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Callaway Bertha Mini 1.5 - THP Review Thread

SuperStroke
Tested out the 12, they only had a r flex. I was liking the dispersion at about 4 yards and getting 238 average carry but not much roll out at about 8 yards.

While the sound isn't a big issue, it is indeed quite pronounced compared to other Callaway clubs I've owned.

If I hadn't already found a club that works for me, I imagine this would be in the bag with a different shaft that's better suited for me.
 
Went by my local shop today and they don't have any in stock yet and only ordered one, hoping it's a stiff w/speeder 565. Called another local shop and they should have some in next week. Will be scratching the itch as soon as I can get one here.
 
Golf Analyzer said:
Those who have swapped out shaft in clubs will already know this, but what model shaft you have attached to a club head can drastically change the sound of clubbed to ball contact. The 565, Kuro Kage, and a Fubuki all attached to the same head produce different sounds. Where you using a Kuro Kage, 565, or something else?
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It is the Kuro Kage. Played a few holes with it tonight, and getting used to the sound. Of course the performance may have something to do with that. Played six holes and hit 5 fairways with it. Based on where I usually end up on those holes with my 3Deep, I would say it is a little longer. I do not get the same amount of roll out, but better carry yardage and total. Even when I did not hit it in the middle of the face. After round 1, I would have to say Mini 1, Deep 0.
 
BigTex said:
It is the Kuro Kage. Played a few holes with it tonight, and getting used to the sound. Of course the performance may have something to do with that. Played six holes and hit 5 fairways with it. Based on where I usually end up on those holes with my 3Deep, I would say it is a little longer. I do not get the same amount of roll out, but better carry yardage and total. Even when I did not hit it in the middle of the face. After round 1, I would have to say Mini 1, Deep 0.
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This is the shaft in my 745 so this is exciting to me. Solid shaft that more OEM's are using as stock shafts.

Are you hitting this higher than the 3 Deep?
 
Nate said:
This is the shaft in my 745 so this is exciting to me. Solid shaft that more OEM's are using as stock shafts.

Are you hitting this higher than the 3 Deep?
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Definitely higher, which is why it isn't rolling out as much. But, keeps me from running into trouble. When you hit it on the screws, it is a nice high penetrating flight. My drive was 75 yards out on 11 today, which is about 25-30 yards past where I usually hit the 3Deep.
 
Kept driver out of the bag and hit the 12° with speeder 565 on any driver holes. Hit some great shots but had a two way miss. I think I need to put in a heavier shaft
 
The Archer or the Arrow? Will a weight change really solve the problem,not create one

The Archer or the Arrow? Will a weight change really solve the problem,not create one

kc720 said:
Kept driver out of the bag and hit the 12° with speeder 565 on any driver holes. Hit some great shots but had a two way miss. I think I need to put in a heavier shaft
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How many holes did you tee of with it on total? 12? 14? If you hit 10-12 good shots, and only two bad do you really think it was that shaft's fault? What type of bad shot was it? Was it the same miss both shots, or different bad shots each of the two times? Also how much heavier are you planning to go? 10 grams, 20 grams, more? Are you looking for a heavier shaft to fight your muscles and drop the club farther behind you when you transition? Unless that is what you're trying to do the only thing going to a heavier shaft is likely to do is make your swing slower, and your distance shorter. Then there is also the fact that a heavier shaft will change the swing weight of the club, and make the head seem lighter. As some like to say sometimes the error is with the archer not the arrow. :silly:

If I'm overstepping or offending feel free to ignore me. Sorry, It just makes me cringe when one person (especially if its a high handicapper) tells another person they need to make a club modification (in flex, length, weight, etc) to fix a problem that stems more from a bad setup to bad mechanics. If you were advised by a reputable club fitter then by all means give it a try, but if some high handicapper put the thought in your head that heavier is the answer you may want to think from a scientific perspective if that really makes since to solve the issue (and that's if you know for a fact what caused the problem/bad swing in the first place).
 
Golf Analyzer said:
Those who have swapped out shaft in clubs will already know this, but what model shaft you have attached to a club head can drastically change the sound of clubbed to ball contact. The 565, Kuro Kage, and a Fubuki all attached to the same head produce different sounds. Where you using a Kuro Kage, 565, or something else?
Click to expand...

Thought I'd quote this again and look for more explanation here since my first reply was missed and I have never in all my life or in all my time reviewing golf equipment, heard of a sound change from a shaft nor have I ever experienced it. You can say I have tried just a couple combinations in my time too. :alien:
 
Golf Analyzer said:
How many holes did you tee of with it on total? 12? 14? If you hit 10-12 good shots, and only two bad do you really think it was that shaft's fault? What type of bad shot was it? Was it the same miss both shots, or different bad shots each of the two times? Also how much heavier are you planning to go? 10 grams, 20 grams, more? Are you looking for a heavier shaft to fight your muscles and drop the club farther behind you when you transition? Unless that is what you're trying to do the only thing going to a heavier shaft is likely to do is make your swing slower, and your distance shorter. Then there is also the fact that a heavier shaft will change the swing weight of the club, and make the head seem lighter. As some like to say sometimes the error is with the archer not the arrow. :silly:

If I'm overstepping or offending feel free to ignore me. Sorry, It just makes me cringe when one person (especially if its a high handicapper) tells another person they need to make a club modification (in flex, length, weight, etc) to fix a problem that stems more from a bad setup to bad mechanics. If you were advised by a reputable club fitter then by all means give it a try, but if some high handicapper put the thought in your head that heavier is the answer you may want to think from a scientific perspective if that really makes since to solve the issue (and that's if you know for a fact what caused the problem/bad swing in the first place).
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Not offended at all. Normally I game a 70 gram range shaft as that is what seems to work best for me. I hit it 8 times. Other holes requiring less club. Out of 8 I hit one block right, 5 pulls and 2 good ones. Honestly I should have ordered different shaft. I play a fade off the tee as its easier for me to control it. The 565 stiff is not stout enough I believe. (Current driver, and fairway shafts are px lz 6.5). Most of the misses are indeed swing faults, I know it. But I truly believe these tendencies are exaggerated in lighter shafts for me. I tend to play shafts around 265 cpm with swing weight of d5. So heavier and stiffer works better for me
 
Jeff Spicoli said:
You buy one? Or did you beat someone up and steal theirs?
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More so the 2nd option.....BigTex has a demo and I'm meeting up with him tomorrow afternoon to hit it before it's returned. If I like it, I might have to implement the hit and run technique.
 
Nate said:
More so the 2nd option.....BigTex has a demo and I'm meeting up with him tomorrow afternoon to hit it before it's returned. If I like it, I might have to implement the hit and run technique.
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There can be only one. I have a feeling you are going to crush the Mini.
 
Jman said:
Thought I'd quote this again and look for more explanation here since my first reply was missed and I have never in all my life or in all my time reviewing golf equipment, heard of a sound change from a shaft nor have I ever experienced it. You can say I have tried just a couple combinations in my time too. :alien:
Click to expand...

I first noticed how different shafts in the same head changed the club-head/ball impact sound many years ago back when I got a Taylormade R9 460 SuperTri. I had about a dozen shafts I took with me to the driving range, and kept swapping each out as I noted stats down on how each preformed. In many years since I still notice it when swapping shafts in other driver heads as well, and people I've talked about it with have told me that they've noticed it when they demo different shafts (but weren't cognoscente of it until they were paying attention). I'm sure I'm not the only one who has posted in these forums who has noticed such a difference between shafts. There are a number of different things that can be factors. How the shaft vibrates/bends at impact, where it bends/flexes, how it springs back, the thickness of the shaft, the material(s) that make up the shaft, how much it deforms, how the stiffness varies at different points in the shaft. People with higher swing speeds may be more apt to notice it since they may be causing more bend, deformation, and rebound. Slower swingers might not hear as much of a difference because they may not be activating the shaft as much. Where a person releases the club (the point at which the club stops accelerating in the downswing) could also be a factor. If someone early releases (shoulder high to left arm parallel on the downswing) the shaft may have already sprung back (if it bent much to begin with) by the time it gets to the ball while a mid-releaser (hip high on downswing) flexes/bends the shaft a little later and might be apt to notice it a bit more, and finally the late releaser (knee high level) deforms it the most in the impact area and may be the most likely to notice the difference.

I'm not crazy about linking to another forums post (especially since a lot of people on said forum are rude and obnoxious to other forum posters there), but its been mentioned here:
Other forum topic: Can a shaft change the sound of impact.

Something else that could be a factor is the size of the clubhead. Given the size/weight/hollowing and dampening features of the mini's head it could be less noticeable with the mini. I haven't received my Fubuki shafted mini yet, but I should be able to confirm it sometime after I do. Besides my Fubuki I should also have access to a Kuro Kage and one or two other shafts around that time.

The area you are hitting them in can also effect your perception of sound. Sound can be very different depending on if you are hitting on a wide open driving range, or a tee box on the course that is tightly lined by large dense trees. My driving range is all grass, and wide open. Are you by chance hitting at a crowded, noisy driving range off of mats with rubber tees? Likewise what types of balls are you hitting (hard range balls, or a more multi-layered ball with perhaps softer cover and more pieces?

Not quite the same thing, but this page discusses how weighting in the head, as well as hosel sleeves effect and dissipate sound. To a small degree the sleeve on the tip of the shaft that locks inside the head can be a factor.
http://wishongolf.com/designs/drivers/new-939aht/

I know I've seen other mentions of changing shafts altering sounds, and I'll try to dig them up for you. In the meantime anyone else who has noticed a difference in sound when swapping shafts in and out of driver heads (or any clubs for that matter) care to chime in?


kc720 said:
Not offended at all. Normally I game a 70 gram range shaft as that is what seems to work best for me. I hit it 8 times. Other holes requiring less club. Out of 8 I hit one block right, 5 pulls and 2 good ones. Honestly I should have ordered different shaft. I play a fade off the tee as its easier for me to control it. The 565 stiff is not stout enough I believe. (Current driver, and fairway shafts are px lz 6.5). Most of the misses are indeed swing faults, I know it. But I truly believe these tendencies are exaggerated in lighter shafts for me. I tend to play shafts around 265 cpm with swing weight of d5. So heavier and stiffer works better for me
Click to expand...
I could see going from a 50-60 gram to 70-80 gram possibly reducing the pulls that seem to be a common occurrence for you. I've seen swing videos were swings look identical except for a slightly steeper shaft angle into the ball being the difference between a perfectly straight shot and a pull. Would you describe yourself as a fast tempo swinger (taking one second or less from start of your swing to impact)? Generally fast tempo swingers (who also tend to make fast transitions) tend to prefer the feel of heavier shafts, while slow tempo swingers (take 1.5 to 2.5 seconds from takeaway to impact) tend to prefer lighter shafts. (Mid tempo (1.0-1.4 seconds) people swing both ways when it comes to preference). (For people who don't know what tempo they are, but are curious there are numerous devices out there that can tell you your takeaway to impact tempo: SwingByte, Zepp, S6, etc).
Regardless if you're making the choice based on your own experiences, and not what some hacker (who may or may not know what he/she is talking about) tells you then that's good. I just wanted to make sure.:wink:

Now back to the topic of the thread. The Callaway Big Bertha Mini 1.5 driver. I'm still waiting on mine, but has anyone else picked one up or tested it given that Callaway has now announced that its "Now Available", "Now Shipping", and "Now In Stores" :sarcastic::disdain: (anyone else whose mini is on backorder see/get that e-mail too?).
 
Jeff Spicoli said:
There can be only one. I have a feeling you are going to crush the Mini.
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I'm liking my driver and current 3W but we shall see. Always looking for more consistency without giving up the length. The mini drivers have always intrigued me but I haven't found the consistency enough for the distance loss compared to the driver to give it up.
 
Golf Analyzer said:
I first noticed how different shafts in the same head changed the club-head/ball impact sound many years ago back when I got a Taylormade R9 460 SuperTri. I had about a dozen shafts I took with me to the driving range, and kept swapping each out as I noted stats down on how each preformed. In many years since I still notice it when swapping shafts in other driver heads as well, and people I've talked about it with have told me that they've noticed it when they demo different shafts (but weren't cognoscente of it until they were paying attention). I'm sure I'm not the only one who has posted in these forums who has noticed such a difference between shafts. There are a number of different things that can be factors. How the shaft vibrates/bends at impact, where it bends/flexes, how it springs back, the thickness of the shaft, the material(s) that make up the shaft, how much it deforms, how the stiffness varies at different points in the shaft. People with higher swing speeds may be more apt to notice it since they may be causing more bend, deformation, and rebound. Slower swingers might not hear as much of a difference because they may not be activating the shaft as much. Where a person releases the club (the point at which the club stops accelerating in the downswing) could also be a factor. If someone early releases (shoulder high to left arm parallel on the downswing) the shaft may have already sprung back (if it bent much to begin with) by the time it gets to the ball while a mid-releaser (hip high on downswing) flexes/bends the shaft a little later and might be apt to notice it a bit more, and finally the late releaser (knee high level) deforms it the most in the impact area and may be the most likely to notice the difference.

I'm not crazy about linking to another forums post (especially since a lot of people on said forum are rude and obnoxious to other forum posters there), but its been mentioned here:
Other forum topic: Can a shaft change the sound of impact.

Something else that could be a factor is the size of the clubhead. Given the size/weight/hollowing and dampening features of the mini's head it could be less noticeable with the mini. I haven't received my Fubuki shafted mini yet, but I should be able to confirm it sometime after I do. Besides my Fubuki I should also have access to a Kuro Kage and one or two other shafts around that time.

The area you are hitting them in can also effect your perception of sound. Sound can be very different depending on if you are hitting on a wide open driving range, or a tee box on the course that is tightly lined by large dense trees. My driving range is all grass, and wide open. Are you by chance hitting at a crowded, noisy driving range off of mats with rubber tees? Likewise what types of balls are you hitting (hard range balls, or a more multi-layered ball with perhaps softer cover and more pieces?

Not quite the same thing, but this page discusses how weighting in the head, as well as hosel sleeves effect and dissipate sound. To a small degree the sleeve on the tip of the shaft that locks inside the head can be a factor.
http://wishongolf.com/designs/drivers/new-939aht/

I know I've seen other mentions of changing shafts altering sounds, and I'll try to dig them up for you. In the meantime anyone else who has noticed a difference in sound when swapping shafts in and out of driver heads (or any clubs for that matter) care to chime in?
Click to expand...
I really appreciate you taking the time to reply, thank you.

I've played a LOT of diffrent drivers for reviews and just ho'ing around because I do and inevitable I always tinker with 3-4 different shafts in each head because I get curious or its for further testing. That said, I have never ever ever had a shaft change the audible feedback of a head. With a SS in the 108 range, I'm not a slow swinger, and time and again the audible quality of the head remains the same regardless of the shaft.

Now, no one disputes that contact across the face will sound differently, look at this review in the first link and I reference the fact that the sound definitely sounds more solid lower on the face. Can a shaft impact a person making better contact? Yes, though not nearly as much as some believe, that is for another thread though. But that is not the shaft altering the basic design characteristics which lead to the type of sound the head puts off (composite, hollow, metallic, solid, the terms go on and on).

Many of the other things you are discussing in terms of vibration though are tactile aspects, I firmly believe, as do many R&D guys I have discussed it with, that the audible can impact the tactile and the perception of it for the user, but the tactile really doesn't impact the audible because the sound is the sound. Sound is part of feel though, a significant part.

Location, head size, etc, though aren't pertinent here though because the discussion was on the shaft altering the sound of a head, if that were true and it truly did alter it then it wouldn't matter the area or surface it was hit off of or in because it would still change.

With weighting, again, yes it can alter the sound when talking about weighting IN the head in terms of either hot-melt, interchangeable weights, lead, etc. But in hundreds of shaft changes and even using tip weight to hit the right swing weight the sound has never been altered for me, the shaft weight is an aspect of swing weighting yes, but not an aspect of the actual internal head design and the acoustics the head will produce through that design.

I love the conversation, hell, I love any golf conversation, and I really don't want you to think me attacking you because that isn't it, this is fun. But I have never once witnessed a shaft altering the sound of a metal-wood/driver.
 
Played a round today in 45mph winds which was fun. Used my mini all day and hit it really well and was getting a lot of roll for me. On some holes I was about 15 yards past my driver and others just about the same. This will be staying in my bag for a while.
 
Hit the 14 set to -1/N two times today. First was a god awful sing that was a smothered hook. Second was 428 yd Par 4. Blasted it leaving me 124 to pin. The way these are shaking up in my bag, the only way I can game them would be to take driver out. It's a fun club but not really sure I'm willing to take the driver out of the bag
 
Callaway Bertha Mini 1.5 - THP Review Thread

Finally getting on a course today that wasn't completely saturated which was nice.

Pulled driver from bag and only played this. Average shot length was 225-235 with one really good poke at 245.

Still had a few tugs left and pushes but the misses were much smaller than with what driver typically is.

Will play again tomorrow driverless and see how it goes.
 
Spent some more time with the Mini today, and Big Time got in some licks with it as well. Still seeing a great ball flight patterns, but today on the two holes we took some swings on I had a better results with the 3Deep than the Mini. Multiple shots on the same holes with both clubs, and the Deep was the clear winner today. With the roll out longer, and dispersion was better. So with two days playing a few holes the score is Mini 1 and Deep 1. So for now going to stick with what I have, but not totally given up on the Mini yet.
 
BigTex said:
Spent some more time with the Mini today, and Big Time got in some licks with it as well. Still seeing a great ball flight patterns, but today on the two holes we took some swings on I had a better results with the 3Deep than the Mini. Multiple shots on the same holes with both clubs, and the Deep was the clear winner today. With the roll out longer, and dispersion was better. So with two days playing a few holes the score is Mini 1 and Deep 1. So for now going to stick with what I have, but not totally given up on the Mini yet.
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Glad to see you both got out to hit a few today. I do enjoy doing side by side testing on the course.
So, what does Nate think?
 
Jman,
if you were to put a standard x2hot 3 wood and hit it against Bertha 1.5 (cut to the same & same loft). Would the distance be similar if the swing speed and impact location were similar?
 
Trevor68 said:
Jman,
if you were to put a standard x2hot 3 wood and hit it against Bertha 1.5 (cut to the same & same loft). Would the distance be similar if the swing speed and impact location were similar?
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Honestly no way to tell for sure without doing it. I would be shocked if even at the same length (1" diff stock) if the 1.5 still didn't produce different ball speeds and length than the X2H.

Its longer than all but one fairway wood from 2015 lines that I have played/tested distance wise, and its more than a 1" playing length difference in length.
 
Use tape on the grip instead of cutting the club to compare

Use tape on the grip instead of cutting the club to compare

Jman said:
Honestly no way to tell for sure without doing it. I would be shocked if even at the same length (1" diff stock) if the 1.5 still didn't produce different ball speeds and length than the X2H.

Its longer than all but one fairway wood from 2015 lines that I have played/tested distance wise, and its more than a 1" playing length difference in length.
Click to expand...

Not entirely true that you can't tell without cutting the longer one down. You could take a piece of masking/packing/etc tape and cover the top 1" (butt section) of the grip with it. Grip below that when hitting the longer club, and you'll effectively be playing it at 1" shorter without having to cut the club down.

BigTex said:
Spent some more time with the Mini today, and Big Time got in some licks with it as well. Still seeing a great ball flight patterns, but today on the two holes we took some swings on I had a better results with the 3Deep than the Mini. Multiple shots on the same holes with both clubs, and the Deep was the clear winner today. With the roll out longer, and dispersion was better. So with two days playing a few holes the score is Mini 1 and Deep 1. So for now going to stick with what I have, but not totally given up on the Mini yet.
Click to expand...
Do you have the same shafts in both? You didn't mention which 3deep it is...XR, XHot2, XHot, etc. You also didn't mention if the deep has a opti-fit removable shaft. If it has a optifit shaft why not try swapping shafts and see if the results change. I would think the shaft is what would be causing the dispersion difference (not the head), and the roll (while it could be effected by the head) may also be related to the shaft (in both spin and launch angle).
 
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Golf Analyzer said:
Not entirely true that you can't tell without cutting the longer one down. You could take a piece of masking/packing/etc tape and cover the top 1" (butt section) of the grip with it. Grip below that when hitting the longer club, and you'll effectively be playing it at 1" shorter without having to cut the club down.


Do you have the same shafts in both? You didn't mention which 3deep it is...XR, XHot2, XHot, etc. You also didn't mention if the deep has a opti-fit removable shaft. If it has a optifit shaft why not try swapping shafts and see if the results change. I would think the shaft is what would be causing the dispersion difference (not the head), and the roll (while it could be effected by the head) may also be related to the shaft (in both spin and launch angle).
Click to expand...
Cannot swap out the shafts since it is the X2 3Deep that does not have the adapter. But I don't really think the shaft is the difference in the dispersion or roll out. Being a 3 wood head I do not tee up the Deep nearly as much. Also because of the design of the head it is not generally going to launch as high as the Mini, which is more of a driver type head. Also has a shorter shaft, which may play a role. Much the same reason I am better with hybrids than similarly lofted fairway woods. All in all I would say it just suits my swing pattern better. Which continues to surprise me since it would have thought the opposite.
 
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