How Callaway Big Bertha Golf Clubs Made History

Ely Callaway, founder of Callaway Golf, chose the name Big Bertha for the driver he introduced in 1991. He borrowed the name from a German WWI howitzer, nicknamed Big Bertha because of its massive size and power.

The Big Bertha driver was revolutionary at the time for its fully stainless steel construction during a time when many golfers still used traditional wooden drivers. The head of the original Big Bertha, while small by today's standards, was quite large by 1991 standards, which immediately set the club apart from competitors.

Besides setting a new standard for size and materials, the Big Bertha driver was revolutionary in that it put more weight around the perimeter of the club-head, resulting in a thinner, more forgiving club-face. The design instantly enlarged the sweet spot compared to persimmon drivers, while remaining lightweight.

This Big Bertha driver is suitable for players who tend to slice their ball or struggle to find consistency in ball flight. While Big Bertha will allow you to hit it long because of its larger sweet spot, its forgiveness accommodates players of all abilities.

Following the success of the original Big Bertha Driver, Big Bertha irons were introduced in 1994. Similar to the driver, the clubs' oversized club-face and large, highly forgiving sweet spot targeted high-handicap golfers.

The original Big Bertha driver launched in 1991, and during that time was considered to be massive because most golfers were still using persimmon drivers. Made of stainless steel, Big Bertha OG clocked in at 190cc.

Big Bertha’s large sweet spot, which provided a new level of forgiveness, separated the line from its competitors. Designers eliminated the neck of the club by extending the shaft through the club head which created more energy at impact. At 190cc, the 1991 driver was only about 40% of today’s 460cc drivers, and is more comparable to today’s 3-woods, which have club-heads in the 175cc neighborhood.

Callaway has released dozens of models in the Big Bertha lineup since the original release in 1991.

Although the Big Bertha line was designed to help high-handicappers play better, touring pros benefit from other clubs in the Callaway lineup. Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Henrik Stenson, and Xander Schauffele headline a group of more than three dozen Callaway staffers on the PGA Tour. Callaway also has more than 50 players on staff among the LPGA, Korn Ferry and Champions Tours, including icons like David Leadbetter, Annika Sorenstam and Pete Cowan.

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