The Callaway Big Bertha Diablo Driver is what we like to call a beast of a club. There are certain clubs that look mean, certain clubs that have a real technological look and feel and then there are clubs that were made to just (in the words of Tin Cup) Grip it and Rip it. The Big Bertha Diablo Driver in my opinion is one of the latter.

Callaway have managed to get the horns into the design but only in the form of a logo on the face and bottom of the club as you can see from the images below. When we arrived at the driving range with the Diablo Driver we were actually really pleased with it, before a ball was hit the general practice swings felt good and smooth along with a really nice ball address. Then we tried it with a ball…..

OK Sales bumph below before we go into all that…

CALLAWAY Big Bertha Diablo Neutral Driver Callaway Big Bertha Diablo Neutral Driver Finally, a driver that combines wicked power and distance with the generous sweet spot Callaway Golf s Big Bertha is famous for. Edge Technology provides a high MOI ) and an optimized center of gravity location for this Diablo Neutral Driver that produces long, penetrating ball flights with the desired shot shape. It also helps golfers release the club at impact with full power, especially when swinging aggressively. Hyperbolic Face Technology increases ball speed across the entire face of the club helping send balls further down the fairway, even on miss-hits. Features: Hyperbolic Face Technology: creates Callaway s highest ever ball speeds across the entire face Edge Technology: optimizes CG location and ball flights with a higher MOI and helps release the club at impact with max power Neutral head shape allows you to select a driver that will most benefit your typical shot shape S2H2 Design increases discretionary weight to add stability

Sounds complicated doesn’t it? Well basically it is far more complicated than it needs to be and lets face it you are here for a proper golf club review on what the club is actually like. So carrying on from where we left off….

The club strikes the ball with one of the most thumping sounds I have heard from a golf club in the last 3 years, ever since the Nike Square thingy that made that horrible thwack sound, this club is as predicted a beast. For the higher handicapped golfer this club would probably help reduce their score a little but it may take a little getting used to as do all new higher end clubs. However this club as a very large sweet spot on it and if you are a little erratic when it comes to your drives then this could be the club for you.

Slowing down your swing and building up a little at a time would benefit you greatly with this club as it would no doubt give a greater and more forgiving shot if you nurtured your swing to work with the Callaway Big Bertha Diablo Driver. For the lower handicapper then if you are looking for a big benefit from a new driver you would probably not get as much from it as a higher handicapper but the 9 degree face is a beauty if you catch it right.

Not one to state things from the ministry of the absolutely obvious but the Callaway Big Bertha Irons 2008 version look a little different to your average set of irons. Callaway as with every other club manufacturer claim that this “Revolutionary Technology!” will see you “Hitting straighter and further than you eve have before. Hmmmm sounds familiar doesn’t it.

Starting off have a look at the sales bumph (pay special attention to the i-Brid part):

Callaway Golf Mens RH Big Bertha Irons Uniflex Flex 3-PW (8 clubs) Technology Redefining the look, feel and forgiveness of super game-improvement irons. The most forgiving all-stainless steel set of golf clubs we’ve ever made. The new Big Bertha Iron set takes forgiveness to new heights by integrating a set of clubs featuring the new i-brids – clubs designed to replace hard-to-hit long irons – and transitioning that set into traditionally shaped irons. I-Brids™ – Clubs that blend the control and accuracy of irons with the forgiveness, distance and versatility of hybrids. The low, deep CG helps get the ball in the air quickly and easily, and the extremely wide sole improves turf interaction. Super Game-Improvement Mid and Short Irons – Designed for the ultimate in forgiveness with increased offset, a large effective hitting area and a constant width sole for better turf interaction. Fully Integrated Set Design – Seamless performance progression throughout the set provides consistent distance separation with optimal trajectories. Callaway Golf Core Technologies – Extreme Notch Weighting redistributes more weight to the perimeter for a higher MOI. VFT® Technology maximizes ball speed and perimeter weighting for more distance and forgiveness; S2H2® increases discretionary weight by removing it from the hosel and repositioning it in the perimeter of the clubhead; 360-Degree Undercut Channel maximizes perimeter weighting by moving the CG lower and farther back.

So instead of the hybrid clubs they use a very special technology to make the club feel and handle like an iron but look like and act like a hybrid, confused yet? I was so I took the clubs to the range to see what this extension of the normal iron was going to do to my game.

They are light weight at the lower end of the range from 7iron through to the wedge but the higher clubs 3, 4 and 5 are heavier. The reason for this is that they are there to give better distance using the same theory as a hybrid club. After hitting a few rather average shots over a period of 5 minutes I decided to put the clubs down and consult with the club pro, because something wasn’t quite right and I have been playing pretty well of late.

My good friend Miguel told me that I was over compensating for the clubs and should treat them as irons and not hybrids. This made all the difference. Swinging through the ball I noticed that I was getting good flight and straight solid shots. I then decided to let my good friend RT out with them, he has a 28 handicap and a horrible hook at the moment as well.

The result was very favorable increasing his accuracy by around 10% and in his own words “I think I could get a pretty good score with a set of these you know!” I would say that was a fairly good endorsement of the clubs.

My problem at the moment is I have tried a number of Callaway and Big Bertha clubs in the past few months and in the case of the Squareway I actually purchased the clubs. Having always been a fan and done very well with King Cobra Golf Clubs in the past I am very quickly seeing that my game could improve with a change of make in my bag.

With this in mind I set out on the course for 18 holes with the Callaway 2008 Big Bertha Irons and although it took me a few holes to actually get going the overall improvement on my game was noticeable to both me and my playing partner who remarked “Your playing on your own again next week, either that or I want 4 more shots a round!”

The Uniflex shaft is very good but if you have a higher speed then you will benefit from the Stiff shaft, there is also a ladies and senior shaft.

Now I haven’t made a solid decision yet as I need to check and see what my budget will allow but is I find I have the spare cash then a set of these clubs could well end up in my bag by the end of June for the next medal outing. This is the one downside to the Callaway 2008 Big Bertha Irons the price although much less than the high end Callaway clubs that require a lotto win in order to pick them up in the shop let alone put them in your bag.

All in all a nice idea and gives a good solid improvement to the average golfers game.

Anyone that knows me and my game is more than aware that I have an problem with fairway woods. Yes the old 3 wood, 5 wood and 7 wood hardly ever get into my bag let alone used when they do make it in there. So I was a little surprised to find myself in the fairway wood section of the club shop earlier today with a 3 wood in my hand. This however was no normal 3 wood, Callaway have done it again changed a straight forward club and turned it square! The Callaway FT-i Squareway Fairway Wood looks different and offers something a little extra.

As per normal with anything Callaway I was given the appropriate information that as normal means absolutely nothing to around 80% of golfers and I have included it below in the sales bumph:

Callaway FT-i Squareway Fairway Wood – RH Graphite The revolutionary design of the FT-i Driver progresses into the fairway woods. The FT-i Squareway Woods from Callaway are bound to help you get it out of the rough and onto the green. Like the FT-i Driver did for drivers, did for drivers, the FT-i Squareway Woods set a new standard in fairway woods. With a moment of inertia (MOI) approaching that of our best-selling drivers, they are the most forgiving fairway woods Callaway has ever created. The Squareway Inertial Design positions discretionary weight to the extreme corners of the clubhead, raising the MOI for unparalleled resistance to twisting. The result is straighter and more forgiving shots hit over a wide area of the face. Multi-material construction combines a stainless steel face, sole and body with a lightweight, carbon composite crown so Callaway Golf engineers can move discretionary weight where it is needed most. An oversized head shape allows for a higher MOI to increase forgiveness and stability at impact for better accuracy. VFT Technology maximizes ball speed and perimeter weighting for more distance and forgiveness S2H2 increases discretionary weight by removing it from the hosel and repositioning it in the perimeter of the clubhead.

The Callaway FT-i Squareway Fairway Woods are available in 3,5 and 7 woods which are the following lofts:

So is it any good? Well I took my left handed 28 handicap buddy with me to the driving range so we could put the club (both left and right handed) to the test to see if it lived up to its own advertising. After around 10 balls I started to get into the swing of things and the ability to hit the ball with a fairway wood started to come back into life. I am going to say that I had a regular flex Fujikura shaft which was completely perfect for my club head speed of around 87mph. I was hitting straighter and longer than I could with the rescue club I have been using instead of the woods.

My good friend RT was also impressed, although not completely successful with every swing when striking the ball off the surface when he did it was around 75% of the time and it was clean and with a good distance on it, this was also with the Fujikura regular flex shaft and there was talk of him replacing his Mizuno woods with a nice new set of Callaway FT-i Squareway fairway woods.

I on the other hand was very impressed and once I have played 18 holes with the Callaway FT-i Squareway fairway 3 wood as long as I have no major issues, and by major I mean should the club burst into flames or something like that, I will be purchasing the club to add to my bag. Its a great club, easy to hold and comfortable to swing on top of that it strikes the ball beautifully. For once I have nothing bad to say about a club, think I might have to go get myself checked at the docs!

The first thing I noticed before I had even picked it up was the fact that it has this kind of go faster wing around the top of the head, it hard to describe it is supposed to be a groove and create less drag on the swing it does make the TaylorMade Tour Burner TP a little more distinctive. Next thing was the weight, it is according to the bumph 17% lighter than other drivers and it does actually feel much lighter in the initial pick up of the club. Then you swing it and the club is noticeably lighter through the whole motion of the swing.

Sales bumph below:

TaylorMade Tour Burner More legendary burner speed and power for the serious golfer. * Dual crown and weighted power-base promote increased carry and distance * Modern head shape promotes lower, deeper and precision-placed CG for higher launch angle and lower spin * SuperFast Technology promotes increased swing speed, faster ball speed and added distance * Inverted Cone Technology dramatically expands the portion of the clubface that delivers high COR for consistently longer drives on off-center hits * SuperFast 60-gram shaft is exceptionally lightweight and stable to promote greater distance and accuracy

Now where I would normally stick with clubs that are suitable for the average club player in my opinon this is for the more advanced golfer, basically anyone with a 15 or higher handicap is going to struggle to get to grips with this club quickly. It took me a while to get used to the lighter weight and the faster head speed that came with the lighter weigh. Also the Superfast 60 gram shaft is designed to give max distance and if you have a slower swing speed this will effect your ball control as it will twist less in the swing effecting your impact zone.

The club is priced by Austad’s at $399.95 and if you are an improving player looking for a club to increase distance I would advise going for a different club, either the Callaway FT-5 or the Nike Sumo2 5900 range which has a better accuracy for the higher handicapper and although the sound is wrong (oh so wrong) the clubs themselves offer a good range of improvement for the higher handicapper.

All in all the TaylorMade Tour Burner TP is a very good club that takes technology of the game to yet another level with reduction in weight and the increase in head speed. The unfortunate thing is that it will mean that courses need to increase their lengths in order to keep par 4 challenging.

There is sales bumph as you can imagine:

TaylorMade Tour Burner Driver – New for 2008 ! Pre Book for Mid April Delivery ! Features Dual crown with small, thin top with large, weighted power-base has a low, precision-placed center of gravity for low, tour-caliber spin and longer distance at higher swing speeds Inverted Cone Technology promotes a fast ball speed from a larger portion of the face for longer distance on off-center hits 60-g SuperFast shafts are engineered for faster swing speeds and increased distance RE*AX SuperFast 60 shaft by Fujikura Shaft Torque: 3.1 except for Flex R (3.2) Tip Size: .350 in Butt Diameter: .600 in Grip: TV Lite 60 Grip Weight: 44 g

Now having seen that there is an offer to pre-order I am guessing that there is a big price tag attached to this new beast of a driver that offers low spin and higher trajectory but the TaylorMade Tour Burner Driver looks the part before I have even come close to getting to grips with it I have a feeling it is going to be a nice club, but I thought that about the Nike Sumo2 5900 as well so watch this space I will get hold of one this week and tell all.

But if you want to catch a glimpse of it (and lets face it that is all it will be to start with) see if you can see Mike Weir at the Masters today he is apparently carrying one in his bag at the moment.

QUICK UPDATE
I have managed to get hold of the TaylorMade Tour Burner Driver today so will drop an update to the site tomorrow.

I have attached the photo below so you can see why I am completely jealous of her this week and think she truly does have the worlds best job sometimes:

Yes she is at the Masters this week, not only is she there but she gets to see all the action close up as you can see she is caddying this week as well.

Now having spent some of the week with Janet during the Andalucia Open two weeks ago I can tell you that being a caddy is not a glamorous position and that a great deal of it is standing around while your golfer practices before you have to carry their clubs around the course that you would rather be playing. It does however have other advantages as you will see from the photographs on Janet’s Caddie Travel website where she sells and promotes her photography from around the globe.

Thanks for making me jealous bloke stuck in rainy Spain this week Jan! )

So this has seen me off on a course to learn a little about video and how to point a camera, its still not perfect but it is much better than it was. I have also managed to get a few more demo days lined up which I will be attending with the camera by my side to ask as many questions as I possibly can.

Easter Sunday just around the corner and some important events coming up in the golfing world. To follow this that week we will be taking a spin around Club de Golf Aloha which will see the European Tour take to its fairways once more this year. We will be chatting with members who play the course week in and week out as well as some of the top players in the game and will be asking if it is possible to stop Tiger Woods this season.

So even though it has been a little quiet here at Online Golfer this month so far there is plenty to come and it is going to be a busy summer I can promise you that.

A slightly new approach this month as reviews will be looking at some of the more outrageous products on the market such as some of the strange putter designs that Nike have been producing.

I will also be interviewing some of the Caddy’s on the European tour, they are the ones that really know what is happening and we will be introducing a photo blog and possibly some videos shot from the inside of the tour. The best bit of all is that it would seem that the Caddy (who for now shall remain a secret) has the full support of the European Tour to do all of this.

On the subject of the European Tour, we will be heading up to the Marbella event at Club de Golf Aloha to give you a slightly different view this year, we are going to give you a video tour so you know what it is all about.

While we are at the event we will be bringing you updates direct from the course onto the blog as well as, all being well and video camera permitting, interviews with players. The event this year even though the entry list is still open should pull a very exciting field this year as the event is two weeks before The Masters at Augusta so all the major players will be using this event and that in Portugal the week after as a warm up.

We will also be introducing some guest writers and bringing you a whole bunch of new hints and tips. There is also news of a shop on the horizon with discounts and great deals. The aim is to really celebrate the month of our first birthday in style and we are looking forward to sharing all of this with you. Make sure you grab our RSS feed and keep up to date with what is going on.

Its been a busy week for me, as I mentioned on twitter to Golf Girl Patricia Hannigan earlier this week the weather has changed back to blue skies and fantastic sunshine and it has been a complete return to the course and getting in as much golf as possible. So it was time for me to take the Cleveland Hibore XLS out on the course for a proper outing.

Having already taken the Cleveland Hibore XL 2007 out to the range in the pooring rain I have to say I am a little impressed at the smooth look and feel of the club. It sits right in your hands and has a natural look to it even with its sunken back.

Sales bumph below:

Cleveland Hibore XLS Gold 2008 Driver – RH Graphite Higher inertia = more consistency across the face = more shots go longer and straighter = tighter shot dispersion down the range.Introducing the new XLS series from Cleveland Golf. With Distance Driven Geometry, Full Face Performance, and and Energy Transfer Core, this entire line of clubs is bound to have you playing and looking your best. Distance Driven Geometry: Moves weight lower and deeper in the club head. This optimized Center of Gravity location aligns the Center of Gravity Projection with the C.O.R. Hot Spot in the center of the face, resulting in optimal launch conditions and greater overall distance. Full Face Performance: Alignment of Sweet Spot and C.O.R. Hot Spot produces optimal launch conditions over a large area of the face, maximizing ball-speed for increased driving distance. Energy Transfer Core: An engineered system of thin, lightweight titanium spines directs impact energy to the ball to create more efficient energy transfer and high ball speeds from impact locations. HiBORE XLS Draw Driver: This club is designed for players who tend to fade or slice. A forward hosel design, internal heel weighting, and a draw biased face combine to eliminate slices and maximize distance. A 3o closed face promotes a draw flight. At 17% larger than the HiBORE XL, the face is Cleveland’s largest ever and among the biggest on the market. Full Face Performance (FFP) extends the “Hot Zone” of maximum .830 COR across a larger portion of the face creating more distance from both solid shots and mishits alike. Features maximum USGA club head dimensions to push the MOI limit. 5300 MOI represents a 13% increase from the HiBORE XL for control off the tee leading to straighter drives. Heel and toe “stability foils” signify where weight has been added to the perimeter of the clubhead to maximize stability. Gold Standard Trajectory Shaft: Low-Mid kickpoint and active tip section for increased launch angle. Higher ball speed and optimal trajectory results in maximum distance with smooth feel at impact.

Now the first thing I noticed about this club is the club head it is massive compared to the 2007 version. The Cleveland Hibore XLS 2008 has a club face that is around (according to the bumph) 17% larger than the previous version. This means it has a larger sweet spot and is a lot more forgiving for those golfers looking to take their club head speed up a level and still get the control.

The technology the club uses means that the weight from the back of the club is channeled directly into the sweet spot giving a greater control of the club face at point of impact.

At the moment there are so many new drivers hitting the market it is impossible to say that any of them don’t meet up to being a good club to have in your bag because of the fact that technology is making clubs better and easier to use. The Cleveland Hibore XLS Gold is no exception its not as long as the Nike Sumo2 SQ 5900 Driver but because of the size of the club face the control is in my opinion as good. One special thing that Cleveland have added is a little hologram that turns yellow to show that the club is genuine see if the fakers can crack that one. Cost of the club is around $299 and I personally feel it is a good driver.

I am a fairly big fan of the Cleveland lob wedges but have always steered clear of their other clubs, so seeing the Cleveland HiBore CL 460 Ti with the Gold shaft in the pro shop today it was time to break the norm and take it for a test. Its out on the covered range for the test as the weather is still bad and the course is alas closed.

Now I am used to a driver being a large club head and I am slowly coming around to the new HiBore designs that have the dipped back, which gives in my opinion better ball control. The Cleveland Hibore XL 460 Ti has this very design and as in my previous experience with the clubs of this design it has that control but it also has a few differences that surprised me a little.

First off some sales bumph below:

Cleveland HiBore XL 460 Ti Gold Driver – RH Graphite The Cleveland HiBORE XL driver features a special geometry that moves weight lower and deeper into the clubhead, optimizing the center of gravity (CG) location for ideal launch conditions. For maximum ball speed, the XL has a larger sweet spot compared to traditional large-volume drivers and, paired with the deep CG, its high moment of inertia (MOI) increases stability on off-center hits. The result is greater overall distance and tighter shot dispersion over the entire face. Distance Driven Geometry: Moves weight lower and deeper in the clubhead to optimize CG location with the C.O.R. Hot Spot for optimal launch conditions. Full Face Performance: Alignment of the Sweet Spot with the C.O.R. Hot Spot produces optimal launch conditions for efficient energy transfer High Moment of Inertia: High MOI and deeper CG provide increased stability on off-center hits, leading to greater distance and a tighter shot dispersion over the entire face. Gold Shaft Low/Mid Kick Point 60g Shaft 3.5 Torque

The club gives good control of each shot and when hitting slightly off centre it is forgiving as with most clubs these days, but the Cleveland HiBore XL Driver also has a good control of trajectory. What I mean by this is with different tee heights still produced a solid trajectory of the ball, this isn’t always the case but I found this club very consistent.

The one thing I did find with the Cleveland HiBore XL Ti was that when I tee’d up for a lower trajectory and a slightly topped ball missed the sweet spot completely and resulted in what can only be described as ugly sound and an even uglier shot, this wasn’t forgiving.

Overall though a nice club and more affordable than some of the other clubs as it currently has $100 off due to the release of the new driver Cleveland have released, which I will be taking a look at next week, when I hope the weather is a little better than when I tested the Cleveland HiBore XL 460 Ti Driver cause to say I got wet was an understatement even under the covers of the range!