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Mickelson moved into this driver with a Mitsubishi shaft. Playing it at 45.5 inches long and 8.5 degrees.
Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond Driver Review Thread
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Whoops. Thought this was the 816 thread since I am mobile at a THP event
ProZoneGolf
Clubmaker/Fitter
Installed a UST Attas Elements Fire 6F5, 46' long, D5 SW
This is a absolute BOMBER! I have been through many shafts in the DBD the second best was 757 Evo x TS. I like a bit more torque with x flex profile, than the lower torque 757 Evo for a bit better forgiveness on miss hits. As you know the DBD has a smallish sweet spot, and my set up being 46 long... I need slightly higher torque to soak up a off center hits. The 757 Evo was great, and more suited to center strikes at shorter 45' with its shaft weight.
The Elements fire is holding the ball very well from leaking right (pushes are my worst shot), good shots are med / high (N +1 10.5) penetrating baby draws that fly/roll to 300y ... with Fires stable mid section, I am not getting shaft lag with my aggressive downswing. I can turn the ball over, tee up right side & hit left center. The butt section is more solid than other UST offerings like the GoGo 5 or Attas3. I have also liked Fujikura for this reason. Its like the butt stability your need with the smooth Attas feel and very stable...awesome combo and weight at 70grams. I have no numbers yet however I feel the beefed up mid section is delivering more smash factor to the ball, and my release timing does not have to be so perfect like the DK / Wind. The shaft is not quite as tight as some Fujikuras, however set up right with Flo you might be surprised how forgiving the impact is vs dispersion. Sure I have hit some ropes with Evo's, but I am getting away with a lot more not so good swings that turn out decent in the fw
Also on another note the newer 816 DBD has the weights spread apart, I may remove the gravity core of my 815 and add two 12 gram weights to the weight ports to spread the weight wider and create more forgiveness. Since I play core down I see this as a improvement. Ahhh tinkering!
This is a absolute BOMBER! I have been through many shafts in the DBD the second best was 757 Evo x TS. I like a bit more torque with x flex profile, than the lower torque 757 Evo for a bit better forgiveness on miss hits. As you know the DBD has a smallish sweet spot, and my set up being 46 long... I need slightly higher torque to soak up a off center hits. The 757 Evo was great, and more suited to center strikes at shorter 45' with its shaft weight.
The Elements fire is holding the ball very well from leaking right (pushes are my worst shot), good shots are med / high (N +1 10.5) penetrating baby draws that fly/roll to 300y ... with Fires stable mid section, I am not getting shaft lag with my aggressive downswing. I can turn the ball over, tee up right side & hit left center. The butt section is more solid than other UST offerings like the GoGo 5 or Attas3. I have also liked Fujikura for this reason. Its like the butt stability your need with the smooth Attas feel and very stable...awesome combo and weight at 70grams. I have no numbers yet however I feel the beefed up mid section is delivering more smash factor to the ball, and my release timing does not have to be so perfect like the DK / Wind. The shaft is not quite as tight as some Fujikuras, however set up right with Flo you might be surprised how forgiving the impact is vs dispersion. Sure I have hit some ropes with Evo's, but I am getting away with a lot more not so good swings that turn out decent in the fw
Also on another note the newer 816 DBD has the weights spread apart, I may remove the gravity core of my 815 and add two 12 gram weights to the weight ports to spread the weight wider and create more forgiveness. Since I play core down I see this as a improvement. Ahhh tinkering!
Last edited:
Galen Marek
Well-known member
I took my 815 out to the range twice now just to see what the old gal had left in her and she made a strong case to get back into the bag. Actually she will be in the bag this Wednesday. No matter how well I strike the 816 she just doesn't have that same feel. While impossible I always felt like center hits with the 815 I could feel the face flex and rebound. Just this wonderful, pure feel. And I still hit it more consistently than I do the 816. Maybe it's the fade bias in the 816? I have to do one degree of loft extra and the draw setting to get the driver to work. The 815 Neutral/Standard is perfection for me. We'll see come Wednesday.
Dropping into this thread to comment how much I enjoy hitting this driver. My favorite things are:
1) It flat out works, so no excuses needed for points
2) Feel and sound when hit, especially on center, and
3) Fit and finish - the gloss midnight sparkle blue and white/silver Rogue shaft make for a very appealing combo. I love the look and feel and enjoy pulling it out of the bag every time, including the headcover.
Also posting/moving some launch numbers here following discussion in another thread where they don't really fit in. I am getting some pretty good launch numbers with the DBD and the only thing I would change is that when I get face to path wrong the result is long bombs that are a correspondingly long way offline. I am on the lookout for even more forgiveness because I can use the help, but have not found a combo I like enough better to buy yet. I really like the adjustability and overall package.
815DBD launch numbers from a recent Driver battle at the golf store...
1) It flat out works, so no excuses needed for points
2) Feel and sound when hit, especially on center, and
3) Fit and finish - the gloss midnight sparkle blue and white/silver Rogue shaft make for a very appealing combo. I love the look and feel and enjoy pulling it out of the bag every time, including the headcover.
Also posting/moving some launch numbers here following discussion in another thread where they don't really fit in. I am getting some pretty good launch numbers with the DBD and the only thing I would change is that when I get face to path wrong the result is long bombs that are a correspondingly long way offline. I am on the lookout for even more forgiveness because I can use the help, but have not found a combo I like enough better to buy yet. I really like the adjustability and overall package.
815DBD launch numbers from a recent Driver battle at the golf store...
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2014
- Messages
- 6,086
- Reaction score
- 2,460
- Location
- Cabo San Lucas, BCS Mexico
- Handicap
- 4.8
I just bought one of these on eBay and I can't wait to try it out. I haven't had a new driver since my beloved PING V2 Rapture. I bought that from my buddy who worked at PING the week they came out, and wouldn't you know it, the head flew off recently and sailed over a lake and into some jungle area where men don't tread...
I enjoyed reading all these reviews, and based on what I read, I decided to pull the trigger!
I'm looking for a bit more distance (the shaft length along should help as I had cut my V2 down to 43-1/2"), and I love the options to move the CG.
Much belated thanks to all the reviewers - this thread was invaluable as my budget was $100! lol
I enjoyed reading all these reviews, and based on what I read, I decided to pull the trigger!
I'm looking for a bit more distance (the shaft length along should help as I had cut my V2 down to 43-1/2"), and I love the options to move the CG.
Much belated thanks to all the reviewers - this thread was invaluable as my budget was $100! lol