With the launch of the 2017 PGA Tour season this week, Callaway is unveiling a new line of drivers and fairway woods that the company says will provide more ball speed and more distance thanks to some new design technology.

That may sound like something you’ve heard time and again, but clearly there’s something to the new clubs, one of which Rory McIlroy has put into his bag.

The Great Big Bertha Epic and the Great Big Bertha Epic Sub Zero both make use of a new technology called Jailbreak. Testing shows that when a ball hits a club the crown, sole and face all flex and rebound. The movement of all three is interconnected and affects shot results. Callaway found that by keeping the crown and sole connected, it allowed more energy to transfer to the face. It says that extensive testing has shown an increase in ball speed by up to two miles per hour and also a massive benefit to off-centre hits.

“By minimizing the deformation of the body, it allows the face to deflect more and that means higher ball speeds,” said Callaway’s Evan Gibbs. “There’s a huge leap in forgiveness.” Embedded Image

The club carries a moment of inertia (essentially a measurement of benefit on off-centre hits) of 8,000, which is the highest of any club in the company’s history.

The connection between sole and crown is made through the use of two titanium rods that tie the crown and sole together – they resemble jail bars, hence the name.

To build this club was no easy feat and something that likely couldn’t have been done as recently as a decade abo

“There are 1,041 steps involved in building this club,” said Gibbs. “It’s certainly a detailed process.”

The club also features a significant amount of carbon fibre in the construction with 46 per cent of the head in the GBB Epic and 50 per cent of the GBB Epic Sub Zero being comprised of the lightweight material. The rest is made from titanium and designed to allow for not only ball performance but to produce the sound the club makes when the ball strikes it, which is an important factor and didn’t come easily.

“The rods actually affect the sound,” Gibbs said. “And with more carbon fibre being used, it’s tougher to get that metallic ‘ting.’”

However, the engineers managed to find a way to get the pleasing sound desired.

The Epic model also features a sliding weight feature around the rear perimeter of the club that can be quickly adjusted to dial in shot shape. And both clubs have continued with the Speed Step feature, which helps the club’s aerodynamics. It was designed with the help of engineers from Boeing.

The GBB Epic will appeal to a wide selection of golfers looking for more distance and forgiveness, the company says. The GBB Epic Sub Zero is a high speed-low spin model that will appeal to better players. It’s the club McIlroy will use this week at the BMW South African Open.

The clubs will be released at retail starting Jan. 27.