Bettinardi Putters: A look at the 2014 product line
19 Mar 2014
see also: Equipment Reviews
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-- Bettinardi Golf photo
Bettinardi Golf has garnered great praise as a
“boutique” putter manufacturer. But a look at
the brand's 2014 lineup and
the success Bettinardi has enjoyed on tour
would suggest that boutique might not be a
big enough adjective to
describe the company.
Bettinardi Golf currently has five pros on the
PGA Tour or Champions Tour playing their
putters, including Matt Kuchar
and Brian Gay, who are both on their Tour
Advisory Staff. J.B. Holmes, Matt Bettencourt,
also play Bettinardi putters.
The engineers and craftsmen at Bettinardi
have done well creating a solid line of putters
-
- all milled from a solid block
of metal to exact standards.
Beginning in the mid-1990s, Bob Bettinardi,
the
company's founder, helped write the book on
precision-milled technology in the creation of
high-quality putters. And since then, the
Bettinardi brand has only improved and
continued to put out quality putters.
The 2014 Bettinardi putter line includes five
putter models. Let's take a closer look:
BB Series
The flagship line of Bettinardi Golf, this line is
mainly constructed from mild carbon steel
with
a satin silver finish. The BB
Series features six models, including the
classic
heel and toe weighted BB1. This line also has
two of counterbalanced
models -- the BB1CB and BB32CB -- and a
pair
of face-balanced models in the BB43 and
BB55,
which are both milled
from solid aircraft-grade aluminum.
Studio Stock Series
Crafted from mild carbon steel, but all having
a
popular iridescent Corona Black PVD finish,
the
Studio Series offers a
softer feeling putter line by imparting a few
different face-milling options that Bettinardi
calls F.I.T. face technology.
This face, which removes 55 percent of the
material from the face of the putter,
ultimately
results in a soft feel at
impact. This line is also a bit heavier than the
norm, with 358-gram putter styles, which
include the SS12 and SS14,
but also the face-balanced SS15.
Queen B Models
Originally conceived as a women’s model,
these
360-gram, cashmere bronze finished putters
have been very popular
with male and female golfers, mainly because
of its heavier weight and beautiful micro
honeycomb-milled face. These,
too, are milled from carbon steel, but the
unique bronze finish make these clubs a real
work of art. Model 3 is a heel
and toe-weighted mallet-type, while the Model
5 is a close cousin to the BB1.
Kuchar Models
This line was designed with input from PGA
Tour vet Matt Kuchar. Both Model 1 and 2 are
crafted from Mild carbon
steel, and both offer standard topline or
armlock topline options. Both models are face
balanced, and both have the FIT
face milling for the ultimate soft feel. Model 1
is a chunkier version of the classic BB1, while
the Kucher Model 2 is a
pear-shaped mallet.
Signature Series
This line is the flagship of the Bettinardi
stable,
and has long been the avid golfer’s favorite in
design, performance and
feel. Theses Double Aged Stainless Steel-
milled
heads are what dedicated Bettinardi
aficionados have come to expect
from the brand, dating way back to 1998. The
Tour-blast finish creates a stunning matte
appearance. This series is
made in limited runs, and also in various
models, so virtually no two putters are exactly
alike.
“There’s variety across the board” notes Sam
Bettinardi the brand's Vice President of Sales
and Marketing. With
numerous face milling options and stamping
varieties, the signature series is seen as the
jewel of the Bettinardi offering.
Personal Experience with Bettinardi
Golf
I’ve been playing a Bettinardi putter since
2002. I bought my first BB1 on eBay, mainly
because all of the really great
“money” putters at clubs in and around the
Chicago area were using them. I’ve changed
models a couple of times, but
keep going back to the BB1 because of the
precise distance control and unbelievable feel
it offers. Plus, Bettinardi
putters are milled and crafted in the U.S.…but
more precisely in Tinley Park, Ill. -- right next
to my printing business.
Needless to say, I spend a lot of time at their
Studio.