Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver Review Thread

[Golf Ghost]

Club: 815, GC Down, 9, Speeder 565 Stiff

Looks: Out of the three new releases, easily my favourite to look at. That more compact look and deeper face, as someone who misses high in the face, inspired a lot of confidence, not going to lie.

Sound: Not louder than the 915 or R15, but a higher frequency. My words, out loud, as soon as I hit it were, "Wow, that's a different sound". I didn't spend much time with last years BB, only hit a friend's on course a couple times, so can't really compare. Overall, not a bad sound, just higher or "pinger" in comparison to the other two for me.

Performance: Easily and I mean very easily the most consistent for me out of the three. There were a couple of times where as soon as I hit it, I said it was a mishit, only to see it still carry in the 250 range, which is almost as far as my gamer on average. On screen they were appeared to be just small draws, with just one massive cut (which was a bad swing, not the club). I walked away the most surprised with this one today and easily the one that I would buy if I'm going to replace my driver this year, not sure I will, but if I do, off the shelve, this one was amazing.

Numbers (Averages of 8 best strikes out of 10):

Current - Titleist 913, 9.5, Rip Phenom 60 Stiff.
Launch: 14.6
Spin: 2397
Carry: 253
Total: 262

Titleist 915, 9.5, Rouge Silver 60 Stiff
Launch: 12.2
Spin: 2036
Carry: 255
Total: 264

Callaway Alpha 815, GC Down, 9, Speeder 565 Stiff
Launch: 14.7
Spin: 1997
Carry: 260
Total: 269

Taylormade R15, Weights in Middle, 10.5, Speeder 57 Evolution Stiff
Launch: 15.3
Spin: 2093
Carry: 258
Total: 269

Final thoughts: Should be noted that the 815 and R15 tied for the lead as far as totals go, but the 815 was much more consistent. The R15 produced some of my longest drives of the day, by also some of the shortest. My miss is high in the face and those shots with the R15 saw much shorter shots than both the 915 and 815.


*Appropriate threads updated with other driver thoughts*

 

[Jman]

Those 815 numbers are pretty freaking good dude.

 

[Golf Ghost]

Those 815 numbers are pretty freaking good dude.

I didn't know what to expect and was the surprise of the day for me. Want to get more time with it come spring.

 

[ForeOnFour]

I got some swings in after work last night. I played a bit with the loft and gravity core settings.
First set was set at 14 degrees with gravity core down:

Second was 14 degree with gravity core up:

And the last was down to 11 degrees with gravity core down:

I'm seeing the best carry with the most loft, despite the extra spin. I was hitting the ball all over the face, so I can't really say how effective adjusting the gravity core could be for me. I will say, though, that this driver is quite consistent even with contact away from the sweet spot. Here you can see how I was covering most of the face:

.

I'm not the best at figuring out numbers so, since it was set at 14* and your launch angle was only 15.3 would that mean you have a negative AoA? If so has any body had any feedback on hitting at 14* with a positive AoA?

 

[Jman]

I didn't know what to expect and was the surprise of the day for me. Want to get more time with it come spring.

I can't blame you there, at all!

 

[emart2173]

Club: 815, GC Down, 9, Speeder 565 Stiff

Looks: Out of the three new releases, easily my favourite to look at. That more compact look and deeper face, as someone who misses high in the face, inspired a lot of confidence, not going to lie.

Sound: Not louder than the 915 or R15, but a higher frequency. My words, out loud, as soon as I hit it were, "Wow, that's a different sound". I didn't spend much time with last years BB, only hit a friend's on course a couple times, so can't really compare. Overall, not a bad sound, just higher or "pinger" in comparison to the other two for me.

Performance: Easily and I mean very easily the most consistent for me out of the three. There were a couple of times where as soon as I hit it, I said it was a mishit, only to see it still carry in the 250 range, which is almost as far as my gamer on average. On screen they were appeared to be just small draws, with just one massive cut (which was a bad swing, not the club). I walked away the most surprised with this one today and easily the one that I would buy if I'm going to replace my driver this year, not sure I will, but if I do, off the shelve, this one was amazing.

Numbers (Averages of 8 best strikes out of 10):

Current - Titleist 913, 9.5, Rip Phenom 60 Stiff.
Launch: 14.6
Spin: 2397
Carry: 253
Total: 262

Titleist 915, 9.5, Rouge Silver 60 Stiff
Launch: 12.2
Spin: 2036
Carry: 255
Total: 264

Callaway Alpha 815, GC Down, 9, Speeder 565 Stiff
Launch: 14.7
Spin: 1997
Carry: 260
Total: 269

Taylormade R15, Weights in Middle, 10.5, Speeder 57 Evolution Stiff
Launch: 15.3
Spin: 2093
Carry: 258
Total: 269

Final thoughts: Should be noted that the 815 and R15 tied for the lead as far as totals go, but the 815 was much more consistent. The R15 produced some of my longest drives of the day, by also some of the shortest. My miss is high in the face and those shots with the R15 saw much shorter shots than both the 915 and 815.


*Appropriate threads updated with other driver thoughts*

if i saw #s like this i would be all over a purchase. like you i have some drivers i want to put head to head before i buy. will probably feb when this happens and hopefully a group from MD/VA/DC are going to be participating.

 

[INgolfer]

Club: 815, GC Down, 9, Speeder 565 Stiff

Looks: Out of the three new releases, easily my favourite to look at. That more compact look and deeper face, as someone who misses high in the face, inspired a lot of confidence, not going to lie.

Sound: Not louder than the 915 or R15, but a higher frequency. My words, out loud, as soon as I hit it were, "Wow, that's a different sound". I didn't spend much time with last years BB, only hit a friend's on course a couple times, so can't really compare. Overall, not a bad sound, just higher or "pinger" in comparison to the other two for me.

Performance: Easily and I mean very easily the most consistent for me out of the three. There were a couple of times where as soon as I hit it, I said it was a mishit, only to see it still carry in the 250 range, which is almost as far as my gamer on average. On screen they were appeared to be just small draws, with just one massive cut (which was a bad swing, not the club). I walked away the most surprised with this one today and easily the one that I would buy if I'm going to replace my driver this year, not sure I will, but if I do, off the shelve, this one was amazing.

Numbers (Averages of 8 best strikes out of 10):

Current - Titleist 913, 9.5, Rip Phenom 60 Stiff.
Launch: 14.6
Spin: 2397
Carry: 253
Total: 262

Titleist 915, 9.5, Rouge Silver 60 Stiff
Launch: 12.2
Spin: 2036
Carry: 255
Total: 264

Callaway Alpha 815, GC Down, 9, Speeder 565 Stiff
Launch: 14.7
Spin: 1997
Carry: 260
Total: 269

Taylormade R15, Weights in Middle, 10.5, Speeder 57 Evolution Stiff
Launch: 15.3
Spin: 2093
Carry: 258
Total: 269

Final thoughts: Should be noted that the 815 and R15 tied for the lead as far as totals go, but the 815 was much more consistent. The R15 produced some of my longest drives of the day, by also some of the shortest. My miss is high in the face and those shots with the R15 saw much shorter shots than both the 915 and 815.


*Appropriate threads updated with other driver thoughts*

My miss is usually just a smidge high also, I like to know that the Bertha has a little more forgiveness in that aspect. Those are some great numbers though, thanks for sharing!

 

[Golf Ghost]

My miss is usually just a smidge high also, I like to know that the Bertha has a little more forgiveness in that aspect. Those are some great numbers though, thanks for sharing!

Easily the best high on the face out of the 3 from what I saw today.

Wonder what would happen with the GC up with the high face miss.

 

[TheHeez]

Easily the best high on the face out of the 3 from what I saw today.

Wonder what would happen with the GC up with the high face miss.

The way the Callaway fitter explained it to me is that if you miss high on the face, putting the GC up can increase your ball speed. You might get a bit more spin but essentially you are putting the mass behind the impact spot and could be longer. My contact is generally high and I've left my GC in the up position. Definitely worth some experimentation.

 

[Sox_Fan]

I actually think the sound at contact is better in the up position. But sound doesn't make the ball go so mine is staying down.

 

[Canes]

BBA 815 arrived today. Can't wait to hit the range. She's such a hottie.

 

[Canes]

First range session tonight with the BBA 815 and I walked off the range with a big smile. The setup is very similar to my old Bertha at 9* Neutral standard with the heavier 7g weight on the toe. I started with the core up and saw penetrating, mid flight drives. After every swing I was checking for ball marks on the face and tonight it was mostly high just above center. Hot, line drives is what I prefer in these damp Florida fairways so I think core up may be the way to go.

Made the switch to core down and saw a higher ball flight which definitely had more carry distance. Nothing wrong with that if I encounter firm, fast fairways. Like my buddy Orange Hog says, this driver is just a bomber. I saw it first hand today and would like to get a sim in the near future to get some stats.

The sound is absolutely amazing and lower than last year's Bertha. After one session, I'm digging the Aldila Rogue silver shaft. It just seemed real easy to hit and dispersion was really good. I hit a few with some draw spin but playable and not a terrible miss. I'm going to also try my DI-6 shaft this weekend. So impressed with this driver after day 1.

 

[Tito Santana]

I actually think the sound at contact is better in the up position. But sound doesn't make the ball go so mine is staying down.

I agree. The sound and feel with the core up is absolutely better than with the core down.

 

[Golfever]

After three rounds with the 815. It is by far the straightest driver I have ever hit. I am taking easy swings, and carrying 240 yards right down the middle. I will try Canes core up for Florida's wet fairways, to see if I can get a little roll out. I am also hitting just above center with it.
Cool today by Florida's standard. 55 and cloudy after 4" of rain.

 

[Spring182]

After three rounds with the 815. It is by far the straightest driver I have ever hit. I am taking easy swings, and carrying 240 yards right down the middle. I will try Canes core up for Florida's wet fairways, to see if I can get a little roll out. I am also hitting just above center with it.
Cool today by Florida's standard. 55 and cloudy after 4" of rain.

That's great it's working out for you! It is very straight and very forgiving.

 

[kc720]

Put this club in play today. Set to -1 (9.5) neutral. 3g in the toe 9g in the heel, core down. Didn't hit the middle of the face once, but EVERY drive was playable and all were good distance. Only one ball on 18 was horrible but that was all horrible swing. Forgiveness of this driver is amazing

 

[Jman]

Tomorrow.

FINALLY I get out tomorrow with this. Just set the epoxy after getting the head-weight right for it to play at D5. Pretty excited to compare numbers.

 

[BogeyWoods03]

This is the only club I want to hit before purchasing a new driver , hope it beats out the R15..

 

[uman]

Tomorrow.

FINALLY I get out tomorrow with this. Just set the epoxy after getting the head-weight right for it to play at D5. Pretty excited to compare numbers.

So can you get heavier weights for this, is that the route you went or did you go the lead tape route . What length did you go with?

 

[OUZO Power]

Question for the guys that tried to lower the standard loft -1*. I'll eventually find out but wont be until the ice age goes away.

Besides lower trajectory. Did you notice any tendency for a fade in the balls trajectory?

 

[kc720]

Question for the guys that tried to lower the standard loft -1*. I'll eventually find out but wont be until the ice age goes away.

Besides lower trajectory. Did you notice any tendency for a fade in the balls trajectory?

I have not noticed any fade bias. My typical miss is a hook however

 

[Spring182]

Question for the guys that tried to lower the standard loft -1*. I'll eventually find out but wont be until the ice age goes away.

Besides lower trajectory. Did you notice any tendency for a fade in the balls trajectory?

I started out -1° and didn't notice a fade. I dont have much of a repeatable swing though but always miss left when I hit a bad one. A perfect shot for me is straight with sometimes a slight draw. Never been able to get a fade in my swing.

 

[Sox_Fan]

Question for the guys that tried to lower the standard loft -1*. I'll eventually find out but wont be until the ice age goes away.

Besides lower trajectory. Did you notice any tendency for a fade in the balls trajectory?

I have not either. I have a tough time even hitting the ball straight as my good swings produce draws and bad one hooks. The guys at Callaway told me the face angle change was very inconsequential when changing the loft.

 

[OUZO Power]

Thanks boys. Cause I play a fade and it's just ingrained in my mind that if I drop the loft (From my RAZR FIT days) I'll amplify the fade.

 

[blugold]

I just had a flightscope lesson. I hit my 815A for a bit. I have a 665 Speeder X flex. I could not get my spin down below 3400 RPM with any consistency. Gravity core was up and then down, same results either way. It was frustrating.