Master Blasters!

Two more drivers to compare as we crash into 2002 looking for that extra distance off the tee.

Callaway Big Berth C4 driver.

Callaway Big Bertha C4 driver(£399, graphite only)

With its ball-crushing 360cc head and lightweight 46-inch shaft, Callaway’s C4 – the latest addition to their big-hitting family – is designed to give you more distance with less effort.

And that adds up to consistent strikes and consistent extra distance, because you should be able to generate more swing speed.

Once you have got used to the extra length in the shaft and the softer feel off the club face, more reminiscent of the powder-puff persimmon heads of the past, you will be booming it out there alongside its more expensive challengers.

The carbon composite head doesn’t have the ‘ting’ of its titanium brothers but at a more realistic sub-£400 price-tag it will give you a few more yards and bring those par-4 greens into sharper focus.

Golfmagic rating: 8.5/10

TaylorMade’s XR-03 driver.

TaylorMade XR-03 Titanium driver (£500)

While the UK is trying to spend its way out of a looming recession, there’s never a better time to invest in this deep-faced monster.

If how far is more important than how much – or how many – this club is for you. Teed higher than normal the ball will rocket out of sight and have your mates itching to give it a biff.

It’s a bit of an ugly duckling compared with the swan-like lines of TaylorMade's previous 360 and 200 series, but who cares if you’re last to play your approach to the green in a big-hitting fourball! Who knows, you might even be reaching for your putter for your second shot to 300-yard par-4s.

It’s thin face and trampoline effect puts it out of bounds to our friends across the Atlantic but the R in its title gives it approval by the R&A boffins – and that’s good enough to put you in contention for your next long-driving competition if that’s what matters to you.

Golfmagic rating: 9/10

Did you get one of these monsters in your Christmas stocking or have you at least tested one on the range or your local course? Report back on The Forum.