Equipment
Bettinardi launches new BB Series putters, unveils Inovai 3.0
“Classic Bettinardi, with a modern flair.”
That’s how Sam Bettinardi describes his company’s new BB Series, which will please golfers looking for something a little different from Bettinardi’s most wide-ranging putter line.
The putters use a Midnight Black PVD finish that flashes subtle rainbow accents. The finish is paired with lime green paintfill, as well as a lime green grip. Connecting those parts is a new Brushed Nickel shaft, which is stepless, glare-free, and of course has a lime green shaft band.
Putter enthusiasts will recognize the BB Series’ BB1, BB1F and BB8 putters, which have undergone small tweaks for 2016. Totally new, however, is the BB40, a low-profile mallet that offers big forgiveness.
The launch also includes a retro-styled putter — Bettinardi’s Studio Stock #6, an ode to the famed 8802 putter. It extends the Studio Stock family to three putters, including the Studio Stock 2 and Studio Stock 16 that were released in late 2014.
Last but not least is the company’s Inovai 3.0, the newest multi-material putter from Bettinardi. Continue reading for more details on the new Bettinardi putters, as well as Sam Bettinardi’s thoughts on each model that will be in stores Jan. 16, 2016.
BB1 ($299)
- Plumber’s Neck
- 1/2 Toe Hang
- 350 grams
- Midnight Black PVD Finish
- Hyper Honeycomb Face
What Sam says: “The BB1 has been in our line since 1999, and it’s a staple of our line. It’s for a player looking for a classic heel-toe style putter. It has more toe hang than last year’s model, because it has a little bit shorter neck.”
BB1F ($299)
- Flow Neck
- 3/4 toe hang
- 350 grams
- Midnight Black PVD Finish
- Hyper Honeycomb Face
What Sam says: “The BB1F is for those players who like an unadulterated view of the golf ball – they don’t want any distractions. The flow neck makes this putter a great option for them. It’s also really cool to be able to see the mill lines on the neck. That kind of precision … that’s what we’re all about.”
BB8 ($299)
- Plumber’s neck
- 1/2 toe hang
- 350 grams
- Midnight Black PVD Finish
- Hyper Honeycomb Face
What Sam says: “The biggest difference between the BB1 and the BB8 is the top line and the bumpers. If you’re looking down at the BB8, you’re going to see a really flat top line and bumpers that are really flat.”
BB40 ($299)
- Spud Neck, Single Bend
- Face Balanced
- 350 grams
- Midnight Black PVD Finish
- Hyper Honeycomb Face
What Sam says: “What I really like about this putter is the low profile of the pocket. It’s kind of like an old muscle car or a racing car. Being a mallet guy, I like how wide the flange is. Instead of a player’s mallet, I would call this a forgiving mallet.”
Studio Stock 6 ($399)
- Flow Neck
- Full toe hang
- 358 grams
- Olympic Bronze Finish
- Super Fly-Mill Face
What Sam says: The last time we made this putter was in 2011, and there’s always a demand for this style. The classic golfers, the guys who are looking for something vintage … we wanted to bring this back for them, and bring it back in a more modern way.
Inovai 3.0 ($299)
- Face Balanced
- Single Bend shaft
- 358 grams (also available in a counter-balanced model)
- 6061 Aluminum (anodized black), Stainless Steel (hand polished)
- FIT Face, Fly Mill
What Sam says: “This is a putter that we’ve literally been working on the last 8 months. It uses our Bi-Metal technology, and blends 6061 aluminum and 303 stainless steel. We mill the two pieces separately, and spent a lot of time making sure they fit together seamlessly. The stainless steel makes up two-thirds of the weight of the putter, which gives it very high outside perimeter weighting.
See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the new putters in our forum.
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Whats in the Bag
Pierceson Coody WITB 2024 (April)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi 10 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 70 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi 10 Tour (15 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (3), TaylorMade P7MC (4-6), and TaylorMade P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 54-11SB, 58-08LB)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Reserve Juno
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
Check out more in-hand photos of Pierceson Coody’s WITB here.
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Equipment
Why Ben Griffin is making the surprising switch to a Maxfli golf ball
Ben Griffin might be a little too young to remember some of the iconic Maxfli golf balls that won on tour, but that isn’t stopping him from putting the newest Tour X ball from the brand in play. Today, Maxfli and Griffin announced an exclusive partnership that will see the PGA Tour player using the company’s four-piece golf ball.
While Griffin might be the first PGA Tour player to put a new Maxfli golf ball in play, he isn’t the first profesional golfer to do so. Lexi Thompson has been playing the Maxfli Tour golf ball on the LPGA Tour since the beginning of the 2024.
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We caught up with Ben at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas this week to ask him about the new ball switch.
“I was able to finally get my hands on some and try it and immediately I saw faster ball speed with the driver, which is always something every golfer wants to see.
“Then I had to test a lot around the greens and test irons, test spins, test everything like that. Basically, I came to the conclusion that I thought this was probably one of the best golf balls for my game.
“And so I decided to make it official and partner with them and very excited to help kind of launch this golf ball and see where it takes us.”
Griffin’s ball of choice is the Maxfli Tour X, a four-piece golf ball that is made for highly skilled players that want consistent distance off the driver and spin around the green. An updated core design helps add the ball speed that Griffin mentioned and two ionomer mantle layers separate low spin driver shots from higher spin iron and wedge shots. Maxfli uses Center Of center-of-gravity balancing to ensure each ball has consistent flight in the air and roll on the green. Like all golf balls on tour, the Tour X features a cast urethane cover for maximum performance, and it has a tetrahedron dimple pattern to enhance aerodynamics.
It is exciting to see a golf ball at a lower price point — $39.99 at Golf Galaxy — being used by a top 100 ranked player in the world like Ben Griffin, and equipment junkies will be keenly watching his performance with the new ball.
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Whats in the Bag
WITB Time Machine: Billy Horschel’s winning WITB, 2017 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
The tournament bearing the name of one of golf’s all-time greats is now known as the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Back in 2017, it was still the AT&T Byron Nelson and Billy Horschel was still a full-bag PXG staffer. The Florida Gator leveraged those wares to a playoff victory over Jason Day securing his fourth PGA Tour win in the process.
Check out the clubs Horschel had in play seven years ago in Texas.
Driver: PXG 0811X (9 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Black 6 X
3-wood: PXG 0341X (15 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 75 6.5
5-wood: PXG 0341 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 75 6.5
Irons: PXG 0311T (3, 5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: PXG 0311T Milled (52-10, 56-10, 60-07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: PXG Bat Attack
Grip: SuperStroke Flatso 1.0
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Check out more in-hand photos of Billy Horschel’s gear from 2017 here.
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Pingback: Bettinardi launches new BB Series putters, unveils Inovai
DB
Dec 9, 2015 at 10:39 pm
These are all a swing and a miss. Black finish with rainbow accents? All I see is glare. Plus how is that new honeycomb face better than just flat? Or the popular FIT face?
And the Inova 3.0… cool ideas there, but they should have just made it a #7 clone like everyone wants.
Pumper
Dec 2, 2015 at 3:11 pm
How can the honeycomb surface be more consistent than a flat surface? must be a reason for it??
ISIS
Nov 20, 2015 at 10:58 pm
That Inovai is so ugly. Ugly.
Rwj
Nov 19, 2015 at 4:58 pm
So the smallest putter, with the least amount of milling required, fewest tools need to mill, shortest machine time is the most expensive
NC
Nov 19, 2015 at 4:01 pm
The bb8 has 1/2 toe hang not 3/4…. according to Bettinardi site.
Zak Kozuchowski
Nov 19, 2015 at 4:05 pm
That is correct.Thank you, NC!
golfraven
Nov 19, 2015 at 2:50 pm
Really like the finish and the face. May pic one up on Ebay. Currently looking away from my Scotty. Could see the BB1 in my bag
slider
Nov 19, 2015 at 2:49 pm
nice putters but I think its pretty tough to beat out scotty camerons in tis price range
Golfandpuff
Nov 19, 2015 at 8:26 am
I would like to see one with short flow neck and no sight line! Newport 2.5 style
Michael
Nov 19, 2015 at 8:13 am
I wonder which models will be available left handed. I’m not getting my hopes too high.
Lsf_21
Nov 19, 2015 at 10:26 am
I think all will be but the studio stock.