Equipment

Spotted: Bettinardi prototype putters

Published

9 years ago

Jun 9, 2015

Updated: June 10, 10:20 a.m.

We spotted new Bettinardi prototype putters on Tuesday at the 2015 FedEx St. Jude Classic, which were built based on feedback from PGA Tour players.

The BB Zero model prototypes use milled, mild carbon steel for a softer feel than the standard DASS Tour offering, according to a Bettinardi representative.

The Innovai 2.0 prototypes use a high-MOI, winged-style head shape that Tour players have been asking for. It’s a bi-metal design, made from both 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum and double-aged stainless steel — a combination said to provide proper weight distribution and to enhance acoustics.

Check out the photos below, and join the discussion about the prototypes in our forums.

BB Zero Tour

Golden Torch finish

Black Chrome finish

BB Zero prototype

Innovai 2.0 prototypes

See more photos and join the discussion about the Bettinardi prototypes in our forums.

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39 Comments

Eric Johnson

Nov 7, 2015 at 11:40 pm

Did anyone read the text above the pics?!!?!?!? The description of the innovai makes it clear that they clearly state that the entire point of the putter is to create a putter that “copies” a style of putter to please their tour players looking for a Bettinardi with a wing-style head shape? Also, checking a dictionary makes it pretty clear that when using the word prototype it doesn’t mean that you’re claiming that you invented something – instead a prototype is an early version of a product that you’re considering manufacturing. Kinda like Toyota has prototypes – it sure doesn’t mean they invented the car. It has nothing to with a claim on the “design.”

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Jeff*

Jun 22, 2015 at 9:32 pm

Bettenardi going to call it a WGW Versa #7 too? I mean I know they all copied the Ping guy, but come on, Odyssey will totally win the lawsuit.

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TT X

Jun 20, 2015 at 6:19 pm

If a putter being machined=fewer putts I’m fairly sure every golfer playing for a living would be using one. There is nothing wrong with machining, it is a more costly process but that has nothing to do with it being a better performing club. I appreciate the putter creators that really make an effort to design something unique. Unfortunately the tour players are paid so much to go through the Darrell Survey with a particular companies putter it doesn’t allow much opportunity for the smaller designer who really is trying to do something original to get any exposure.

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Brendon

Jun 19, 2015 at 6:51 am

I bought the Odyssey 7,not interested in copies

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Steve

Jun 13, 2015 at 9:51 am

The rating system is askewed on this site. 102 likes, 65 shanks rates the heart icon? 61% shouldnt be rated love, maybe legit. In my book 61% is a fail

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Statute

Jun 12, 2015 at 4:24 am

What’s the statute of limitation on Copyrights? How it been that long for the #7 Odyssey style to have lost its copyright on the design?

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Dan

Jun 11, 2015 at 1:31 pm

A lot of comments on not being original – that is fair, but every putter company has an anser style putter – it is simply demanded by the market, so I do not understand the criticism in that ‘anser’ regard. What would a putter company be without some anser style head shapes 🙂

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Milan

Jun 10, 2015 at 6:07 pm

while I can see most pov that these are imitation designs imo that is where the similarity ends. Improved craftsmanship and innovative engineering are what makes these unique and utterly magnificent putting devices. Riddle me this: would you rather have a hand made forge Samurai sword or a machine made, stamped one? Even if they looked identical?

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- Rando
  
  Jun 10, 2015 at 8:42 pm
  
  Bettinardi putters are hardly hand made. They are very much machine made. They make a design on a computer screen, then feed it into a computerized cnc mill, then press a button and watch hundreds of identical putters pop out.
  
  Cnc milling is the opposite of hand craftsmanship. It’s about uniformity and machine precision. The only thing a company like bettinardi can offer is design. This is just a cop out. Odyssey can and does make milled putters. They can make a milled version of this putter too and it will be no different from bettinardi’s version.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Dan
    
    Jun 11, 2015 at 1:05 pm
    
    “press a button and watch hundreds of identical putters pop out”.
    
    This is anything but the truth with CNC milling. Just because the machine has numeric control does not mean you can simply press a button and it cuts out an entire putter miraculously and efficiently. It takes experience, you could have access to Bettinardi’s shop and software and press all the buttons you want and hundreds of putters will not come out with no human effort. I would guess the amount of time a human was interacting with each putter exceeds the amount of time the machine took to cut it.
    
    Ultimately, CNC milling does not mean there is no hand craftsmanship is all I am saying. I make putters myself; I wish so badly it was as easy as you say!
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Joe
      
      Jun 11, 2015 at 1:58 pm
      
      Actually it’s exactly the truth. CNC milling is pushing a button and the machine Mills the shape beneath a plexiglass shroud.
      
      You can say that there is human interaction in everything – even modern automotive robot assembly line. But alas the cars do just pop out. There is no “samurai sword” ancient craftsman hocus locus in these new Betti putters. They are CAD designed and CNC milled. Done. Next. And I’ll take the Odyssey #7. Bettinardi painful looks like heck.
      
      Reply Report comment
      - Milan
        
        Jun 13, 2015 at 4:09 am
        
        i appreciate everyone’s opinion and commentary here! To clarify, my sword analogy was a directional one, and not an actual comparison of hand made to machine made. I have worked in a machine shop for many years when I was young ( my father owned a CNC milling and lathe shop for 30 years) so I have a bit of insight of what it takes to produce this level of putter. It’s hardly push button! The putter face finishes on Bettinardis is simply miraculous. This is not easy to do just because it involves some cutting tools. And what about the deburring? The polishing? We always did that by hand in the shop and on much more simple products than a putter. I will close by stating that I love Bettinardi’s. To my eye they are beautiful and the feel is sublime. The roll mine produces is awe inspiring. The other putters or “original designs” are really great putters too. I’m sure they are. I hope everyone enjoys their putter as much as I enjoy mine!
        
        Reply Report comment
        
        john
        
        Jun 14, 2015 at 7:25 pm
        
        Well you obviously work for Bettinardi, what on earth were you guys thinking?
        I actually think your #7 knock off looks fantastic, but it’s just that – a knock off. There is no ‘standard’ design that you’ve made better quality using better materials n all that, it’s a copyrighted Odyssey design. This isn’t like saying we’ve made “a car” but it’s made better – because BMW and Hyundai don’t produce exactly the same design – they’re both cars, and ones more expensive using more expensive materials, but they didn’t rip off the cheaper ones design.
        It’s truly an embarrassment that your team couldn’t shave off a TINY BIT of the back part of the putter to make it SLIGHTLY different, company killing design right there.
        
        Reply Report comment
mike tartaglia

Jun 10, 2015 at 4:23 pm

Amazing that all these putters are basically clones of the old Ping models. Use some different metals, graphics, etc. and triple the price !! I guess they feel most golfers have the money and will spend on new, flashy looking equipment. An old Ping off of E-Bay for $40 dollars will work as well as any of these flashy new productions that are ten times as much money

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Beauts

Jun 10, 2015 at 3:32 pm

I just have to laugh at anybody that screams anser copy these days.

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Jimmy

Jun 10, 2015 at 3:05 pm

Time to upgrade.

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Ken

Jun 10, 2015 at 2:44 pm

Ho hum.

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birdeez

Jun 10, 2015 at 2:33 pm

looks like the plan is to copy the design from top putters, mill the putter, and double the price.

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michael

Jun 10, 2015 at 2:31 pm

What’s next a new prototype driver, steel shaft wooden head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Golfraven

Jun 10, 2015 at 2:05 pm

What can I add what has not been said already? If your money is burning a hole in your wallet, go and by a #7 clone from Bettinardi. Those look very sleak but likely come with a nice price tag. I can wait couple of years and then buy one of ebay.

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Bill

Jun 10, 2015 at 1:54 pm

The best putter on the market is the Directed Force putter, lie angle balanced…

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Rando

Jun 10, 2015 at 1:46 pm

Ping’s anser patent (if they had one) expired decades ago.

The odyssey clone here is absurd. They even copied the white/black thing.

I have no respect for this whatsoever. They should be ashamed. How hard is it to come up with an original putter design? I hope callaway/odyssey sues and embarasses them.

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Mo

Jun 10, 2015 at 12:03 pm

they copy a 60 year old ping anser and it’s a prototype! Sorry guys, this is absurd.

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Jack

Jun 10, 2015 at 7:56 am

Yawn…

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Jim

Jun 10, 2015 at 7:55 am

How do all these companies get away with copying another companies putters? One looks like a Ping Anser the other like an Odyssey #7. How many companies make Anser clones anyway? Don’t understand how these specialized companies exist when you can go to any golf store and buy a Ping instead. That said, both putters are really nice looking.

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Taylor

Jun 9, 2015 at 10:56 pm

At least when scotty copies designs they put their own flip on it. If you were to look down on the tank version of bettinardi without seeing the bottom, you would think it’s an odyssey.

Reply Report comment
- Rodgers
  
  Jun 10, 2015 at 1:13 pm
  
  Yes Scotty’s own “flip” is charging $400
  
  Reply Report comment
- Bill
  
  Jun 10, 2015 at 1:35 pm
  
  What “flip” does Scotty put on in? The three red dots in the cavity?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Taylor
    
    Jun 14, 2015 at 11:33 pm
    
    At least when you look down on it you know its a scotty. They use different angles and shapes even if they are ripping of another companies design. I use a Ping putter that was $80, so I don’t really care what these do. Just making an observation.
    
    Reply Report comment
Andy W

Jun 9, 2015 at 6:16 pm

The blade looks like Ping Anser clone, the other like a lethal weapon… Something innovative is a blade that doubles as a “surveying instrument putter.” Use that search in ebay..

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snowman

Jun 9, 2015 at 6:02 pm

Yep, real innovational right…..Ping Anser (also copied by every other OEM on the planet) and Odyssey #7. ridiculous.

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- gorden
  
  Jun 9, 2015 at 8:30 pm
  
  I agree, just get in touch with the Chinese metal shop that makes them, color them a little different and shave a few grams off here and there and put what ever name you want on it…there must be about 20 stranded putter head dies that everyone uses. With that idea why would you pay over $300 for a putter that cost just under $25 to make (with the best grip and shaft)???
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Fred
    
    Jun 9, 2015 at 10:10 pm
    
    bettinardi’s are made in the USA, brah.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - gorden
      
      Jun 10, 2015 at 12:36 am
      
      Yes, I do have one, but it does look a lot like many of the ones made in china or Taiwan.
      
      Reply Report comment
  - Matthew H.
    
    Jun 10, 2015 at 11:28 am
    
    And I can say I’ve used a putter that has been cast. CNC Milled only.
    
    Reply Report comment
Brandon

Jun 9, 2015 at 5:38 pm

BB Zero Prototype sure is a nice Anser

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Clowone

Jun 9, 2015 at 5:36 pm

Innovai Odyssey #7 anyone? Isnt this just a lawsuit waiting to happen?

Reply Report comment
- Bill
  
  Jun 10, 2015 at 1:38 pm
  
  There must be some way they get around infringing on the original designs. Every mfg has an Anser clone
  
  Reply Report comment
- tim
  
  Jun 11, 2015 at 11:35 am
  
  Yeah, that is amazing re: the Odyssey 7. I have never seen such a blatant ripoff of a “unique” design like that. The Spider Si was very close, but looked different enough that it didn’t look like the exact same design.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

4 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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