Callaway Big Bertha B-21 Driver Review

This driver is a perfect fit for you if you slice the golf ball. No one is better than Callaway when it comes to releasing niche-focused quality products and this product of Callaway the Big Bertha B-21 driver is no exception. Callaway has a history of off season launches as they come up with some of the best and most unexpected products in their off-cycle launches. Be it the release of FT Optiforce in 2013 with Callaway make its way in the unchartered territory with its light and long driver, the Big Bertha Fusion in 2016 which got billed as the most forgiving driver ever by Callaway or the 2017 Epic Star launch. Among all the drivers launched by Callaway till now, the Big Bertha B-21 is the best of the lot, fulfilling the driver market’s greatest need. 

The Callaway Big Bertha B-21 driver promises the holy grail of driver performance, providing you with a combination of forgiveness and low spin along with a bit of slice- fighting capability which is included for good measure. This driver has those golfers as its target users who often struggle with a miss to the right and especially in a shot pattern which is accentuated due to the excessive spin from a downward attack angle. This is actually where the golf ball travels across the fairway and not under it. The described shot pattern is quite popular among the amateur golfers but in terms of appeal, it is somewhat limited. It immediately removes any player who draws the ball or whose bad shot is a hook, provided that this driver has even more draw bias built in as compared to the Mavrik Max. 

The Callaway Big Bertha B-21 driver is an ultimate slice killer or to be more precise is a spin reducer. This driver is a draw-biased spin reducer which is extremely forgiving. It has a modern touch to it due to the blue carbon crown with red lines and a generous footprint at address. This driver is a reminiscent of the Big Bertha Fusion driver but comparatively its less dramatic. The driver has a light feel, partly down to the 55g shaft and a solid but explosive feel off the middle. Also, it was noticeably stable on the usual mishits too. 

When we talk about the anti-slice driver market, there’s an interesting contrast. You can notice that in majority of the designs there’s a good bit of the anti-slice benefit which comes from the heel-dominant weighting and upright lie angles. Most of these drivers tend to be rear and often mid to high center of gravity designs. When it comes to shot shape correction, the former one is better whereas for an increased spin, the latter one is perfect. Usually, a good bit of anti-slice design is aimed at correcting for excessive spin with the least effort being made to prevent it. The Callaway Big Bertha B-21 tries to treat this problem a bit closer to the source. With this driver, Callaway has pulled a couple of the standard anti-slice levers, the driver being draw biased and upright but the overarching premise behind the deign of this driver is to reduce the slice by cutting the spin significantly. 

B-21 Design 

When it comes to the design of the driver, here in this particular model, the focus is not on spin reduction. Though this is a big challenge in a fairway wood where the one of the major concerns is getting your golf ball off the ground. 

The B-21 Fairway wood has an oversized head and a lower leading edge. The focus here is on getting the face below the ball without having to dig much which, in turn, helps you get the ball in the air. This is a problem which is prevalent among the high-handicap and some mid-handicap players. 

The main objective here is to get an easy and high launch. The Callaway Big Bertha B-21 fairway has as shallow profile which provides you with a bit more confidence standing over the ball and is also visibly offset which helps correct for a slice. It seems as if someone has stepped on a normal fairway wood and flattened out a bit but is not really over the top. It is similar to the offset which is subtle enough and helps you in your game. 

B-21 Technology 

 It is equipped with the latest driver technology which helps the golfers with average speeds to hit shots both further as well as straighter. It has Jailbreak bars on the back of the face to max out ball speed from whatever swing speed the golfer can muster. The driver combines a unique mix of forward CG, low spin and high MOI performance for players who suffer with a distance zapping slice.

B-21 Look 

As far as the looks of the driver is concerned, the Big Bertha B-21 is a bit unconventional being a bit elongated and unapologetically triangular. It is designed in such a shape so as to steal back a bit of conventional MOI and provide the golfer with something that looks a bit larger at address than a typical low spin design. It also features a reduced face progression and is less onset as compared to a typical driver. Aesthetically, this driver is very pleasing and has a very fine detail and is worth having in your golf bag. 

Unique and purpose-driven faces 

As for the majority of Callaway’s AI-assisted faces, each loft has a unique design. The 3-wood is built with the aim of helping in increasing the launch. Here, the speed preservation is the key focus as when the lofts get higher, it’s not much of a concern. 

Feel & Sound of driver 

The Callaway Big Bertha B-21 has a unique feel and is light with the stock shaft. Holding it you feel like swinging a premium club. It has a kind of dynamic and solid impact and overall is very impressive. When hit from the sweet spot, its sound is crisp and strikes a good balance between being loud and muted. 

Performance of Callaway Big Bertha B-21 Driver

There was a test conducted where the driver was tried by the golfers with handicaps of 17 or higher. The backspin figures were somewhat between 3000 to 4000 rpm. If we compare these numbers with that of the PGA TOUR which is around 2600 rpm, it is quite good. Generally, for the amateurs who have moderate to high swing speeds of and are looking to maximize distance, this is a pretty good option. 

Also, a significant reduction in spin was noticed. If we see, on the high side, the driver dropped the spin by 600-700 rpm which is excellent. Due to the reduction in spin, the golfers were able to focus on the intended target without having to aim at left to offset their slice. 

This driver is a lot straighter and longer too as no distance is lost when there’s a high spin curving shot. It might not be wrong to say that Callaway has made a great and unique product for a dramatically under-served section of the market. 

Forgiveness 

As far as forgiveness is concerned, the Callaway Big Bertha B-21 has a really good forgiveness in both direction as well as speed. It has such forgiveness owing to the technology which helps in increasing the speed of the ball in mis-hit parts of the face. Here the lower spin comes with a tradeoff as this spin along with the more forward CG position results in greater variability at impact. You should go for this driver if you want a low forward CG driver having a low spin but with the most forgiveness possible. If you are not one of those natural hookers of the golf ball then you will get to hit many fairways with this driver. 

Shorter Shafts

If we compare the Big Bertha B-21 Fairways with Callaway’s traditional build, its stock lengths are a lot shorter which translates to a more centered contact which makes up for more and not just for what you give up with the shaft. I f you are someone who’s struggling with your fairway woods, consider taking a shorter shaft as that would help and improve your game significantly. 

B-21 Driver Stock Shaft – RCH

Callaway is back with its classic RCH series of shafts. The shaft is designed with the intent of adding dynamic loft in order to make it easy to launch without getting overpowered by the players having faster swing speeds. The shaft is quite stable with an active tip section. It is plated with Ion thus, adding a bit to the cost of the shaft but when it comes to the use and quality, Callaway has continued the good work. 

B-21 Fairway Woods 

Callaway has made a companion fairway wood which aims to reach the same target golfer as the driver. If you are one of those golfers who hits down, across and all over an open face, a driver might not be a great option but with a fairway wood, such issues can be amplified with the ground being there in between. 

Driver Specs, Availability & Pricing

You can get this driver in 3-wood, 5-wood, 7-wood and 9-wood lofts. The stock shaft is a Callaway RCH 40 and the stock grip, a Golf Pride Tour Velvet Soft. The driver is loft/lie adjustable via Callaway’s Opti-Fit hosel. It comes in 9, 10.5 and 12.5 degrees. 

For whom this golf driver is for?

So exactly for whom this golf driver is for. Well, if you are one of those golfers whose swing has a combination of hitting down and across the ball having an impact pattern scattered across an open face, the Callaway Big Bertha B-21 driver is the one for you. The B-21 driver is for those who utilize a large portion of the face during the course of a round. 

Also, if you are someone who is “all of the above, dependable” slice kind of a golfer then this is just the right pick for you. 

Final Verdict

The tagline for Big Bertha B-21 is “Distance any way you swing it”. And it completely justifies its performance by delivering an incredible distance. Equipped with latest technologies such as the Jailbreak, Flash Face, T2C Carbon Crown etc. while simultaneously using an ultra-low forward CG for low spin, higher launch and big distances, the Callaway Big Bertha B-21 driver is undoubtedly a great driver for all kinds of players. 

A driver like this has never been designed before and at present there’s nothing similar to this in the entire market place. You should get this driver if you want a solid, stable feel in the sweet spot with forgiveness across the face and if you are struggling with a slice. This driver is not for those who struggle with hooks or hit a natural draw and is a bit expensive as well. If you are a golfer with a faster swing speed, this driver is the best pick for you. 

Last Updated on July 13, 2024 by Tom Fiore