for a 460cc driver. Some have mentioned how they dislike the cartoony emblem on the bottom, but I really never noticed it.

[b]Performance & Feel:[/b]

My normal shot-shape is a slight fade. I started off on the range hitting about 20 drives with my Superfast to get into a normal feel. Hitting slightly into the breeze and with crappy range balls, I was carrying around 250y. The first few shots with the BB there was absolutely no fade. They all went dead straight with even a slight pull. The feel and the sound of the BB is wonderful. When flushed, it’s a nice muted sound with a soft feel. Compared to my Superfast which causes heads to turn and sounds like hitting a softball bat.

After changing my target line a bit, I was dialed in and hitting straight, high drives right where I wanted them. I was only to hit a fade if I really tried and exaggerated my swing. (I don’t bother hitting a draw with a driver. It’s bad news when I try). I didn’t notice any significant distance improvements. (Take under consideration the terrible range-balls and hurting breeze.). On the same note, I didn’t notice any loss either. Miss-hits felt pretty harsh and first impressions is that this club doesn’t seem very forgiving. (more testing required)

Just as Johnny T mentioned in his review, I also felt that the driver performed better with a smoother, slower tempo with no loss in distance.
I didn’t take any pics since the first review took such quality pics. If anybody wants a comparison photo, let me know. However, here’s a slow-mo video of my testing the BBV. (Easy on the critiques! LOL)

[media=]http://youtu.be/KKDXA_WGakw[/media]

[b]Early Conclusions:[/b]

It’s a great looking, solid driver. I’m looking forward to getting it out on the course for a real-world test. There wasn't any immediate “wow” factor but I certainly can’t dismiss it right away. As soon as I can test it more, I’ll post back with some results.

[center]Thanks again GolfWRX and Callaway![/center]

[quote name='salblz' timestamp='1410982905' post='10134137']
The driver came earlier today and I finished up some work early to hit the range! This is my first attempt at a review, so please bare with me.
I opted for a 10.5 (Stiff Flex with Bassara shaft).

[b]Background:[/b]

I play anywhere from 4-5 rounds a week during peak season and have an unofficial handicap of around 6-7. Since the season is winding down here in Michigan, I’m not getting out as much as I have been due to weather and because I’ve been battling an injury that just doesn’t make golf that much fun (tendonitis).

It’s been a while since I’ve been on a launch monitor, but I have a swing speed of anywhere from 105-110. For the past 3 years I’ve been playing a Taylormade Burner Superfast 2.0 (10.5 stock/stiff). I like the lightness of the Superfast and actually prefer the longer stock-shaft. My average drive is around 270y. I’ve demo’d a lot of clubs, tried to bag a few different ones over the years but this one keeps finding the bag. My Superfast has a sentimental value to it because I recorded my first and only hole-in-one on a 310y par 4.

[b]First Impressions:[/b]

I really don’t care much about aesthetics of a driver as much as I do for irons. I’d hit a log if it got the job done. Out of the box my first impressions are that it’s a great looking driver. The head is very traditional and doesn’t have a large footprint for a 460cc driver. Some have mentioned how they dislike the cartoony emblem on the bottom, but I really never noticed it.

[b]Performance & Feel:[/b]

My normal shot-shape is a slight fade. I started off on the range hitting about 20 drives with my Superfast to get into a normal feel. Hitting slightly into the breeze and with crappy range balls, I was carrying around 250y. The first few shots with the BB there was absolutely no fade. They all went dead straight with even a slight pull. The feel and the sound of the BB is wonderful. When flushed, it’s a nice muted sound with a soft feel. Compared to my Superfast which causes heads to turn and sounds like hitting a softball bat.

After changing my target line a bit, I was dialed in and hitting straight, high drives right where I wanted them. I was only to hit a fade if I really tried and exaggerated my swing. (I don’t bother hitting a draw with a driver. It’s bad news when I try). I didn’t notice any significant distance improvements. (Take under consideration the terrible range-balls and hurting breeze.). On the same note, I didn’t notice any loss either. Miss-hits felt pretty harsh and first impressions is that this club doesn’t seem very forgiving. (more testing required)

Just as Johnny T mentioned in his review, I also felt that the driver performed better with a smoother, slower tempo with no loss in distance.
I didn’t take any pics since the first review took such quality pics. If anybody wants a comparison photo, let me know. However, here’s a slow-mo video of my testing the BBV. (Easy on the critiques! LOL)

[media=]http://youtu.be/KKDXA_WGakw[/media]

[b]Early Conclusions:[/b]

It’s a great looking, solid driver. I’m looking forward to getting it out on the course for a real-world test. There wasn't any immediate “wow” factor but I certainly can’t dismiss it right away. As soon as I can test it more, I’ll post back with some results.

[center]Thanks again GolfWRX and Callaway![/center]
[/quote]

How does the stiff Bassara feel for you compared to what you are used to?

[quote][color=#282828]How does the stiff Bassara feel for you compared to what you are used to?[/color][/quote]

Others have mentioned that it felt "whippy" to them. I didn't notice this at all and it's not boardy at all either.

This is only .5" shorter than my Superfast, but I think I can gain some accuracy with it being a bit shorter with out sacrificing distance. As mentioned, it seems to perform better with a smoother, slower tempo.

If I were to ever bag a Callaway driver, this would be it. So slick looking. Good review Salblz.

I hit this driver this past weekend and have to say, I was quite impressed. I do NOT like the cartoony Isaac Newton on it or the lines on the face, but it flat out performs. The Speeder shaft is the real deal. Really fits this head.

I still haven't gotten a good chance to put this driver to the test but I did get out late this afternoon and hit a half dozen balls each with my current driver and the BBV. The distance with each one was dead on the same. The stiff flex in the BBV feels almost identical to the regular flex in my X Hot. Torque and kick point are identical. I don't know much about the technical stuff on shafts but they hit about the same. Just holding the 2 I can tell the BBV is lighter but it doesn't swing lighter if that makes sense. Like the guys said before, a smooth easy swing really sends the ball out there. I can't wait to try the regular flex shaft out in the BBV on a course. Hitting it at GG showed that it would be longer but you never know until you get it outside and hit with your normal ball. As soon as it gets here I have a good test planned to compare it to a couple other drivers. I'm hoping to get some good pictures to go along with my review. If it goes as planned it should be good.

So I got in my 1st 18 holes with the Big Bertha V driver (still with the stiff flex shaft, the regular flex hasn't gotten here yet) and I can say it plays exactly like my X Hot with the regular flex shaft. I played a course that I've played many many times and my drives all went in about the same spots as I usually hit with the X hot. The BBV does seem to have a larger sweet spot over the X Hot. I hit one out towards the toe of the club and the ball still went around my normal distance for the hole. Any gains in distance that I will see will come from a different shaft best I can tell. Like I said as soon as the regular gets here I'm gonna put the club to the test to see what gains I can make with it. But as of now I have no problem making it my main driver, replacing the X Hot. I really like what I've seen out of it so far.

[b]UPDATE[/b] - made it out for a round late yesterday and got to hit the BBv a lot. Most of the round I played two balls off the tee - one with the BBv and one with my Bio Cell/PX 6C12 combo. I was more accurate with the BC. I think a lot of that had to do with the shaft, which isn't a big surprise. I had some wild drives with the BBv with misses both right and left. But on well struck shots, the BBv was right there with the BC. I had a couple of drives in that 265-275 yd range (measured via GPS) with the BBv. Shots with the BBv that were still in play but not really struck that well still got out there pretty decent...about 15 yds or so loss of distance, which I'm fine with when I barely hit the face.


My feelings haven't changed from my initial post - the regular flex shaft just isn't cutting it for my swing. I've got a couple of Callaway tips on the way and plan to try a couple of different shafts in the BBv head. I'm also going to pull the stock shaft and tip it a little, then try it out again. Shaft issues aside, I am really loving the look, sound, and feel of the BBv head. I'm really excited to see what it can do with a shaft that is better suited to my swing.

As I gather more info from all the other testers I think the consensus is the BBV is very easy to hit.. Marketing always will go to +8 yards or +15 yards or "our longest driver ever" which is exactly what I would do if I were to market a driver.. What I think you will find out of this driver is not large distance gains, but consistent distance throughout your round.. Off the heel, off the toe, high/low on the face.. I haven't hit one and thought man that went forever, and I also haven't hit one and said man that didn't go anywhere.. I really like this about the BBV, especially as my swing gets older, weaker, and less consistent!

Who understands the settings on the cogs? The markings on them have me confused and they don't seem to match the info cards that come with the wrench.

Here's the card:

Here's the 4 settings for each cog:

I guess what's confusing to me is that there's an "N" setting on both cogs. If the "S" on the bottom cog means stamped loft, what does the "N" mean on that same cog?

Neutral face angle or Normal lie angle. .whereas D is upright lie angle to make more draw biased. All numbers are loft subtraction or addition and N and D are lie angles...

So what is the nuetral setting for the driver? N on the top cog and S on the bottom cog?

Yes .Neutral face and Standard loft

sorry neutral lie...

Thanks man! Gonna give it a try after the game.

I finally got around to tipping the stock shaft....tipped it 1.5". Got out today for a round and some range time with the newly tipped shaft. What a world of difference! The "new" shaft plays 44" which may be an issue for some, but I have toyed with drivers that short before with pretty good results. This was no different...distance was virtually the same as when it was longer but accuracy was much better. I'm not the straightest driver of the ball so I didn't see my fairways hit percentage go up significantly, but my misses were much less penal...much less. I think I could easily play this driver in its current form. Will I play it? I'm not sure...it still feels different (still getting adjusted to the lighter weight) but it does perform well. I guess the take home point is that if the stock shaft seems like a bad fit, don't toss out the idea of tipping it. It worked well for me.

I am more impressed by this club every time I play it. I consider driving a strength of mine, my SL290 was my most reliable club in the bag, but I'm driving it even better with the V-Series. They are basically the same setup (10.5 degrees, reg flex, 44.75"). I considered most of my mishits good with the Cleveland because they were still in the general vicinity of the fairway but if I didn't hit it right, trajectory was all over the place and I would lose distance. I have the V-Series set at 9.5 right now and have picked up close to 10 yards on my solid hits and the trajectory is soooo consistent for me. Most of my mishits as well have improved, usually seeing slight increase in trajectory and almost as far as a pure strike with my old club. Callaway has a real winner with this club, very smooth.

Edit: I've played 5 rounds since I got this club, and have hit my 3 best rounds of the year.

Love the look, feel, shaft length, and sound of this club, but it's a hook machine for me. I don't get it since I hit the Optifast fine, with if anything a little fade. I too have the 10.5 but with the stock stiff shaft. My normal ball flight is a 5 yard draw with the driver. I may swap around some of the shafts I have and see if that helps.

I'm currently using the Optifast stock stiff shaft in my Big Bertha , and it's the longest driver I have ever had.

I was able to take the Big Bertha V driver out Sunday afternoon and hit a few balls on the course I play the most. I also hit a few with my other 2 drivers to compare it against and see if I could really get some extra distance with the BBV. I hit 6 balls with each and used a different colored ball just to make it easier for me to keep track of after hitting all 18 shots. The 3 drivers compared were:

- Callaway Big Bertha Diablo 10* neutral stock regular flex Aldila DVS 65g shaft stock length 45"

- Callaway X Hot 10.5* stock regular flex Project X PXv 57g shaft stock length 46"

- Callaway Big Bertha V Series 10.5* stock regular flex Mitsubishi Rayon Bassara E-Series 42g shaft stock length 45.5"

I used 3 Callaway SuperSoft balls and 3 Bridgestone e6 balls for each driver just to see if the ball made any difference at all. All of this went down at the 10th hole on my usual course (Blackberry Ridge). The orange ball was the BB Diablo, the yellow was the X Hot and the white was the BBV. I took a few pictures hoping to show the results of the 18 shots but I'm not the best photographer in the world. I hope you can tell something from them (see below).

What I found was that I hit all 3 around the same distance and that the SuperSoft was a little bit longer than the e6 for me. I had one topped shot with the BBV that didn't make it to the red tee box and one shot that went down the right side of the fairway over a tree line. That is normally a good shot because it cuts off some of the dog leg but I was unable to find the ball thanks to the tall grass. The rest were all towards the left side of the fairway where I was aiming. The shortest ball of the shots that hit the fairway was at the 235-240 range (yellow ball with the X Hot). The majority of the shots were at the 245-255 range and were a mix of all the drivers with a half dozen or so missing the fairway but still in this range. The 3 longest balls were one from each driver...around 260 with the BB Diablo (orange ball), around 270 with the BBV (white ball) and around 280 with the X Hot (yellow ball). Honestly it was 3 of the best drives I've ever had on that hole. I guess what this all tells me is that all 3 play about the same for me so maybe I'm not a good enough golfer for all the technology to do me any good. But I still feel that the BBV has a bigger sweet spot so I won't hesitate to play it from here on out. I did go out the next day and play 9 hitting just the BBV on my drives and I had some great drives in the fairway. Maybe I could hit longer drives if I swung hard and hit it in the center of the face but my chances of doing that often aren't good. Like others have said, the driver really works well with a smooth easy swing which should help a player like me find the fairway more times than not. It's a keeper for sure, enough so that the 3 wood and hybrids are begging to be tried out.

Hopefully this helps someone out there thinking of picking up the BBV. I don't think you can go wrong with it.

Nice write up guys..keep the experiences coming!!

I've finally been able to put a few rounds in and test the V series on the course.

I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the accuracy and consistency of this driver. It's by no means longer then my Superfast 2.0, but I think It's going to remain in the bag for the rest of the season.

Taking what I learned from the range and earlier review, the less effort I put into hitting this driver the better it performs. The only time I had terrible results was when I really tried to step on it. I'd assume that's the nature of this Bassara shaft.

Played 18 yesterday at my usual course. It was a great day driving the ball with the BBV! I had several drives that were longer down the fairway than I've ever been off the tee box. I tried to get my buddy to hit it all day but he refused. Said he didn't want to hit it good and feel like he had to go out and spend $400 on one. But I could tell my drives were making an impression on him. Funny thing though, he has the green light from his wife to go out and buy whatever driver he wants. I'm sure he will cave and hit it over the next couple of rounds.