Callaway Big Bertha Fusion Iron Review

This has been the most talked about Callaway iron in a long time and it continues to make waves at a retail level. Let's go back a bit and talk about how the Fusion iron came about…   Once upon a time Callaway Golf had an iron called the Hawk Eye VFT. The Hawk Eye …

This has been the most talked about Callaway iron in a long time and it continues to make waves at a retail level. Let's go back a bit and talk about how the Fusion iron came about…

 

Once upon a time Callaway Golf had an iron called the Hawk Eye VFT. The Hawk Eye VFT was a titanium iron with tungsten weights and it was a good seller. Industry people agreed that the next wave in irons was going to be this titanium/tungsten mix. Industry people and customers liked this combination but feared it's large price. Then one day, Callaway Golf decided to release the ERC Fusion driver. The Fusion was a combination between titanium and composite… composite had been used before in drivers but it's marriage to titanium was something new. All of a sudden the industry was abuzz about this titanium/composite idea. Out came the Cobra COMP driver, the ERC Fusion fairway woods, the Cleveland Launcher Comp… well you get the idea. The technology allowed companies to do new things with woods and everyone lived happily ever after… no wait. I wonder if this could work in an iron? Cue the Big Bertha Fusion irons by Callaway Golf.

 

These irons are a combination of a few different materials; an extremely dense and heavy Tunite cradle, a titanium face, and a composite plug in the back. The Tunite pulls the majority of the weight to the outside to promote perimeter weighting. The titanium face is extremely light and helps keep the majority of the mass to the outside of the club head. The real secret to the success of the Fusion iron is the TPU SenSert insert. This insert dampens unwanted vibration and creates amazing feel. Imagine the VAS (Vibration Absorption System) by Cleveland Golf on steroids.

 

People that have hit this iron rave about it. The club has a great looking top line and thin sole (not just by Callaway standards… it is actually thin!). The club sets up very nicely and reminds some of a "players" iron with more offset. The club is forgiving and it dampens unwanted vibration on miss hits. The cool part is that it still feels great when you hit it well. The Fusion is a game improvement iron but allows for near blade-like feel when hit well. The shafts used by Callaway work really well with the iron and both the steel and graphite options are more than adequate for the average player. The Callaway custom department assures me that they can do pretty much anything with this club and there are many custom options available.

 

People I talk to note two downsides to this iron. The first is its high price. It is not as pricey as the Hawk Eye VFT but it is still pretty expensive. The second is the overall aesthetics of the iron. Let's face it… this thing looks weird! At the same time I know some people that love this iron so much that they will pay anything for it! A consumer looking for a game improvement iron would be silly not to at least hit the Fusion iron and determine for themselves if the high price and the crazy look works for them. The Callaway Big Bertha Fusion iron comes very close to being a perfect game improvement iron but its price and its bizarre look hinder it.

 

Overall Rating – 80%

 

Target Handicap – 10+

 

Ball Flight – High

 

Offset – Maximum

 

Finish – Chrome

 

Construction – Combination of Tunite body, titanium head and TPU SenSert insert

 

Stock Shafts – NS Pro 990 Uniflex steel, RCH 75i graphite