Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond Driver Preview Thead

This is a beautiful stick. While I don't usually change drivers after only 1 season, the honeymoon with my SLDR is starting to fade away....

JasonFinleyCG said:

For me, I always play any golf club with the most forgiveness possible that I like the look of.

Hope this helps.

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can support this. Great overall response btw.

Agent Jay said:

I LOVE the looks of the new 816 DBD, but I'm confident I'd preform better with the GBB. With that said, I still want to hit them both to see the side by side numbers, you know, just to be sure. #WannaBeInternetGolfer

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Always the best way but always remember to let the data drive what is best for you.

I wanted so bad to hit it well. It's just too good of a club for my skill level, it seems. It has great looks, and feel. The club reminds me of an expensive sports car.

Maybe with a lot of adjustments, and tinkering , I could get it dialed in.

Would like to hit one again sometime.

With the GBB, it was like a preprogrammed ball flight. Nice and high, a draw from 15-20 foot, lots of roll-out . It was sweet.

Jack

Spin is a fight for me. I adore the 815 DBD. I am curious how much difference the gravity core adjustability would make for me in this one. I like the multiple possible locations.

blugold said:

Spin is a fight for me. I adore the 815 DBD. I am curious how much difference the gravity core adjustability would make for me in this one. I like the multiple possible locations.

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Thats what has me really interested in this. Knowing I can put it out on the toe and up, a usually miss of mine. With 815 DBD that was just dead for me.

JasonFinleyCG said:

Very good question. The BBA816 does in fact have a similar MOI to the std 815 Driver so the forgiveness should be similar to that. As far as which one is better for you, that should always come down to getting fit and demoing them for yourself. I obviously have done that and have been playing the Great Big Bertha and loving it so far. For me, I always play any golf club with the most forgiveness possible that I like the look of. The 816 is very playable and certainly allows for the most adjustability but will not be for everyone and even as a higher spin player I am able to play the GBB Driver to get optimum launch conditions and the amount of forgiveness I need. After all, I want to make sure I LEAVE NO YARD BEHIND.

Hope this helps.

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Thank you. Appreciate the insightful answer. I must say, it's very interesting that you guys were able to make the 816 DBD as forgiving as the 815 STD.

I think I should move towards your paradigm and "play any golf club with the most forgiveness possible that I like the look of". I believe this will lead to having more fun, playing better, and ultimately shooting lower scores. Getting fit will be in the plans for this "internet" golfer. I think I need some new irons (Apex predecessors yeah ) and wedges (MD3) too.

blugold said:

Spin is a fight for me. I adore the 815 DBD. I am curious how much difference the gravity core adjustability would make for me in this one. I like the multiple possible locations.

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I'll bet you do good with it . He was talking about the double core location in these. It had a quite a bit of adjustment.

Jack

Let me start by saying.... "core up"

A lot more to come very soon.

Canadan said:

Let me start by saying.... "core up"

A lot more to come very soon.

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Core up toe side I assume?

Jman said:

Core up toe side I assume?

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Yes sir. Not even close either.

As someone who chases low spin with forgiveness, I love being able to hedge against my low heel cut miss! Love my 815 DBD, and I don't think I like the looks from the top better on the 816 but added forgiveness, that has the ears perked!


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Canadan said:

Let me start by saying.... "core up"

A lot more to come very soon.

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Interesting considering your spinniness

This sounds to be like the best fit for me out of the new offerings. Hopeful to get some time with this next month in Chicago

PhillyV said:

This sounds to be like the best fit for me out of the new offerings. Hopeful to get some time with this next month in Chicago

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I think GBB will surprise many in terms of fit, massively surprise.

Jman said:

I think GBB will surprise many in terms of fit, massively surprise.

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It sounds great. Was able to see Furyk up close and the GBB was impressive. I just seem to get along with the lower spinning options and have a tendency to turn mid spinners into tops lol

blugold said:

Interesting considering your spinniness

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Think less about "spin" and more about "point of contact"

Canadan said:

Think less about "spin" and more about "point of contact"

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Oh sure. I know the weight will be closer to the point of contact. All that goodness.

I have so much to share right now, and I honestly don't know where to start. I may just start posting grouped thoughts with photos and hopefully you all can be entertained for the next day or so.

I took my shot measuring device to the range with me, shot a couple flags to confirm distances (it was looking quite accurate for readings) and then hit a total of 8 settings for large groups. The final setting gave me some really strong results, although I do have some concerns about the left turn I'm seeing. Not a huge departure from what I've seen from the 2015 DBD, and something I'll keep a close eye on. For what it's worth, my miss is hard left, and I'd probably prefer to fight a left turn than fight a two way miss.

Either way, there's something to be said about consistency. Welcome to the bag, 2016 Callaway Big Bertha Alpha Double Black Diamond. I think this will work just fine.



Edit: I'll have a really hard time confirming if the balls were really moving left as much as the display shows -- It is based on how the unit is set up, and while I was trying to accommodate the target line as best I could based on the direction I thought was appropriate, I think they may be a bit exaggerated. Either way, they were drawing and most were exactly the kind of draw I have come to expect.

Canadan said:

I have so much to share right now, and I honestly don't know where to start. I may just start posting grouped thoughts with photos and hopefully you all can be entertained for the next day or so.

I took my shot measuring device to the range with me, shot a couple flags to confirm distances (it was looking quite accurate for readings) and then hit a total of 8 settings for large groups. The final setting gave me some really strong results, although I do have some concerns about the left turn I'm seeing. Not a huge departure from what I've seen from the 2015 DBD, and something I'll keep a close eye on. For what it's worth, my miss is hard left, and I'd probably prefer to fight a left turn than fight a two way miss.

Either way, there's something to be said about consistency. Welcome to the bag, 2016 Callaway Big Bertha Alpha Double Black Diamond. I think this will work just fine.

Edit: I'll have a really hard time confirming if the balls were really moving left as much as the display shows -- It is based on how the unit is set up, and while I was trying to accommodate the target line as best I could based on the direction I thought was appropriate, I think they may be a bit exaggerated. Either way, they were drawing and most were exactly the kind of draw I have come to expect.

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Looks good so far my dude!


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I think the spin numbers and the graphic representation of the shot trajectory as far as height goes is what if find impressive.


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I've added in hand photos of the driver to the first post of this thread. I also thought you would all enjoy a walk through the Callaway timeline, with a 2015 DBD and a 2014 Alpha in the house. Hope you enjoy this.

2016 DBD



2015 DBD



2014 Alpha




Side by Side

Need. To. Hit. That gravity core in the heel chamber for me with the low spin off the tee could be great. Really really want to test out this and the GBB

I think it's important to share my swing profile as I offer some results information. For those who haven't met me, I have a fairly smooth transition and swing at around 109-113 MPH depending on the day and how my timing is overall. For years I have been plagued by high spin, and as a result I tend to lean towards the stiffest X flex shafts to offset some of the big spin I get, Consequently, it has also introduced a rather consistent contact area of the toe side of center, which seems to eliminate some of the extra spin I get on a lot of driver heads. To offer an idea of past drivers, I have been actually gaming one of either the 2014 Alpha, or the 2015 Alpha DBD for the past year or so -- They suit my eye well, and while I haven't spent a ton of time on the monitor, offer the numbers I am happy with.

When I began with the latest DBD iteration this evening, I could tell I was opening the book on some serious technological changes. Two core slots make it fairly obvious, but then again, so does a matte finish and a notably different ball flight and slightly altered sound (more on this in a few days I'm sure).

In fact, it took a minute to realize a couple of very important things;

1 - This isn't the same tech rebuilt
2 - I don't need absolute low-spin-settings to achieve best results
3 - Green Light

I started where my 2015 DBD sits. 8 degrees of loft, with the core dropped downward. The spin numbers were very welcoming in the 2,500-2,800 range, and even the flight was tame for what I am used to seeing. Despite the solid numbers, I really felt like I was "missing" when I was striking the ball, and confirmed contact outside of center and towards the toe. To accommodate the progression and see what the Callaway was capable of, I switched it up to 9* and saw slightly higher launch and spin, but again nothing that would be alarming or avoidable -- Still though, it didn't offer the kind of feedback I really wanted to get out of the head. That "solid" contact sensation.

When I decided to alter the Core into the upwards position, I felt like I had really found the right setting for my swing. With some extra weight closer to that point of contact, the resulting feedback was really, really positive. Even the balls that were not great in overall numbers seemed to present a positive experience in the hands and ears. It is definitely a setting I plan to stick around for a couple rounds to see if that feedback quality adds confidence to my tee game.

Additional settings as well as my gamer shaft were applied to see if I could get better numbers, but it was a struggle. In the central slot, I did not enjoy the resulting feedback much at all. With how I strike the driver head, it's simply a poor result with a notably harder left turn (considering the club says "draw" on it gave me a pretty good idea what was coming). Here's the chart in total, including the average (nothing was thrown away) as well as the best shot I had with each setting.



There's a lot to digest, and I plan to play golf a BUNCH this week with the DBD in play, so expect some updates as I go. Please also feel free to ask me questions along the way as it helps to get focused on various thoughts and ideas.

I wish I was good enough to hit this.....but I can't wait to give a rip at the GBB