Callaway Big Bertha B21 Driver Review – Eliminate Your Big Miss

Golfstead is reader-supported. When you buy through links on the site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Our affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network and Amazon Associates.

In this review, I’ll take a close look at the Callaway Big Bertha B21 driver.

The Big Bertha B21 is the latest member of the Big Bertha driver family. It incorporates many of Callaway’s latest technologies like the Flash Face, Jailbreak, and T2C Carbon Crown, while utilizing a ultra-low forward CG for high launch, low spin, and big distance.

The Big Bertha B21 also has an internal draw bias meant to take the big miss, a slice, out of your game.

So, how does the Big Bertha B21 shape up in practice? Is it a better option than the MAVRIK MAX? Is it worth putting in the bag?

Here’s what I’m going to be covering in this review:

• Ratings
• Features & Technologies
• Performance
• Look, Sound & Feel
• Where To Buy This Driver Online
• Conclusion

Read on to find out what you need to know to make an informed purchase.

Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.

---

What are the reviews like?

The Big Bertha B21 driver has excellent average customer ratings of 5/5 (100% recommended) on the Callaway store, 5/5 on Global Golf, and 4.9/5 on PGA TOUR Superstore,

It also gets solid scores from critics and professional reviewers, who offer a lot of praise but also a decent amount of criticism.

What People Like

• the draw bias is truly a game changer that can eliminate a bad slice
• forgiveness across the face translates to excellent distance even on mis-hits
• solid, stable feel
• blue accents will appeal to more golfers than the MAVRIK aesthetic

What People Don’t Like

• not suitable for golfers who hit a natural draw or struggle with hooks
• a bit expensive in this category
• triangular crown shape won’t appeal to everyone

---

What are the features?

You may already know the defining characteristics of Big Bertha drivers: straighter shots, big distance, and exceptional forgiveness. The B21 takes these benefits to a new level with Callaway’s latest technologies.

Flash Face SS21

First, we have the latest iteration of the Flash Face: SS21. This A.I. designed face is the result of a supercomputer and machine learning that combined tens of thousands of prototypes into one “super face”.

The Flash Face SS21 essentially produces faster ball speeds over a larger area of the face, leading to more distance on mis-hits.

Ultra-Low CG & Draw Bias

The center of gravity (CG) of the Big Bertha B21 is positioned low and forward. This not only produces a high launch, but lower spin as well, which is a recipe for monstrous distance.

In addition, the internal weighting of the Big Bertha B21 promotes a draw. This means that if you struggle with a slice, you’ll finally be able to eliminate the big miss from your game: the right side of the golf course. You’ll be able to hit the fairway and pick up distance too.

Jailbreak & T2C Triaxial Carbon

First featured in the Rogue driver, Jailbreak consists of titanium bars that vertically connect the crown and sole. This places more impact load on the face, further increasing ball speeds.

T2C is a very light carbon triaxial fabric that allows for maximum weight savings. This weight is redistributed in the head to raise the moment of inertia (MOI), resulting in more forgiveness.

Light & Strong Face Architecture

The face architecture of the Big Bertha B21 is lighter than traditional titanium and very strong. This results in higher ball speeds and optimizes performance across the entire face.

Stock Info

The Big Bertha B21 driver is available in 9°, 10.5°, and 12.5° standard lofts at 460 CC.

Also available is the Big Bertha REVA driver for women, in 10.5° and 12.5° lofts. It has the same core technologies as the Big Bertha B21, but the lofts, swingweights, shafts, head shape and grip are designed for women to maximize their performance.

The Big Bertha B21 comes with an Optifit hosel that allows you to adjust loft and lie. The loft settings are -1, +1, 0 and +2 (a range of 3°). The lie settings are N (neutral) and D (draw), giving a total of 8 possible configurations.

The stock graphite shaft is the Callaway RCH (40/50/60), and the stock grip is the Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360. Custom shafts are available.

If you’re interested, full information on the driver, shafts, grips and their specs can be found on the CGPO website.

Below are the specs of the Big Bertha B21 and Big Bertha REVA drivers. Click or zoom to enlarge.

---

How does the driver perform?

I’ll be comparing the Big Bertha B21 to the MAVRIK MAX, Callaway’s latest game-improvement offering in the MAVRIK line, a lot in the sections that follow.

Distance

When it comes to raw ball speed numbers, the Big Bertha B21 gives nearly identical results to the MAVRIK. This isn’t surprising given that both have a Flash Face, Jailbreak, and similar speed-boosting tech.

Beyond that, distance will depend on a lot of factors. One thing is if you tend to struggle with a slice and hit straighter shots with the Big Bertha B21, you’re naturally going to see more distance because more of the energy of the shot is directed forward.

Another factor is spin. The Big Bertha B21 tends to produce lower spin than the MAVRIK MAX (along with a higher launch), so golfers with a high enough swing speed are going to see more carry, rollout, and total distance.

I would say that for the majority of recreational golfers, the Big Bertha B21 is going to be one of the longest drivers they’ve ever played. This is because the driver suits low-medium swing speeds and fade ball flights, which most amateurs have.

Forgiveness

With the Big Bertha B21, forgiveness is closely tied to forgiveness due to the technologies that increase ball speeds in mis-hit regions of the face.

Forgiveness in both speed and direction (draw bias helps here) are both very good. I found in my testing that the Big Bertha B21 has superior forgiveness to the standard MAVRIK, but falls just short of the MAVRIK MAX.

This isn’t surprising, since the more forward CG position and lower spin are going to result in more variability at impact. Lower spin comes with a tradeoff.

Having said that, if you want a low-forward CG driver with low spin but the most forgiveness possible, this is your model.

In any case, as long as you aren’t a natural hooker of the ball, you’re probably going to hit a lot of fairways with the Big Bertha B21.

Playability/Trajectory

The Big Bertha B21 driver is overall very easy to hit and feels great through the swing with the stock shaft. As someone who hits a straight or, at most, a slight fade ball flight, I found myself hitting baby draws consistently, which was great to see.

Of course, the Big Bertha B21 has an inherent draw bias, so you should factor that in to your natural ball flight. Despite the bias, you can still shape the ball fairly well, so if a situation called strongly for a fade, adept golfers could pull it off.

But aside from that, in the right conditions, shots with the Big Bertha B21 are going to launch a little higher and be more penetrating than shots with the MAVRIK MAX.

---

What about look, sound & feel?

The Look

The Big Bertha B21 has quite a unique look, with a shape that resembles the Big Bertha Fusion.

Compared to the MAVRIK MAX, it has a more rectangular face shape and a more triangular shape at the back. The dominant colour accent is blue, with some red and grey thrown in as well.

Many people like the colour scheme of the Big Bertha B21 more than the orange of the MAVRIK. I tend to like both. I like the sole design as well, with the Big Bertha logo focused right in the middle.

Another thing to note is that the Big Bertha B21 has considerable offset, but it’s concealed to a large extent by the shape of the head. This means that golfers can enjoy the performance of the driver without being put off with how it looks at address.

The Sound & Feel

The Big Bertha B21 has a unique feel: it’s light with the stock shaft, yet you feel like you’re swinging a premium club, and you are. I was impressed at how solid and explosive it feels through impact.

In the sweet spot, the sound of the Big Bertha B21 strikes a nice balance between being loud and muted. Crisp is a great word to describe it.

Away from the face towards the heel and toe, the sound is similar. However, the feel is noticeably worse, which some might find surprising given the fact that the Big Bertha B21 isn’t marketed as a players driver.

I think this comes down to its weight distribution more than anything: when you bring down the spin, you sacrifice some stability on mis-hits. The upside to this is clearer feedback that allows you to improve your shot consistency.

---

Where should you buy this driver online?

The Big Bertha B21 driver is a few seasons old, so you can no longer order it custom-made directly from the Callaway store.

The best you can do now is look for it on Callaway Golf Pre-Owned or eBay. CGPO offers a 90-day buy-back policy, 12-month warranty, and free headcover.

If you’re interested in the women’s variant, the Big Bertha REVA, go here.

Optionally look at what’s available on Global Golf, which is arguably the best dedicated online golf equipment store.

---

Conclusion

The Big Bertha B21 earns its spot as the most powerful Big Bertha offering yet, thanks to Callaway’s latest innovations like the Flash Face and Jailbreak.

It delivers incredible distance. It has an amazing feel in the sweet spot, and because of its internal draw bias, it’s a must-try for every golfer who struggles with a slice.

I also recommend going with the Big Bertha B21 if you have a faster swing speed, since this can better take advantage of the low spin property. Otherwise, you should look at the slightly more forgiving and higher-spinning MAVRIK MAX.

---

Are you interested in the Big Bertha B21 driver? Have you tried it yet? What’s your story? Fill us in in the comments below.