Equipment
Callaway launches new Big Bertha Irons and Hybrids
Callaway has today announced the introduction of its new Big Bertha Irons and hybrids, which feature a thinner club face and optimized center of gravity, designed to provide easier launch and greater distance.
Big Bertha Irons

Following on from the 2016 Big Bertha OS Irons line, which showcased Callaway’s EXO-Cage technology, these new Big Bertha irons will feature the company’s brand new Suspended Energy Core. The Suspended Energy Core features a Metal Injection Molded (MIM’d) Tungsten Floating Weight suspended within a urethane microsphere material to create a deeper center of gravity. According to Callaway, this yields easy launch, longer, and more consistent golf shots.

The Big Bertha Irons will also feature Callaway’s 360 Face Cup, which employs a flexible rim around the face that flexes and releases at impact — this aims to increase ball speed. Owing to the new Suspended Energy Core, this will be Callaway’s thinnest face cup yet, which the company says results in increased ball speeds.
Callaway’s new Big Bertha Irons will be available with Recoil ESX, Recoil ZT9, and KBS Max 90 shafts. The irons hit the shelves on Jan. 18 and will cost $1,200 in steel and $1,300 in graphite.
Big Bertha Hybrids

The new Big Bertha Hybrids will feature Jailbreak Technology, which Callaway first introduced in 2017 with the Epic line. The technology, which was created with the aim of promoting faster ball speed and greater distance, incorporates two internal bars that stiffen the body, placing more impact load on the face. It proved to be a very popular addition from Callaway, and in their new Big Bertha Hybrids, the company have combined this technology with a new shorter and lighter OptiFit Hosel System designed to optimize the center of gravity for an easier launch and a higher, long-carrying flight.

The new hybrids from Callaway also feature an ultra-thin, Carpenter 455 steel face and Hyper Speed Face Cup, with the combination designed to create optimum ballspeed across the face.
The Big Bertha Hybrids will be available in both premium Recoil ESX and ZT9 Shafts, and they will be in stores on Jan. 18 for $269.99 each.

A special thanks to our Brian Knudson for braving the chill and doing his best to find a few blades of green grass for the outdoor, in-hand photos readers prefer.
Equipment
Neal Shipley, AKA, the “Big Fridge’s,” custom stamping
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.

“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
Equipment
From the GolfWRX Classifieds: L.A.B. Purple DF3 with Masters cover
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.

From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Whats in the Bag
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4

3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms

Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80

Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105

Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

ogo
Jan 7, 2019 at 10:42 pm
A WILLIAM ROSS PATENT SPRING-FACE IRON, CIRCA 1893
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2007/the-jeffery-b-ellis-antique-golf-club-collection-n08380/lot.379.html
•
Well… so much for Callaway innovative “engineering” superiority… 😮
ogo no
Jul 17, 2019 at 5:11 pm
Pathetic comparison. Pretty lame.
Piter
Dec 7, 2018 at 4:20 pm
Very similar looking to the Callaway FT from a few years back. I like the look though.
I never buy a current model so price doesn’t bother me, it will come down eventually. If the same applies to irons as with drivers (about 1 yard distance gain for each new model per year) I will wait for 5+ years..
Ron
Nov 14, 2018 at 1:04 pm
I’ll wait for the GREAT Big Bertha irons for even more distance claims. GBB all the way!!
Paulie C
Nov 14, 2018 at 11:47 am
Ridiculous that a set of irons have to be this much money. They’re at a point where the ball speed leaving the faces are maxed out. Golf balls can’t legally go any further. Been that way for years yet every year we hear about picking up an extra 6-7 yards per club. Every year the faces get thinner too. In what? Laboratory testing? They shave .000000037 off the face just so they can say they’re more forgiving and higher launching than the previous model. Keep ’em!
Roy
Nov 14, 2018 at 9:45 pm
Thought COR only applied to drivers?? That aside – why is it so hard to. Elite e that a bigger budget leads to a better product. But no worries,sure there were lots of guys questioning how they would improve the Model T
ogo
Nov 13, 2018 at 5:49 pm
OMG!!! … OMG!!! … OMG!!!!!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKiSX8qYL3M
Ron
Nov 14, 2018 at 1:00 pm
LOL … LOL … LOL … TOO FUNNY 😀
jim
Nov 13, 2018 at 5:33 pm
I see all the Callaway Haters are out. It is the Big Bertha iron, it will do what is is suppose to do for the players that it needs to do it for…..Launch easily! yes, and of course will go further than its predecessor. That is not a good thing? If you don’t like them or they are not for you then simply move on, not a big deal. But if you think they might be, go try them. Is that so hard?
Tom
Nov 13, 2018 at 6:51 pm
jim, what department at Callaway do you work in…..lol!Its not just Callaway, nobody has anything different, except cosmetics….sellers be sellin! Save your money!
Tom
Nov 13, 2018 at 1:00 pm
Well, its pretty obvious the club manufactures have absolutely nothing new….so they jack up lofts and tell you that’s better…..what a joke!Save your money. Sellers be sellin!
Speedy
Nov 13, 2018 at 12:54 pm
An awful looking club that deserves its ridiculous price point. Is Callaway losing it?
RR
Nov 13, 2018 at 10:39 am
I used to have a SGI set of Wilson Di5’s. I used to fly the green all the time and take penalty strokes. The 9 iron would fly 190 on a pure strike. Crazy! It was like a hitting the ball with a trampoline. I now miss the green short with forged irons sometimes but I am always in bounds. These shovel sets are getting over the top…..but I will be old with a slow swing speed one day and will still want to golf so keep on improving that tech!
Johnny Penso
Nov 14, 2018 at 12:24 am
Odd. I have a set of Di-7’s I picked up last winter for $75 that I played 20 times with this year and never hit a single flyer. I guess the physics in mine were different than yours.
dat
Nov 13, 2018 at 10:30 am
Hideous, jacked, no feel, ultra expensive. These will sell well because your average Joe can hit his 7i in a simulator 175, which is 6 yards longer than his set from 2009.
JP
Nov 13, 2018 at 9:55 am
Recycled tech and jacked lofts. The offset looks terrible.
Go back to what you do best. Woods
Young Tom Morris
Nov 13, 2018 at 8:50 am
Have fun launching a pw 20 yards over the green. Nobody needs these.
Corey
Nov 13, 2018 at 8:03 am
Callaway losing their minds on pricing…
jeremy
Nov 13, 2018 at 9:46 am
Most fitted club at Club Champion this year was the P790…. Had a price point… oh yeah, $1300 per set…….. need to do some research
Corey
Nov 13, 2018 at 7:39 pm
790s at least involved new tech for TM that would account for the price. These appear to just be a recycle for Cally. I don’t need to do any research, thanks for the tip though…