JBEAM Galpha 445 Driver

[+TourSpecGolfer]

The all new JBEAM 445 GALPHA  – The forgiving players driver.  The user feedback has been outstanding.  The Galpha was released a couple of months back and has now had time to make its rounds.   The Galpha is a 445cc driver with a fade bias by design.  By adding a heavier weight to the heel you can bring the bias back to neutral and by using a lighter toe weight and closed face angle slightly promote a draw.  

That big bold and beautiful JBEAM face we all love so much made with a secret face titanium and head designed to produce a low spin / mid trajectory ball flight.  The laser engraved face milling is supposed to stabilize spin a little as well as improve wet weather play.  Its got a seriously deep face just the way Jbeam fans love their drivers.

I now own the ZY-11 and JBeam Galpha as 2 of my main 3 gamers.  It started off as the ZY-11 vs ZY-7 and I simply favored the foamed muted feel of the 11 and its strange extra tall face.  The ZY-7 actually favors a draw more than the ZY-11 does.  This Galpha sits between the 435 and the 535 which in my opinion would be the sweet spot.  I love the 435 blackout.]

Comparing the ZY-11 to the Galpha you can tell they are bothers but the experience is totally different playing a round with the two. Both are low spin just the way I need it.  the Galpha launches slightly higher than the ZY11 yet the 11 is straighter more consistently.   What the Galpha has that the ZY-11 doesn’t is those freaky long drives reminiscent of the 435 when hit in the center.

As always with Tourspecgolf & Jbeam you have custom options galore.  9.5 – 12* lofts and everything in between is available and thats not only for lofts but also face angle and to some extent even lie angle.  These are traditional hosels as purists always love but Jbeam hand picks heads efficently to TSGs requests as well as offers hosel reeming where they drill the hosel at an angle so the shaft and ferrule sits a little off but gives you the couple of degrees extra on top of the hand picked head.  So you can have 3* open or close with a more or less upright lie angle.  Shaved to exact COR, Foaming and custom head weights are also options along with the choice of black or white head paint colors.

The head spec of the club in these photos is 10* 200g square face and none of it is designated on the head.  These retail at $650 and we are able to help you choose a shaft to suit your needs.  I personally use 7D, basileus AAA, and Waccine in the heads I have with fantastic results.

JBeam heads have a reputation for spin reduction,  distance, and being pretty easy to it.  This club while designed for the better player can easily be confused as not based on how easy it is to hit.   Its 445cc size can also be easily mistaken as 460cc.

 

 

[supo]

"galpha"................ I mean  really.... where  do they come up with these names!!!!

 

 looks like a nice shape head tho. this  certainly has my interst.

[dickyfowler]

Tis a good thing you can overcome their fade bias -- the next meeting of recreation golfers looking for fade-bias drivers will be held in a telephone booth.

[chiromikey]

4 hours ago, d**kyfowler said:

Tis a good thing you can overcome their fade bias -- the next meeting of recreation golfers looking for fade-bias drivers will be held in a telephone booth.

Do you know which street corner this booth is on because I'm in! Offering fade bias is one of the reasons jBeam is my favorite brand.

[Ian-500]

3 hours ago, chiromikey said:

Do you know which street corner this booth is on because I'm in! Offering fade bias is one of the reasons jBeam is my favorite brand.

Hahahahahaha me too. Gonna get cramped in there......

[bngolfer]

My too ? Never had mich issue with the ball turning right. Fight the left side with too stiff shafts and open face angle. 

[nobmontana]

I think the point here was that when forgiveness is the main feature of a head,  it is typically associated with draw biased heads.

I feel that forgiveness of a head for beginners vs forgiveness of a head for experienced players have a different connotations. 

Take a look at Ping G LSTEC which is slightly fade biased   and Cobra King LTD Pro.. both very forgiving but with fade biased design.

Having said that,  not sure if I understand why the base head design was made to be fade biased when I thought the whole purpose of having the three weight screws were to allow users to change the bias on these JBeam heads.     If anything,  the base should be neutral so that the users can choose to have either fade or draw with a simple switch of the weight positions.   

By the way,   I found the name to be pronounced in Japan as  "Jee alfa"  and not "galfa"      

though I also found that "Galpha" is  Bengali for "Golf" or "Golf game."   http://www.shabdkosh.com/bn/translate/galpha/galpha-meaning-in-Bengali-English

I like my driver to be neutral as possible. :) 

[dickyfowler]

last year a survey taken in the USA (unsure how many asked) found that around 80% of 'weekend warriors' would change their driver if they could get one that helped them keep slice spin to a bare minimum.  They didn't need to take a survey to know that -- it's common knowledge.  A few lessons might be better value for their money than constantly changing drivers thinking the new technology is going to slop the slice - or the hook.   Better players seem to prefer a slight fade bias and definitely hate a hook bias..... but the better players are not driving the market. 

[chiromikey]

That's very true. Finding clubs that don't promote the left side gives me a hint at what it must be like for left handed golfers.

[Ian-500]

Chris, how's this Galpha compared to the TD-450, the 535 Black and the Glorious Second?

Edited May 18, 2017 by Ian-500

[+TourSpecGolfer]

4 hours ago, Ian-500 said:

Chris, how's this Galpha compared to the TD-450, the 535 Black and the Glorious Second?

The Galpha would be the least forgiving, lowest spin and least draw bias of those you mention.

RD-450 is draw bias
535 is straight
Glorious is draw bias
ZY-11 known for straightness and low spin
ZY-7 draw bias for straightness and low spin

These are just how golf heads are designed with CGs closer to the heels and natural bias with the neck where it is.  The weights dont do everything for us,  they can simply increase head weight and slightly tune bias.

Another thing that people dont realize is that all our irons are draw bias.  The reason why they dont put CG locations in the dead center of the face is because it makes the club harder to square up.  By simply shortening the hosel and reducing the weight toward the heel the cg moves toward the toe making it more fade bias.   Even the most players blades are toward the heel of center.