Callaway unveil the ‘not-so-big’ Bertha Mini Driver
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Callaway has launched its first mini driver – some three years after getting everyone talking about driver/fairway wood hybrids after building Phil Mickelson’s ‘Phrankenwood’.
Up until now, the brand has bridged the gap between the two clubs through deep-faced, longer-shafted fairway woods. But with a headsize of 235cc (the current XR 3Deep is 176cc) and a shaft length of 44in, the new Bertha Mini 1.5 is their first out-and-out mini driver.
This larger head means the biggest benefit to the golfer is increased forgiveness. “Those previous products tended to appeal more to the better player,” says Dr Alan Hocknell, senior vice president of research and development at Callaway Golf. “The significant difference with the Bertha Mini 1.5 is that it has all the forgiveness you would expect of a Bertha driver and, therefore, will appeal to a much wider cross section of golfers.”
Bertha Mini 1.5 is offered in two lofts, though OptiFit adjustability lets you make it either one degree stronger or one or two weaker. The 12º makes most sense as a tee replacement, while the 14º lends itself to both tee and fairway.
At 44in, its shaft is 1.5in shorter than the Big Bertha drivers, and 0.5in longer than its XR 3 Deep fairway. The club also employs a Forged Composite Crown that lowers CG and aids launch.
Why a mini driver?
These clubs have seen a boom in popularity because as the shaft gets longer, the club becomes harder to control. Testing has shown that missing the sweetspot of a driver by an inch robs your drive of 10% of its power – or 25 yards on what would have been a 250-yard drive.
Callaway’s own performance analysis also shows that the typical golfer with a 10-handicap or longer misses the centre of the face 65% of the time.
Details: £249; Lofts: 12°, 14°; Shaft options: Mitsubishi Kurokage standard; Speeder 565 option; available May 15, 2015.
