Big Bertha (golf club)
Encyclopedia
Big Bertha is the name given by Callaway Golf
to a number of its lines of golf clubs
. The name was chosen to evoke the famous German
Big Bertha howitzer
.
The original Big Bertha driver was launched in 1991. At the time, its design was considered highly modern and a radical departure from older drivers: it was crafted entirely of stainless steel
and the head had a volume of 190 cm³. Most other drivers were still made of persimmon
wood and had smaller heads. (By way of comparison, many drivers of recent years have head sizes up to the USGA legal maximum of 460 cm³ and are made of more exotic materials such as titanium
.)
Since the introduction of the original Big Bertha, Callaway has introduced further clubs and lines of clubs with similar names, such as the "Great Big Bertha", the "Biggest Big Bertha", and titanium versions of the clubs. In 2003, they introduced the "Great Big Bertha II," and in 2004, the "Big Bertha 454." They have also introduced two lines of irons using the name.
Callaway Golf
Callaway Golf Company is a global sporting goods company that designs, manufactures, markets and sells golf equipment, golf accessories and golf lifestyle-related products in more than 70 countries worldwide...
to a number of its lines of golf clubs
Golf club (equipment)
A golf club is used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a clubhead. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; Hybrids that combine design elements of woods and...
. The name was chosen to evoke the famous German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Big Bertha howitzer
Big Bertha (Howitzer)
Big Bertha Bertha") is the name of a type of super-heavy howitzer developed by the famous armaments manufacturer Krupp in Germany on the eve of World War I...
.
The original Big Bertha driver was launched in 1991. At the time, its design was considered highly modern and a radical departure from older drivers: it was crafted entirely of stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
and the head had a volume of 190 cm³. Most other drivers were still made of persimmon
Persimmon
A persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus Diospyros in the ebony wood family . The word Diospyros means "the fire of Zeus" in ancient Greek. As a tree, it is a perennial plant...
wood and had smaller heads. (By way of comparison, many drivers of recent years have head sizes up to the USGA legal maximum of 460 cm³ and are made of more exotic materials such as titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
.)
Since the introduction of the original Big Bertha, Callaway has introduced further clubs and lines of clubs with similar names, such as the "Great Big Bertha", the "Biggest Big Bertha", and titanium versions of the clubs. In 2003, they introduced the "Great Big Bertha II," and in 2004, the "Big Bertha 454." They have also introduced two lines of irons using the name.