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Big Berthas

• geraldlarousse 1,986 Posts

  Sat, Apr 12 2014 10:48 PM

  Jimbog1964:

  geraldlarousse:

  +1 Roger

  Tried the Nike irons again. Same thing. Ding shot goes straight for the pin regardless of aim. Way to many times for my liking.

  Not seeing that.  The more I play these, and learn them the more I like them.  I do think the extra trajectory (? on that) / spin  imparted means these things will catch any cross wind more, but once allowed for struggling to fault them.  Practically any spin setting they do what's asked, and now an excellent product IMO.  Can only say what I see.

  geraldlarousse:

  Reason have not purchase them. Tried the new Drivers as well. The level 100 Nike driver blows, lol. Any headwind this thing is useless. Says good for cutting corners. Not if its not in the air and only goes 270 LOL.  On the other hand the new BB driver i find travels very well into headwind. Still i think the R1 driver rules on any course.

  Tried the L96, and in moderate winds BPB B9 was thinking it lost something in a head wind, and so thinking into a stronger one would be worse.  Interesting you say not so really, and so I  may try it more.  Round Beth I was generally getting farther down especially with any down slope / tail wind (reasons obvious).  Kind of veering with you in that I feel the R1 remains the best all round weapon though.

  geraldlarousse:

  Now the new BB 3 wood. Wow the distance is quite amazing from the fairway. Also i don't find it any less forgiving than the R11s. Very good club.

  +1.  Perhaps even the way the animation seems to show the shaft flexing even adds to it somehow lol.  Seems to clip off the tee / fway beautifully. Credit where it is due another excellent product.

   

   

   

  Yeah Jim i don't know what it is with those irons. Maybe they just don't like me. I like the slower meter, but having issues with the ball flying off line.

  The new drivers are cool eye candy, but that is all. If you have the R1 can't see spending credits for any of that. Actually the high level Nike driver was a total letdown.

  The new BB 3 wood though is the best club they have come out with by far.

   

• Chinajohn 1,190 Posts

  Sat, Apr 12 2014 11:23 PM

  Well I rented the Big Bertha Alpha Driver L96, I have the R1 and in comparison the BB is  rubbish! I tested it out on Bethpage Back 9 in practice and at Olympic in a CC tournament, those are conditions in which the BB with it's higher trajectory should have shone.

  In neutral wind it's about 3 yds short of the R1, but it's shows NO trajectory advantage whatsoever. Shots at Olympic I could clear with the R1 (#10 as an example) found the trees with the BB, also it was a lot less precise going offline on dinged shots way more often than the R1 ever does.

  No the BB is a competitor to the SLDR but not the R1. Compared to the SLDR it has about 3yds advantage and about the same trajectory and precision but from my memory of the SLDR the latter was more forgiving.

• JasonNumber100 2,909 Posts

  Sat, Apr 12 2014 11:41 PM

  I can only comment on the level 88 BB driver. I agree, Chinajohn. Compared to the SLDR it is better.

  The distance it hits is further and to me the meter feels slower. I hit a few shots off becsuse I was trying to adjust. The distance is incredible. One shot went just over 300yds into a 17mph headwind. I was outdriving my partner who had the R11s driver.

  A question. The SLDR is 9 degrees and the BB is 10.5 degrees. Which degree is better?

  The 3 wood is better than my R11. On Bethpage 2nd hole I actually manged to get it close to the hole for a birdie. I might have to treat myself for Easter.

• alberich35 858 Posts

  Sun, Apr 13 2014 12:49 AM

  Chinajohn:

  No the BB is a competitor to the SLDR but not the R1. Compared to the SLDR it has about 3yds advantage and about the same trajectory and precision but from my memory of the SLDR the latter was more forgiving.

  Have the SDLR and test the BB this WE. SDLR is more precise and forgiving, difficult to miss the fairway with it. The only thing for the BB is a litlle bit more distance which we have not to care.

• TarheelsRule 5,566 Posts

  Sun, Apr 13 2014 6:03 PM

  I tested the 3 BB three wood and driver.  My normal clus is the R1 and the R11s.

  In my opinion the BB three wood is a must havea, I hit one 295 at Merion and consistently I get better carry, stopping and 10 more yards than my R11s.

  The driver carries 5 to 8 yards longer and is much easier to control.  I'm going to buy it after the rental period ends.  At STA I can play no top spin and get 320 as a normal and I was able to driver 10 12 and 9 and slightly helping winds. 

  After this weekend I'll have both in my bag.

• mkg335 5,491 Posts

  Sun, Apr 13 2014 7:19 PM

  Agree 100% about the BB 3-wood.  Got it when it first came out and have enjoyed its power and versatility.  It can reach most par 5's at full power but is versatile enough to choke down and use backspin for long par 3's.  It's also great for the short, tight par 4's like those found at Merion.  With a healthy 15-17 mph tailwind it'll go over 300 yds.  I've already reached the green in two at Merion #4 several times, using backspin to stop at the front pin location and leave very makeable eagle putts.  With no backspin and a healthy tailwind I think one could get very close to the back pin.

  Haven't tried the BB driver but I did try the L100 Nike, almost exactly the same specs with the Nike (on paper) rated a touch more forgiving.  It's a good driver for courses like CCC and Olympic where it's so easy to drive through the fairway or clip a branch.  I still like the R1 and prefer it for moderate to high winds, so might just have to get the Nike then select driver according to course and conditions.

• Chinajohn 1,190 Posts

  Sun, Apr 13 2014 7:20 PM

  TarheelsRule:

  .....

  The driver carries 5 to 8 yards longer and is much easier to control.  I'm going to buy it after the rental period ends.  At STA I can play no top spin and get 320 as a normal and I was able to driver 10 12 and 9 and slightly helping winds. 

  After this weekend I'll have both in my bag.

  Wow, that's strange, in regards to the BB driver that is almost a polar opposite of what I found. I found the BB driver to be on average 3 yards shorter than the R1 and a LOT less precise. The longest drive I got with L71 NIke balls and a small tailwind was 311yds (at Olympic). In comparison to the R1, for me at least it wasn't even in the same league. As I said for me the L96 BB Alpha driver was a competitor to the SLDR not the R1. Strange differences there.

  As to the BB 3W on that we agree, a wonderful club, by far the best 3W available.

• fatdan 3,379 Posts

  Sun, Apr 13 2014 10:02 PM

  I rented the driver for the heck of it, I found it a little shorter than the Nike most of the time but a good driver none the less, I 'll stick with the Nike and R1 depending on course and conditions....keep in mind I hated the Nike when I 1st got it, now I use it 75% of the time.

  the 3 wood changes the game completely...dings always 250 or better, a little wind and 270-290....

• Jimbog1964 8,378 Posts

  Sun, Apr 13 2014 11:50 PM

  fatdan:

  the 3 wood changes the game completely...dings always 250 or better, a little wind and 270-290....

  Interesting what you say about the L100 Nike.  Think I will stick to toodling along to L100 in my own sweet time, but always interesting to hear.

  That 3W is overall the dogs I would agree.  It is however as capable of the odd (seldom as is) WTF moment though as anything else.  Just came off Merion in a bracket tourney.  That last Par 3 pin back left I had a 2MPH (yes two) L-R cross wind.  

  I thought OK lets be safe, and move that aim market to the left edge of that green.  I dinged and got left with a 24 foot putt right of the hole.  Overall well worth it, but hoping WGT spot this I do think that deviation is a little OTT (over the top).......If want to turn something down that is easy and guaranteed not to affect anything else please have a look.

  I had a similar thing on Beth #3 the other day with it, except that was actually into a low wind.

  Overall a great club, and seldom as is I just think a little too much WTF potential deviation for a ding from a top club:)

• BigInigoMontoya 208 Posts

  Mon, Apr 14 2014 4:44 AM

  I caught a brief glimpse of the level 89 3wood during the Masters rental period, but sadly I only had time to play one round with it  equipped.  A bracket tourney at Royal St George.  On the green in 2 on the front 9 par 5,  just short of the green on the back 9 par 5 (had a head wind here), and the one time I used it off the tee, it found the fairway.  So it was only 1 round, but I was quite happy with it.

  With regards to the driver, I can't justify spending 2500 chips on the level 88 Bertha when I already have an SLDR.  But due to the fact that the Big Bertha Alpha is available several hundred thousand XPs before the R1, I will seriously consider adding it to my bag, provided I ever reach 96 and no additional top tier drivers are added to the pro shop in the mean time.