Specs
Big Ben (C-S3) drivers, made by Ben Hogan Golf, are available at select retailers and directly from Callaway, which owns the Hogan brand. The clubs, currently out of production, followed a few companies (namely Taylor Made and Callaway) in adding fixed weight cartridges to their soles to help with launch and swing speed. With titanium construction, each Big Ben is equipped with an Aldila NV graphite shaft. The club was made in three models: draw-weighted, fade-weighted and neutral.
Perks
Mid-to-high handicappers looking for an inexpensive titanium driver will be impressed with the Hogan Big Ben. It has a large, thin face, comfortable head weight and performs well for a club that failed to have significant mainstream branding impact. The generally low-line Aldila shaft works well with the head and the grip is comfortable. With slower swings, the Big Ben delivers accurate drives.
Sacrifices
Although the Big Ben C-S3 has its strong points for novice players, it produces high shots and has a tendency of feeling a bit soft at impact. Working the ball is difficult as the shaft is a bit weak near the tip. This tends to promote hooked tee shots (all three models), especially for players with faster swing speeds.
Bottom Line
Conceptually, the Big Ben is a decent club. However, it fails to match other quality, game-improvement drivers. The Callaway Big Bertha Diablo offers much better technology, forgiveness and performance. For the money, however, Big Ben is still an acceptable entry-level driver. They are still available for $50 to $100 (2009).
About The Author
Jim Hagerty is a freelance writer and journalist. In addition to the hundreds of Web-based articles to his credit, he's a staff writer for "The Rock River Times," where he covers arts and entertainment, outdoors and human interest news events. Hagerty holds a Bachelor of Science in public relations and journalism from Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
