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NWO Golf Links
FROMTHE ORIGINAL BIG BERTHAALPHA
to the new Alpha 816, Callaway has set
the standard for great-looking drivers. The
Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 continues
that trend with a compact, rounded head,
deep face, and no alignment aid. What’s
new for the 816 is the matte black crown;
previous versions have been high gloss.
In a year of great drivers, the Callaway Big
Bertha Alpha 816 driver may be tops for
sound and feel. As its “better player” target
audience will appreciate, the sound is muted
without much metallic quality.
It even feels better; it is the rare driver that
actually feels hot. Most drivers fake a hot
feel by being loud or metallic, but the Alpha
816 would feel hot even if you were wearing
ear plugs.
This latest generation of Callaway’s R*MOTO
face technology gives you the sensation of
the ball being fired out of a cannon, which
does great things for your confidence on the
tee box.
When I tested the original Big Bertha Alpha,
I said that the Gravity Core was a “game
changer for club fitting” and the “most
significant step forward in adjustability in
years”. With the Big Bertha Alpha 816’s
Dual Distance Chambers, you can take all
that praise and double it. Where all previous
Alpha drivers had two positions – Gravity
Core Up and Gravity Core Down – the 816
has four: Up and Down in both Draw and
Neutral positions. Each position changes
the feel of the driver completely. If you pick
up this driver and don’t like it, don’t put it
down, just change the Gravity Core.
CALLAWAY BIG
BERTHA ALPHA 816
MATT SATERNUS
The weight change does
more than change
the feel; it also has a
huge impact on ball
flight. Moving the
Gravity Core up and
down changes the
trajectory of the ball
noticeably.
DRIVER REVIEW