Golfing News & Blog Articles
Bettinardi 2022 Putter Lines
Face Milling.
Staying true to their two-year release cycle, Bettinardi Golf has unveiled their 2022 BB and Inovai putters. OK, so maybe there was also a new Inovai last year but the last batch of BB putters for sure came out in 2020.
Consumers will find the BB putter line evokes feelings of both met expectations and surprise. You’ll find the things you expect to find in a Bettinardi BB putter but you’ll also find some unexpected alterations. That’s not too shabby for a batch of just four putters.
I was able to ask Sam Bettinardi a few questions about the new lines and the status of Bettinardi Golf. Although I was asking him about 2022, the following query best sets the stage for Bettinardi at the end of 2021 as well.
Do you see 2022 being a breakout year for Bettinardi Golf?
“We have broken out in 2021! Our products are now sold in over 45 countries around the world, in all major big box stores in America, specialty club fitters and over 60 of the top 100 golf courses in the U.S. We are going to keep the pedal down with making the best product in the world, all produced in our own shop just outside of Chicago. I am so proud of what our team has accomplished the last few years and where we are headed.”
Sam Bettinardi, Executive Vice President, Bettinardi Golf
.truegolffit-banner-inner-right { padding-top: calc(574/1020 * (100% - 430px)); } @media screen and (max-width: 991px) { .truegolffit-banner-inner-right { padding-top: calc(574/1020 * 100%); width: 100%; } }GET FIT FOR YOUR GAME WITH TRUEGOLFFIT
Unbiased. No Guesswork. All Major Brands. Matched To Your Swing. Advanced Golf Analytics matches the perfect clubs to your exact swing using connected data and machine learning.
SEE MY RESULTS
Exploring the 2022 Bettinardi BB Line
The first thing that jumped out at me about the new BB line was the color. Maybe that should be “lack of color.” While I didn’t expect a return to the lime green of 2016, I didn’t expect minimal aesthetics, either. The gray aesthetics whisper rather than yell. I suppose I was looking for the red, white and blue boldness to continue from 2020.
Once I got over the surprise, I found a batch of putters that are quite handsome. The Graphite Gray finish is rich and looks great under full and partial sun. This finish doesn’t reflect the glare that a deeper black finish will sometimes show.
The overall theme is minimalistic. You have the simple hex on the face and some of the milled areas on the sole are not even filled with paint.
The black Lamkin Sink Fit grip and black-and-gray headcover continue the muted theme. The headcover does have the cool fly milling pattern once again, though.
Speaking of milling, the one aesthetic extravagance this time around is the milling of the back edge of the putter. All three of the blade models have the back edge milled to match the pattern on the face. The BB46 misses out on this milling as well as the Bettinardi name on the neck.
The final take is that these are great looking putters. They look like a premium putter should.
Metal Swap from Carbon To Stainless Steel
What about the new lines are you most excited about?
“Most excited for the material upgrade as we went away from the soft carbon to the 303 SS. With the change, this allows our new Aggressive Flymill milling process to really pop on the face and create the feel that our player is looking for. Not to mention our graphite gray PVD finish truly amplifies all the milling marks throughout each head.”
Sam Bettinardi, Executive Vice President, Bettinardi Golf
While the aesthetics will always be the first thing that you notice on a putter, the most significant change from 2020 to 2022 is the switch in steel. In 2022, carbon steel has been replaced with 303 stainless steel. If you are wondering where the price bump came from, this is the culprit.
It makes me a bit sad to see the switch as the Bettinardi BB putter was one of the few putters in the marketplace still made of the softer carbon steel. Cameron moved on from carbon steel quite a while ago. It will be interesting to see if this is the new normal for the BB line or just a unique feature of the 2022 BB putters.
Fly, Not Super Fly
Another change this time around is that the fly milling is no longer super fly. What does that even mean? Basically, the spacing and depth of the mill has changed. The purpose is still to make the face as flat as possible. The change in pattern does potentially affect feel, though.
The fly mill pattern produces deeper marks than the super fly milling. Convention says that the less material touching the ball at impact, the softer the feel. That is why the Bettinardi F.I.T. face is their softest feeling face. That face has minimal metal hitting the ball.
All things being equal, I’d expect a fly milled putter to feel softer than a super fly milled putter. However, the switch from softer carbon steel to firmer 303 stainless steel could counteract any milling influence. Based upon rolling balls, I’d put this in the middle of the road for softness. It has some pop at impact.
Let’s look at the 2022 BB specs and individual models.
Specifications: Bettinardi 2022 BB Line
Material: 303 Stainless Steel Finish: Graphite Gray PVD Face: Fly Mill Loft: 3° Lie: 70° Length: 32”-36” Weight: 350g Grip: Black Lamkin Sink Fit (standard or jumbo) Dexterity: Right with left-handed BB1 models available MSRP: $430Bettinardi 2022 BB1
The inclusion of the BB1 in the 2022 lineup is comes as no surprise. Not having this putter in the release would be like Ford going a cycle without a Mustang.
The BB1 gives you everything you expect in a heel/toe-weighted Anser-style blade. This incarnation gives me Dale Head feels with the rounded bumpers and plumber’s neck. I think this head really speaks to the no-nonsense vibes of the 2022 BB line. It wants you to drop it behind the ball and get to the rolling.
Bettinardi 2022 BB1F
Bettinardi will once again be offering the BB1 with the flow-neck option. The most significant impact of the neck switch is to give the BB1F a more arcing path. I’ve also had flow-neck players tell me they really like the look of the putter at address.
With the flow neck, you lose the knuckle at the top of the neck. This gives the neck a reduced presence at address, allowing more focus on the ball and the alignment line.
Obviously, if the neck puts too much of an arc on the ball for you, liking how it looks at address may not be enough to keep a flow-neck putter in your bag.
Bettinardi 2022 BB8-Wide
Wide blades may be here to stay. This style of putter has moved from the experimental to the expected. The BB8W bridges the blade and mallet world. You get the general shape of the blade with some extra mallet-like mass toward the rear.
This tweener design does not act like a blade or a mallet. It really is in its own category. The continued presence of the wide blade design in the offerings from Bettinardi and other putter makers can only be driven by sales. Golfers like the design, regardless of how one would classify the putter as a blade or mallet.
Bettinardi 2020 BB46
Bettinardi always slips a little round mallet into the BB line. This year, that mallet is the BB46. While that number is new to the BB line, I feel like I have seen this putter before, or at least parts of the putter before. For example, the wider space between the bumpers of the BB46 reminds me of the Queen B 11’s cavity and flange design.
I also wonder if the BB46 is what the Studio Stock 7 would look like before the half-moon section was removed. Like I said, the BB46 evokes memories of other Bettinardi mallets that came before it. That’s not a bad thing.
Regardless, if you are looking for a small, round mallet with just a bit of toe hang, the BB46 is the putter for you.
Grip Interlude: Lamkin Sink Fit
Both the 2022 Inovai and BB lines will come stock with a Lamkin Sink Fit grip. The grips are available in standard or jumbo sizes. Bettinardi switched to these grips in 2020 and I couldn’t be happier that they are sticking with the Sink Fit for 2022.
Lamkin has a real winner on their hands with this grip. The shape and texture are outstanding. When I grip the putter, my hands just mesh in with the standard Sink Fit.
Now returning to the Inovai part of the story …
Specifications: Bettinardi 2022 Inovai 6.0 Line
Material: 303 Stainless Steel/6061 Aluminum Finish: Diamond Blast Stainless Steel/Black Anodized Aluminum Face: Roll Control
Loft: 2°
Lie: 70°
Weight: 358g
Neck Options: 3 (slant, spud and center)
Grip: Lamkin Sink Fit (standard or jumbo)
Dexterity: Right with left-handed spud neck models available
MSRP: $400
Bettinardi 2022 Inovai 6.0 Line
I was not expecting to see the Inovai 6.0 in 2022, especially since the Inovai 7.0 was released last year. I’m not complaining. It’s nice to be surprised now and again.
So, what is up with this new version of the Inovai 6? First, the head is a bit smaller (5%) from heel to toe. Bettinardi attributes this size change to the input from consumers and Tour players. To be honest, I didn’t even notice the size change not having an older 6.0 to compare it too.
The second change is the addition of the Roll Control face. While this face looks a bit like the Bettinardi F.I.T. face, it has a different overall purpose. The removal of material on the face does make the Roll Control face soft in feel like the F.I.T. face. However, the angles of the Roll Control grooves face up more, promoting more spin/roll at impact.
The Inovai 6.0 once again comes with three neck options: slant, spud and center. Lefties will be limited to the spud option but at least there is one option for you.
Center-shafted seekers are likely already reaching for their credit cards. Center-shafted putters are truly a rarity these days.
Bettinardi 2022 Inovai 8.0 Line
Now this is more of what I expected to see in the release. As I mentioned, the 2021 Inovai was the 7.0 model so the 8.0 needed to be coming next. Those of you who follow Bettinardi on social media have already seen this putter a few weeks back as their new “hexperimental” model. This mirrors last year’s plan as well as the Inovai 7.0 first leaked out as a Tour-only prototype.
So what is the Inovai 8.0 all about, Sam?
How does the Inovai 8.0 fit into the evolution of the line?
“For the INOVAI 8.0, we are now able to enter the ever-growing compact mallet segment with all of the performance characteristics that our Tour players have asked for. This is INOVAI 8.0 is a game changer for the Bettinardi brand and excited for everyone to play this new design.”
Sam Bettinardi, Executive Vice President, Bettinardi Golf
The story here is the size. The Inovai 8.0 is made from the same stainless steel and aluminum as its predecessors but it is smaller. How small is it? For reference, I have included this shot of the Inovai 8.0 next to my TaylorMade Spider Tour.
Finding the correct mallet size is not an easy task. Going too small with a mallet is typically going to hurt MOI and going too large will initiate a gag reflex in potential customers. With the Inovai 8.0, what we are really seeing is a compact-for-a-high-MOI mallet putter. Just look at the group shots and you can see the BB46 mallet is smaller than the Inovai 8.0.
Putter volume is only part of the story, of course, and the weight distribution in the putter head will vary quite a bit when you compare a putter made of stainless steel to one made of stainless and aluminum. I think that Sam had it right when he said “compact” as opposed to small.
Comparing the Inovai 7 to the 8
I had the Inovai 7.0 in the bag for a good number of rounds this summer and the move to the Inovai 8.0 was an easy one. One difference I’ve noticed is how the putter feels at address. The Inovai 8.0 seems to squat down behind the ball, primed to putt. Maybe it’s my affinity to more square mallets but this putter really sits stable and square behind the ball. The 7.0 doesn’t have the same feeling of stability.
I’m not sure if I can quantify the difference in feel between the F.I.T. face on the Inovai 7.0 and the Roll Control face on the Inovai 8.0. The overall impression is that they are both soft faces. If you play on slow greens, you’ll need to give the ball a bit more oomph. I think that the Inovai 8.0’s face is a little hotter but I’m not certain if it is hotter or if I thinking it is based upon the different groove angle intention. For certain, the BB putters will put more pop on the pill than the Inovai 8.0 with the same stroke.
2022 Bettinardi BB and Inovai Lines Coming Soon
OK, so “soon” is a bit of a lie. The 2022 Bettinardi putters are set to hit shops around March of 2022. So, technically, you can’t get these stock putters until then.
However, Bettinardi will once again offer limited blacked-out editions of their new putters on Black Friday. On Nov. 26, at 11 a.m. EST, you can pick up special versions of the BB and Inovai putters that feature blacked-out aesthetics, including the head, shaft and headcover. Sure, the stock Inovai is already partially black in design but the Black Friday version will be the ultimate.
If you are still on the fence about investing in a Bettinardi putter, here is one more message from Sam Bettinardi.
Why should a consumer choose a Bettinardi putter instead of a competitor’s putter?
“Our American-made story continues along with our rich history of providing the best putters in golf to players of all calibers. We are still to this day a family-owned and -operated company with an incredible story to tell. Bettinardi Golf has over 94 worldwide Tour wins in our 23-year history as a brand. We make everything in-house and, in today’s day and age of overseas manufacturing, and mass production, we will not cave to these industry trends as we keep everything made here in the U.S.A. I can honestly say that when you purchase a Bettinardi product, you are buying a product that is truly special or we wouldn’t put the family name behind it.”
Sam Bettinardi, Executive Vice President, Bettinardi Golf
Find out more about the new lines at Bettinardi.com.
The post Bettinardi 2022 Putter Lines appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
