Callaway Driver Comparison: Big Bertha Alpha 815 vs Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond

Callaway recently launched an initiative for designing and fitting drivers to different segments of golfers. What they found through extensive research and testing is that there’s no one specific driver design that fits all golfers. Callaway’s results indicated that there were three different types of golfers, so they set out on a journey to design three different types of drivers to fit the segmentations they discovered. The result of this new venture produced two of the three driver types that we will compare today: the Big Bertha Alpha 815 and the Big Berth Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond.

Big Bertha Alpha 815

The Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 driver focuses on the largest, centralized part of the golfer market by providing a driver with terrific forgiveness but also lower spin. Most drivers on the market are able to provide great forgiveness, but without providing that low spin characteristic for maximum distance. The biggest engine behind the lower spin is the R-Moto Face which is the most energy efficient material to date and has allowed weight to be moved back in the clubhead for more forgiveness. The lightweight crown and resourceful use of titanium in the face and head also add to the club’s powerful distance, high launch, and low spin.

The Gravity Core technology, first featured in the Big Bertha Alpha, allows you to customize the spin rate desired with the movement of an internal plug that adjusts the club’s center of gravity (CG) up or down. Two moveable weight ports (7g and 1g) are also positioned towards the heel and toe to allow for greater trajectory tuning. Finally, the 460cc clubhead features a draw bias which opens up the user platform for Alpha 815 driver. This driver also has a Fujikura Motore Speeder 565 as the stock shaft offering to fit the widest range of players with 9, 10.5, and 12 degree clubheads.

The larger footprint of the Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 driver, compared to the Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond, provides you with more confidence at address that you’re going to launch it high and hit it far without sacrificing forgiveness or accuracy.

Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond

The Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond driver is the next spawn of the Big Bertha Alpha. This driver focuses on producing extreme low spin for the best players who are capable of producing the highest ball speeds at impact. Taking into careful consideration the feedback from their tour staff, the Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond driver has a revised, higher arching crown shape to suit the preferences they’re looking for. It does have the same R-Moto Face technology as the normal Alpha 815 driver to help maintain ball speeds when mishits occur; however, it is deeper, which helps produce a more penetrating trajectory.

The overall spin profile of the this driver is lower which can be attributed to the revised Gravity Core. The tungsten core is longer in length inside the head which produces spin rates up to 100 rpm’s lower when the Gravity Core is set in the lower or higher CG setting. Finally, the Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond driver will present itself with a more compact head design from front to back compared to the Big Bertha Alpha 815, yet still retain the 460cc maximum clubhead size.

This driver is available in only 9 and 10.5 degrees of loft and comes equipped with your choice of a tour grade shaft. The Aldila Rogue 60 shaft is designed to produce a low-to-mid ball flight, or the heavier Matrix 75M4 Black Tie for even lower desired trajectories.

What’s Best For You?

The Big Bertha Alpha 815 driver is for you if…

You’re the average, mid-to-high handicapper with moderate club head speed wanting to launch the ball high with less spin for more distance.

The Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond driver is for you if…

You’re a consistent striking bomber looking for the added edge of even lower spin without sacrificing forgiveness.

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Chris Wadwick

Chris Wadwick has been a Class “A” member of the PGA of America since 2011. He is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in Business Administration. He brings a deep understanding of the inner workings of the golf business, especially club fittings, product knowledge, and visual merchandising, working for Dick’s Sporting Goods for over 7 years and Occoneechee Golf Club for more than three years, prior to that. When he is not in the office, you can always find him at a nearby golf course, attending games at his alma mater, or spending time with his wife and four dogs.