T2GRN18
Active member
Bro or it's going in my bag, your more than welcome to take if for a walk anytime. I went with a pretty robust shaft that I hunk you'll appreciate. In fact I'm pretty excited to see you hit it!
Big Bertha Alpha Driver Review
Bro or it's going in my bag, your more than welcome to take if for a walk anytime. I went with a pretty robust shaft that I hunk you'll appreciate. In fact I'm pretty excited to see you hit it!
- Moderator
- #52
I'll be really excited for the opportunity my good dude!
Smallville
#ICanHitADraw
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- Handicap
- In Flux
Nice club. Sounds like the regular Big Bertha is more for me. I still want to smack some balls with this beauty!
And if he is busy hitting bombs, I have about the same setup. And I live awhile lot closer. Haha
bhilln
New member
Solid write up Ryan; enjoyed the read and covered all the aspects of this club. My miss is high on the face and like what I'm hearing about the forgiveness... sounds right up my alley.
T2GRN18
Active member
Hawk you hammered this review buddy. With all the technology that's beneath the paint of this club, amazing how you were able to get it all into a cohesive review!
A few excepts from the Grandaddy thread.
from ATL:
The Alpha ended up being my favorite of the drivers. Pairing the Alpha with the Tour Green shaft (and heavy weight down) provided a very nice ball flight that was high enough to produce a lot of carry but also allowed for some roll out. Hitting the Alpha at the ECPC really showed how much the gravity core affected the ball flight for me. I did not have the Alpha on the LM, but the ball flight was consistently and noticeably higher when the heavy weight was up, regardless of the shaft. The heavy-weight-down setup also seemed to provide the maximum results for me with the Tour Green. The range is flat enough to see the balls landing even at a longer distance, and it was clear that the Alpha/Tour Green was carrying the furthest of the drivers that I tested. The Alpha seemed marginally tougher to hit than the BB, but it was still very forgiving. Lots and lots of "missed" shots still rocketed out onto the range.
From Tpluff
In: Alpha - The big elephant in the room, and one that deserved the attention. The revolutionary technology that is associated with it just naturally draws your eye. I knew it was going to take some good driving out of me in order to be fit into this, but I was up to the challenge.
Out: Alpha - It only took 3 swings to switch to the BB, but I still loved it. Prior to the fitting, I was really hitting it well and was absolutely in awe at the visible effect of switching the gravity core up and down. It just wasn't forgiving enough for someone that doesn't hit near the center of the face a majority of the time, but that's not saying it isn't forgiving because it is. I think once my swing gets back into season shape, I could game this, but I'm not worried about it. I know a lot golfers will inherently cling to this because of the technology, and if you are a good driver of the golf ball and really focus on getting spin and launch right, game it now!
From Texashacker
I sorta thought the BBA was a bit gimmicky at first. I thought when we got to ECPC that I would be able to see that firsthand, but after watching the other 7 guys hit that thing, it was clear that it wasn't a gimmick. It isn't going to fit everyone, but the change in spin is real. Watching Joe get fit for it was pretty eye opening, because he thought the gravity core was going to be flipped the opposite way that it ended up being flipped.
From Gregdan
I was dead set on getting the regular BB as I thought that would fit my game the best but after the fitting it was determined that the Alpha was the right match. I can't argue with 13° of launch and about 2600 RPM backspin. Pretty close to ideal number and it showed on the trackman. So pumped to get the new stuff in the bag and get after it again in 2014.
From Pkiewla
Big Bertha Alpha with the stock Fubuki zeta shaft. Saw some swings there, spin came down , but I still had big misses left and right. He then switched the shaft to a Diamana S+, X stiff, 45 inches. He said he only has one pro that plays a driver longer than 45 and that's only by a 1/2 inch. Hitting the center of the face is key!!! Then, it happened: straight and long!!! 110-111 SS, 159-161 ball speed, 290/296/297 distance, 2300-ish spin and straight! BOOM. Driver was fit!!! And that's my set-up, Diamana S+ X stiff, 45"! I can't wait!!
.From JLukes
When it was my time with Garrett, he first gave me the standard Big Bertha. This thing was a missile launcher. I was still launching low, but I was getting ball speeds around 163 MPH. Insane. We went from the tour green shaft to the Fubuki to the Diamana D+ Whiteboard 72 stiff. This was the shaft. However, I was still getting low launch (7 degrees) with high spin (3000+ rpms). Garrett noticed that my miss was high on the club face, so he took off the Standard Bertha head and through on the Alpha head. He took the loft up to 11 degrees and then he did something that boggled my mind - he flipped the gravity core to the HIGH center of gravity position! I told Garreet “but I want to get my spin down, so shouldn’t it be low?” Garrett explained to me that because I am missing high on the face, that moving the CoG would actually benefit me because it would raise the sweet spot of the club and thus provide a higher MOI closer to my miss. Genius.
Well. #BOOM. The shaft combined with the Alpha head at 11 degrees and High CoG gave me numbers I have never seen before - launch over 10 degrees and spin consistently under 2700 rpms. Unbelievable. My ball speed with the Alpha head was actually 3 MPH LESS than with the standard head, but because my launch angle and spin were optimized, I was carrying the Alpha 15 yards FURTHER than the standard.
Let me repeat that for those who only look at ball speed when getting a fitting.
3 MPH less ball speed, yet 15 yards MORE carry and MORE rollout due to a higher launch and less spin.
KA
BOOM
My final fitting on the Alpha was:
Bertha alpha 9.0, Diamana d+ whiteboard 72 stiff, Play at 45.25 inches, Rel 3gen black grip
The Alpha is going to be a game changer for me and I cannot wait until it is in the bag.
A few excepts from the Grandaddy thread.
from ATL:
The Alpha ended up being my favorite of the drivers. Pairing the Alpha with the Tour Green shaft (and heavy weight down) provided a very nice ball flight that was high enough to produce a lot of carry but also allowed for some roll out. Hitting the Alpha at the ECPC really showed how much the gravity core affected the ball flight for me. I did not have the Alpha on the LM, but the ball flight was consistently and noticeably higher when the heavy weight was up, regardless of the shaft. The heavy-weight-down setup also seemed to provide the maximum results for me with the Tour Green. The range is flat enough to see the balls landing even at a longer distance, and it was clear that the Alpha/Tour Green was carrying the furthest of the drivers that I tested. The Alpha seemed marginally tougher to hit than the BB, but it was still very forgiving. Lots and lots of "missed" shots still rocketed out onto the range.
From Tpluff
In: Alpha - The big elephant in the room, and one that deserved the attention. The revolutionary technology that is associated with it just naturally draws your eye. I knew it was going to take some good driving out of me in order to be fit into this, but I was up to the challenge.
Out: Alpha - It only took 3 swings to switch to the BB, but I still loved it. Prior to the fitting, I was really hitting it well and was absolutely in awe at the visible effect of switching the gravity core up and down. It just wasn't forgiving enough for someone that doesn't hit near the center of the face a majority of the time, but that's not saying it isn't forgiving because it is. I think once my swing gets back into season shape, I could game this, but I'm not worried about it. I know a lot golfers will inherently cling to this because of the technology, and if you are a good driver of the golf ball and really focus on getting spin and launch right, game it now!
From Texashacker
I sorta thought the BBA was a bit gimmicky at first. I thought when we got to ECPC that I would be able to see that firsthand, but after watching the other 7 guys hit that thing, it was clear that it wasn't a gimmick. It isn't going to fit everyone, but the change in spin is real. Watching Joe get fit for it was pretty eye opening, because he thought the gravity core was going to be flipped the opposite way that it ended up being flipped.
From Gregdan
I was dead set on getting the regular BB as I thought that would fit my game the best but after the fitting it was determined that the Alpha was the right match. I can't argue with 13° of launch and about 2600 RPM backspin. Pretty close to ideal number and it showed on the trackman. So pumped to get the new stuff in the bag and get after it again in 2014.
From Pkiewla
Big Bertha Alpha with the stock Fubuki zeta shaft. Saw some swings there, spin came down , but I still had big misses left and right. He then switched the shaft to a Diamana S+, X stiff, 45 inches. He said he only has one pro that plays a driver longer than 45 and that's only by a 1/2 inch. Hitting the center of the face is key!!! Then, it happened: straight and long!!! 110-111 SS, 159-161 ball speed, 290/296/297 distance, 2300-ish spin and straight! BOOM. Driver was fit!!! And that's my set-up, Diamana S+ X stiff, 45"! I can't wait!!
.From JLukes
When it was my time with Garrett, he first gave me the standard Big Bertha. This thing was a missile launcher. I was still launching low, but I was getting ball speeds around 163 MPH. Insane. We went from the tour green shaft to the Fubuki to the Diamana D+ Whiteboard 72 stiff. This was the shaft. However, I was still getting low launch (7 degrees) with high spin (3000+ rpms). Garrett noticed that my miss was high on the club face, so he took off the Standard Bertha head and through on the Alpha head. He took the loft up to 11 degrees and then he did something that boggled my mind - he flipped the gravity core to the HIGH center of gravity position! I told Garreet “but I want to get my spin down, so shouldn’t it be low?” Garrett explained to me that because I am missing high on the face, that moving the CoG would actually benefit me because it would raise the sweet spot of the club and thus provide a higher MOI closer to my miss. Genius.
Well. #BOOM. The shaft combined with the Alpha head at 11 degrees and High CoG gave me numbers I have never seen before - launch over 10 degrees and spin consistently under 2700 rpms. Unbelievable. My ball speed with the Alpha head was actually 3 MPH LESS than with the standard head, but because my launch angle and spin were optimized, I was carrying the Alpha 15 yards FURTHER than the standard.
Let me repeat that for those who only look at ball speed when getting a fitting.
3 MPH less ball speed, yet 15 yards MORE carry and MORE rollout due to a higher launch and less spin.
KA
BOOM
My final fitting on the Alpha was:
Bertha alpha 9.0, Diamana d+ whiteboard 72 stiff, Play at 45.25 inches, Rel 3gen black grip
The Alpha is going to be a game changer for me and I cannot wait until it is in the bag.
ATLGolfer
#ATLClive75
And I'll have one with a little more reasonable setup. I'm not a bomber like these guys, after all.
T2GRN18
Active member
Yeah right! We were playing second fiddle all week.... Mr AtlClive75. I seem to remember you reaching the far end of the range numerous times
ATLGolfer
#ATLClive75
Wicked Cool Bearded Man
4thegolf+4thefriends
http://espn.go.com/golf/story/_/id/10291502/phil-mickelson-changes-new-driver-tweaks-2014-schedule
Phil is really really really excited about this club.
Phil is really really really excited about this club.
Agent Jay
Grandaddy Alumni
Great stuff Hawk, very good review!
dglovehouse
Member
Nice review!!!
Anyone try this who has a SLDR? Or know anything about the MOI of it? Seems to me that it will be more forgiving with the tech in the Alpha than the SLDR. Really looking forward to hitting this club. Paired with the right shaft it could be a fairway machine.
Anyone try this who has a SLDR? Or know anything about the MOI of it? Seems to me that it will be more forgiving with the tech in the Alpha than the SLDR. Really looking forward to hitting this club. Paired with the right shaft it could be a fairway machine.
syndicate559
Sweet Trajectory
I'm really into this driver so far. I like the idea of all that adjustability. I've had a lot of fun messing with my R1 this year as my swing goes through different degrees of horribleness. Plus, I just love the fact that the "Big Bertha" line is back. It's a really nostalgic name for me and that makes me want it more.
amsmith61
Active member
Great review Ryan!! I am really intrigued with this driver and the purpose of Gravity Core is really appealing to me. I am really looking forward to hitting this driver!
Yesterday I scheduled a long game fitting at Club Champion here in Atlanta. I made sure to have them check to see when they will be getting the Alpha in before I booked a time. Looking forward to my first real professional fitting.
ironcondor
Chronic gear flipper
Great write-up! Thank you!
coughlin03
Active member
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Phil was really excited about last year's Calloway driver. Phil is paid to be excited. What Phil does with this club is relevant to less than .00001% of all golfers. I want to swing it myself and see how other regular Hackers swing it.
- Thread starter
- Admin
- #72
To be fair, Phil is not really paid to be excited, he just happens to love golf equipment.
Ever hear Tiger raving about his driver? Or other guys? They are all under contract with someone.
coughlin03
Active member
- Joined
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- 542
- Reaction score
- 27
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Agreed. But he was excited about last year's driver that he now says he left in the clubhouse a lot???
Hawk's review is FAR more valuable than Phil's. Besides, Phil is Phil. PGA players hit the ball differently than we do, get daily support and club adjustments from their club reps.
Tiger plays Nike ya know. Pretty hard to rave about Nike, IMO.
Based on Hawk's review, I will demo this club. THP has provided many great buying advice for me from real world golfers. Thanks!
Hawk's review is FAR more valuable than Phil's. Besides, Phil is Phil. PGA players hit the ball differently than we do, get daily support and club adjustments from their club reps.
Tiger plays Nike ya know. Pretty hard to rave about Nike, IMO.
Based on Hawk's review, I will demo this club. THP has provided many great buying advice for me from real world golfers. Thanks!
Borss
New member
Phil also gets paid to be excited about Callaway clubs. Josh beat me to it.....