Equipment

Bettinardi Putters – 2010 BB Line

Published

14 years ago

Jan 26, 2010

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Pros:

A piece of art! Perfect combination of sound and feel. Well balanced. Crisp lines that flow from heel to toe. Made in the USA. Other putter manufacturers take note, Bob Bettinardi is coming on strong in 2010. Are you prepared for the challenge that awaits?

Cons:

Availability. The BB line will only be sold online, select green grass accounts and fitting studios. For those who want to “try before you buy” may have some difficulty finding one depending on your location.

Bottom Line:

Bob Bettinardi is no stranger to the business. He can take a classic design, add his patented Honeycomb face milling to a single block of Mild Carbon Steel (One-Piece Technology) and truly have something unique. This isn’t the first Bettinardi in my collection and definitely not my last.

Look:

The entire 2010 BB line is flat out one of the most elegant putter lines to be released in quite some time. From the stealthy ‘Black Box’ it was packaged in, the minimal use of stampings, all the way down to the elaborate Black Nickel finish, Bob Bettinardi was spot on when crafting this line.

This category is definitely one of the most important key factors for me when deciding on a new putter. If it doesn’t fit my eye, how am I supposed to stand over that 6-footer for birdie with enough confidence that the ball is going to hit the bottom of the cup?

I’m more of a traditionalist when it comes to putters and the 2010 BB8 definitely caught my eye when I first saw it. The smaller top line visually made the putter look like it had much more mass behind it when compared to the BB1. The crisp lines made alignment effortless and again, the Black Nickel finish is one of the best that I’ve seen.

Absolutely flawless!

Performance/playability:

This probably has to be the most difficult category for me while reviewing a putter so let’s put it this way…

Some people cannot putt. Period. Give them a broomstick, place them two feet away from a non-regulation size hole and they’ll still miss. Face it, it’s the Indian and not the arrow…always has been and always will be.

Now, what I can tell you is that Bettinardi’s patented Honeycomb face milling does indeed provide a flat surface that gets the ball rolling faster than a few other manufacturers that I’ve tested. Granted, I’m not a machine, but the dew marks on the greens never lie.

Playability? Yes, the BB8 is secure in the bag this year.

Feel:

This is another key factor for me when choosing a new putter. I want a flatstick that allows me to feel where I’ve made contact at on the face of the club. Many putter manufacturers these days (especially those with inserts) have forgotten about this simple concept.

The 2010 BB line has the perfect amount of feel (responsiveness) without being too harsh. Misses near the heel or toe can definitely be felt compared to those coming off the sweet spot.

Something else that is important to me that fits into this category is sound. The Bettinardi Mild Carbon Steel putters have always had a unique muted ‘pop’ to them. Distinct sound, yet noticeable where the ball makes contact with the face.

Perfect!

Overall bottom line:

I have not been this excited about a new putter line for quite some time now. Besides not being able to drive down to your favorite brick and mortar shop to check one out, I do not have one negative thing to say about these putters. Bob Bettinardi’s 20+ years of experience can be found from pre-production all the way to presentation with the 2010 BB line. You’ll be doing yourself (and your game) a favor by checking one out.

Hands down 5 out of 5 stars!

More information can be found here:

http://www.bettinardi.com

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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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