Featured ArticleBig Bertha Irons - A Brief History Big Bertha. In the world of golf, this is a name that is synonymous with forgiveness, feel, and performance. Introduced by Callaway Golf in 1994, the Big Bertha Irons began a revolution with an iron designed to push weight to the edge of the club. This unique design became the foundation upon which Callaway would continue to improve, amazing us with each and every new model. In 1996, Callaway released an updated version of the original Big Bertha Irons with a few modifications. In the new model, designers used the size of the club head and the volume of the cavity to push weight farther out to the edges of the club head. A Bore-through hosel which actually extends through the club shaft providing more stability and the feel that is expected of all Callaway products. The Sole was modified slightly model to allow for the club to pass through poor lies with even less friction than the before. Callaway also introduced the Big Bertha Gold Series Iron in 1996. Using the prototype of the original Big Bertha Iron, designers repositioned the sweet spot, added a new contoured sole and redistributed the weight in the head. The Big Bertha Gold Series has a RCH Series 96 shaft and are manufactured from an aluminum bronze alloy for a softer feel. The Gold Series Iron retained the original's 360-degree undercut channel and the consistently thin face. The Great Big Bertha Tungsten Titanium Iron hit the course in 1997. In this design, Callaway used Titanium with a Tungsten insert to create a club head that was perfect for use in just about all conditions. The Insert represents only 15 percent of the club head volume but accounts for 40 percent of the weight, keeping the size perfect and the center of gravity exactly where it should be. The Big Bertha X-12 Irons and X-12 Pro Series Irons followed in 1998. Featuring a lower center of gravity than the original Big Bertha Irons, the X-12 was designed to help golfers get the ball airborne. The X-12's retained the 360-degree undercut channel, Callaway's patented S2H2 and Tru-Bore Technologies. The Pro-Series was designed for lower handicap golfers and featured the Less-Offset design which enables the more experienced golfer the ability to work the ball more easily. Also featured are the 360-degree undercut channel, the S2H2 and Tru-Bore Technologies. The X-12 Irons were the first Stainless Steel Irons introduced by Callaway and many believe it was this iron that set the standard for high performance irons to follow. The Steelhead X-14 Irons followed the X-12 in 2000 and quickly became the best-selling Iron in Callaway history. Also offered in a Pro-Series, the X-14 featured stainless steel construction and Callaway's Variable Face Thickness (VFT) Technology that ensured a perfectly located center of gravity (COG). Optimized in the long, mid and the short iron, the Face Thickness tapered from top to bottom and heel to toe. The Pro-Series designed for the advanced golfer was designed with Less-Offset than the regular X-14 Callaway's original Big Bertha Irons were upgraded once more in 2002. In this iron set, Callaway added all of it's latest technologies which retaining the original and very popular appearance and shape the Big Bertha Irons were known for. These technologies took the game of the golfer using them to a whole new level with increased forgiveness and maximum performance. Also introduced in 2002 was the Hawk Eye VFT Irons. Quite simply, in this set, Callaway simply used all of their design knowledge and added the titanium package. The most popular addition to the Hawk Eye VFT irons, however, was the internal weight pocket that allowed designers to position the mass deep and low across the clubface. This design provides for unequaled trajectory without sacrificing forgiveness or feel. The following year, Callaway went back to the drawing board to create the new Steelhead X-16 and the Steelhead X-16 Pro-Series. Changes included a shorter blade length and wider topline plus the addition of Callaway's latest technology, Notch Weighting. The X-16 features included a low center of gravity, a cambered sole, and a satin finish. The Pro-Series were given a more blade-like design, Less-Offset, a thinner topline, narrower sole, and a straighter leading edge. In 2004 and 2006, Callaway added two more models to the original Big Bertha Irons as and in 2005, introduced the X-18, the X-18 Pro-Series, the X-Tour Irons and the Big Bertha Fusion Irons. Proving once more than theirs is not a company to rest on it's laurels. Known today as the leader and trendsetter in game improvement, Callaway Golf continues to do it's best to make us better on the course.
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