Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Driver Review Thread

[blugold]

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

Angle of attack is important, but a lot of other factors come into play. Tour average AofA is -1°

Here is a flightscope read out from my last lesson. It was just one swing, but it is possible to have good launch and spin will hitting down with the driver.

 

[ShanksaloT]

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.

Angle of attack is important, but a lot of other factors come into play. Tour average AofA is -1°

Here is a flightscope read out from my last lesson. It was just one swing, but it is possible to have good launch and spin will hitting down with the driver.

I do not know my AoA. I might have to take a trip back to PGA superstore to get back on the LA. You guys got me nervous now thinking I'm missing out....

 

[Golf Ghost]

Angle of attack is important, but a lot of other factors come into play. Tour average AofA is -1°

Here is a flightscope read out from my last lesson. It was just one swing, but it is possible to have good launch and spin will hitting down with the driver.

There are a lot of factors for sure, just thinking in comparison to just trying different shafts, it may be a simple setup or grip adjustment. Of course I don't know all of his numbers so this is just a speculation.

 

[Tadashi70]

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.

Your launch angle is ideal, why does the spin have to come down?

 

[ShanksaloT]

Your launch angle is ideal, why does the spin have to come down?

Am I sacrificing distance with that spin number?

I will say that even when I tried to "step on it" and missed my usual balloon up and to the right miss was now more of a strong push and not a huge slice

 

[Tadashi70]

Am I sacrificing distance with that spin number?

I will say that even when I tried to "step on it" and missed my usual balloon up and to the right miss was now more of a strong push and not a huge slice

If you had just told me your spin was 3400-3700, I would have said yes. But factor in your swing speed,carry and launch angle you are good.

If you want to lower spin then change shafts but you carry won't be any longer at your current swing speed

 

[T2GRN18]

If you had just told me your spin was 3400-3700, I would have said yes. But factor in your swing speed,carry and launch angle you are good.

If you want to lower spin then change shafts but you carry won't be any longer at your current swing speed

That's why initially (which I should of asked more questions) why I asked about his spin numbers. But after seeing the numbers it makes sense.

 

[jlukes]

Like freddie said, your numbers are pretty good. According to the FlightScope trajectory optimizer, your ideal spin with that swing speed and launch angle would be about 2600 RPMs. However, you are only "costing" yourself about 4 yards of carry with spin around 3500, so not a big deal at all.

The only thing lower spin will really give you is a bit more rollout and and slightly better performance in a cross or head wind. Perhaps you could try flipping the gravity core down to see if it drops your spin 200-300 revs while maintaining launch angle and ball speed!

 

[ShanksaloT]

If you had just told me your spin was 3400-3700, I would have said yes. But factor in your swing speed,carry and launch angle you are good.

If you want to lower spin then change shafts but you carry won't be any longer at your current swing speed

That's why initially (which I should of asked more questions) why I asked about his spin numbers. But after seeing the numbers it makes sense.

Like freddie said, your numbers are pretty good. According to the FlightScope trajectory optimizer, your ideal spin with that swing speed and launch angle would be about 2600 RPMs. However, you are only "costing" yourself about 4 yards of carry with spin around 3500, so not a big deal at all.

The only thing lower spin will really give you is a bit more rollout and and slightly better performance in a cross or head wind. Perhaps you could try flipping the gravity core down to see if it drops your spin 200-300 revs while maintaining launch angle and ball speed!

Thanks for all the tips! There's an indoor range with a launch Monitor I am going to check out over the weekend to look at flipping the core, etc. Appreciate the help guys!

 

[OUZO Power]

Here it is. And Part 1 can be found here. http://www.thehackersparadise.com/f...eview-Thread&p=3431603&viewfull=1#post3431603

Part 2 of 3 (Indoor Simulator)

Again I'd like to thank THP, Callaway Canada (Bruce Carroll & Brent Mallard) for letting me use their facilities. These guys are great hosts and take care of everyone that walks through their doors.

And as always take these reviews with a grain of salt. What might work for me might not for you and vice versa.

I'll try and be a little more brief this time cause the Mrs. just called and she has to rush to the hospital cause my MIL fell. But I will add through the next few days thoughts and findings.

Introduction:
(For those speed reading the BBA 815 was superior to the BBA 14) I'm not going to lie. It didn't go as well as I hoped. I was truly disappointed in myself. However as history has shown with me things went as expected.

I was hoping for a major improvement. But I was only fooling myself. I have never ever had a killer club make me say WOW from the get go. Never had a honeymoon phase. I always had to work a club about 2-3 range sessions and 3-4 rounds before I got it to where I would say I am satisfied. I can say the BBA 815 is somewhat of an exception. And you'll see why from the numbers considering it was the first time I hit it and no adjustments was done to it.

Last time I hit a ball was 2 months ago. And it showed. I'm fit and I work out 1.5 hrs/day. But after hitting so many balls yesterday my body hurts all over.

Overall on any club I tried I was shorter than my optimum mid to end season performance. It's not the simulator cause I hit the BBA 14 on the same simulator a few months ago and was hitting it 10-15 yards further. Also I was hitting many low hooks with all clubs I tried. Something I never did before. I have been trying now in the offseason to make some swing changes so that most likely was the cause. The resulted in many shots to be considered useless and could not be used for data compilation.

Fear not however I will proceed as promised with Part 3. This will be the based on many range sessions and a few rounds prior to me reporting back. It will also include trying to tune the club with multiple configurations and shafts.

If the BBA 815 beat out the BBA 14 straight off the shelf imagine how much more I can get out of it when I'm swinging better and start playing with settings and shafts. It will be a killer.

Observations & Findings:

Note: No adjustment was done to the BBA 815. It was hit as it comes from Callaway.

Pros
1) The alignment aid I wasn't to enthusiastic about in Part 1. Well it wasn't a problem at all and once I started swinging I didn't even notice it.
2) FORGIVING. This head is incredibly forgiving. I can say about half my swings with both the BBA 14 & BBA 815 were my high toe miss. I can say the BBA 14 would lose 50 yards and I would be lucky if it was in play or even in the fairway. The BBA 815 just did magic as far as forgiveness. Every miss went dead straight. obviously lower ball speeds compared to dead centre strikes. But I think I would leave max on the table 30 yards and all of them would be in play and I suspect in the fairway too.
3) Sounds fantastic. Slightly more muted than the BBA 14.
4) Numbers don't lie. The head is low spin. It produced less spin for me that the BBA 14 which had a LOW SPIN Aldila RIPa in it. Can you imagine what the RIPa would do in this head? I think my spin rates where ok. I could drop them a few hundred more with the proper shaft. Can't wait to try on the range & course the RIPa in it.
5) The BBA 815 higher loft did it's job. It proved my wrong based on my view in Part 1. I produced 10yards more than my BBA 14 which I was VERY happy with. The future looks good my friends.
6) Excluding my bad rusty swings that cause a few worm burners and low duck hooks which had to do with a bad swing and bad contact overall due to me, when I hit it anywhere on the face they all went straight with an ever so slight baby fade. Just what I love.
7) The Fujikura Speeder 565 isn't a bad shaft at all. I found it smooth. It proved my wrong based on my view in Part 1. I will give it a full range session before I move on to trying other shafts. It didn't want me to say I'm replacing it with something else like other stock shaft offerings in the past. Good call on this shaft. Yes somewhat soft to flex. But still felt great.
8) I hit the BBA 14 first and was very accustomed to the headshape. Once I switched over to the BBA 815 it was a little odd at first but after 10 swings it's so much easier to see the shot and a confidence booster.
9) Hitting it higher on the face didn't cause ballooning and drop like a rock drives like those that occur in the BBA 14. Again the club is very forgiving on the high side of the face and wont penalise you as other clubs in the past have.

Cons
1) The factory ND Golf Pride grip is too harsh for me. I brought this up in part 1. I have a tendency to grip really hard on the club. I know you shouldn't do this but I do. After hitting balls for an hour I still had the stamina to continue but I had to give up because my fingers started to blister. Definitely replacing it with the Callaway Winn XF grip.
2) I was hoping for higher ball speeds. And I bet it does produce them but my bad swing and inconsistencies wouldn't let us compile enough data to come up with a firm conclusion. I'll report back in Part 3 and after a few rounds and range sessions I'll go back to the same simulator to see how things are going.
3) The all black face and top was a little bit of a challenge when looking down on it. The dark setting s didn't help either. I like to differentiate the face from the top of the club. Maybe in outdoor lighting I might not have this problem.


Conclusion:

So as is the Callaway Big Bertha 815 dethrones and kicks the BBA14 out of the bag for the 2015 season. And knowing how I need a good month to get any club to cooperate and listen to me things will only get better. I know I had the BBA14 reaching steady 270 yards by the end of the season. Add the extra 10sh I get now from the BBA 815 and a shaft to compliment it, things are looking exciting.

Thanks again THP & Callaway. I will report Back with Part 3 in the spring. I have to. I want to.

I will also update the thread with thoughts & findings that might of escaped me.

 

[golf4life]

Thanks for all the tips! There's an indoor range with a launch Monitor I am going to check out over the weekend to look at flipping the core, etc. Appreciate the help guys!

I definitely recommend flipping the core based on your numbers. For me with the BBA, the core down was about 400 rpm less spin, but also increased my launch a little. I bet if you flip the core and reduce the club loft to 9.5, you'll have ideal launch in the 14-15 range with spin below 3000. This lower lofted face should give you a little more ball speed and increase your distance (in theory anyways). Its certainly worth a try. Good luck!

 

[ArmyGolf]

Great post OUZO! I'm surprised the ball speeds were lower on the 815 Alpha especially considering you were finding the toe here and there.

Keep up the great work my man!

 

[OUZO Power]

Great post OUZO! I'm surprised the ball speeds were lower on the 815 Alpha especially considering you were finding the toe here and there.

Keep up the great work my man!

Well I wouldn't say lower. The difference in 0.8mph. I was hopping for more. But all it takes is a few bad toe mishits to scew the numbers.

Like I said once my season starts and my swing is back in shape we'll do this again with a more consistent swing.

I think the only way you can do an apples to apples comparison in regards to distance is to eliminate all mishits and have a steady consistent swing. Then I guess one can proceed with misshit comparisons.

 

[ShanksaloT]

I definitely recommend flipping the core based on your numbers. For me with the BBA, the core down was about 400 rpm less spin, but also increased my launch a little. I bet if you flip the core and reduce the club loft to 9.5, you'll have ideal launch in the 14-15 range with spin below 3000. This lower lofted face should give you a little more ball speed and increase your distance (in theory anyways). Its certainly worth a try. Good luck!

That is exactly what I was thinking! I will try to get to the LM on Saturday - will report back with a full write up

 

[OUZO Power]

Well remember the Headcover portion in Part 1 of my review?

I told you guys. I think I found a whole new addiction. Muhahaha (Dr. Evil laugh)

 

[ShanksaloT]

Well remember the Headcover portion in Part 1 of my review?

I told you guys. I think I found a whole new addiction. Muhahaha (Dr. Evil laugh)

I actually kept my big Bertha headcover....the alpha one I feel is not that great looking....

 

[JimmyG]

Well remember the Headcover portion in Part 1 of my review?

I told you guys. I think I found a whole new addiction. Muhahaha (Dr. Evil laugh)

Getting customs made?

 

[OUZO Power]

yes sir

 

[AceAsmussen]

I can say the BBA 14 would lose 50 yards and I would be lucky if it was in play or even in the fairway. The BBA 815 just did magic as far as forgiveness. Every miss went dead straight. obviously lower ball speeds compared to dead centre strikes. But I think I would leave max on the table 30 yards and all of them would be in play and I suspect in the fairway too.

Wow! I can't even tell you how much that makes me happy! I have the 2014 BBA and while I drill it when I hit it, the schnapps are too far in between as we say in Denmark :act-up:

It simply was too much high risk high reward for my analytical golf game hehe. I wouldn't mind giving a few yards here and there for "all of them would be in play and I suspect in the fairway too"!

This review might just have sealed the deal for me!

I'm thinking about going for the Rogue Silver 70 shaft, but need you guys to help me with a question from earlier that drowned a bit:

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

You input on this would be much appreciated

 

[Spring182]

Spent some time on the range today with the 815 Bertha. The first half of my time I saw pretty much what I have been seeing - straight bombs with a nice mid-high trajectory. Then something goofy crept into my swing and I started hitting everything on the heel, which was causing too much fade for my liking. That's me and not the club, though. Made a couple adjustments and was back to hitting bombs again.

The range where I practice hits into a large pond, so the balls they use are floaters. I never pay attention to distances because I know the floaters aren't going to compress and perform like the real deal. That said, the end of the range is 265 yards and I've never personally hit the back of it, nor have I ever seen anyone do it more than maybe once or twice. I was putting ball after ball about 5 yds short of the 265 yd mark today...that's carry distance with floating golf balls! Although I know that real balls will perform better, if I could carry the ball at least 260 yds consistently then that is going to be a MAJOR game changer for me.

Absolutely LOVE this driver and shaft!!

Awesome to hear! Callaway has really hit a HomeRun with the 815!

 

[garethw]

Without re-reading the whole 17 pages again, how many of you have gone from the 2014 Big Bertha to the 815? I damaged my BB head and was looking for a replacement head online. I have found the 2014 heads and 2015 heads and there really is not that much price difference.

For those that had the 2014 model, have you tried the 815 head in the same shaft? I have a shaft for mine which I am really liking and was thinking of buying a 815 head to put in it.

 

[JB]

Without re-reading the whole 17 pages again, how many of you have gone from the 2014 Big Bertha to the 815? I damaged my BB head and was looking for a replacement head online. I have found the 2014 heads and 2015 heads and there really is not that much price difference.

For those that had the 2014 model, have you tried the 815 head in the same shaft? I have a shaft for mine which I am really liking and was thinking of buying a 815 head to put in it.

I made the move. Using the same shaft in both too. Got less spin with the same forgiveness and the ball launches for me.

 

[garethw]

I made the move. Using the same shaft in both too. Got less spin with the same forgiveness and the ball launches for me.

Thank you, thats just what I wanted to hear.

 

[mikeg_74]

Add me to the list that moved from the 2014 BB to the 815. I gained carry distance & reduced my spin without sacrificing forgiveness.

 

[Sox_Fan]

I will FINALLY be able to contribute to this thread with some actual feedback tomorrow evening. Maiden voyage with the Alpha 815 with Speeder 665 stiff that I received Tuesday will occur tomorrow. Beyond excited!