Callaway Golf is known for many things but it’s the Big Bertha brand upon which the entire company was founded, and almost two decades later, the name is as powerful and evocative as ever.
Callaway Men’s Diablo Forged Irons RH New
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The blood red Diablo irons are the latest off-shoot of the Big Bertha brand and and are complimented by Diablo driver, fairways metals and hybrids to Diablo bags, gloves and even balls.
The Diablo driver has already proved itself to be the powerful sibling Callaway hoped it would be when it launched in Munich in October – long, loud and very aggressive – though it makes the inclusion of a premium, forged iron in the range somewhat puzzling.
While the rest of the Diablo line seems designed to appeal to the mid-range player looking for game-improvement clubs in a more exciting package, the Diablo irons are aimed squarely at the better player – not exactly the ethos that made the Big Bertha brand the champion of the game-improver.
According to Callaway, these irons have been designed for player seeking a traditionally styled club with ‘enhanced playability and performance’. Quite where they fit into a line-up of irons that already includes excellent single-figure player options such as the X-Forged or the X-22 Tour is a a mystery.
Callaway Men’s Diablo Forged Irons RH New
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Big Bertha Diablo irons appear to be a combination of the two – no bad thing but why?
The marketing strategy and politics aside, there’s little doubting the quality of these clubs.
Everything about the Diablo irons screams class, although with a price-tag that is getting up towards four-figures, you’d expect nothing less. Every iron in the set is very sleek and could certainly lay claim to being one of the best looking Callaway irons ever produced. But it is the performance-controlling elements that will really appeal to the better player.
With a narrow sole, shorter blade, thinner topline and minimal offset, the Diablo ticks all of the boxes for those in search of feel and workability.
The irons are forged from 1020 carbon steel but in order to improve the trajectory and distance, Callaway has included a strong and light 455 Carpenter Steel face that allows weight to be moved to the perimeter.
It might be a better-player’s club but who couldn’t use a little help keeping it more stable at impact? It certainly works. At impact the clubs feel incredibly solid and the ball really flies off the face with plenty of zip.
These are massively powerful irons, with a combination of better ball speed and stronger lofts producing some serious distance. Thankfully, these extra yards aren’t at the expense of control. They might be long but they’re not wild.
And that is the conundrum of the Diablo irons. Callaway’s ‘Unleash Hell’ message might work with a driver but when it comes to a classy set of forged irons, it seems inappropriate. The proof however, is in the hitting and Diablo and the better player seems like a match made in heaven rather than hell.
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