Equipment
First Hit: Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 and Double Black Diamond Drivers
Some golfers need a driver with a low center of gravity, while others need a driver with a higher center of gravity. Callaway’s two new Big Bertha Alpha drivers are designed to help both types of players.
The Big Bertha Alpha 815 ($449) and Big Bertha 815 Double Black Diamond ($499) use two distinct shapes and three forms of adjustability to help golfers dial in the launch, spin and shot shape that will give them maximum distance. They’ll be in stores November 13.
The hallmark of the two new drivers is the inclusion of Callaway’s Gravity Core technology, which allows golfers to adjust each driver’s center of gravity (CG) lower or higher in the clubhead.
It works like this: Insert the Gravity Core with its heavy side down (closer to the sole) and the driver will produce less spin. Position the Gravity Core with its heavy side up and the driver will produce more spin.
More spin? “Who needs that,” you might be saying.
According to Evan Gibbs, Callaway’s manager of performance analysis, plenty of golfers.
Callaway debuted the Gravity Core in its 2014 Big Bertha Alpha driver. While it wasn’t as popular as the company’s 2014 Big Bertha driver, it was an important fitting tool for many golfers on the PGA and European tours.
[quote_box_center]“If 90 percent of the players were in the low-CG position, we’d say, ‘we don’t need this mid-CG position,’” Gibbs said. “But the split was about even. That validated that there was value in having this Gravity Core.”[/quote_box_center]
It’s not just better players, however, who can benefit from a higher CG.
[quote_box_center]“Some people need a little big higher CG in order to generate enough spin,” he said. “And if a player tends to contact the ball high on the face, they tend to lose ball speed with a low-CG club.”[/quote_box_center]
Big Bertha Alpha 815
The new Big Bertha Alpha 815 brings the Gravity Core to a driver that is much more forgiving than the 2014 Big Bertha Alpha. It’s built on a 460-cubic-centimeter chassis that’s similar to the 2014’s Big Bertha driver, with a large profile at address that boosts its moment of inertia (MOI) to make it more forgiving.
The Big Bertha Alpha 815 also has a Forged Composite crown that makes it surprisingly low spinning for its level of forgiveness — unless the Gravity Core is in the “up” position, that is.
Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond
The Double Black Diamond has all the technology the Alpha 815 has, but as its name indicates it was designed for experts. The low, forward CG position that allows it to be so low spinning also makes it the company’s least forgiving driver for 2015. In other words, golfers should steer clear of the Double Black Diamond if their main goal is to improve performance on mishits.
According to Gibbs, the Double Black Diamond is about 100 rpm lower spinning than its predecessor, the 2014 Big Bertha Alpha, and it adds more forgiveness to shots hit high on its face. That’s partly thanks to the company’s new RMOTO technology (also used in the Alpha 815), which is a new geometry on the inside of the club head that allowed engineers to remove about 3 grams of weight from the face and place it lower and deeper in the head to improve MOI.
Visually, the Double Black Diamond has a rounder, more opened appearance than the 2014 Big Bertha Alpha at address that should resonate with better players.
Enough talk, where are the numbers?
I had a chance to test the Big Bertha Alpha 815, the Double Black Diamond and Big Bertha V-Series drivers at Callaway’s Ely Callaway Performance Center in Carlsbad, Calif., on a Doppler Radar launch monitor to see just how different the three drivers would perform.
Each of the drivers was hit with the same shaft and had nearly identical measured lofts. Each driver was also tested with the same shaft, a Mitsubishi Rayon Second-Generation Diamana D+ 70TX at 45 inches.
Testing process: I hit about six shots with each club in the following order: V-Series, Double Black Diamond and Alpha 815. I then hit about five more shots with each club and they were hit in the same order. The outliers – those one or two shots that were radically different from the eight or nine other shots – were then deleted to create these averages below.
The Numbers
The numbers explained
Don’t walk away from this story thinking that the Double Black Diamond is Callaway’s best driver for 2015 because of my experience. What’s important is to notice the distinct performance of each head.
V-Series
V-Series is Callaway’s most forgiving 2015 driver, with a CG that is higher and more rearward than the other drivers in the line. For most golfers, this will translate to more consistent ball speeds across the face, but it will also contribute to the lower launch and higher spin that I saw in my testing.
Alpha 815
This will likely be Callaway’s most popular driver, both at retail and on the professional tours, because of its balanced design. My numbers show its ability to launch the high with a fairly low amount of spin and still retain a high level of ball speed on mishits.
Double Black Diamond
Most golfers won’t be a fit for a Double Black Diamond, but when they are the results will be fantastic. With nearly identical builds, the Double Black Diamond was an average of 9 yards longer than the V-Series thanks to its higher launch and lower spin.
How did they perform on mishits?
I saw a ball speed variance of 4.4 mph with the Double Black Diamond. That doesn’t sound like much, but it was by far the worst of the three models. The Alpha 815’s ball speed variance was a mere 3.3 mph, while the V-Series was just 1.7 mph.
Shafts and Specs
The Alpha 815 driver will be available in lofts of 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees and comes stock with Fujikura’s Motore Speeder 565. The Double Black Diamond will come in lofts of 9 and 10.5 degrees with Aldila’s Rogue Silver 60 shaft.
Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the new drivers in our forum.
Don’t like those offerings? Callaway is offering the following 13 shaft options at no upcharge:
- Mitsubishi Rayon Bassara 42
- Mitsubishi Rayon Bassara 52
- Matrix Ozik White Tie 50
- Aldila Rogue Silver 60
- Matrix Ozik Black Tie 70
- Fujikura Motore Speeder 565
- Fujikura Motore Speeder 665
- Fujikura Motore Speeder 765
- Second-Generation Mitsubishi Diamana S+ 62
- Matrix Ozik Red Tie 60
- Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki ZT 60
- Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki Z 50
- Aldila Tour Green
The Alpha 815 comes stock with 7-gram and 1-gram interchangeable heel-and-toe weights, while the Double Black Diamond comes stock with 5-gram and 1-gram weights. Moving the heavier weight to the toe of the club will create more fade bias, while moving it to the heel of the club will create more draw bias.
Both drivers also use Callaway’s new Opti-Force hosel, which is slimmer than previous versions yet still compatible with 2014 driver models. It’s 3-degree range of adjustability (2 degrees up, 1 degree down in 1-degree increments) also includes two independent lie angle settings: neutral and upright (more draw bias).
Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the new drivers in our forum.
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In our effort to assemble the 2024 best irons, we have again compiled an expert panel of fitters to help you find out which of the 2024 irons is best for your game.
Ultimately the best way to find your personal best iron set is to work with a professional fitter using a launch monitor. The difficult part is a lot of people don’t have easy access to fitters, launch monitors, and club builders — so at GolfWRX, we have done a lot of the work for you.
We are in the era of not just maximizing distance but also minimizing the penalty of common misses for each player — this applies to irons just as much as it does with any other club in the bag. And of course, proper set makeup and gapping is essential. This is why, now more than ever, custom fitting is essential to help you see results on every swing you make.
We want to give you the tools and information to go out and find what works best for you by offering recommendations for your individual iron set wants and needs with insight and feedback from the people who work every single day to help golfers get peak performance out of their equipment.
Best irons of 2024: The process
The best fitters in the world see all the options available in the marketplace, analyze their performance traits, and pull from that internal database of knowledge and experience like a supercomputer when they are working with a golfer.
It’s essentially a huge decision tree derived from experience and boiled down to a starting point of options—and it has nothing to do with a handicap!
Modern iron sets are designed into player categories that overlap the outdated “what’s your handicap?” model, and at GolfWRX we believe it was important to go beyond handicap and ask specific questions about the most crucial performance elements fitters are looking at.
These are the best iron categories we have developed to help you determine which category is most important for your swing and game.
Best irons of 2024: The categories
- Overall performance
- Easiest to launch/Slower swing speed
- Pure enjoyment
- Shotmakers
- Most technology-packed
- Best blade
2024 Best irons: Easy to launch/Slower swing speed
These are the irons for golfers who need height. With today’s modern golf ball, creating proper flight widows and spin can be difficult for some players — especially those at lower speeds — and this is where technology can really help. All of these irons do everything they can to create shot-stopping trajectories and a steeper angle of descent.
Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal HL
Their story: With the JPX923 Hot Metal, Mizuno introduced “4355 nickel chromoly,” which is 35 percent stronger than the original Hot Metal material and allows for an eight-percent thinner clubface. Cup face construction works in tandem with a deep center of gravity for high launch with stopping power. Mizuno developed Hot Metal Pro, Hot Metal and Hot Metal HL (High Launch) from 175,000 real golf swings recorded via Mizuno’s Swing DNA system. JPX923 Hot Metal HL is a high launch speed cavity delivering a higher launching option for players with moderate swing speeds or aggressive shaft lean, it’s suitable for mid to high-handicap golfers.
Fitter comments:
- “We’re talking about… people who need forgiveness, but they don’t spin it enough. They don’t get it in the air. The HL is a little little weaker-lofted, but they have the size and the forgiveness they need. It’s one of the go-tos for us.”
- “We’ve been getting a lot of guys where it’s like, you know, the way you deliver it, you really need the loft of a, of a blade, but you’re not good enough to hit a blade. So, you know, we need to get some height. Like the slower swing speed player, aging golfer, like they don’t have 130 MPH ball speed with a seven that they can launch it at 15 degrees and still get it in the air. They gotta get that thing off the ground and up to get some distance out of it. And this thing is just, it’s so easy to get up in the air…even if we do bend other things weaker, we can’t get it as high lofted as that thing, and it just goes straight up in the air.”
- “It’s super forgiving and it feels pretty good that. We sell more HL’s than we do standard Hot Metals. It’s such a popular golf club.”
- “It’s a spectacular club and really is probably the best club in that high-launch category. If you take the high launch QI, you take the [Callaway Paradym] Ai Smoke HL, [Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal] HL, that’s the best one.”
For more photos/info, read our launch piece.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke HL
Their story: At the core of Callaway’s new Ai Paradym Smoke irons is the Ai Smart Face. With the Ai Smart Face, these irons are designed to promote exceptional distance, tight dispersion into the green, and optimal launch in a modern construction. The new shape consists of longer blade lengths, thinner toplines, and optimized sole widths in a bid to create a forgiving, yet streamlined look at address. In addition, an all-new Dynamic Sole Design features a pre-worn leading edge with variable bounce that cuts through the turf with efficiency.
Fitter comments:
- “Compared to the standard Ai Smoke, it’s definitely launching a little bit higher. I would say blade length is a little bit longer. So, you know, it’s a little bit more forgiving a little bit easier to hit than that traditional AI Smoke. It’s gonna launch higher than Ai Smoke and spin a little bit more for that player that needs that help.”
- “Amazing when it comes to getting the ball airborne and retaining spin. Very easy to hit and very stable through impact. Second place to Mizuno, for me.”
- “The HL version allows for a player to play a strong lofted iron in a lightweight package that helps achieve great distance. This iron is long! The ball speeds are crazy high. This iron is great for a player who flips at it.”
- “Even though not as light as the others, the HL gets the ball in air faster and slower speed needs that for distance”
- “Powerful but still helps get the ball to launch at a playable angle. Generates height well with lots of speed across the face.”
For more photos/info, read our launch piece.
TaylorMade Qi HL
Their story: With a blend of minimalistic aesthetics and advanced multi-material technology, TaylorMade’s new Qi irons aim to deliver the optimal combination of distance, accuracy and solid feel in an inviting game-improvement package. At the heart of the Qi iron is individual head optimization, organic face designs, and FLTD CG, all working in unison to help golfers minimize the right miss. With their latest irons, TaylorMade has designed the all-new Qi irons to have significantly less right bias for straighter and more accurate shots.
Fitter comments:
- “That’s a big ass iron. But you also have a much better look than the [Stealth] HD last year. That [iron] was really shallow in the face that got the ball up great. But it just didn’t look the way some people wanted, right? They didn’t want a small face. So it’s a really good option for people.”
- “You’re seeing some of these companies…I think they’re seeing that sometimes…a little bit of loft can be, be good, you know, but they’re combing it with heads now that are super tight off the face. You get some of those guys catching it all on the face, the thing still getting up in the air, still producing ball speed.”
- “I would say the Qi HL, it’s like kind of top charts when it comes to…if someone’s hitting it, that thing wants to go. And I think they definitely did a good job…with the redesign of it compared to Stealth HD.”
- “The previous generation was a little bit off-putting, you know, some, most people don’t wanna play kind of, you know, a hybrid-iron. It’s a little bit easier to hit a little bit better package…compared to the HD, the packaging is 1,000,000 bucks.”
- “I mean…[Stealth] HD worked really good but it was very hard to…get someone to accept that they had to use it. Now at the [Qi10] HL you put that in someone’s hands, it looks good. It feels good. And they feel like, ‘I’m using a, a golfer golf club,’ you know. It’s a real battle sometimes with people…our job is performance, but they also want something that’s gonna look good in their bag.”
- “The fact that it looks like a regular golf club is helpful. I think in that modern-day iron, it’s just lofts are getting so strong, and the ball is spinning so little off of these things that if you don’t naturally hit it super high, irons like that are just perfect for guys, they’re able to hold greens, stop it quicker. For a lot of guys, that height means more distance. So they’re actually hitting it farther with more loft and, and be able to hold a green better. And guys that maybe had a five hybrid are now getting a five iron back in their bag and it’s great.”
For more photos/info, read our launch piece.
Ping G430 HL
Their story: Billed as Ping’s “longest iron ever”, the G430 irons combine a lower CG with stronger, custom- engineered lofts and a thinner face that delivers up to 2 more mph of ball speed, per the company. At the heart of the new addition is the PurFlex cavity badge, an innovation which features seven flex zones that allow more free bending in design to increase ball speed across the face. In combination with a lower CG, the badge aims to contribute to the solid feel and pleasing impact sound. The stronger lofts across the set resulted in the addition of a 41 degree PW to ensure proper gapping options and allowed for standard lofts in the traditional scoring wedges (45.5, 50, 54 and 58 degrees).
From the fitters:
- “With that Alta Quick shaft, I mean, it’s just, it’s super easy to kick that thing up in the air. And what I really like about it is they don’t put flex on the shaft. We’ve had, you know, I mean, you explain to the customer like, hey, you know, you might, you know, you’re gonna need that 35-gram Alta Quick. It’s not gonna say, you know, ladies flex or whatever and no one knows.”
- “It’s super easy to hit, super easy to launch, especially for someone who needs…that help and forgiveness.”
- “What I like about what Ping does, they don’t just like, shove a lighter-weight shaft in the same club head. They put a lighter grip on it, they put a lighter shaft in it. So like they kind of do it the right way. It’s just an overall lighter package version of the best game improvement iron out there. So it’s you get all the forgiveness and everything else that you get with G430, but now in a total balanced package for a slower swing speed player, it’s, it’s great.”
- “What I like about it too is with the Alta Quick 35 [shaft]. It’s essentially like a ladies golf club that doesn’t say ladies on it. So like you get that guy that swings super slow or you get like that junior boy or something like that that just, you know, I’m not, you know, especially like the kids like, I mean, he’s not playing a club that says ladies on it or it’s purple or something you can get than this and it looks just like his dad’s G430s, but it just gets up in the air and goes and it’s awesome.”
- “The best iron in the game improvement category. High launch and packed with forgiveness on those off-center hits. It’s one of the easiest irons to hit. The HL version allows players who need a lighter package and need help with higher launch are able to achieve that with this iron.”
For more photos/info, read our launch piece.
Titleist T350
Their story: The new T350 irons are still built for maximum distance and forgiveness, but they were redesigned with a hollow-body construction that’s inspired by the T200. Like the T200, the T350 also uses Max Impact Technology behind the face to maximize speed and forgiveness, and dual-tungsten weights in the back cavity. The T350 irons are noticeably larger, and with thicker toplines, than the T200 irons for golfers who need the additional surface area and stability.
Fitter comments:
- “The T350 is super good. They definitely cleaned it up, cleaned up that topline a little bit and made it…a little bit more compact, a little bit smaller for sure.”
- “You know, I think is one of those irons that maybe sometimes can get overlooked. I don’t know…some guys, they think ‘Titleist,’ they can’t hit it. If someone’s in this category, it’s always a club you’re gonna have.”
- “So like this is the first one in that model that’s had like a forged face and, and, and, and I think that just improved the feel of it. Topline to me looks a little bit cleaner and, they do a nice job of hiding the offset doesn’t look quite obnoxious when you look down at it. I don’t know if it’s like the chrome that they put or whatever, but it looks a lot cleaner at address. The iron’s always been super easy to get up in here.”
- “That type of customer, I know they all want to do is just hit it nice and far. But we’re seeing so many guys come in that just need help getting it airborne in that moderate kind of clubhead speed category. And this thing is probably, if not the easiest, one of the easiest irons in this category to launch. And I think that’s what makes it so great.”
- “High launch is a key component to this iron. Clean look, with reduced offset and a better look for a players game improvement iron. Players are surprised that this is a game improvement iron based on the looks and package size.”
For more photos/info, read our launch piece.
Best irons of 2024: Meet the fitters
- Adam Rathe: Club Champion
- Adam Scotto: Club Champion
- Adam Seitz: Club Champion
- Aidan Mena: Club Champion
- Alex Dice: Carl’s Golfland
- Alex Praeger: Club Champion
- Ben Giunta: The Tour Van
- Blake Smith, PGA: True Spec
- Bo Gorman: True Spec
- Brad Coffield: Carl’s Golfland
- Brett Ott: Club Champion
- Brian Riley: Club Champion
- Cameron Scudder: Club Champion
- Carmen Corvino: True Spec
- Christian Sandler: Club Champion
- Clare Cornelius: Cool Clubs
- Dan Palmisano: Club Champion
- Dane Byers: Club Champion
- Darren Joubert: Club Champion
- Dennis Huggins: Club Champion
- Drew Koch: Club Champion
- Eric Touchet: Touchet Performance Golf
- Erik Gonzales: Club Champion
- Evan Morrison: Club Champion
- Gus Alzate: True Spec
- Jake Medlen: Stripe Show Club Fitters
- Jake Woolston: Club Champion
- Jake Wynd: Club Champion
- Jay Marino: Club Champion
- Jeremy Olsen: Club Champion
- Jim Yenser: Club Champion
- Joe Stefan: Club Champion
- Joey Simon, PGA: Club Champion
- Jonathan Kaye: Club Champion
- Jordan Patrick: True Spec
- Jordan Rollins: Club Champion
- Kevin Arabejo: Club Champion
- Kevin Downey: Club Champion
- Kirk Oguri: Pete’s Golf
- Kyle Lane: Club Champion
- Kyle Murao: Club Champion
- Marc Roybal: True Spec
- Mark Hymerling: Club Champion
- Mark Knapp: Carl’s Golfland
- Matt Miller: Club Champion
- Matt Rish: Club Champion
- Matthew Gandolfi: Club Champion
- Mike Martysiewicz: Club Champion
- Mike Weis: Club Champion
- Mitch Schneider: Club Champion
- Nicholas Barone: Club Champion
- Nick Sherburne: Club Champion
- Nick Waterworth: Haggin Oaks
- Preston Vanderfinch: Club Champion
- Rick Lane: Club Champion
- Rob Anderson, PGA: Club Champion
- Russell Hubby: Club Champion
- Ryan Fisher: Grips Golf
- Ryan Grimes: Club Champion
- Ryan Johnson: Carl’s Golfland Bloomfield Hills
- Sam Kim: True Spec
- Scott Sikorski: Club Champion
- Scott Felix: Felix Club Works
- Scott Trent: Club Champion
- Sean Pfeil: Club Champion
- Shaun Fagan: True Spec
- Steve Harrow: Club Champion
- Tad Artrip: Club Champion
- Thomas Mattaini: Pull the Pin
- Tony Rhode: True Clubs
- William Buse: Club Champion
- William Cho: NovoGolf
- William Fields: Club Champion
RELATED: Best driver 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.
From the seller: (@cg2g): “BRNR Mini Driver 13.5* with HZRDUS Gen 4 Black 70g X-Flex, Club has hit 5 balls on simulator, save some money on ordering new. $385 Shipped CONUS.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver
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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- Denny McCarthy what’s in the bag accurate as of the Valero Texas Open.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, C1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X
5-wood: Titleist TS2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist 620 CB (5-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-08M), WedgeWorks Proto (60-L)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100 (48), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron GoLo N5
Grip: Scotty Cameron
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Denny McCarthy’s WITB here.
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A.West
Aug 19, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Two years later – I just bought this driver on Amazon from Calloway. Alpha 815, Speeder 565 regular flex shaft, 10.5 loft. Great deal, under $150, replacing my Calloway Costco “X hot” set driver, which apparently isn’t really an X hot driver after all. Tried out the Alpha 815 on my SkyTrak LM I’ve got a swing speed of maybe 91-92 mph, getting a carry distance of 210 to 230. Accuracy no worse than my prior driver, possibly more stable and more supportive of confidence. Feels and sounds a bit better. The adjustability will be fun to experiment with.
richard
Aug 6, 2015 at 10:24 am
I just put a dbd in play yesterday. I have been using my trusty r11s tp for a few years now and just hadn’t found anything I liked better, including last year’s alpha which I tried but quickly sold. However, the new (now old!) 815 dbd was great, a very noticeable performance improvement, at least for me. I can’t tell if the club is longer, although my drives were at least as long as they normally are, but what I really noticed was the good trajectory, and most of all, the lack of sidespin…All my drives were pretty much where I wanted them with little sidespin. The one bad drive I hit (last driver of the day) didn’t go very far, but even that one was straight although it felt like it wanted to hook like crazy…but it stayed just barely off the fairway in good shape. So while the new 816 might be even a little better, for now I think callaway has put out a great product in the 815 dbd…
Marc Dodd
Nov 13, 2014 at 5:09 pm
Rumour has it that the 815 stands for august 2015, when this driver will go and be replaced by another driver
Pingback: Golf Clubs – Our Selection | Romney Warren Golf Club
alex
Oct 21, 2014 at 12:44 am
cant wait for the callaway 616 irons to come out and the new PRO U2 ball from callawy too
jim
Oct 25, 2014 at 6:12 pm
ya I use to like callaway not any more probably going to buy the 915
Desmond
Oct 19, 2014 at 10:24 am
The V Series is NOT a lower launching club, not in lofts over 10.5. The 9 degree is a different animal with slightly different characteristics for stronger players. That will launch/spin lower.
I use the 10.5 V Series head, and in the stock shaft, it launches high with a positive angle of attack. With the Fuji 565 Shaft, I need to add +1 of loft to receive similar results.
Swingblade
Oct 13, 2014 at 12:27 pm
Perhaps I am missing something. I could find no test data regarding dispersion. With the G30 tests dispersion was one of the main factors to evaluate. It seems only distance matters here. Since the PGA recently released the numbers relative to how few pros actually birdie from the rough, it seems it is time for us normal golfers to figure out that the fairway is what matters. Period. 10 or 15 yards longer is not a big plus if the ball is in the rough.
Mr Poopoo
Oct 3, 2014 at 8:57 pm
Black is the new white, blue, orange, red…
JOEL GOODMAN
Oct 8, 2014 at 8:07 pm
I AM CURIOUS AS TO THE RESULTS WITH A NORMAL PLAYER THAT HAS A 90 MPH SWING SPEED. ALSO HOW SOON WILL CALLAWHAT DROP THESE AND BRING OUT IT;S NEWEST GREATEST MOST FANTASTIC REMARKABLE NEXT THING DRIVER—I would guess–next month and these will go on sale at half price. Its all just so much horse manure for the average golfer who will not, cannot, and would not buy a new driver every other month.
Sammy Moon
Oct 9, 2014 at 9:30 am
If you feel that way, why even waste making the comment?
Desmond
Oct 19, 2014 at 10:26 am
Buy the V Series in the 10.5, cut the stock shaft to 45 inches, and have fun. Too many people worry about price. Find your driver.
David
Nov 10, 2014 at 10:21 pm
Ahhhhh Desmond. That is the most sensible advice I have seen on a golf website for a number of years. You are absolutely correct.
Kerbox
Nov 20, 2014 at 2:02 am
Even better, cut it 43-44 inches.
Mr Poopoo
Oct 3, 2014 at 8:57 pm
Looks like the Alpha I’ve been eyeing is due for another price cut soon.
Boat
Oct 3, 2014 at 8:17 pm
The most important factors for ALL drivers are ballspeed and launch angle. I’ve seen all types of testing on different launch monitors and real life testing where the difference between 2000rpm and 3000rpm on well struck shots is 3 yards, but in most cases is around 1.9 yards. If you are hesitant to believe me, simply check out Justin Rose’s Driver video by Rick Shiels on YouTube and have a close look at his numbers. Simply adjusting your spin loft in your own swing is the easiest and cheapest way of lowering spin if it really bothers the golfer that much.
marcel
Oct 16, 2014 at 7:26 pm
i would trust Justin Rose as he hits near identical shots.
Chris C
Oct 3, 2014 at 7:43 pm
Thank you for your test results. That said, I am disappointed that you did not add the BB and Alpha to your test. The results might have shed some light regarding whether newer=better.
Zak Kozuchowski
Oct 3, 2014 at 10:37 pm
The only way to know is to do your own testing. Everyone is different.
Martin de Porres
Oct 5, 2014 at 3:14 am
Zak, any chance you know the head weight for the 815 aplha and the titleist 915 drivers.
Zak Kozuchowski
Oct 7, 2014 at 9:23 am
Martin,
The DBD has a total weight of about 330 grams, while the Alpha 815 has a total weight of about 320 grams. That should put the head weights in the 200-to-205 gram range, with the DBD being a few grams heavier.
Golfraven
Oct 3, 2014 at 6:06 pm
I find the head cover and the crazy release cycle most interesting. Otherwise I am stocking with the new 915 – bring it on.
mhendon
Oct 3, 2014 at 6:37 pm
Yeah I like the retro head cover but I doubt its real leather like an Iliac.
RAT
Oct 3, 2014 at 4:11 pm
when will they have the Saturn model ready?
Dave S
Oct 3, 2014 at 1:41 pm
Robocop’s driver?
MHendon
Oct 3, 2014 at 1:04 pm
Here’s the thing my fellow WRXer’s. The USGA and R&A agreed to a COR limitation of .830 all the way back in 2002 that went into effect in 2006. No driver legal for tournament play shall exceed that. This lead to a theoretical smash factor of 1.5 however not truly achievable under real life conditions sense you would need launch conditions of 0 degrees and 0 RPM of spin to achieve it. Every ball speed has an optimal launch angle and spin rate to achieve maximum distance. Knowing this once one maxes out they’re launch conditions there is no more room for improvement through equipment. Also maxing out your launch conditions is next to impossible unless you have a very consistent tour like swing. In other words you can buy every new driver that comes out and you’re still going to suck unless you practice.
Thomas Beckett
Oct 4, 2014 at 4:10 pm
Wrong again MHendon. The maximum theoretical smash factor is 2.0. All things being constant increasing the mass of a driver head 10% will increase smash factor approximately 1.7%. Assuming a perfect strike, if enough mass could be added to a driver to offset the efficiency lost by dynamic loft a smash factor higher than 1.5 is possible without violating .83 COR limit.
MHendon
Oct 4, 2014 at 9:18 pm
Ok thomas you are suggesting using a club much heavier or stronger lofted than anything on the market. I couldn’t find the article I got my original information from or I would post the link but I couldn’t find anything suggesting a theoretical smash factor of 2.0. I did find this that suggest the posibility of a smash factor slightly over 1.5 but it’s not practical. http://www.tutelman.com/golf/ballflight/smashfactor.php
Thomas Beckett
Oct 5, 2014 at 12:03 am
Wrong again MHendon. I was responding to your incorrect statement you have once again passed off as a fact. You wrote the USGA and R&A imposed a .83 COR limitation which is sort of true, it’s actuall.822 with a tolerance to .83 but I let you slide on that one. Followed by,”this lead to a theoretical smash factor of 1.5 however not truly achievable in real life.” That is also incorrect on both statements. I never claimed my argument to be practical, just possible. Pings G30 is 20 grams heavier than my driver and in testing I’ve found it to have about 3 to 4% higher smash factor so I would say my argument is practical and you are wrong as usual. A change in any varaible of club mass, ball mass, COR, or contact point changes smash factor. People like you MHendon once protested that the earth was flat. A practical driver beating 1.5 smash factor may not happen in your lifetime but it is possible. It’s mathematically possible so open your mind to the possibilities or be bound by your limitations.
MHendon
Oct 5, 2014 at 1:51 pm
What are you a lawyer Thomas looking for every possible angle to prove your case. Clearly my initial statement was made based off tournament legal equipment not what is theoretically possible and impractical. Once again I don’t know where you’re getting your information but I’ve posted a link to some of mine along with getting some of my information from Frank Thomas the former USGA technical director. So Thomas if you’re going to try and discredit me how about providing some proof other than your own words.
Thomas Beckett
Oct 6, 2014 at 1:26 am
Sorry MHendon, I’m not a lawyer, im an engineer in the aerospace industry, but that really has no bearing on the matter. Before we go any further I suggest you read your source more carefully as it disproves every point you have made. Arguing with you reminds me of an old saying,” you can lead an ass to water but you can’t make him drink it.”
mhendon
Oct 6, 2014 at 7:04 pm
So Thomas you’re making a point that you can theoretically achieve a smash factor of 2.0 with a metal ball bounced of a perfectly flat metal surface fixed to the ground. So what does that have to do with golf. Seams to me you’re making an irrelevant point just for the sake of argument. Thanks anyway but I’ll take a beer!
Dan
Oct 8, 2014 at 5:51 pm
I liked the bickering between you two, and just wanted to chime in and say that, I have seen a smash factor of 1.52 on a launch monitor, and the player was using a 909 D3, with an upgraded shaft. I can’t comment on any of the variables that go into this formula such as ball or head weight, club head or ball speed. I just remember very clearly that I was told 1.5 was perfect and what I saw was better than perfect.
Ian
Jan 6, 2015 at 11:57 pm
I’m a scratch sr am player. I’m using a ping g30 with swing speed around 104mph. I can rev it to 110mph but that’s not game speed. I frequently see smash factors of 1.52 on TrackMan. In fact, I did it today!
Adam
Oct 10, 2014 at 5:00 pm
My goal for a smash factor is 1.5 – 1.52 If you’re getting up there, figure out the best shaft for your release/swing bc you should be smoking it.
Currently swing the Alpha (2014) and it’s a beat stick. Went with the X-flex Fubuki and will likely change to something better for me. (Lower kick point, etc…) Compared to my old gamer, dropped about 500-600 RPM in spin which took my distance an extra 20+ yards.
Not gonna shell out for these by any means, but for my first Callaway driver I cant think they’re hitting anything but home runs here. Very much enjoy the BB Alpha and the Gravity Core is a game-changer for sure.
marcel
Oct 17, 2014 at 12:30 am
Smash factor is Club head speed translated into ball speed right after the impact. the ball speed will be affected by elements but that has not been taken into consideration. Only the speed after leaving club where launch conditions and spin has little impact. As the ball is not constantly propelled, spin and the drag will result for ball to drop and continue its travel on the ground until stopped.
Jack Nicklaus said that to hit ball further you need either swing faster or swing better… so you can hit ball farther if you slow down and control swing and impact better. so in theory the driver that reduces spin will allow hit the ball farther without increasing smash factor.
also the ball has to be relevant to the club speed to not deform excessively ball which in turn wont travel farther due to imperfect flight properties.
Grant
Oct 3, 2014 at 11:33 am
I’ve been thinking about the complaint that many (including myself) have about the cost of new drivers, and the major OEM constant releases of new equipment. At first glance, it’s crazy for us to play upwards of $450 every 6 months to have the latest and greatest from our favorite companies only to have them release something “better”. But then I thought about the other sport that I play: ice hockey. Just like drivers from Callaway, TaylorMade, etc., companies like Reebok, Easton, Bauer, and CCM come out with new flagship hockey sticks twice yearly, and the prices for them are in the $279-$320 range. The only difference is that these sticks break after some use, so players go through 5+ sticks a season. Those that aren’t willing to hand over the big $$$ for the top end stuff buy older models at discount, or less expensive sticks. And that’s just one piece of equipment that gets updated pretty frequently from those companies.
My point: I was mad at the golf industry, but then I realized that this happens in all sports, and marginal gain can only be achieved with frequent launches and a lot of reps (repetitions) on new products by pros and joes. Just me coming to peace with where my money goes.
I’ve been playing the Callaway RFX for the last two-ish seasons, but I’ll go through a testing process at a club fitter to see what new club/shaft technologies work best for me next season.
steve
Oct 3, 2014 at 8:28 pm
You make a point. But doe’s it apply to basketball? Baseball a good quality glove can last years or the worlds most popular sport soccer. I think it is based on case by case or sport by sport
Brandon
Oct 3, 2014 at 11:24 pm
I’m a Hockey player also and have asked myself would a new $300 stick help me get more goals in a game compared with my 1 year old stick, absolutely not. I had a similar awakening with Golf. A new $450 driver will not help me shoot lower scores which at the end of the day is why I play Golf. It sure is fun to buy new Golf equipment but:)
marcel
Oct 16, 2014 at 7:33 pm
its so easy to jump on the equipment band wagon and keep on spending… or get a golf coach and improve with stick you playing. BTW good on your ice hokey game. big fan here!!!
Mike
Oct 3, 2014 at 10:16 am
So do the people bickering about life cycles really want Callaway and TM to come out with a driver every two years like other companies? The funny thing is that those people would hate it if it happened. Everybody wants more choices, it is fun and brings buzz to the golf industry and this website. Get over it.
Dave
Oct 2, 2014 at 10:03 pm
I agree with you Steve. Every year it’s longer and straighter moved this or that around. Basically reinventing the wheel with a new paint job. Most good golfers can hit anything. It’s the Indian not the arrow. If people want to waste their money on stupid marketing go ahead their money. I don’t care personally buying something and then it being outdated 6 months later. However, if one is wise enough like stated above one can get a decent deal on an outdated driver. The technology may change but its going to be very marginal at best. Until the powers that be let the club manufactures do something outside the rules nothing new will happen of any magnitude. Thus the longer and straighter marketing bull some fall for. To each their own.
benseattle
Oct 2, 2014 at 6:23 pm
I think we should all thank Callaway for having the courage to blow right by that ancient old $400 milestone and jack up the prices…. because they can. $449 and $499 for more of the same old “12 yards longer” crap is going to appeal to a handful of 60-year-old grandpas with money to burn who just happen to be gullible enough that They’ll Believe Anything.
I suggest you do what I did earlier this spring. Take your current gamer into a launch monitor and compare it with the four or five hottest, latest, most technically-advanced of the new models and then compare the numbers. If you really do pick up 5, 10 or 15 yards with a 2014 model… well, congratulations. But more likely you’ll discover what I did: that none of the new stuff is significantly superior in either distance or dispersion when compared to my current gamer. In fact, the 2014 products should be embarrassed: my current driver is a relic from 2006, the MacGregor MacTec!
(Still, I can’t help but be tempted the renowned Ping G20 that’s now on sale everywhere for all of $179!)
Desmond
Oct 2, 2014 at 6:01 pm
I find the results with the V Series as a bit odd … in stock setup, at 10.5, I find that club launches high with a tad too much spin, but piercing.
With the 10.5 and the Speeder 565, I find the club launches lower (that’s expected with the shaft), and I must loft up to 11.5. With that combo, I get screamers.
I question the results with the V Series because I think that club takes a little bit of work to get accustomed to it. It is a different look and setup than the 815 drivers. A different feel, look, etc.
I’m not surprised that the BBV spins more, just the low launch … surprising, and not in line with what I’ve found in the 565 Shaft. That makes me think familiarity will breed better launch numbers.
ImRight
Oct 2, 2014 at 3:47 pm
When people stop buying the new clubs that come out every few months maybe clubs companies will stop with that marketing plan. It’s really getting out of hand though. I remember when I played in HS in the late 90’s and there was one wood and iron line release a year.
Russell
Oct 2, 2014 at 1:38 pm
How about the dispersion between the drivers? Which one was more accurate? Which one was the most spread out? How different were they? They don’t normally put these numbers in reviews and I’m not sure why. It’s not all about swing speed and distance. It’s about control. Tell me which one performed better by hitting it closer to the line or target out of the 10 or so swings. How close to that line did it deviate?
This would be the helpful data needed to make an informed purchase in addition to the data already presented here.
Marco
Oct 2, 2014 at 11:12 am
Aldila Rogue…no upcharge?? I liiiike !!!!
Evan
Oct 2, 2014 at 8:45 am
Keep drinking the Kool Aid! Transformer era of golf club design, not sure I was too far off when I said that months ago. There are no performance gains, just releasing clubs every 3 months to generate more revenue. BTW, premium shafts do not mean premium results. Wake up and stop wasting your money!
Robeli
Oct 2, 2014 at 12:37 pm
Agree. Go buy almost any 2012 driver at dirt cheap specials and you will get very close the same results as these drivers. The year 2012 was very good year for drivers. I still play mine from 2012 and keep hitting these new ones every time I get the chance, and none of the 2013 or 2014 made that big a difference to justify a change.
SBoss
Oct 2, 2014 at 7:52 am
The company’s like Callaway and TMAG don’t realize how destructive they are to their own brands. The consumer confusion factor alone is not worth it. It’s hard to keep all of their offerings straight.
Ping and Titleist deal with consumers in a planned, straightforward manner. We know that Ping has an “I” series and a G series. They have a logical number sequence and a predictable release schedule. When I buy a G30 driver, I know the G35 will be out in 2 years. They will do what they can to upgrade performance in that 2 years. Same goes for Titleist.
Callaway is a copycat company, trying to knock off TMAG with their product release strategy. Essentially, they’ve knocked off a lousy strategy. Brilliant. The CEO should be shown the door and they need to get back to connecting with customers and a predictable release strategy that actually shows some respect for the customer. More product does not equate to BETTER product.
Bob
Oct 4, 2014 at 1:06 pm
Too bad PING released the G25 last year and released the G30 this year. Doesn’t look like a 2 year cycle to me. Your G35 will be released next year as well. Also, the only reason why Titleist waits every 2 years is because they have that little white ball you lose every round so they don’t have to release clubs. PING doesn’t have a 2 year cycle anymore.
Large chris
Oct 2, 2014 at 2:40 am
Not very relevant but I played with an absolutely terrible golfer a couple of months ago who was admiring my x2 hot. He was thinking about getting it as an upgrade from his xhot. He was never anywhere near a fairway and either topped or skied everything.
ron
Oct 2, 2014 at 9:52 am
You’re right.. not relevant at all!
Largechris
Oct 3, 2014 at 1:44 pm
Probably not relevant to Americans that is, but to us Brits we call that sort of thing ‘ironic’
ryan
Oct 2, 2014 at 12:45 am
they are really crazy.. almost every month I’ve heard that Callaway new clubs. I sold the callway x2hot pro driver few months ago. I surely think it was a brriant choice..
now my ping i25 driver longer and more forgiving than x2hot pro.. bye callway..
J
Oct 2, 2014 at 12:29 am
Hideous. Still not touching a 450+ dollar driver with someone else’s wallet…
It’s exhorbant and ridiculous.
Gonzo
Oct 2, 2014 at 12:34 am
Some people want the best and will pay large sums of money for it. Others can wait 2 years and get it for 199 or less
dapadre
Oct 2, 2014 at 5:57 am
More like 2 months nowadays.
Charles
Oct 1, 2014 at 10:38 pm
I AM IRON MAN
Jimmy
Oct 1, 2014 at 10:28 pm
Not impressed with the names but the shaft selection is nice ill stick w my g30 and motore speeder ts 7.2 combo
LB
Oct 1, 2014 at 10:02 pm
Well written article with the numbers to back up the tech. Nice job Zak.
MHendon
Oct 2, 2014 at 12:36 am
I’m not so sure about those numbers. Two of the three drivers have a smash factor above 1.5 which would imply there COR is above the legal limit of .830
Rich
Oct 2, 2014 at 8:57 pm
Give me break. Really? A company the size of Callaway is going to 1. Produce a driver that is non conforming and 2. The USGA and R&A are going to let them sell it? Are you smoking weed or something?
MHendon
Oct 3, 2014 at 12:46 pm
Exactly… That’s why I said I wasn’t so sure about the numbers supposedly produced by these drivers at the beginning of the article.
Rich
Oct 3, 2014 at 7:31 pm
Ok then. Explain to me why a 0.830 COR limit means smash factor maxes out at 1.50?
Thomas Beckett
Oct 4, 2014 at 5:01 pm
1.5 smash factor is not a usga imposed limit nor is it a barrier. COR is just one of the variables that affects smash factor. Here is the formula
SF = Vball / Vclubhead = 1 + e / 1 + m/M cos(loft) * (1 – 0.7*miss)
e=COR
m=ball weight
M=club mass
Thomas Beckett
Oct 4, 2014 at 5:02 pm
Hopefully that will help your argument and educating process for MHendon.
MHendon
Oct 5, 2014 at 1:34 pm
Well thank you Thomas I see you got your information from the same place I did. To be clear the theoretical 1.5 smash factor is based off what is considered tournament legal equipment. Yes you can get above the magical 1.5 but it would require a much heavier club head than anyone makes at a very strong loft say about 5 degrees. Hence the real world limit meaning what a human can achieve using tournament legal equipment is approximately 1.494. That’s why the numbers listed on these drivers seem suspect to me.
Thomas Beckett
Oct 6, 2014 at 11:47 pm
There are several places that talk about smash factor but I used your source because I was hoping you read it, I was wrong in that respect or perhaps you don’t understand. What I found interesting about your source was the chart showing approximately what driver head weights would be necessary to break 1.5 smash factor. I could only find a weight limit on the ball therefore if you you use the formula you provided from your source the theoretical smash factor is 2.0 and a 1.5 smash factor can be broken. If the goal were to simply get the highest smash factor with legal equipment to break a 1.5 smash factor it could be done easily, but to do it practically without current performance loss is another story. My only objective is to point out your incorrect assumptions passed off as facts to other people. Read your research if you actually do any and work the formulas before you comment.
Leslie Chow
Oct 7, 2014 at 2:57 am
I’ve enjoyed this thread so I decided to do some research of my own. I was curious if MHendon was full of hot air or if 1.5 was the barrier. Thomas, after looking at the formula I figured that if breaking 1.5 SF were possible it is going to take a golfer using the heaviest head on the market with the lowest loft and lightest golf ball. Since a heavier ball produces less resistance to drag it will be longer companies maxed out the legal limit of the ball so ball weight is a constant. As far as the loft and weight of the club that sounded like long drivers would have the advantage because their driver heads are reinforced to withstand massive impacts and what I found was that there are quite a few long drivers that have broken 1.5 smash factor on trackman and their data is all over the Internet. Rather than provide a list of all the sources I would like to produce the easiest and the link is Ping.com. The opening video with Bubba Watson hitting his tour 44.5″ Pink G30 driver with a legal COR, MHENDON focus, hits the drive with clubhead speed of 120.8 and a ball speed of 184.5 giving him a smash factor of 1.5273. So Thomas it turns out your theory on the heavier ping drivers producing higher smash factors and breaking 1.5 SF is not only mathematically but actually possible is in fact CORRECT and therefore with extreme pleasure I can once again say . . . WRONG AGAIN MHENDON.
mhendon
Oct 7, 2014 at 1:20 pm
Hey my old buddy Leslie. Read the link I posted above. It clearly states a PGA pro using tournament legal equipment can best hope for a COR around 1.47. Your are providing information from an equipment company looking to sell their equipment based off one of their tour players impact data. The INDEPENDENT article above states any smash factors above 1.5 are most likely equipment measuring errors. My information comes from very credible sources I am not a physicist nor a mathematician and don’t claim to be. So you guys are trying so hard to discredit me you’re grasping at straws. But in the end you’re trying to discredit my sources which are supposed experts.
Thomas Beckett
Oct 8, 2014 at 3:54 pm
Nobody is trying to discredited your source MHendon, only the limited and finite manner in which you are applying the information your source provides. All the information to prove 1.5 SF is not a limit is in your sources article but for some reason you still cannot comprehend its contents so here is an email response to a question I asked your source directly if exceeding a 1.5 Smash Factor is possible. Directly from your source MHendon here is Daves response.
Sure!
“Tournament legal” will require a COR of no more than 0.83. (If that
were not the case, higher smash factors would be easier to get.)
Let’s also factor in that the ball is 46 grams. (Lower weight gives a
higher smash factor, BUT you’ll get less distance from the ball for a
given launch velocity. So nobody even tries to do that.)
When you plug that into the equations, you can get a full 1.5 smash
factor from a head of 214g at a 5 degree loft. For 1.52, the head
weight is close to 230 grams.
Hope this helps.
DaveT
In conclusion to settle this once and for all with you MHendon, what Dave is saying is that for a driver head weight of 214g and 5 degrees of loft or at 10 degrees of loft and 229g of head weight, both achieve a 1.5 SF, any increase in weight or decrease in loft breaks a 1.5 SF. One thing that is pretty important distinction to make in the SF formula isn’t the actual loft of the driver, rather the dynamic loft at impact thats used in the calculation so its possible for a driver heads with 5 and 10 degrees to both be at the same dynamic loft at impact. When factoring in the golf ball weight for calculation of SF, the assumption is being made that the ball is at the max legal weight but a lighter ball will improve smash factor. Its entirely possible for a long drive club with 3 to 5 degrees of loft or a “short driver” with 9 degrees of loft to have enough head weight to exceed a 1.5 SF using equipment available today. The reason I mention the short driver is because it requires a lot more additional head weight to obtain a proper swing weight and would be very easy for someone with the right impact conditions to achieve a SF above 1.5 but the tradeoff would be less club head speed due to the shorter shaft. Since the game of golf is about distance and direction, from a practical application to distance smash factor is just one of several variables a golfer can change as each golfer is different and for some a lighter head sacrificing SF but significantly increase club head speed maybe more beneficial whereas a golfer with a lot of speed and poor direction might try to increase SF with a shorter heavier club which maintains distance through better contact to make up for the loss in club speed due to the shorter shaft. As I stated in my earlier post and confirmed by your source , the theoretical smash factor limit is 2.0 and the smash factor limit is governed only by the variables in the formula and is not 1.5 as you have claimed.
MHendon
Oct 8, 2014 at 6:02 pm
LOL Wow Thomas I got to hand it to you. I think you’re more stubborn than even I am. I never would have even considered that by reducing the weight of the ball you could achieve a smash factor of 1.5 or slightly above while staying in the legal limits of equipment so I guess I’ll have to concede this one to you. However as you said know one would do that because the ball wouldn’t go as far. So at least maybe you will concede that my initial post that got this whole debate started is in fact valid. The numbers suggested for these three Callaway drivers are suspect because for one I doubt they where using a ball lighter in weight than standard and generally Callaway has been know for making lighter weight heads to try and increase speed. Although I will concede I don’t know the weight of these three heads. It’s been fun Thomas.
Dan
Oct 8, 2014 at 5:57 pm
Those are averages, you should work on your reading comprehension.
hebron1427
Oct 1, 2014 at 5:09 pm
sooo….they made a big bertha alpha with different sole graphics?
CT
Oct 2, 2014 at 12:46 am
Yes. It’s the old we moved 3 grams of weight around to increase MOI just for you trick. Won’t be beating my alpha aftermarket shaft combo.
Callaway turning into TM. Makes me sick!
Don
Oct 1, 2014 at 4:46 pm
Meh. Looks like Callaway is going the route of Tour Exotics esthetics. Compare this with the new Titleist 915 and you can see how much of a toy this looks.
SMH
Oct 1, 2014 at 4:10 pm
lmfao very sad and embarrassing, you can tell some TMAG hack is running the show over at callaway releasing all this new crap like they are
Shawn
Oct 1, 2014 at 4:02 pm
I wish these weren’t blue.
enrique
Oct 1, 2014 at 8:24 pm
Are they blue? I thought it was the reflection of the sky but then saw some blue flake. It’s better not be blue. I never played the alpha because it was blue.
CT
Oct 2, 2014 at 12:46 am
They are a dark blue
billy
Oct 1, 2014 at 2:33 pm
SWEET!! Looks like most of the shaft upgrades are made for Callaway though. Sure they will be good, just hope they have all of them in fitting carts with all flexes.
Sean
Oct 1, 2014 at 5:27 pm
Authentic real deal shafts are what I’m told…….no “made for” junk.
At $500 bills that’s the least they can do.
Current Alpha working very well so I’ll be impressed if either of these models outperform it.
Heard the Aldlia Rogue Silver shaft is the bomb but I’m not familiar with it…….yet!
Good luck Callaway.
WILSON
Oct 3, 2014 at 5:55 pm
I hit it in a 915 D3, that club was absolutely the bomb. Blown away.
Danny
Oct 1, 2014 at 2:20 pm
Holy crap, Callaway taking over Taylormade as kings of the new driver every month
steve
Oct 1, 2014 at 3:50 pm
What how can you not love a new driver every 3 months? Since my 975d I have been getting a new driver every year and adding 12 yards with each driver. Do the math started at 290yds with the 975d 15 years ago. 15 new drivers 12 added yards each. 15×12=180 more yards then the 975d. Holy crap i am hitting it 470yds. Love it, keep it coming
Bryan
Oct 1, 2014 at 4:09 pm
Well said!
mhendon
Oct 1, 2014 at 7:13 pm
and the bet part is that 975d was $399.99 15 years ago and you’ll be able to get this new Callaway for $199.99 in a year if you can stand to wait.
Rich
Oct 2, 2014 at 9:02 pm
You are just a troll now. You keep saying the same stuff on every new equipment story. If you’re not interested in the new equipment (you keep saying nothing is better than your 10 year old driver), then stop reading the equipment stories and move onto something else. Your comments were valid the first couple of times but now you’re boring.
steve
Oct 2, 2014 at 9:39 pm
You are the definition of a troll. You think the points of view are boring, but you respond to them to start argument. Who keeps reading something over and over they think is boring? Do you watch a tv show and complain how boring it is week after week. If you don’t like an opinion ignore or go away, time to grow up.
Rich
Oct 3, 2014 at 7:33 pm
Thanks Steve. You’re right, I should know better. Thanks for setting me straight.
Ty Webb
Oct 4, 2014 at 12:07 am
+1
Couldn’t have said it any better Rich.
MHendon
Oct 5, 2014 at 10:18 pm
Hmmm where did I say my 10 year old driver is as good as the new stuff. I think what I was saying basically is you can get NEW golf equipment cheaper now than you could 15 years ago. Seams a little ironic to me because people keep complaining about the cost of the game. Hey but glad to know I have a fan Rich! Oh and my driver is only 3 years old.
Dale Doback
Oct 4, 2014 at 9:37 am
What’s the point of posting that MHendon? Its a no brainier that if you wait until a product is discounted or discontinued it will be cheaper. The 975d may have been 399.99 15 years ago but it’s resale value now is around $2.50. Maybe people should wait 15 years and then they could really get a bargain, good luck getting home on the short bus.