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Alpha 815 to Epic SZ, Is it worth it?

SuperStroke
theoverswinger

theoverswinger

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16.2 UNHS
Without the opportunity to test with monitors or on the driving range, I may get the opportunity to buy an epic SZ which is almost not available in my country. I was able to get an alpha 815 and I'm quite happy with it.

I know common sense is to try the club first, but I don't think I'll get the chance.

Is the improvement considerable between the two? Would it be wise to buy the epic off the rack?

I submit to your collective wisdom.
 
Without being able to try it you won't know. For me there was a drop in performance from the alpha 815 to the epic and both were outperformed by another manufacturer. Without the opportunity to try it I would say you will never know if it will work better for you.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
bavs said:
Without being able to try it you won't know. For me there was a drop in performance from the alpha 815 to the epic and both were outperformed by another manufacturer. Without the opportunity to try it I would say you will never know if it will work better for you.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

You are definitely at a disadvantage not being able to test it. We all have unique swings so research might help, or it might not. I do a lot of comparative driver testing. In my own case there have been some drivers that get tons of outstanding positive reviews here that just don't work well for me and some that do. For instance your 815 BBA fits me better, and provides better results, than the next iteration ('16 GBB) does.

As for the drivers you mention, the Epic Sub Zero fits me better in pretty much every metric I score than the standard 815 BBA does. The ESZ gives me more ball speed, a higher smash, more carry yards, and more total yards on average. I'm also less prone to a two way miss or a massive miss that would likely incur penalty strokes with the ESZ. The 815 BBA provides me slightly higher launch though and my fairways hit % is about the same with either.

I'm unsure how many of these drivers you've tried or gamed so I'll list how the recent Callaway drivers fit me incase it helps you frame things better?
Best to worst: EpicSZ, 816 DBD, Epic, 815 DBD, XR16 Pro, '14 BBA, Fusion, 815 BBA, XR16, '16 GBB, '14 BB, XR, X2Hot, V-Series, XHot, RFE, OptiFit

'Worth it' is a personal decision but with all the buzz the Epic lineup is getting, and it being so difficult to get there, it should be easy to resell if it doesn't work for you.
 
Last edited:
bavs said:
Without being able to try it you won't know. For me there was a drop in performance from the alpha 815 to the epic and both were outperformed by another manufacturer. Without the opportunity to try it I would say you will never know if it will work better for you.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I'm curious who that other manufacturer is.
 
theoverswinger said:
Without the opportunity to test with monitors or on the driving range, I may get the opportunity to buy an epic SZ which is almost not available in my country. I was able to get an alpha 815 and I'm quite happy with it.

I know common sense is to try the club first, but I don't think I'll get the chance.

Is the improvement considerable between the two? Would it be wise to buy the epic off the rack?

I submit to your collective wisdom.
Click to expand...

As a lefty, I know how it feels to NOT be able to demo a club before you buy it. I'm a huge fan of the Alpha 815 Driver. Before I bought both Epic Drivers, I considered it the best driver I had ever owned. Based on what Callaway has said... the tube that holds the gravity core was the "genesis" for Jailbreak Technology. I digress...

A few questions:
- Which loft do you have in your 815?
- What shaft do you have in your 815?
- Do you have your numbers? Launch Angle? Ball Spin? Etc.?
- What about your 815 are you looking to improve?
 
sandiegonative said:
As a lefty, I know how it feels to NOT be able to demo a club before you buy it. I'm a huge fan of the Alpha 815 Driver. Before I bought both Epic Drivers, I considered it the best driver I had ever owned. Based on what Callaway has said... the tube that holds the gravity core was the "genesis" for Jailbreak Technology. I digress...

A few questions:
- Which loft do you have in your 815?
- What shaft do you have in your 815?
- Do you have your numbers? Launch Angle? Ball Spin? Etc.?
- What about your 815 are you looking to improve?
Click to expand...

Alas, even monitor data is not easy to come by where I am. I'm happy with the loft at 8 degrees and low spin. With how I swing my drives tend to be balloony with lots of spin, observing from the plug balls I usually see in the old days with the former "normal" drivers. The shaft is aldila rogue, stiff, the way I like it.
 
theoverswinger said:
Alas, even monitor data is not easy to come by where I am. I'm happy with the loft at 8 degrees and low spin. With how I swing my drives tend to be balloony with lots of spin, observing from the plug balls I usually see in the old days with the former "normal" drivers. The shaft is aldila rogue, stiff, the way I like it.
Click to expand...
I would think that the SZ with the 12gram weight forward would reduce your spin more than the 815. And should reduce the balloon also. It has a higher MOI also.
On dead center hits you should see more ball speed also. If you're off center it should be more forgiving. That's what I have been seeing with mine.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
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