Equipment
Bettinardi’s new 2019 Queen B and Studio Stock series putters
It’s a special year for Bettinardi.
Typically, the company releases its BB Series and Queen B/Studio Stock series putters every two years; one year its new BB Series putters come out, then the next year its new Queen B and Studio Stock putters come out, and so forth. For 2019, it’s the year of the Queen B and Studio Stock putters. But not just that, 2019 also marks the 20th anniversary of Bettinardi Golf being in business.
When Bettinardi released its 2017 Queen B and Studio Stock putters, it was the first year that Bob Bettinardi brought nearly the entire production in house at its Tinley Park, Illinois location; now the company does everything aside from plating on the Queen B putters (which are plated in California) in house. Bettinardi has said he wants more control over the process, and the company now has four CNC-milling machines on location.
Now, and as the product of that closer control, Bettinardi is releasing new Queen B and Studio Stock putters. Each of the new putters will be available for pre-order on Thursday on Bettinardi’s website, and they will be publicly available worldwide on January 19, 2019. Let’s see what Bettinardi and his team came up with this year.
Bettinardi Queen B 2019 putters ($400)
Each of the three new head models weigh in at 362 grams. They have micro honeycomb face milling, Soft Carbon bodies, “champagne silver” finishes, and they come with Tiffany blue headcovers and color schemes.
“The new Queen B lineup is perfect in terms of appearance, performance, and feel,” said Sam Bettinardi, Vice President of Bettinardi Golf. “We’ve improved upon two winning designs with the QB5 and QB6, and added a sleek mallet option with our trademark crescent neck with the 10. This is the first year the Queen B Series offers 3 head shapes, and with the demand and excitement for the range, we are proud to expand upon it.”
Queen B #5
- Dexterity: Right handed
- Lie, loft: 70 degrees, 3 degrees
- Length: 33-35 inches
- Toe Hang 1/2
- Grip Options: Standard/jumbo
Queen B #6
- Dexterity: Right/left handed
- Lie, loft: 70 degrees, 3 degrees
- Length: 33-35 inches
- Toe Hang 1/8
- Grip Options: Standard/jumbo
Queen B #10
- Dexterity: Right handed
- Lie, loft: 70 degrees, 3 degrees
- Length: 33-35 inches
- Toe Hang 1/2
- Grip Options: Standard/jumbo
Bettinardi Studio Stock 2019 putters ($450)
The five new Studio Stock putters are milled from 303 stainless steel. They have a “rich platinum” finish, they’re hand polished, and they have a 20-percent deeper F.I.T. Face (Feel Impact Technology) for a softer feel, according to Bettinardi.
“Every year we look to raise the standard in our production line by incorporating new technology and refining our head shapes, by working with the best players in the world,” said Master Putter Designer Bob Bettinardi. “This year we’ve achieved just that by incorporating 303 Stainless Steel into the line, and milling our F.I.T. Face 20 percent deeper for an inimitable feel at impact across four solid head shapes.”
SS 2
- Weight: 358 grams
- Lie, loft: 70 degrees, 3 degrees
- Dexterity: Right handed
- Length: 33-35 inches
- Toe hang: 1/4
- Grip options: Standard/Jumbo
SS 28
- Weight: 358 grams
- Lie, loft: 70 degrees, 3 degrees
- Dexterity: Right handed
- Length: 33-35 inches
- Toe hang: 1/4
- Grip options: Standard/Jumbo
SS 28 Armlock
- Weight: 400 grams
- Lie, loft: 71 degrees, 5 degrees
- Dexterity: Right handed
- Lengths: 40, 40.5, 41, 41.5 and 42 inches
- Toe hang: 1/8
- Grip options: 15-inch armlock
SS 28 Center Shaft
- Weight: 358 grams
- Lie, loft: 70 degrees, 3 degrees
- Dexterity: Right handed
- Length: 33-35 inches
- Toe hang: 1/2
- Grip options: Standard/Jumbo
SS 38
- Weight: 358 grams
- Lie, loft: 70 degrees, 3 degrees
- Dexterity: Right handed
- Length: 33-35 inches
- Toe hang: 1/8
- Grip options: Standard/Jumbo
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- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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Jordan
Jul 26, 2019 at 2:21 am
Lots of insecure “men” here afraid to use a putter that’s a little feminine looking. QB6 is better than anything I’ve used and a hell of a lot nicer than any OTR Scotty I’ve owned.
If you need a manly putter to be comfortable by all means go with what works. Won’t be ditching my QB any time soon.
Sophia Sturrup
Jan 2, 2019 at 11:32 am
süperrsin beee
Dan in Chicago
Nov 1, 2018 at 9:30 pm
I used to buy their putters, then they blocked me on Twitter for a simple “WTF” tweet to their 2nd amendment headcover. I’ll never buy from them again. Wish their egos were as hard as the metal they mill.
Truth is, all of their headcovers and putters are tacky and amateur looking. They have a great feel, but they look like clown sticks.
Travis
Mar 3, 2019 at 11:14 am
Clearly you’re more upset about them blocking you and now you’re projecting that anger. I bet they weren’t “clown sticks” when you bought them, but now that you protest them you also feel compelled to make fun of them to try and get back at them. Not sure how a fully milled putter with navy paint fill looks “amateurish” or like a “clown stick”.
Ardbeggar
Nov 1, 2018 at 6:10 pm
Nice looking putters, but my Evnroll is basically not replaceable any time soon.
allan
Nov 1, 2018 at 4:00 pm
The aqua color Queen Bs are aimed for the ladies and effeminatized gearhead market…. soooo obvious.
AD
Nov 1, 2018 at 1:41 pm
Thankfully I jumped on a QB8 last year, as it looks like they’re not offering that headshape this year. I absolutely love my QB and can only laugh at the comments focused on the ‘aesthetics’ of looking like a women’s putter. If you’re that insecure about putting a pastel colored headcover/club into play, I think you’re focused on the wrong aspect of the game. But lots of males don’t bat an eye at wearing a shirt that color, right?
Tom
Nov 1, 2018 at 12:33 pm
“Queen B”? is this line for those who identify as queens? uh, no thanks!
Travis
Mar 3, 2019 at 11:12 am
Someone is clearly homophobic and insecure
dat
Nov 1, 2018 at 12:31 pm
$400 is asking a bit much for the looks and “performance” these offer.
DB
Nov 1, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Love that new QB-10 headshape, but the font and colors are a big fail. They should have remade this line as just the “Bee” line or something, drop the cursive font and tiffany blue.
Cdub
Nov 1, 2018 at 11:28 am
Meh. Too expensive. Headcover is awesome though
RH
Nov 1, 2018 at 11:10 am
How is the armlock only 33 to 35″. There is no way that is accurate.
Travis
Mar 3, 2019 at 11:15 am
It’s inaccurate. The arm lock putters are 40-42”.
Robert Carey
Nov 1, 2018 at 10:16 am
Feel the same way. Looks a bit too lady-like for me.
BettiBoop
Nov 1, 2018 at 10:05 am
Way to make a whole line of putters that look like women’s putters. Nothing wrong with that but you’re not marketing them to women specifically so I fail to understand the point. A large percentage of men would not ever but that Queen B line. The headcover alone is a giant fail.
bb
Nov 1, 2018 at 3:32 pm
You have no idea what you’re talking about. The queen bee line was originally designed for ladies with the help of Bettinardi’s wife. Turns out the majority of people buying them by far are men. It’s the same with the Cameron & Crown line. The queen bee putters are among the best selling for Bettinardi, you can thank men for that.