Does This Vintage Iron Set From 1994 Offer The Best Value For Money?

Next in line for our Retro Review treatment is the 1994 Callaway Big Bertha irons. Around this period, Callaway was beginning to establish some serious dominance both on tour and in the consumer market with its Big Bertha woods, and with the release of the Great Big Bertha driver just around the corner, things were about to go stratospheric for Callaway Golf.  The Big Bertha irons were very much a game improvement iron but transcended their category and were heavily played on the global professional tours.

WATCH: Joe Ferguson tests out the 1994 Callaway Big Bertha irons

What was the tech?
The big technology story centered unsurprisingly around the forgiveness of this iron. A vast footprint, large cavity, heavy offset, and one of the thickest toplines I have seen to this day were put in place to make this one of the most user-friendly irons ever created. Bore-through shaft technology was another feature that allowed Callaway to save mass in the hosel portion of the club and as such redistribute it to the main body of the head creating a huge useable hitting area on the face. The very short hosel length of the Big Bertha irons is one of the standout visual features.

How did it perform?
To put the 1994 Big Bertha irons to the test, I pitted them up against the 2024 Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke irons in a head-to-head data test. It must be noted that the lofts are very different between these models, with the Ai Smoke 7-iron coming in at 28˚, while the Big Bertha 7-iron provided a generous 33˚ so I was already anticipating a vast flight and distance difference.

It has to be said however that the Big Bertha irons very much held their own in this fight! Before we talk about the data, the 1994 iron was hugely impressive in some of the more unquantifiable parameters that I look for in an iron. Firstly, the feel off the face was truly exceptional. They provided a softness and almost a springiness that I haven’t felt from any modern-day game improvement irons in some time and furthermore, despite them being quite frankly huge, I really enjoyed the way they sat behind the ball and the confidence they inspired due to their footprint.

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Unsurprisingly, the modern-day Ai Smoke irons - one of the best irons of 2024 - out-gunned the Big Berthas in terms of distance and ball speed, but the 30-year-old irons certainly punched above their weight. A significantly higher launch angle, coupled with a not excessive spin number provided a higher-than-expected carry number and a potentially very useful ball flight for the right player profile.

Conclusion
There is astonishing value to be had here from golfclubs4cash. For less than £110, you are getting a 3-SW set that provides performance levels far above that valuation. Granted, they are a little rough around the edges with some slight rusting, but this is to be expected after three decades of use and doesn’t adversely affect their performance in any way. For a player on a budget looking to increase launch angle without dramatically increasing spin rates, the 1994 Callaway Big Bertha irons could do an exceptional job.