Equipment

Bettinardi releases military-inspired BB8-Wide Armageddon putter in honor of those who have served

Published

5 years ago

May 17, 2019

Bettinardi Golf has unveiled its limited-run military-inspired BB8-Wide Armageddon putter in honor of those who have served, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Veteran Golfers Association.

Limited to 250 pieces worldwide, the new release from Bettinardi features a unique full tactical F.I.T. Face over Honeycomb face milling which is designed for extra soft feel at impact. The neck, bumpers, and sole of the flat-stick features engravings inspired by military insignias used in the army.

Handpainted in a military-themed “sniper” navy, gray and white color scheme, the putter is milled to 355 grams from Soft Carbon steel and comes with a matching Made in USA headcover and a red Lamkin Deep Etched Cord grip.

The BB8-Wide Armageddon putter costs $550 and will be available to buy at Bettinardi specialty dealers around the globe on May 23, and online in the Hive on Bettinardi.com.

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected].

12 Comments

Kevin

May 21, 2019 at 2:41 am

I would agree with previous posts about this not honoring Veterans. I served in the Marines and can tell you this is not how you honor veterans. I like the previous poster’s idea of donating all or most of profits to Wounded Warrior Project. At least offer a large price discount for Veterans. Now I like Bettinardi putters a lot, and understand that a company can’t just give a bunch of product out for free, but seriously Bettinardi you guys can do better than this.

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JP

May 18, 2019 at 1:48 pm

Bettinardi has only honored profits here. If you want to honor those that have served, how about making a true limited edition of 100 and donate ALL proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project? I’d get behind that one!
.
How about honoring Fire House 54 that responded to the Workd Trade Center? Make a limited run of 54 putters and have those monies donated to the charity of choice of Fire House 54?
.
Do something more than line your own pockets with these putters that “honor” people.

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Jordan

May 17, 2019 at 12:10 pm

You mean you don’t like it when an overweight middle-aged non-veteran shows up at the golf course with that Ping camo stand bag and headcovers? Weird, who would have thought.

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Adam

May 17, 2019 at 11:52 am

Bettinardi is over-saturating and devaluing their brand by releasing all these “limited edition” putters

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- Will
  
  May 18, 2019 at 10:29 am
  
  How do you figure? They release a limited putter once a quarter and 20-24 Hive putters a month that are one of one.
  
  I think the theme is cool, on a headstyle that is not offered at retail. Nice work Bob and Co!
  
  Reply Report comment
Joe Taylor

May 17, 2019 at 11:09 am

Completely agree with Garrick. Shameless marketing.

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Garrick

May 17, 2019 at 10:59 am

Another gimmick to cash in on American “patriotism”. As an army vet I dont feel honored and I’m sick of the exploitation.

Reply Report comment
- D
  
  May 17, 2019 at 12:19 pm
  
  Commercialism for the sake of “just sell” in the capitalist world of America is what’s devaluing the country and Betti can stuff it along with Parsons
  
  Reply Report comment
- gunmetal
  
  May 17, 2019 at 2:52 pm
  
  Thank you for your service. I could totally see your (and others who have chimed in) point – but where they are donating a portion of the proceeds to the Veterans Golfer Association, I think there’s still a win there, no?
  
  I did not serve. But I have two brothers who are active duty. Is it wrong for me to have a Ping camo bag or play this putter? Serious question as I always thought the only thing I was doing was in a very small way showing support by doing this. The last thing I would want to do would be to offend or annoy anyone in our military.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - W
    
    May 17, 2019 at 9:52 pm
    
    Instead of spending the money to make these things and then selling them to make money on them, of which only a portion of given to charity and the rest pocketed for profit, why not just give the money in whole in the first place? They can still wave the flag and take photos being patriotic or whatever.
    No need to waste time and resources making objects that are overpriced and sit around more than actually used. They cash money will be used constantly.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Steve
      
      May 19, 2019 at 12:18 am
      
      They’re a putter company, not a charity.
      
      Reply Report comment
  - Steve
    
    May 19, 2019 at 12:21 am
    
    No, it is not wrong and it’s not disrespectful of you in any way, shape, or form. If you like the bag, use it. If you like the putter, play it. Stop worrying so much about what others think.
    
    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

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

Published

1 hour 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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