Volume

The C830.2 has the maximum volume allowed by the USGA at 460 cubic centimeters.  The large and deep club head provides plenty of hitting area, and a center of gravity low and deep inside the club (more on this later)

Moment of Inertia

The moment-of-inertia (MOI) is the measure of resistance to club twisting.  The less a club twists before impact, the more stable it is. And, therefore, the straighter and farther the ball goes. So a high MOI driver promotes distance in off-center strikes. 

Alpha engineers maximize MOI by a variety of weight and geometry optimizations that separate mass from the center of gravity axis of rotation.  This is often called "perimeter weighting" in the golf industry. 

The more mass that is positioned away from the central axis, the less twisting there will be.  This lack of twisting promotes a very straight ball flight - especially when the center of the ball is hit off from the center of gravity axis.  The Alpha C830.2’s strategic heel-to-toe weighting increases the rotational inertia to achieve this effect.

Coefficient of Restitution

The Coefficient of Restitution (COR) is the measurement of how "bouncy" an object is during impact.  An object with a COR of 1 collides elastically, bouncing perfectly with no energy loss. While an object with a COR of 0 is said to collide inelastically, effectively "sticking" to the object it collides with.  

Mathematically, it's measured as the ratio of velocities before and after an impact.  When thinking in these terms, it’s easy to see that a higher COR means a faster ball speed after impact.  And a faster ball speed means more distance.  The USGA limits COR to 0.83, and the Alpha C830.2 hits this exact limit.

Alpha engineers reach the maximum COR limit through 2 methods:

1) Using the absolute highest grade titanium for the face - SP700 Titanium

2) A super-thin face.  A thin face provides a "spring-like effect" where the face momentarily depresses at initial contact and then "springs" back into shape at launch.  If the face is too thin, the driver can crack at high swing speeds.  If the face is too thick, you lose the spring-like effect where the face won't depress. The right tradeoff of thickness for the particular type of titanium being used is what keeps Alpha engineers busy in the labs.

Center of Gravity

The Center of Gravity (COG) of a golf driver is the specific point at which the club behaves as if all the driver's mass were concentrated. The COG is located inside the head, and has 3 dimensions to it - X, Y, and Z.  The X-axis is the horizontal COG location (how far, left or right, it is from the center of the club face).  The Y-axis is the vertical COG (how high it is from the sole of the head).  And the Z-axis is the COG depth (how far back it is from the face).

Golf clubs obviously aim to keep the horizontal COG axis right at the center of the club face.  Aligning the horizontal COG with the sweet spot of the club face maximizes the Moment of Inertia - see MOI a few paragraphs above.  

For the vertical COG, we want to keep this as low as possible to maximize spin. Think of a billiard ball. When you aim your cue stick at the top of the ball, you're positioning the COG of the impact device high. When you make impact, the billiard ball has a lot of topspin to it. Conversely, if you aim your cue stick low such that the effective COG of the force is low - then your billiard ball has a lot of backspin.

For the Z-axis COG, we want it as far back from the face as possible. To understand this, think of the opposite extreme - the center of gravity right on the club face. Any shot that's not exactly on the COG axis at the face will be subject to a high amount of torque and twisting. But if you move the COG away from the face, the torque effect gets mitigated.

Positioning the center of gravity vertically low, horizontally center, and back away from the face is done by careful positioning of the weight. For example, we add more weight on the sole of the head to lower the position of the COG. We make the head shape deep so that more weight is positioned in the very rear of the head, thus moving the COG back.  And having the largest volume allowed (460CC) also lets us push that COG deep towards the back of the club.

Variable Face Thickness

Alpha Golf’s patented Increased Target Design (ITD) varies the thickness across the face. By making the center of the face thinner and the outer radius thicker, Alpha Golf engineers have created a giant sweet spot. Now practically every drive is long and straight!

Construction 

The 4 parameters to engineering a long distance driver are mostly scientific - the Volume, MOI, COR, and COG can be optimized through computer-aided design software.  But there is also an art to club design.  The construction and manufacturing of a club head specifically for long-distance drives requires some creative and unique solutions. 

Most off-the-shelf drivers are made with a 4-piece construction, gluing together the face and body. They momentarily deform at high swing speeds, resulting in energy loss. Alpha Golf’s plasma welding forges the SP700 Titanium face and the body at extremely high heat. Effectively acting like a solid single piece on contact. Golf swings thus get virtually loss-less impacts on every drive.  Energy loss (through deformation or sound or any other factor) is something the USGA does not measure or regulate.  At least not yet!  

The plasma welding does another thing - remember how we talked about moving weight away from the face and towards the back of the club for optimal center of gravity?  Well the welding material that glues together a 4-piece construction contributes a few hundred milligrams to the overall weight of the head.  It is enough weight that removing the glue from the face pushes the COG a few millimeters towards the back of the club.  Plasma welding eliminates this extra weight.

Plasma welding is a much more expensive and time-consuming endeavor than traditional club head construction. But this innovative manufacturing process is one of the long-distance secrets behind the Alpha C830.2.  It is an art, but has scientific backing (and Re/Max World Long Drive Titles) to justify the extra craftsmanship. 

 

Headcover 

A purchase of the C830.2 Plasma driver includes Alpha's easy-to-use Magnetic headcover.  Not only is it a great compliment to your driver, this fast and simple design makes protecting your new Alpha driver a snap!

Unconditional 30-Day Money-Back 
No-Risk Guarantee

Take the Alpha C830.2 to the driving range.  If your drives aren't longer by at least 20 yards, send it back to us.  We will refund your purchase 100%.

Build & Buy Your C830.2 Plasma Driver here