Big Performance In A Small Package: Callaway Introduces Bertha Mini 1.5
15 Feb 2015
by Rusty Cage
see also: Equipment Reviews
SHARE:
Callaway's versatile new weapon:
the Bertha Mini 1.5
A prototype of the Bertha Mini 1.5 was first
spotted at the RBC Heritage Classic at Harbour
Town, the first stop on the PGA Tour after The
Masters. Callaway’s versatile club, which has all
the features of a driver built into the body of a
bigger fairway wood, will be available for retail
on May 29th.
The Bertha Mini 1.5 features a 235cc
head that’s 35 percent larger than the
company’s XR 3-wood. It’s also comes with a
shaft that’s two inches shorter than most driver
shafts, along with a cambered Warbird Sole
that makes it easy to hit off the deck. All that
adds up to a club that’s easily more forgiving
than a driver and is longer off the tee than your
standard fairway wood.
“The Bertha Mini 1.5 is a great new
alternative to the long part of your bag that’s
configured sort of in between a driver and a 3-
wood and really offers a unique combination of
distance, forgiveness and versatility,” said Evan
Gibbs, Senior Manager, R&D - Woods at
Callaway.
 |
The
Bertha Mini 1.5 features a Forged Hyper Speed
Face Cup |
The classic Pete Dye design at Hilton
Head’s Harbour Town was the perfect venue for
debuting the new club. The course demands
precision shot-making off the tee, putting a
premium on accuracy over pure distance. Most
of the holes on the course don’t set up well for
the driver where a miss into Harbour Town’s
tree-lined rough means having to choose
between playing an aggressive shot to a
notoriously-small green or pitching out safely
back onto the fairway at the expense of a
stroke. The Bertha Mini 1.5 gave Callaway
players options both off the tee and from the
fairway.
“You’ll probably tend to see this club more
widely used on shorter courses, where you
don’t need driver on every hole, or on courses
where you’re required to shape your shots a
lot,” said Gibbs. “At Hilton Head, which was the
first week it was on tour, we had Patrick Reed
and Freddie Jacobson both put it in play.
Interestingly, one replaced their driver and one
replaced their 3-wood. That is why this club is
so unique and I think it will continue to get
some attention on tour.”
Of course the Berth Mini 1.5 isn’t just for
tour players. Recreational golfers, both high
and low swing speed players alike, can benefit
from using Callaway’s new club.
Many golfers will naturally use it as a
replacement for a driver. The club features a
Forged Hyper Speed Face Cup and a Forged
Composite crown. You know what else has a
Forged Composite crown? Callaway’s XR Pro
driver. That means the Bertha Mini 1.5 is built
for high ball speeds and lower spin while
offering greater MOI than a typical 460cc head
driver. The fact of the matter is, many mid-to-
high handicappers will reap significantly better
performance (meaning both distance
and
accuracy) off the tee with a Bertha Mini 1.5
than with a driver. The combination of a smaller
head and shorter shaft will make the club
easier to square up and hit balls off the center
of the face.
 |
A smaller
head, shorter shaft and cambered sole makes
the Bertha Mini 1.5 a versatile club
|
For more accomplished players who
produce higher club head speeds, Callaway’s
Berth Mini 1.5 could end up being a great
weapon for hitting bombs from the fairway. If
you want to have more shots at eagle on those
long par-5s, this is your club.
“It can appeal to such a broad range of
player types,” said Gibbs. “It’s a great
alternative off the tee for those who might
struggle with a conventional driver or for those
really tight holes when you need to put in the
fairway. But it’s also great off the fairway where
better players are often trying to get to the
green in two. That’s why we really just
encourage golfers of all abilities to give it a try
and perhaps rethink that part of their bag.”
The Callaway Bertha Mini 1.5 has the
following features and benefits:
- More MOI than a typical 3-
wood: 35 percent larger head and
easier to hit from the tee
- Long off the fairway for
better players: high ball speed and
greater distance from a Forged Hyper Speed
Face Cup
- OptiFit Adjustable Hosel:
choose from eight different
combinations of loft (-1, S, +1, +2) and lie
angle (draw or neutral)
The Bertha Mini 1.5 will hit stores on May
29th and will retail for $299. The excellent
Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage Silver TiNi shaft
comes stock. While most golfers will continue
to rely on a driver for most situations they
encounter on the courses they play, the new,
smaller-headed club from Callaway is out to
prove that sometimes bigger isn’t always
better.