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Callaway · Iron set · 2016 · Previous model

Callaway Big Bertha OS irons

Super game improvement, 4.5 of 5 for forgiveness

Callaway's super game improvement iron of 2016, built on a light, strong Exo-Cage that lets Callaway put weight where it adds forgiveness, with tungsten low in the sole for launch, 5.1 mm of offset at the 7-iron and a weak 30° 7-iron. Callaway no longer sells the Big Bertha OS new; the Big Bertha (2019), Big Bertha B21 and Big Bertha (2023) followed it, and the Quantum Max OS is the newest model in its line.

Side view to scale: 5.1 mm offset

4.5 of 5 forgiveness score

$356.99 used at 2nd Swing Golf5 clubs (7-PW, AW), steel, regular flex, average condition · checked 31 Oct

See used at 2nd Swing Golf

New instead: Callaway Quantum Max OS, $1,099.99 at Golf Discount, 7 irons (4-PW), checked 2 Nov

Choose it if

  • You often catch it thin or heavy and want the most help an iron gives.
  • Your iron shots start right or fly low: 5.1 mm of offset gives the face more time to square.
  • You want a higher flight: the 30° 7-iron is weaker than most.
  • You play left-handed: it was made left-handed.

Choose something else if

  • If you fight a slice, the Big Bertha B21 has more offset at the 7-iron: 6.86 mm against this set's 5.1 mm.
Class
Super game improvement
7-iron loft
30°Every club's loft, lie and length
Offset (7-iron)
5.1 mm
Stock flexes
Regular or stiff in steel and graphite; Light in the Big Bertha OS Senior set and Callaway's women's flex (WMS) in the women's set, both graphite, lighter and with more loft
Hands
Left or right; left-handed in the men's and Senior sets, 4-iron to SW; the women's set right-handed only.
Used
From $356.99 at 2nd Swing Golf, checked 31 Oct

What changed in the Quantum Max OS

Both are Callaway's super game improvement iron of their year. The Quantum Max OS has a 7-iron a degree stronger (29° against 30°) and a little less offset there (4.80 mm against the Big Bertha OS's 0.200 in, 5.1 mm), with an AI-optimized face, an undercut cavity and a three-part Tri-Sole where the Big Bertha OS had its Exo-Cage and 360 Face Cup. Its set adds a GW between the AW and SW.

Callaway no longer lists the Big Bertha OS, and no shop we checked has a new set, so it is bought used, for much less than a new Quantum Max OS. Choose it for Callaway's super game improvement head and a weak 30° 7-iron for little money; choose the Quantum Max OS for a new set built to your hand, shaft and flex, its R2 (Light) senior flex, or a GW in the set.

The Callaway Big Bertha OS and today's Quantum Max OS: specifications as Callaway publishes them, prices as the shops showed them
Detail Big Bertha OS (previous) Quantum Max OS (current)
ClassSuper game improvementSuper game improvement
Forgiveness score4.5 of 54.5 of 5
7-iron loft30°29°
Offset at the 7-iron5.1 mm4.8 mm
Sole–Tri-Sole
Stock flexesRegular or stiff in steel and graphite; Light in the Big Bertha OS Senior set and Callaway's women's flex (WMS) in the women's set, both graphite, lighter and with more loftRegular or stiff
HandsLeft or rightLeft or right
Price newNo longer sold new$1,099.99 at Golf Discount, 7 irons (4-PW), checked 2 Nov
Price usedFrom $356.99 at 2nd Swing Golf (5 clubs (7-PW, AW), steel, regular flex, average condition), checked 31 OctFrom $831.99 at 2nd Swing Golf (7 clubs (6-PW, AW, GW), steel, stiff flex, average condition), checked 31 Oct

Loft, lie and length, club by club

As Callaway published them
Club Loft Lie Length Offset
4-iron 20.5° 60.5° 39.125 in 0.26 in
5-iron 23° 61.3° 38.5 in 0.24 in
6-iron 26° 62° 37.875 in 0.22 in
7-iron 30° 62.5° 37.25 in 0.2 in
8-iron 34.5° 63° 36.625 in 0.175 in
9-iron 39° 63.5° 36 in 0.15 in
PW 44° 64° 35.75 in 0.125 in
AW 49° 64° 35.5 in 0.1 in
SW 54° 64° 35.25 in 0.1 in

After the approach wedge (AW, 49°): with a 56° sand wedge, the gap is 7°, just over the 4° to 6° step; a wedge in between would leave two steps under 4°.

Callaway's iron fitting guide puts your first wedge 4° to 6° above the highest-lofted wedge in your iron set. A gap in degrees is not a gap in yards. To choose that wedge, see the forgiving wedges by loft and bounce.

Build a whole bag around it, or check the lofts in the bag you carry.

Use the iron finder to compare sets for your usual miss, and check the set makeup and loft gaps before ordering. Between a game improvement and a super game improvement head, this is how to tell which one your strike needs.

Big Bertha OS: the questions buyers ask

Is the Callaway Big Bertha OS forgiving?
Yes. It is Callaway's super game improvement iron, with 5.1 mm of offset at the 7-iron and a 30° 7-iron. It scores 4.5 of 5 on our reading of what Callaway publishes about it; the most forgiving iron sets we cover score 5.0.
Who is the Big Bertha OS for?
It suits golfers who often catch it thin or heavy and want the most help an iron gives.
Does the Big Bertha OS come in senior or ladies flex?
Both, as Callaway names them: Light, the flex its buying guide calls senior, and WMS, its women's flex. Callaway listed Light, WMS, regular (R) and stiff (S).
Is the Big Bertha OS sold left-handed?
Left-handed in the men's and Senior sets, 4-iron to SW; the women's set right-handed only.
What are the Big Bertha OS lofts?
4-iron 20.5°, 5-iron 23°, 6-iron 26°, 7-iron 30°, 8-iron 34.5°, 9-iron 39°, PW 44°, AW 49°, SW 54°, as Callaway published them. The full table with lie, length and offset is above.
Which clubs come in a Big Bertha OS set?
Callaway sold sets of five to eight clubs, from 6-PW to 4-PW and SW, and the AW singly. It also made a Senior set, with a 32° 7-iron, and a women's set, both lighter and with more loft, so a used set in senior or ladies flex may be one of those, not the men's lofts in the table.
How much does the Big Bertha OS cost?
Callaway no longer sells it new. Used from $356.99 at 2nd Swing Golf, checked 31 Oct. Prices change; the seller's page has today's.

How the 4.5 adds up

The forgiveness score is our reading of what Callaway publishes about the head, from 1 to 5. It is not a test result. How every score works.

The parts of the forgiveness score
PartPointsWhy
Head class 4 Super game improvement: the biggest, most forgiving iron head a maker sells.
Offset +0.5 5.1 mm at the 7-iron, at or above our 4.5 mm mark.
Sole +0 Callaway doesn't publish a sole width, so the sole earns no point.
Forgiveness score4.5of 5

The score rates the head only. Hand, flex and price decide which version you buy, not how forgiving it is. Callaway does not publish a sole width.

Specification sheet

As Callaway published it; a dash means the maker did not state it.
MakerCallaway
ModelBig Bertha OS
Model year2016
TypeIron set
ClassSuper game improvement
Handicap range the maker states–
Offset0.200" at the 7-iron (0.260" in the 4-iron down to 0.100" in the AW and SW)
Sole–
Moment of inertia (MOI)–
Face technologyExo-Cage head construction; next-generation 360 Face Cup; Tungsten-Loaded Standing Wave in the sole; Progressive Center of Gravity
ConstructionA big head built on a light, strong Exo-Cage, which lets Callaway move weight to where it adds forgiveness and helps the 360 Face Cup give faster ball speeds; tungsten in the sole lowers the centre of gravity for a higher launch, lowest in the long irons.
Set makeupCallaway sold sets of five to eight clubs, from 6-PW to 4-PW and SW, and the AW singly. It also made a Senior set, with a 32° 7-iron, and a women's set, both lighter and with more loft, so a used set in senior or ladies flex may be one of those, not the men's lofts in the table.
Clubs in the set–
Stock steel shaftsTrue Temper Speed Step 80
Stock graphite shaftsUST Mamiya Recoil ES 460, UST Mamiya Recoil ES 450 (women's)
Stock flexesRegular or stiff in steel and graphite; Light in the Big Bertha OS Senior set and Callaway's women's flex (WMS) in the women's set, both graphite, lighter and with more loft
7-iron loft30°
HandsLeft or right; left-handed in the men's and Senior sets, 4-iron to SW; the women's set right-handed only.
Men's or women's–
List price when new$1,099 for the eight-club steel set (2016 model); not a price today
Price at Callaway–
Set price–

Compare with other super game improvement irons

Other super game improvement irons
Sole Hand Where to buy
5.0 Super game improvement 28° 4.8 mm Wider A · R · S · X RH · LH $1,299.99 at PGA TOUR Superstore 7 irons (5-9, PW, UW) · checked 2 Nov
Check price at PGA TOUR Superstore See it at PING
5.0 Super game improvement 32° 4.6 mm Wide L · A · R · S · X RH · LH $749.95 at PXG 5 clubs (7-iron to sand wedge) at $149.99 each · checked 2 Nov
See it at PXG
5.0 Super game improvement 32° 4.6 mm Wide L · A · R · S · X RH · LH $749.95 at PXG 5 clubs (7-iron to sand wedge) at $149.99 each · checked 2 Nov
See it at PXG
5.0 Super game improvement 31° 5.7 mm Wider: 23.9 mm at the 7-iron R · S RH $962.50 at Mizuno 7 irons · checked 2 Nov
See it at Mizuno
4.5 Super game improvement 29° 2.5 mm Wide, sculpted A · R · S RH · LH $599.99 at Tour Edge 7 irons · checked 2 Nov
See it at Tour Edge
4.5 Super game improvement 29.5° 5.2 mm Skid sole, more bounce A · R · S · X RH · LH $999 at Cobra 7 irons · checked 2 Nov
Buy at Cobra
4.5 Super game improvement 29.5° 5.2 mm Skid sole L RH · LH $1,099 at Cobra 7 irons · checked 2 Nov
Buy at Cobra
4.5 Super game improvement not published not published Wide R · S RH · LH $799.99 at Wilson 7 irons · checked 2 Nov
See it at Wilson

Order: Forgiveness score first; on a tie, the set more golfers can buy, then a set that includes the long irons, then price. Use the arrows to sort. A dash means the maker does not publish it.

See all iron sets on the most forgiving irons page, or compare this club side by side. Waiting for a sale? The Black Friday golf club deals page has the price to beat on every club we price.

Sources

The specification comes from these pages; open the maker's page before buying, because prices and shaft options change. Check the exact shaft and hand at the shop before ordering.