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Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 DBD Driver: What you need to know

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9 years ago

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Callaway’s Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond Driver ($499.99) is available in lofts of 9 and 10.5 degrees for right-handed and left-handed golfers. Stock length is 45.5 inches. Stock swing weight is D4. It’s in stores Sept. 18, 2015.

Stock Shafts: Aldila Rogue I/O 60 (60-gram range), Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana D+ 70 (70-gram range)

What you need to know

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Two “Distance Chambers” create four possible CG locations.

  • The Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond, or DBD, has two “Distance Chambers” in the center of the sole — one closer to the heel, one closer to the toe — that allow golfers to vary the position of the driver’s Gravity Core for more draw bias (heel position) or more fade bias (toe position). Because of the Gravity Core’s design (read on), this creates four distinct CG positions: high toe, low toe, high heel, low heel.

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  • The Gravity Core, a stick-shaped object made of carbon fiber and tungsten, has a heavy end and a light end. In the past, Callaway advised golfers who needed a higher-spinning ball flight to position the Gravity Core heavy-side up in the club head, while golfers who required a lower-spinning ball flight were told to position the Gravity Core heavy-side down. This is still true with the new design, but…

“WE’RE SHIFTING THE FOCUS OF HOW WE’RE FITTING THE ALPHA DRIVER TO BE MORE ABOUT BALL SPEED AND LESS ABOUT SPIN RATE,” SAID EVAN GIBBS, CALLAWAY’S MANAGER OF PRODUCT PERFORMANCE.

  • The spin rate difference between the Gravity-Core-up and Gravity-Core-down positions with the Big Bertha Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond driver has been reduced from about 300 rpm in previous versions to 200 rpm because of the Gravity Core’s shorter design.
  • Callaway advises that golfers position the Gravity Core in the heavy-side-up orientation if they tend to contact their drives high on the club face, and in the heavy-side-down orientation if they tend to contact their drives in the middle or the bottom of the club face. Doing so moves the center of gravity (CG) more in line with impact area, which enhances ball speed. Callaway testing showed that 40 percent of golfers create more ball speed with the Gravity Core in the up position.
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The DBD is all business at address with a matte black crown, no alignment aids and a slightly opened face angle.

“RATHER THAN DEMONSTRATE HOW MUCH WE CAN CHANGE SPIN AS WE DID WITH OUR PAST ALPHA DRIVERS, WE WANTED TO CREATE TWO TRAJECTORIES THAT ARE DESIRABLE TO TOUR PLAYERS,” GIBBS SAID.”BASED ON FEEDBACK AND TESTING, 200 RPM WAS THE SWEET SPOT.”

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The rear weight adds forgiveness, but it’s not meant to be adjusted by consumers.

  • The dual Gravity Core ports were made possible by the elimination of Callaway’s previous adjustable weight ports, which were used on the Big Bertha Alpha (2014) and Big Bertha Alpha 815 (2015) drivers to give golfers the ability to fine tune draw and fade bias. Their removal created the discretionary weight possible for the new design.
  • Like the Great Big Bertha driver, the Big Bertha Alpha 816 DBD has a Forged Composite Crown, a structure that helps move weight lower in the club head. It also uses the same Advanced OptiFit Hosel, which gives golfers a 3-degree range of loft adjustability. So a 9-degree driver can be adjusted to lofts of 8 degrees, 10 degrees and 11 degrees. Each loft can also paired with an individual lie angle of either standard (S) or draw (D), which makes the lie angle more upright.
  • The total weight of the Big Bertha Alpha DBD is 327 grams with Aldila’s Rogue I/O 60 shaft, which uses Aldila’s R.I.P. (Reverse Interlaminar Placement) Technology to give the shaft less torque, increased tip stability and a tighter feel.

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20 Comments

20 Comments

  1. Kanu

    Jan 29, 2017 at 5:56 am

    Dear Sir,
    I have one Callaway big bertha alpha 816 DBD and 9′
    Kindly teach me, how adjust the lopt from 9′ to 10′ -11′
    Possible advise with picture for reference.
    Thanhs & Regards,
    Kanu.

    Reply Report comment

  2. Colton

    Sep 18, 2015 at 8:32 pm

    Just picked up a 816 DBD in a X- FLEX to replace my X-Hot driver. The increase in distance was easy to see with lower spin and I was getting a tighter dispersion. Love it, I tested the great big bertha and it was nice, but nothing like the 816 DBD. I would play my X-Hot over the Great Big Bertha personally. Easy switch.

    Reply Report comment

  3. Erik

    Aug 29, 2015 at 2:29 am

    All you guys are right but only for the average golfer. Ya if your an average golfer you can’t really tell between this club and a 10 year older model. But when your a good golfer and hit consistently you can tell a huge different. Like it’s now known that about a 3% up swing on the ball give the best result and the golfers who are really good know that and can do it to get the most of of there drives. And sense that’s known now companies are making it so these new drivers can maximize that. Especially for a drivers like this and the other “pro” drivers companies put out.
    You guys are dissing companies like taylormade and callaway for trying new things and saying that it doesn’t work. Well look how much father tour players are hitting the ball now compared to 5 years ago. It’s a huge increase! So the best advice I can give is to invest in a certified instructor who has the correct equipment to get you hitting the ball exactly how it needs to be hit and then you take advantage of the equipment coming out.
    Also you guys really need to be fitted for the driver sense there all crazy adjustable now. You can loose a lot of yards and miss a lot of fairways if you have it tuned wrong or the wrong shaft and shaft length.

    I have hit this driver and I was able to play a couple rounds with it before the release date and it is something special I absolutly loved it. I’m just a broke college student and $500 is crazy money to me. Clubs are becoming way over priced. But the day it becomes $400 this driver will be mine.

    And KK it’s 200 rpms for both.

    Reply Report comment

  4. Joe

    Aug 7, 2015 at 10:16 am

    Zach says that Callaway is telling him Sept 18th release dat. My Callaway rep was in store yesterday and said firmly and without pause that the lineup will be in stores by the end of August. He also repeated that eh new Apex line will make an appearance just after Halloween.

    Reply Report comment

    • Joe

      Aug 7, 2015 at 10:36 pm

      not doubting zach, just curious what the actual scoop is.

      Reply Report comment

    • Steve

      Aug 8, 2015 at 8:15 am

      Why release the driver that time of year? When the golfing season is ending, football starting. Buy the driver and store it for 6 months?

      Reply Report comment

  5. KK

    Aug 5, 2015 at 10:50 pm

    Is it 200 rpms per gravity core or 200 rpms for both? I love the look of the new DBD and the wide, tall face. Not a fan of composite drivers, though.

    Reply Report comment

  6. Corey

    Aug 5, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    Hit this today and it is a very nice upgrade from the 815. More forgiveness with the deeper face and moving the gravity core makes a nice difference. Should be a popular choice for fitters.

    Corey Fields, PGA
    Custom Fitter

    Reply Report comment

  7. Marketing Mirage

    Aug 4, 2015 at 11:05 pm

    All this is is a race of who can market the most BS for people to buy into. I agree this continues to be out of hand. Next thing they’ll resort to is nano tech paint jobs and whatever else they hope sticks to the walls when they throw it on deep. Try a better shaft and swing, until then.

    Reply Report comment

  8. Tom

    Aug 4, 2015 at 8:53 pm

    Time to stop the bs……yea yea yea its whatever

    Reply Report comment

  9. Mo

    Aug 4, 2015 at 8:02 pm

    Yes. Another fantastic driver i can get for about $100 in a year

    Reply Report comment

  10. Leon

    Aug 4, 2015 at 9:51 am

    All I need to know is that if I wait three months, the price will reduce $50; if wait 6 months, $100 off; one year, it gives a $150 discount. And probably one or two new models will come out and say: 400 RPM less spin with 40% more forgiveness. Even my kid will do a good math to add the spin reductions and forgiveness improvements claimed in the past a few year to find out: now everyone is having a negative spin rate driver with double /triple amount of forgiveness.

    Reply Report comment

  11. Dpavs

    Aug 4, 2015 at 9:46 am

    Does anyone else feel all this stuff has just gone too far? The entire illusion of small tweaks equaling significant game improvement just doesn’t hold much water. The bottom line is that if you swing poorly you get a poor result, if you swing well you get a good result. The return of small differences from all this tech is diminishing at best. If you doubt this grab a driver from about 10 years ago and try it against your current gamer. You will probably be surprised that the results are not as different as you might think they would be. It’s time for club manufacturer’s to stop the madness!

    Reply Report comment

    • Christosterone

      Aug 4, 2015 at 10:37 am

      I view golf equipment like cars….is there really a difference between a 65 and 66 mustang? Not really….but premium options like fuel injection eventually trickled down making a 2016 mustang substantially better than a 1966…
      While yes, each year (or decade for that matter) may not see discernible improvements there is no arguing that the technologies which last are richly importing the overall driving experience….pun intended
      That’s all this is….trickle down technology that in the long run will make golf equipment incredibly more efficient and effective although year to year the improvements are almost imperceptible..
      -Christosterone

      Reply Report comment

      • Steve

        Aug 4, 2015 at 5:39 pm

        So buy a new driver every twenty years or so.
        BTW I think a 60’s mustang would be a much better driving experience and much more desired car.

        Reply Report comment

        • Christosterone

          Aug 5, 2015 at 9:58 am

          Sounds about right….personally, I would take a 60s E type jaguar over anything save maybe a 63 split window vette…
          But to your point, yes and no…
          Adjustability and 430-460cc head sizes are the fuel injections of today IMHO…
          Loft, lie and face angle adjustments on drivers were reserved to pros and those who had access to club fitters prior to the str8 fit era….
          We will eventually see adjustability in every club in our bag once the tech allows it…putters are beginning the conversion as we speak…
          Club makers will continue to throw ideas at the wall seeing what sticks…ideas like square heads and mini drivers will come and go….but ideas that work will, like disc brakes, change our golfing lives for the better…
          -Christosterone

          Reply Report comment

          • Steve

            Aug 6, 2015 at 9:10 am

            The problem with your theory is that a 40 year old car and a brand new car will take you from point A to point B. Both will go at above speed limit speeds. Golf drivers have speed limits. Take a 975d and any new driver to a golf course. And you will be surprised both will take you from point a to point b. I think it is more like computers or cell phones. They having these selling points that 99% of people will never use or need

            Reply Report comment

            • Christosterone

              Aug 6, 2015 at 8:27 pm

              Computers are absolutely a perfect analogy…
              I was simply trying to convey the fact that, like computers and cars, most year to year “advancements” are not discernible…but decade advances are more perceptible and tangible…
              As said, I think your PC analogy is spot on!
              -Christosterone

              Reply Report comment

              • Steve

                Aug 7, 2015 at 10:04 am

                Agree, if the hype were true we should all be 100yds longer then 10 years ago.

                Reply Report comment

                • James T

                  May 2, 2018 at 11:07 pm

                  I am.

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head

Published

8 mins ago

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Apr 19, 2024

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head

From the seller: (@lasallen): “For sale is a BRNR mini 11.5 deg head only in brand new condition.  $325 shipped.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head 

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

Published

24 hours ago

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Apr 18, 2024

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.

From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.

Specs/ Additional Details

-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)

-Original Anser Design

-PING PP58 Grip

-Putter is built to standard specs.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

Published

24 hours ago

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Apr 18, 2024

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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.

The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.

Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.

At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.

“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.

Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.

“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.

“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.” 

In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.

On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.

According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.

“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.” 

See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here. 

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