Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 driver Review

The standard BB Alpha 815 offers less spin, with forgiveness. The clubhead is bigger, up to the maximum 460cc, which increases MOI. The centre of gravity is also slightly higher and further back, while the clubhead is lighter and has more draw bias. Testing has shown a 1mph increase in ball speed over the original BB Alpha. It’s constructed like the original Big Bertha Alpha, using eight different materials, including a forged cup face and composite crown. But it has a clever “R-Moto” face, which removes weight from the face via internal ribs to control the motion of the face and lower the CG. They connect the sole to the face and are visible from underneath.

Callaway has retained its Gravity Core technology, which alters the centre of gravity location. “We found from research during fittings that not only did golfers use the Gravity Core to change the spin, they also used it to get the heavier end more behind their impact location on the face to boost ball speeds,” Alan Hocknell, Callaway’s Head of R&D, told us.

Unique to this model and the Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond is the fact that the two ends of the Gravity Core are now coloured and visible through a hole in the sole so you know what position it’s in. If you see silver, it’s in the ‘low’ position, black and it’s in the ‘up’.

Looks
It’s a cool looking club from all angles, almost futuristic in its design. Boasts the recognisable Callaway shape and alignment aid on the crown. Some could argue that more differentiation between the two new Alpha models would be beneficial.

Feel/sound
The soft yet explosive thump feeling at impact is one that leaves you itching to tee up another ball.

Forgiveness
The club maintains its impressive feel across different strike points on the face and distance loss as a result is minimal. Adding spin through the Gravity Core’s “up” position is a good way to enhance accuracy, as is the heel and toe weight system and hosel adjustability.

Performance
Seems to stay in the air forever on a rainbow flight. The higher launch will benefit most, as will the forgiveness. You notice the draw bias, it’s more difficult to fade than a lot of other drivers, which again fits that bigger proportion of golfers with a slice. But you can tweak this with the expansive shaft matrix and the loft, lie and Gravity Core adjustability. The custom-fit message from Callaway has never been stronger.

www.callawaygolf.com

See how the Callaway BB Alpha 815 Driver got on in TG’s 2015 Drivers Test!

TG Tester Reviews:

James Ridyard, Professional:
A mouthful to say, but has a nice looking smaller head from Callaway, very clean lines with a hint that it’s still a Callaway through the shape. It wasn’t as low launching as I was expecting for a better-player club, but I still achieved relatively low spin. Offers a really solid hit at impact that translated into good distance. 

Joel Tadman, Equipment Editor:
The shaft felt long, perhaps because the head is small in comparison to others on test. It provides a dull, powerful feel from a wide area on the face, solid and stable at impact. High launch, lowish spin with surprisingly high forgiveness for such a compact head. The look is very clean and sits nice and square.