As a long time advocate of one of the other big brands, I was a little skeptical to try this new Bertha 1.5 Mini. Is it a driver? A three wood? Maybe the key is in the deignation 1.5. Lo and behold, after some tinkering, this club works like a dream for me.

Looks: Check out the photos on the right. It's very much in line with the shapes and lines that has made Callaway one of the top equipment companies. And at address, the loft is visible, which is especially helpful mentally, when hitting it off the deck.

Tech: So what’s the idea behind this Mini? So the head is a little bigger than a 3 wood, but not as big as a driver; exactly 235 cc compared to a standard 460 or 440 cc driver head.
Additionally, a Forged Hyper Speed face cup has been added to a Forged Composite crown with a cambered Warbird Sole. What does this all mean?

Easy to hit: off the tee and off the deck

Sound: Sounds like a cannon, you've got to hear the noise that comes out of this small weapon.

Feel: Feels solid, but not harsh

Playability: Easy and awesome to shape shots with.

Price: The Bertha Mini 1.5 is selling for $299.99. Compare that to the Callaway XR Pro that runs at $349.99 or the Big Bertha Alpha 815 Double Black Diamond at $499.99.
Additionally, for you tinkerers out there, the Mini has the same 8 option adjustability that all the Callaway drivers have. So you can adjust the loft one less degree to one or two more degrees. The Bertha Mini comes in a 12 degree loft and a 14 degree loft. The one I am using is a 12 degree head. Also, you can make it neutral or draw bias for the lie adjustment, which basically means the club is either standard (Neutral) or upright (Draw).

Shaft:

The Mini also comes with a shaft length between that of a driver and a fairway wood. But what I did was put in my driver shaft and the results were awesome! I opted for a Motore Speeder 6.2 Tour Spec X Flex that was driver length. I hit it as far, if not farther than my driver (Using an XR Pro previously), and it gave me another club in my bag. Now the longer par fives I can reach in two. The first time playing with it I took it out from 285 to a front flag. I hit it over the green. After that, the Mini was officially in the lineup.

THINGS THAT TOOK SOME "GETTING USED TO"

Not having a driver: I felt a little strange not having a driver, but it is more of an ego thing. I keep the ball in play more often with the Mini than I did with any other driver.

Figuring out how high to tee it up: Obviously, there isn’t a manual that comes with the club that tells you how to tee it up. I toyed around with teeing it up high like a driver, or low like a 3 wood. I ended up sticking with a lower tee height, unless I had to carry a bunker or something. I would say 9 times out of 10 I would tee it low, but it’s all personal preference.

Your results will of course vary from mine. But if you're intrigued, and like the prospect of finding more fairways off the tee and hitting more par 5s in two, I suggest you give it a go.