Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver Review Thread

[Sox_Fan]

I would like to find a true 9 and then put a 3 in it to see how it would perform. Its a little heavy but not too bad.

9 toe and 3 heel was a good combo for me. Mine starts out at D1.5 with the standard 8 grams of total weights in since I ordered mine to play 45".

 

[Tee1Up]

9 toe and 3 heel was a good combo for me. Mine starts out at D1.5 with the standard 8 grams of total weights in since I ordered mine to play 45".

I wish I had a place close by to see what it comes in at. I have mine at 45" as well.

 

[Sox_Fan]

I wish I had a place close by to see what it comes in at. I have mine at 45" as well.

Should be pretty comparable to mine with both having shaft weights in the low 60s

 

[TheHeez]

So when I got fit on the monitor I ended up with a 10.5 dialed down 1 degree with the core down and weights set neutral. The callaway rep said I could either go with a 9 degree head or the 10.5 based on hitting it at 9.5 degrees. Any advantage anyone can offer for either of the head choices since I fit right in the middle??

I'm playing it the same as you. The fitter said I could go either way and I went with the 10.5 because previously I played a higher lofted driver. I think the only difference is that half a degree. Go with what your tendency is. For me I would never game it lower than 9.5 and might tinker with the higher lofts.

 

[amsmith61]

Finally got to spend some quality time on a range this weekend with my 815. It was nice to hit it outdoors and see the ball flight again.

And my opinion has not changed about the 815 and cannot wait to get this into play again once the weather warms up.

Something I noticed this weekend that never stuck out for me before was the sound. I am not a huge sound guy one way or another, but really love what I think it is a muted sound for a driver.

 

[BlkNGld]

So when I got fit on the monitor I ended up with a 10.5 dialed down 1 degree with the core down and weights set neutral. The callaway rep said I could either go with a 9 degree head or the 10.5 based on hitting it at 9.5 degrees. Any advantage anyone can offer for either of the head choices since I fit right in the middle??

I'm in a similar boat. In fact I started off with a 9 and after a couple of rounds went to 10.5. I quickly myself playing the 9 deg at 10 after a while.

I kind of look at it as how I might find myself using the club -- I'm at the age where I'm more likely to lose swing speed than gain it, so the chances of ever playing the club at 8 deg are slim. OTOH, I can see lofting up early in the year when I'm swinging slower, or when a course is really soft and I want to optimize for carry.

 

[BlkNGld]

What I dont get is Callaway states that they used the 565 shaft because they felt it fits the vast majority of golfers. At $449 per driver, I would assume they really meant it and did not choose it because it is cheaper. However, if I used this thread as a guide, it would look like that shaft fits no one. Maybe those that love the stock shaft simply dont post as much??

Fair question. I usually fall into that vast majority where the stock shaft doesn't make a lot of difference, but if my only choice were the stock Speeder, I definitely wouldn't be playing an 815 this year, so having the options was for me a good thing.

 

[Trevor68]

Had a great round on the sim with this bomber today. I was hitting the ball in between the center of the club face and the heel, and was still getting around 260y drives with average launch angles of 13 degrees and spin rates in the high 2000s. Was amazed at the consistency, this driver likes to go straight more than any other driver I have tried. Just a good fit for me.

 

[AZRhode]

MY 815 with a White Tie showed up today. I have a few shafts to compare against but I hope I like the White Tie. If not my AD DI or the stock Speeder can pop right back in.

I really want to try to sneak out and play tomorrow but I think the range is a more realistic expectation.

 

[Golfever]

I wish our range was open. Another 4" of snow again.
Looking to try moving some weights around and fine tune this 815.
So far have been happy with my results. Hitting nice draws with it.
Not getting distance yet, but last years gamer isn't either. I think my SS
is slower than last fall.

 

[AZRhode]

I wish our range was open. Another 4" of snow again.
Looking to try moving some weights around and fine tune this 815.
So far have been happy with my results. Hitting nice draws with it.
Not getting distance yet, but last years gamer isn't either. I think my SS
is slower than last fall.

There's plenty of sun here in Az. Come on out for a winter round.

 

[Brianbigoats]

I finally have completed my move so i should have a have a new update this weekend

I hate moving have not been able to play or get to the range in 3 weeks

 

[Trevor68]

Has anyone compared the spin rates of the 815 vs the XR? What were your findings?


Driver: Nike Covert 2.0 12.5 degrees
Fairway: Callaway X2Hot 4 Wood
Hybrid: Callaway X2Hot 5 & 6
Irons: Taylormade Rocketbladez 8,9,P
Wedges: 52 Mizuno, 56 rtx, 58 smart sole, 64 rtx
Putter: Ping Scottsdale TR 33

 

[flog2424]

Has anyone compared the spin rates of the 815 vs the XR? What were your findings?

Nothing super concrete but I was getting something in the 2800 range with the Alpha and about 3000 with the regular XR. I have the DBD which was avg mid 2500s. Really wanting to try the pro head. (Side note- did use the Rogue shaft in both heads)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rtparty]

So I finally got my numbers from my testing with this club. I'm just going to post averages right now as time is short. I hope to post the full table tomorrow if I find the time.

10.5° head, core up, weights in a fade bias. Project X LZ Handcrafted shaft (7.0 flex)

Average club head speed: 111.5mph
Avg ball speed: 161.7mph
Avg launch angle: 11.3°
Avg spin: 2807

I'll post some more thoughts tomorrow!

 

[AZRhode]

First off, I still LOVE the 815. It is awesome.

Tonight I compared the stock Speeder 565 against the White Tie. I hit the White Tie really well. It was not what I would consider high launch, more mid, but it was consistently farther than the Speeder and I really liked the ball flight. It was usually about 10-12 yards longer. I hit 2 awesome drives, one right over 300 and another at 295. Those are long drives for me in the winter. In summer, with the concrete we play on here in the desert, it's not hard to hit it that far but right now those are huge drives for me. On my misses, they were still 260+ and a couple others were 275-285. Great distance for me.

I did notice my miss was a lower hook so I'd guess I was flipping it a little through impact. One thing I noticed is that I didn't have to tee the ball super high to get a great launch. With my 913 I had to tee it real high to get a high launch and if I missed I'd get the high right shot. With the 815, a mid tee-height produced a nice mid-height, boring launch.

I'll have another shoot out with my AD DI once I get a Callaway adapter installed and see how it goes but I still love the 815 and it's staying put in my bag for the foreseeable future.

 

[Trevor68]

Today i tried the new cobra driver with the flip weight against my 815. I was surpised to see that the cobra matched the performance and forgiveness of the 815. Really solid driver. However, the 815 obliterated the cobra on the sound and feel department. I have never been much of a sound guy, but the 815 was miles away better in that field.

 

[tahoebum]

Today i tried the new cobra driver with the flip weight against the my 815. I was surpised to see that the cobra matched the performance and forgiveness of my 815. Really solid driver. However, the 815 obliterated the cobra on the sound and feel department. I have never been much of a sound guy, but the 815 was miles away better in that field.

Sound is actually a big to me and I liked the sound of the Fly Z+ a little better than the DBD when I tested them this week. The XR sounded nearly as good as the Cobra. Performance was the best with the Cobra so I bought an used one yesterday. Something tells me a DBD or a XR Pro will also be added to my driver collection very soon.

 

[Miller Time]

Pretty excited for tomorrow's round. Excited to see what the LZ shaft can do with this head.

 

[adwillingham]

I can't wait for the snow to all thaw and the range to reopen so I can actually hit the beautiful club that has been staring at me for a week now.

 

[Golfever]

I can't wait for the snow to all thaw and the range to reopen so I can actually hit the beautiful club that has been staring at me for a week now.

I concur that thought.

 

[Sox_Fan]

Putting the adapter on the PX LZ60 Handcrafted this weekend so hope to get it out next weekend. Based on the shaft length, looks like it will play at 45.5". May try it for a couple of rounds at that length before shortening it to my normal 45".

 

[garethw]

I have managed to get two rounds in this week on my home course. The combination of this head and the Fujikura Pro 63 shaft are giving me good results. I seem to be a little longer and definitely a lot straighter with tighter dispersion.

The forgiveness for me is outstanding, I like to get my moneys worth and use the whole face of the club and its only low heel shots that I see a dramatic difference. I've had 2 slices in 28 tee shots which in itself says a lot to me. My coach has just brought a Trackman so I am hoping to get on there with it at some point to see what difference in numbers I get compared to my 2014 Big Bertha which I got fitted for.

 

[jitzy]

I put my Hand Crafted PXLZ into JB's 815 today and have to say I was very impressed, JB had the perfect comment for it and that was "that looks like its gonna be an expensive experiment" and he may be right.

 

[wubears71]

I put my Hand Crafted PXLZ into JB's 815 today and have to say I was very impressed, JB had the perfect comment for it and that was "that looks like its gonna be an expensive experiment" and he may be right.

It's such a bad a$$ driver. I actually just ordered a new shaft for mine - the 757 Speeder Evolution TS. I needed to move to a S+ shaft from my Stiff 757 Motre speeder - it shows up Monday and I cannot wait to hit with it. The 815 alpha is a freaking beast.