Putter Talk

Bettinardi C Series Review

There are few ‘Putter Guys’ that are not familiar with the name Bob Bettinardi. Whether it is for his innovations in CNC Milled putters, or his ability to turn carbon steel into jewelry, people know a Bettinardi putter when they see one. In the next few weeks, we’ll have reviews of a few different Bettinardi putters, but this one is going to focus on the retail line.

Bettinardi’s contract to make putters for Mizuno was announced at the PGA Show in 2006. It didn’t take long for Golf Magazine to award the C-01 4.5 Stars, and the “Testers’ Top Pick” award. Bob was on to something with this line, and golfers everywhere embraced it. The “C Series” putters are available in 35″ and 34″ models that have 330g and 345g heads respectively.

We have seen several “Anser” style putters in recent months, so I wanted to take a different head for a spin. I chose the C-04 for this review. The C-04 head is reminiscent of the Ping “Day” head with it’s weight distribution in the heel and toe. An innovative design back then that still holds up in today’s renditions by countless putter designers.

Craftsmanship:
You can’t look at a Bettinardi putter and NOT notice his patented “Honeycomb” face milling. Initially, I’d expected it to be deeper than it was. The milling pattern gives the illusion that they are very deep, when in fact, they are no deeper than traditional mill marks. Speaking of mill marks…there are plenty on this putter.

The entire putter is milled at their facility in Tinley Park, justsouth of Chicago, IL. Every putter starts life as part f a block of 11L17 Carbon Steel. Bob started his life as an engineer, so precise milling is part of the heritage of his putters and brand.

Headcover:
This is my favorite headcover to date. Starting with an AM&E Cover is always good. With White Ultraleather, Teal/Silver/Blue stitching, and Black fur, this headcover shows that you have something special in your bag. I’m not sure how it’ll look after a year of play, but the class of the white headcover is pretty cool.

Grip:
People know that I can appreciate, but don’t use a Winn grip. This one, however, is a little different. The Bettinardi Honeycomb face milling is imprinted to the grip texture, which connects you to the putter more than I thought when I first saw it. When you are standing over a 4-footer, you want all the confidence int he world, and the touch of your fingers on the Honeycomb Winn grip offers that little something extra that lets you know you can make it. Putters are pretty personal things, so little touches like this are nice to see.

Material:
When the average Joe hears “11L17 Carbon Steel” they usually just nod and go “Oh, yeah…sure.” You can almost make up words with some of these things and people will buy into it…so I did some investigating of my own.

“11L17 is a low carbon, high manganese resulphurized steel with lead added for better machinability and surface finish. The higher manganese content makes it especially good for case hardening applications, with excellent core properties.”

English: Easy to mill, soft feeling steel.

This series of putter is then Nickel plated so it’s a “no-maintenance” finish. Those of us in the Midwest appreciate this.

Address:
The combination of the slanted plumber neck, and the soft top-line are very easy on the eyes. The offset is done in a way that doesn’t require a cup on the neck. The shaft seems to melt into the hosel, and into the head. This is less distracting than other methods, and makes for a very simple design. My only complaint here is the finish got a little bright in direct sunlight. Nothing any more than other putters, but it bothered me at times.

Feel:
Initially, I was expecting it to feel very surgical, as most nickel-plated putters tend to be. I was very surprised that this putter feels VERY sold, yet soft. It didn’t ‘Clack’ off of the face like some nickel-plated finishes do. It has a more deliberate feel to it…if that makes sense.

I never felt that a 3-footer would rocket off the face, and a 40-footer would take some umph, but that just means you need to get your approach closer to the hole next time.

“Skip to the end” Overall:
This one is a no-brainer. If you are looking for a putter that offers style, performance, and prestige, look no further than the Bettinardi C series.

All of the head styles deliver confidence on the green, and jealousy from the others in your group. Go buy the one that suits you best and you’ll start to see why Bob Bettinardi stands with a small group at the very top of the high-end putter market.

Discuss Bettinardi Putters on the Bettinardi section of our Putter Community, or this review Here.