Review: Bettinardi 2014 BB1 CB Putter

Who Needs Anchoring?
Get a Bettinardi Counterbalance Putter
Since the USGA has “outlawed” anchored putting, every putter manufacture has been looking for a way around the ruling or at least giving golfers something to help their putting.  Bettinardi has 2 different putter styles to help those that were previous anchorers or who would like more stability in their stroke.  The first is the Matt Kuchar line which is designed to be played with his arm lock style.  The second is the new Counterbalance putters of the BB line.
The Bettinardi CB putters are similar to a regular putter with 45 grams of extra headweight, an extra 3″ of grip and 37 grams of backweight.  This extra 3″ puts some weight above your hands to move the balance point and to create a pivot point that feels somewhat like anchoring without it touching your body.  The overall concept behind counterbalancing is to create stability without it physically touching something to do so.  I think that Bettinardi nailed with with their Counterbalance putters.

 

We all know that the looks of a putter can not make any putts, but a club we see more than any other in the bag should look good.  There are few putters if any that look better than a Bettinardi.  The hex honeycomb face milling is simply beautiful.  He has been doing it for years and still is the best looking faces of any putter.  The head shape and details are all second to none as well.  Aesthetically speaking, Bettinardi putters are some of the best.  The new grip that is used on the this counterbalance putter is amazing too.  A 17″ long, heavy, thick hex pattern Bettinardi Winn grip looks really good.

Since these good looks can make a putt, let’s talk about the reason this thing rolls the rock so well and drains putts.  The key to counterbalance is getting the weights just right.  Too much in the head and it gets hard to control the speed, and too much backweight and you loose head feel and aim.  Bettinardi has a nicely weighted head at 395 grams.  Not super heavy by any means, but heavier than standard, to offer a natural feel with the added length and grip weight.  The 37 grams of weight above the hands is really the key to counterbalance.  I’ve played with counterbalance putters with all the weight in the hands and can’t say I’ve found improvement.  It seemed like you could still manipulate the club.  With the weight above the hands, it really changes that balance point and induces a smoother pendulum stroke.

I did some testing with the putter once it arrived on my indoor putting green and really liked what I was seeing.  Especially after I got it bent to my specs.  Mine actually came in 1* more upright than standard and I needed it bent 1* flatter than standard.  I think that is benefit of getting fit at a Bettinardi studio (2nd Swing, MN).  Then you can get dialed in right away.  Once I had it ready to go, it went into my bag for a FL trip.  Winters can be hard on my golf game with all the time off and only hitting a few times a month in a simulator isn’t quite the same, especially putting.   But this was probably the perfect putter to take for this situation.  The extra stability of counterbalance worked out really well with my instability of stroke.  My first round was in a scramble tournament and I am happy to say I dropped the most number of birdie putts of anyone in our group. (We had some good golfers in the group from FL)   But not playing your own ball/shots all the time isn’t the same.  On my second day with this putter in the bag, I was on my own tackling tough, fast greens.  I had another great putting day.  I only made a couple birdies, but it really kept my score low with lots of tap in pars and a couple of saves from outside of my comfort zone.

The Bettinardi BB1 CB putter really offers everything you want; great feel for lag putting, excellent balance for mid-range putts, and confidence to knock in the must make shorter putts.  I’ve found that extra 3″ of grip really allow me to get comfortable every single time I am on the green.  I’m sure we’ve all had those moments when we just didn’t feel right over a putt; like we couldn’t get the right distance from the ball or felt too upright or too hunched over.  The extended grip allow me to stand however I feel comfortable, grip the putter however I feel right and putt the ball.  Some days it is different than others depending on how my back feels or how I’m lining things up.  You don’t always have to put your hands in the exact same place to get good results with this putter. 

The 2014 BB1 CB putter feels excellent.  The PVD finish on the soft carbon head offers an exceptionally soft, crisp feel off the face.  The new Satin Silver finish isn’t drastically different from last years, just a little more silver .  There are also some subtle changes to the engraving and paint fills to differentiate the 2013 BB line and 2014 BB line.

Bettinardi has a winner with this putter.  I really like the details and function of the 2014 Bettinardi BB1 CB Putter.  It doesn’t come cheap, but then again, this is the club you use the most in your bag, why not invest in one that you like and works really well.  I suggest getting fit at a Bettinardi Studio if you can, or at least look into a putter fitting somewhere else and use those specs to get a sweet new Bettinardi putter.  There is no need to anchor a putter when you have a Bettinardi Counterbalance putter in the bag.

For more information: www.bettinardi.com

Quick Hits
+Counterbalance works
+Amazing looks
+Excellent feel
+Comfortable balance point