Review: Bettinardi SS5 Putter

Is this the prettiest putter ever?
While putters are tools, they also can be works of art, and for many golfers we like a good-looking putter.  Bettinardi over the years has made a name for himself creating some truly beautiful works of art.  The Studio Stock series for 2011 might just be the best yet.

The SS series is a soft carbon steel putter that is micro plated with a black PVD “Borealis” finish.  It is a subtle black rainbow color.  It is hard to put in words how stunning this putter is. Not only is the “Borealis” finish beautiful, it protects the putter, making it corrosion and worry free.  Every time I play with someone new, they have to ask about it, because it is so eye catching.  

But there is more to this putter than just the finish.  The line has some classic and modern putter styles in it.  I still love a good anser putter.  The SS5 is a beautiful classic.  The face is done with two Bettinardi patent patterns.  The center of the face that makes contact with the ball is the new Tour FIT face technology, which is designed to offer a better, softer feel at impact. It appeared to offer a better roll, but that may have just been the feel.  The area around the FIT face is the tradition Bettinardi honeycomb milling.  The putter has a single sightline in the flange.  The 345 gram head has excellent balance along with a longer plumbers neck.  It comes topped with a nice soft Winn grip in white and red.  I just have the standard size, it is a good thickness, but if you want a little more they do offer a midsized grip too.  The headcover is a very simple white with a big red Bettinardi B.  The elastic on the back stretches just the right amount to slide the putter into the cover for protection and allows it to slide off too for use.

 Initially I was baffled by this putter, because it was so pretty and just looked perfect to my eye, so when I went to the course and struggled making putts I couldn’t figure out why.  It shouldn’t have been so complicated, but something wasn’t right.  As I looked at it more, it seemed a little long.  I looked at the invoice, it said 34” on it.  There was even a sticker that said 34”.  But after I measured it, it was clearly an inch longer than all my other putters.  It was 35”.  So I contacted Bettinardi and they apologized for the mistake.  I decided it was just as quick and easy for me to cut it down.  I took it to my workbench and 15-mintues later it was 34”.  You would never believe how much of a difference that made.  When I was at the course with the 34”, I started making putts left and right.  I had great confidence and just a good results.  Based on this experience, I think many golfers would benefit from a putter fitting.  Bettinardi offers a really cool high-tech one in their Studio B.  It is worth checking out if you are going to spend this much on a putter and if you want to make more putts.

Sure this putter is not the cheapest on the market, actually it is on the high-end of what many people will pay for a putter, but it is about the same as the newest driver.  Considering you probably use it twice as much as a driver, investing in a putter that works and you really like to look down at seems like a good investment.  This putter not only looks great, it feels amazing with the combination of carbon steel and FIT face.  Some might say it is just another anser putter, but I say this is the prettiest anser putter you can find, it’s milled in the USA and works quite well at making lots of putts.

For more information: www.bettinardi.com


Quick Hits
+Beautiful “Borealis” Finish
+Classic Style
+FIT Face=Soft Feel
+Milled in the USA


–Pricey