RECAP: LIVE Q&A with Callaway Golf on Great Big Bertha & Big Bertha Alpha 816 Drivers! Wed August 1

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Join GolfWRX for a LIVE Q&A with Callaway Golf on the new Great Big Bertha and Big Bertha Alpha 816 product lines. R&D will be answering GolfWRX questions on everything from the Adjustable Perimeter Weighting and multiple weight classes in Great Big Bertha, to the dual distance chambers in the Alpha 816 Driver, and all things Callaway. It’s all happening right here on Wednesday, August 19th at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT.

On The Callaway Panel:

• Alan Hocknell, SVP, R&D
  
• Jason Finley, Global Product Strategy Director, Woods & Golf Balls
  
• Evan Gibbs, Sr. Manager, R&D - Woods
  
• Harry Arnett, SVP, Marketing
  
• Chad Coleman, Social Media Manager
  

When’s It Happening:

Wednesday, August 19th at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT

Live Q&A Link:

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Giveaway:

3 GolfWRX members who have their question answered will win their choice of Great Big Bertha or Big Bertha Alpha 816 driver (with choice of 19 no-upcharge shafts). All those who have their question answered will be entered into the giveaway. Winners chosen by random number.

I want to know why Harry does not post much on here anymore?

Hi,
I have the 815 double diamond driver. It seems to me that when I move the gravity core up or down and hit the ball on the face in the opposite position of the gravity core, the driver does not feel as good!! So my question, is this true or just in my head? Thanks

The BB Alpha looks mean in a good way.

With all the adjustability options available, any concerns about making it too complex for the average Joe? Also is there any difference in spin rate when choosing the right weight chamber versus left and vice versa?

Ok. Looks there are 19 stock shafts. Good stuff.
But, for me , it is a little cunfusing which shaft will suit on my swing and these heads.
How can I choose my shaft among them?

Thanks.

Wow, 19 shafts at no up charge ! Way to go Callaway!

What made you guys go this route?

Are these shafts the real deal or made for Callaway?

What was the reasoning/ planned benefit behind the usage of two gravity core locations (dual distance chambers)?

Will weight kits be readily available to facilitate possibility of shorter builds?

What happens if I put two gravity cores in?
Might be a way to play it shorter and keep SW up no?

Why should I upgrade from the 815 DBD?

will weight kits be made available for either driver?

Thank you Golfwrx and Callaway Golf for taking the time to do this.

Thanks for the opportunity to ask the R&D and marketing guys our questions Callaway and Golf WRX!

I'm interested to know what the improvements in ball speed and spin rates are over the previous 815 models especially on off centre strikes.

So say for example can you compare centre strikes, 1/4 inch towards the toe and also 1/4 inch towards the heel between them?

Thanks!

Adam

Thank you Callaway for being here. Are there various weight gravity core options or is this something that is being looked at for the future? The reason I ask is that a lot of people I fit prefer a shorter club and this would be a great way to keep the SW right without adding outside agencies (lead tape, hot melt, etc...).

Also, I love the throwback to GBB. That said, the steelhead was one of the best fairway woods I ever hit. Any thoughts of bringing this beauty back?

My question is many other oems are using slots or variations thereof to keep spin down on mishits.

Callaway has marketed its cup face technology and r moto tech as its way of preserving balls peed and keeping spin down on off center strikes.

Could you guys do what WRXers love most and give us a geeked out explanation of how your technologies accomplish said off center performance preservation so we can better understand?

By the way I got to hit the GBB and it was pretty amazing.

Guys...thanks for being here and answering questions!!

Okay, first...stop making the DBD better than the Alpha 2014 and now it looks like the 816 DBD is more forgiving and higher MOI than my current 815 DBD...so how is this one better than mine and what can I expect to see results wise over the 815 DBD!!

Second, could you explain the extent of open and closed on your optifit adapter? At -1 is it open and at +2 is it closed that much? if so or not, why?

Thanks for taking the time guys!!

The primary question that I have revolves around the availability of additional weights. I love the availability of shafts but without being able to fit the shaft and the feel (weight-wise), that's not quite as beneficial as it could be. So... hopefully, additional weights will be as easy to procure for the 816 as they were for the 815.

Since that question has been asked, let's talk OptiFit instead. What are the actual measured values when adjustments are made. For example, I know that the D setting makes the club more upright, how much more upright? 1', 2'? What about loft? We know that adjustments in loft are actually obtained via adjustments in face angle. With OptiFit technology, how much is face angle actually being affected?

Another question that comes to mind concerns driver length. With the average driver length on tour being somewhere in the neighborhood of 44.5", why is that "stock" drivers off the rack are closer to 46"? Wouldn't it make more sense to have the stock length of a driver more in the 44.5-44.75" range???

Many thanks to Callaway for doing this.

Thanks for taking the time to do this. I have a few questions! I don't expect all these to get answered but I'll try anyways:

1. The Ping G30 is the #1 selling driver in the marketplace right now and can arguably considered the best "all around" performer in terms of distance, forgiveness, spin rate, etc. Clearly consumers are liking this type of "all around" design. The rebirth of the GBB seems to take that concept to a Callaway driver for the first time - it's being marketed as a driver that can do it all - a good combination of low spin, distance, and forgiveness. Was the success of the G30 considered when designing this head and what in your mind makes the GBB better than any other "total package" driver on the market today?

2. 2014 Big Bertha had the sliding APW weight track. 815 Big Bertha did not have it. Now it's back with Great Big Bertha - why the decision to bring it back and what makes APW adjustability better or more preferred than say, movable weight plugs?

3. Does Callaway considering having the ability to use the forged composite material developed with Lamborghini as a significant material advantage when designing drivers vs. the competition? If so, why?

4. Are the "fixed" weights on both the DBD and GBB drivers changeable by the consumer for swing weight purposes? If not, will Callaway be able to adjust them to accommodate custom builds?

5. For the engineers/designers, do you consider having to design in an adjustable hosel and accommodating for the weight of that apparatus a design handicap in terms of weight distribution? If so, would you ever consider releasing a glued hosel driver that gives you more discretionary weight to play with so you can optimize CG?

6. Finally, how do you see Tour use panning out - it seems to be many guys are gravitating towards the GBB initially. Do you expect equal play of the DBD vs. the GBB on your major Tours?

Thanks again for stopping by to answer questions!

since most golfers do not have access to trackman or flightscope radars, how does GBB and 816 DBD drivers utilize R moto technology to help golfers of both low and high handicap on off center hits?

Why did you went from the glossy finish in the 815 to a more matte finish in the 816?

Big thanks to everyone at Callaway for coming back in and answering questions for us again.

My question is related to the new BBA 816 DBD and the dual ports. How much of an effect is seen in moving the weight from one extreme to the other such as from neutral down to draw up or vice versa? Is there enough change in CG to possibly affect the choice of shaft based on the preferred position of the core?

The Big Bertha Alpha 816 is targeted at better players, but the stock shaft is 45.5", a bit longer than the traditional 45". Do you find that better players are moving toward 45"+ drivers?

Anecdotally, I've noticed that a lot of PGA Tour players seem to be edging beyond 45" for their drivers. Is this backed up by data?

What effect does moving the gravity core to the heel or toe have on spin rates? Also, up vs. down in both positions.
Thanks,
dccbryan

Will Callaway also update the regular BB Alpha 815?
Will the XR family be updated or will that be dropped this year?

My only question is..... what do I tell my wife when she finds out about another new driver???

Debating whether to buy low and loft up or buy higher and dial it down on GBB.
Any thoughts - e.g. will this affect available face/lie angles??

thanks gang, appreciate you taking time to do the live Q&A.

[quote name='TheMoneyShot' timestamp='1439505118' post='12132676']
I want to know why Harry does not post much on here anymore?
[/quote]
Harry was abused pretty badly by the brain-trust the last time he was here. It was embarrassing and disgraceful. I'm surprised he'd ever agree to come back here.

Still have the Alpha BB. What benefits would I see moving to the new drivers? I would be getting fit by a former callaway tour van rep. He has helped me alot with the fittings.

There is so much exciting here in terms of the shaft selections, technology etc. Congrats! I also hope you see from all the questions and feedback the concerns around shaft length and the inability to order one of these custom shafts an inch shorter and not maintain swing weight. In a world where there are no weights, will you offer hot melt on custom orders? If not, what impact does hot melting have if any on the spin, launch, etc if done after market. Thank you

Thanks for taking the time guys. Will these eventually be available with uDesign colors?

Let me first start off by saying I'm a huge Callaway/Odyssey fan and I really like what you guys are doing.

1) I'm not sure if this can really be answered but here it goes: When focusing on the next model of driver/woods/irons, how to do start putting creative ideas together and how do you decide where to start (besides using the success of the previous model)?

2) Also, I noticed a new Divine 9 club that I'm extremely interested to learn about. What can you tell us about the Divine 9 and it how it differs from the Heavenwood?

Keep up the great work guys and I always look forward to seeing what you guys come up with next.