2015 Great Big Bertha Driver Characteristics

Currently gaming a Callaway Great Big Bertha Driver (2015 model before the GBB Epic) with a Kuro Kage TiNi Black 50S. Bought this a couple years ago before I took lessons and my swing was wildly differently than it is now. I get good performance from it if I'm doing my part, I'm just wondering how its characteristics as far as launch/spin/moi stack up to some of the other models released since then.

Back then I had really only been playing golf for a year and a half or so and was a high slicer (shocker, right?) Tested this out with a handful of other models since I was really getting into golf and was replacing my hand me down clubs and just could not hit a bad shot with it. It was so much more consistent than anything else I hit.

Nowadays, I don't generate a ton of spin and height, so my equipment promotes that a bit. Irons are Mizuno JPX 850 Forged with Tour 90 S shafts playing 1* weak and 1* flat. 7 iron average numbers were measured at ~20* launch, 165 yard carry, 5.5-6K spin, 34 yard peak height. Hitting the ball higher is something I've worked on and as I've improved this, I've noticed that drives that are on line and straight have a flatter flight compared to my irons. So I'm wondering if the GBB is relatively less spinny/lower launching than other heads. I didn't find anything classifying it necessarily as a "low spin" or "player's" type head, but I'm wondering what heads promote a bit more launch and have a bit more forgiveness, or if it's just me needing to work on driving (very real possibility).

Obvious answer is get fit, but don't really have the budget for a new driver and am just curious as to where to start a search or if I even need to search at all, then take it from there. If the answer is "nope, GBB launches plenty high and is stupid forgiving, hit the range" I'm ok with that too...

I game one, beat out the Mavrik for me

It’s got quite a bit of draw bias, but if you aren’t a high spin guy and don’t want to see the ball go right, it’s a great driver.

Looking at your setup, if you've got one at 9* with a ventus, you're probably not trying to bump up launch and spin like I am. I've got tour 90s in my irons precisely for that reason. No doubt it works for you, but it makes me wonder if it's ideal for me.I've noticed that a bit. I was actually hitting it most consistently a little while back when I had a tendency to let the club face hang open just a little. Ball would start out just right of intended line and fade a few more yards. Line up down the left side, swing away and I'd end up in the right fairway or first cut. I know that's playing the miss but it was so predictable. But once I started squaring up the clubface better, if it was a hair closed at impact, forget it...guaranteed snap hook. Now I've got it set in neutral with the weight in FADE position.

If I recall, even neutral/fade has draw bias. Not necessarily a bad thing if it fits your swing. Phil’s stuff always has a bunch of draw bias.

I have hit a draw with a driver about a dozen times in my life, missing left is not an issue for me. I have dual slider weights, one all the way in the heel, one lined up behind sweet spot

This driver may have more adjustability than any other along with EFSZ

you can move the slider, add a second, can also replace the sole weight with heavier to bring spin back down with it being closer to the face.

I guess that's the thing, I wouldn't add more weight to the front to drop spin. If my driver was stolen and I had to start looking for one from scratch, I'd prioritize higher launch and forgiveness over adjustability.

This driver has all of that, can increase launch and spin with more back weight, and it is forgiving

Thanks. Back when I bought it I had no idea about different head types and whatnot. Just went with what I was hitting best with a swing that is absolutely nothing like it is now. Any idea how much the front weight is? I've already got it hotmelted to be at D3 after I cut the shaft down, so maybe I could swap that for a lighter weight to add more to the back. Might also do as previously suggested and do a launch monitor session and look into shafts.

I play a soft draw so a draw biased driver doesn't work for me. Maybe I lucked out with my head but I get a straight/ever so slight draw. I am thinking of rebagging it for 2020 as I used my RAZR mostly. I sold the Kai'Li 70S I had for us so looking at options now.

The GBB was in the Golfwrx Gear Trials in 2016. It was not seen as a low spin head. You may want to try increasing the loft.

"The Great Big Bertha proved to be one of the most forgiving drivers in the test, helping golfers record some of the highest average ball speeds. When it struggled, however, it was usually due to its significant draw bias, even in its neutral and fade settings, as well as its inability to produce as low-spinning drives as the Big Bertha Alpha 816 DBD on solid shots."

http://www.golfwrx.com/356898/2016-gear-trials-driver-analysis-callaway-great-big-bertha/

Yeah, I had just bumped it up to +2*. Going to give that setting a try.

It’s plenty long, was hitting it past a dude I was playing with, brand new SIM, guy swung it faster too, this can hang.

I just got a second mint head off BST yesterday

Yeah I've had times where I launch it just right and the results are silly. This thread was more a sanity check that it's not a low-launch, low-spin type head. With that cleared up, I can focus on my driver swing to launch a little higher.

Kevin Kisner is a Callaway staffer who could play all the new stuff if he wanted and he is still playing the same driver you have in an 8.5 head. All about setting it up and swing.

One of my fav heads from Callaway, regret selling it for sure. It was a beast compared to anything that couple of years, wish I could test it vs SIM or other 2020 mods. But I'm sure it's still keeping up with today's offerings.

Beat out the standard Mavrik for me

I can't get rid of my 9* GBB, either. Recently got a full bag fitting to see what, if anything, I was leaving on the table. I've played this head with the Evo II 569 stiff shaft for several years. Used that same shaft in all the 2020 models (yes, I have multiples of that shaft with nearly every OEM adapter) and this head still beat them. Not quite as forgiving across the face as some newer models, but if you don't need that type of help then it's as good as anything out there.

Some more forgiveness would be nice, but from what I've seen and what others are saying, it's very forgiving, especially toe side for me. I play Mizuno JPX 850 Forged irons and those are appropriately forgiving for me. At this point I don't think a new head would provide the same benefit on working on my driver setup/swing to bump up launch angle. Will that statement get me kicked off the site?

Have never added a second weight. So how did the dual weights affect your flight/spin? Did you add the second one for those reasons or are you playing it shorter than standard or just like the extra weight?

The GBB from that year was another one of those "slightly ahead of its time" drivers in terms of its CG location relative to the trends of the year. It is right in line with the 2016 M2 with just a slightly higher CG, just below drivers like the Titleist 917D2 and 915D3. It would probably probably be considered medium spin, medium forgiveness by today's standards, although 4 years ago it would have been on the higher end in terms of the latter. It is definitely a draw biased driver, setting the weight all the way to "fade" produces what would be close to a neutral CG bias and is also the most forgiving setting. The head would be a good candidate for some toe-side hotmelt to neutralize it's bias if it were an issue. Double stacking weights on the fade side would be a good option too.

46” and dual slider, like em heavy.

Flight is great, would like to bring spin down, just go another head, going with 1 slider and a heavy sole weight to see how it works, regardless, hit it straight and long enough as is to be on the bag.

Ventus helped bring flight to where I want it

Still playing my 15 GBB paired with an ahina 60x. Best combo (for me) that I've ever tried. I have it set with a heavier weight (up front) and the slider just to the toe side of the sweet spot.

It spins plenty but if your having trouble launching still with the cog to add loft, then you may want to try a head with more loft.

Spent some time at the range with it at +2, N with the weight still in the FADE setting while focusing more on my spine angle through impact. Definitely bumped launch up a bit and saw better hang time. Still comical how well shots hold their line and distance on toe side hits.

The 8.5° TC head was/is pretty special. Other than Kiz, Matsuyama used one for quite a while, too.

I might look for one of those, could be a tough find.

What weight does the GBB head come with in the front port and what weight are you guys going to try to reduce spin? Are the weights fairly easy to buy?