Had a chance to shaft up this Jbeam Galpha driver with a TRPX Xanadu to give it a whirl. First off, looking at the head at address, shape wise very reminiscent of the legendary JBeam BM 435 ( aka Crazy CRZ 435 ) . I have not checked recent stats, but at one point the BM 435 was the most popular driver used among Japanese Mid Am players in competitions. I also noticed that the paint had some colorful glitter mixed in. Adds a touch of bling to the overall look. At 445cc, it definitely looks smaller than the said volume due to the deep profile. Looking at the sole, I do like the new design where it uses a mix of IP finish and mirror chrome accents. Nicely done JBeam! Face milling is present on this model as well. It is said to provide slightly lowered spin. Click Read more to continue…
Before hitting a ball, I bounced a ball off the face to get a sense of what I should expect in terms of feel and sound at impact. Having tried and failed with many JBeam heads with DAT55G face, I was anticipating a slightly hollow “Klunk” sound that ended up being a deal breaker too many times… But wait.. this one’s different. More of a SP700 or 6-4 Ti type sound with a subtle metallic high pitch sound mixed in. Ohhhh Wowww! This is going to be really good!! I knew it right off.
After a few warm up shots, I started to see a consistent low-mid penetrating trajectory with a baby fade. Not bad, but I normally play a straight to mini draw trajectory. BTW, I am really liking the feel of this shaft too. Very stable for a 58g shaft. Let’s see if I can move around the weight screws to get the desired trajectory. Moved the heavy weights to the heel and back. Theoretically, this should straighten the shot a bit and provide slightly higher trajectory for more carry. With this configuration, I was starting to hit the ball more consistently with a mid trajectory and straight to slight draw shots. Pretty soon I ran out of range balls and called it a day. I sure enjoyed hitting all the balls today mainly because of the drastically improved sound and feel!
It still remains a mystery of exactly what material they used on this new head. But I am now very curious to know if they are utilizing the new material for the new Glorious Second driver as well… This Galpha is an excellent driver, but it is probably not the most forgiving driver on the market. Honestly speaking, I can use some added forgiveness. In cany case, this new head has changed the way I think of JBeam drivers. If you were like me and disliked JBeam drivers because of sound and feel, you should have a look at this one. Feel and sound wise, this head is comparable with Epon and Mizuno now. Of course for those die hard JBeam fans, this is one Jbeam driver that should not be overlooked. Tried and true performance now with improved sound and feel!!
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