TEST: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 driver

Callaway's Big Bertha Alpha 815 drivers ... long name = long drives. Our testers got their hands on these clubs and they didn’t want to give them back. Here's what they had to say.

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond 9° driver, fitted with a stiff-flex graphite shaft. The Gravity Core, weight ports and loft and lie settings were retained in neutral configurations.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: It looks great. This driver has a smaller head shape than a lot of Callaway’s other drivers and I like that more compact look. The changeable parts of modern drivers aren’t really my thing, so I’m leaving everything configured to neutral. With more time you might adjust certain parts but I’m inclined to change my swing, not the club.

VERDICT: The Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond produced a much lower ball flight than I am used to and I hit the ball straighter with it, too. I don’t think I missed a fairway with it all day. It was similar to my driver for length, so the accuracy and distance aspects were both good but it was the trajectory it gave me that I liked most as it never let me balloon drives high and right.

Impact was really solid and the ball felt great coming off the clubface. There’s really nothing I didn’t like about the Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond driver.

ROGER CRINION

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 10.5° driver, fitted with a regular-flex graphite shaft. The Gravity Core, weight ports and lie setting were retained in neutral configurations with the loft decreased one degree.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I like how this driver sits at address. It just feels like a good club. I’m confident standing over the ball and I like how you can tweak the various settings. I’m choosing to set the loft a degree lower to more closely match the loft of my regular driver.

VERDICT: The feedback from impact was tremendous. When you hit the Big Bertha Alpha 815, you don’t even have to look, as you know it’s heading down the fairway. At impact there’s a nice ‘soft’ feel out of the sweet spot, which is generous in size as my gentle fade was not nearly as accentuated as usual.

I drove the ball very well with it, hitting close to every fairway. Using the Big Bertha Alpha 815 made me feel more confident about the rest of my game. My trajectory was similar and I wasn’t as impressed by the distance, but I did not hit a bad drive all day. I could seriously go out and buy one.

FACTS & FIGURES

SUITABILITY: The Alpha 815 is suited to all golfers; the Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond model is aimed at better players with faster swing speeds.

SHAFTS: The Fujikura Speeder 565 is the standard offering; or Aldila Rogue Silver for the Double Black Diamond model.

LOFTS: 9°, 10.5° and 12° (12° not available in Double Black Diamond).

LEFT-HANDED MODELS?: Yes.

HOW MUCH?: $550, or $620 for the Double Black Diamond version.

CALLAWAY SAYS: “Previously, distance gains have come from low driver spin and at the expense of forgiveness. The new Big Bertha Alpha 815 driver eliminates the need to choose between the two, delivering maximum distance from low spin along with forgiveness through a lighter, more stable face. The new twist is Callaway’s RMOTO Technology, which provides the structure to save weight and allow an ultra-thin face that maintains stability and delivers high ball speeds across the face. The Gravity Core introduced in the original Big Bertha Alpha driver is back, allowing golfers to adjust launch and spin based on impact location. Two weight ports (seven grams and one gram) allow golfers to set the driver to a neutral, draw or fade bias. Finally, Callaway’s OptiFit hosel provides eight ways to adjust loft, lie and face angle.

“Big Bertha Double Black Diamond is our ‘experts only’ driver, the perfect choice for players looking for ultra-low spin to maximise their distance. The company’s lowest-spinning driver ever is made for club champions and super-low handicappers that generate high ball speeds and hit the ball in the centre of the face most of the time. RMOTO Technology allows for an extremely lightweight face, and the leftover weight enabled engineers to position the centre of gravity low to reduce spin. Callaway engineers also modified the crown to fit a taller Gravity Core, which delivers more spin separation between low and high settings, all without changing loft or face angle. The shape of the crown and face angle will suit better players’ eyes.”

Contact Callaway Golf on 1800 217 777 or visit www.callawaygolf.com