Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver Review Thread

[sparksjr]

My showdown BBA 815 vs BBA 14 goes down tomorrow morning.

All these reviews have me super excited.

Your write up was spectacular, looking forward to your thoughts.

Same happening tomorrow for me as well. J4u and milehighgolfer will also be there to give second and third opinions

Eager for this as well.

You guys are killing it, thanks for all the feedback!

 

[mikeg_74]

Well three guys who absolutely murder the ball.

I'm anxious to hear results from the mortal crowd...you know those of is in the low to mid 90's swing speed.,,,Lol

Seriously I love seeing the numbers some of you #beastmode guys put up.

Rob- check my earlier post. My SS is low to mid 90's & this one fits just fine

 

[Lockman850]

Golfsmith is giving an extra $100 + trade in value with trade of 2014 BB for the 815.

 

[mikeg_74]

Golfsmith is giving an extra $100 + trade in value with trade of 2014 BB for the 815.

It's actually Callaway giving a loyalty bonus so any golf store should honor.

 

[Daddio]

I'll give you my two cents worth, as I played the BC+ this summer. Note: I've since sold it and have switched to the BBA 815 exclusively.

My BC+ was set at 8.5* with the Matrix 6X3 White Tie shaft (stiff). I've got my BBA 815 dialed in at 9.5* with the Rogue Silver 60 (stiff).

Trajectory is a bit lower with the 815 compared to the BC+ even at 1* higher loft. Likely has more to do with the shaft (just assuming).

Forgiveness is night/day better in the 815 compared to the BC+. I tend to miss a few MM's higher on the face and can get off a tad to either toe or heel side from time to time. The BC+ used to punish me on off-center shots with a lot of sidespin. The 815 is totally different. Off-center shots move offline very minimally. I can pick out my target line, set up and swing and know that I'm confidently going to be really close to that line (unless I put just a horrible swing on it). Couldn't do that at all with the BC+.

The BC+ head for me was very spinny, whereas the 815 is lower spinning especially with the Rogue shaft. I'm seeing considerably more carry distance with the 815 compared to the BC+.

Hope that helps somewhat. One of these days we'll get together and play since you're not far from me and I'll let you take a crack at the 815 - assuming you haven't put one in the bag by then!

Huge help, Thank OH. Really intrigued by this one.

 

[mbradley]

I'll give you my two cents worth, as I played the BC+ this summer. Note: I've since sold it and have switched to the BBA 815 exclusively.

My BC+ was set at 8.5* with the Matrix 6X3 White Tie shaft (stiff). I've got my BBA 815 dialed in at 9.5* with the Rogue Silver 60 (stiff).

Trajectory is a bit lower with the 815 compared to the BC+ even at 1* higher loft. Likely has more to do with the shaft (just assuming).

Forgiveness is night/day better in the 815 compared to the BC+. I tend to miss a few MM's higher on the face and can get off a tad to either toe or heel side from time to time. The BC+ used to punish me on off-center shots with a lot of sidespin. The 815 is totally different. Off-center shots move offline very minimally. I can pick out my target line, set up and swing and know that I'm confidently going to be really close to that line (unless I put just a horrible swing on it). Couldn't do that at all with the BC+.

The BC+ head for me was very spinny, whereas the 815 is lower spinning especially with the Rogue shaft. I'm seeing considerably more carry distance with the 815 compared to the BC+.

Hope that helps somewhat. One of these days we'll get together and play since you're not far from me and I'll let you take a crack at the 815 - assuming you haven't put one in the bag by then!

I am murdering the ball with a BBA 815 10.5 degree with a Speeder 665. I have a Rogue Silver 60 coming tomorrow. I'll find out how much it lowers the ball flight. I'm thinking that it will. might end up playing it at 11.5 degrees.

 

[OUZO Power]

I'll post more details and numbers once they email me the info.

But one word about this club: "Legit"

I'm still at Callaway. I'm dealing with a sensory overload now with all the new products.

 

[Brianbigoats]

I'll post more details and numbers once they email me the info.

But one word about this club: "Legit"

I'm still at Callaway. I'm dealing with a sensory overload now with all the new products.

It is a pretty amazing club i never thought a driver could be so long and forgiving

 

[OUZO Power]

The big difference I noticed was forgiveness. Had not swung a club for 2 months and it showed.

 

[Lockman850]

It's actually Callaway giving a loyalty bonus so any golf store should honor.

Even better!!

 

[AceAsmussen]

Everytime you mention the Rogue Silver shaft it's always Rogue Silver 60 and not 70. Is there a reason for that?

The Callaway rep I'm talking to said this about the difference:

"The only different between the Silver 60 and Silver 70 is weight. The 70 would be heavier, and swing a little bit slower, so that is why you may see just a small drop in launch and spin for the 70 version. The 815 was designed to replace the 2014 Big Bertha (non Alpha) and is very forgiving, yet still suitable for better players. I think the best combo (in my opinion) is the 815 with the rogue 70 stiff (for myself)."

Do you have anything here you disagree with or think should be added?

Cheers,
Ace

 

[GoIrish17]

Great reviews so far, Kostas! Very informative. I'm really looking forward to reading your thoughts and results from the trip to Callaway today!

 

[J4U]

Well...today I had the benefit of Kang bringing his DBD and the 815. To say these clubs have my attention is an understatement. The 815 is a shoe in for the top spot, but the 815 DBD didn't dissapoint either. The Alpha 815 is more forgiving of the two, but the DBD holds its own as well. I need to get in front of some numbers to answer the BC+ questions. Will say this however, when the 815 line is available to swing away with, the BC+ stays in the bag.

Will have more course action tomorrow.

 

[ShanksaloT]

Just left pga superstore in Paramus, nj.
Got fitted into the 815 alpha with speeder 656 shaft in stiff
Left gravity core alone. Spin was between 3300-3700 on launch. Avg carry of 247 with SS between 105-108. So pumped!

 

[T2GRN18]

Is that spin normal for you? I'm no expert but it seems a bit high.

 

[jlukes]

Just left pga superstore in Paramus, nj.
Got fitted into the 815 alpha with speeder 656 shaft in stiff
Left gravity core alone. Spin was between 3300-3700 on launch. Avg carry of 247 with SS between 105-108. So pumped!

What position was the core in? What was the launch angle?

 

[tpluff]

Is that spin normal for you? I'm no expert but it seems a bit high.

Was thinking along the same lines. Probably killed a decent amount of distance.

 

[emart2173]

Is that spin normal for you? I'm no expert but it seems a bit high.

I agree...SS that high normally try to gets speed down in the 2k

 

[ShanksaloT]

Is that spin normal for you? I'm no expert but it seems a bit high.

The lowest I was getting as 3200 when I didn't swing as hard but distance was way down. With the 500 series speeder it was even higher at 3900+

What position was the core in? What was the launch angle?

Core was up. LA was between 14 and 17. The guy kept saying the launch angle was good. But for my SS it will spin more.

Was thinking along the same lines. Probably killed a decent amount of distance.

What would you change to fix this and gain more?

Also, forgot to add the loft was set at 11.5

 

[kc720]

The lowest I was getting as 3200 when I didn't swing as hard but distance was way down. With the 500 series speeder it was even higher at 3900+

Core was up. LA was between 44 and 47. The guy kept saying the launch angle was good. But for my SS it will spin more.

What would you change to fix this and gain more?

Also, forgot to add the loft was set at 11.5

With your swing speed I would recommend lofting down to 9.5. You would want spin to be about 2500. Should give you significantly more yardage

According to trackman, 105 ss 14° launch and 2500 spin will maximize carry

 

[afwcardinal]

It was gonna take something special to knock the BC+ out but this has.

And I haven't even got to try the handcrafted LZ yet in it.

This statement really says a lot to me. Glad to hear that this is working so good for you, Cookie. Look forward to seeing you with this on the course.

 

[mikeg_74]

With your swing speed I would recommend lofting down to 9.5. You would want spin to be about 2500. Should give you significantly more yardage

According to trackman, 105 ss 14° launch and 2500 spin will maximize carry

Was thinking the same thing. I would add to flip the gravity core down. That should help with spin. Also the Speeder may not be the right shaft for him. With all the premium shaft offerings, something should fit better to help launch & spin.

 

[ShanksaloT]

With your swing speed I would recommend lofting down to 9.5. You would want spin to be about 2500. Should give you significantly more yardage

According to trackman, 105 ss 14° launch and 2500 spin will maximize carry

I had a typo. The LA was between 14 and 17. Don't know where 45 came from.... I need to worm on getting spin down.

 

[kc720]

I had a typo. The LA was between 14 and 17. Don't know where 45 came from.... I need to worm on getting spin down.

I would definitely try rogue silver. Do you know your angle of attack?

 

[Golf Ghost]

I would definitely try rogue silver. Do you know your angle of attack?

I feel like with that launch/spin combo, angle of attack may be the culprit here more so than shaft.