Bettinardi Studio Stock

[NZ315]

Interested in trying out the new 2023 studio stock35. Currently rolling the Scotty select Fastback 1.5. 
Reaching out for some hands on reviews of the new Studio Stock lineup

[Grouchykona]

Although I didn’t test the SS35 (I tested SS9), I can tell you that the “Roll Control Face Milling” used is soft. REALLY SOFT. Without question the softest milled face I tested recently. Too soft for my liking but if that’s something you’re looking for, you may like it. 

[Unteachable]

It looks great but their milling/roll control feels horrible to me

a real dead marshmallow soft feeling. Some may love it, wasn’t for me

[dmeeksDC]

Well to give another opinion the Roll Control face is one of my favorite features of the Studio Stock lineup. I don’t find it feels really soft, I do find it does what it was developed to do — it puts a great forward roll on the ball. Like, a perfect roll. It is less firm than the micro honeycomb face but not close to the softest I have encountered. Very much in the middle. There is a lot of steel there, it’s not an insert! I think Odyssey putters feel softer and the roll off that famed insert feels like plastic to me, not even as good as Odyssey’s old micro hinge face. So I guess it is all a matter of opinion. I like the Bettinardi face more than the double milling on the new Scotty Cameron lineup, which is softer by design. 

 

The forward roll that Roll Control imparts is easy to see it and I am impressed by it. It’s all about making more putts and avoiding 3 putts and I can see Roll Control helping my numbers. I play on a lot of fast greens and it seems well suited for that. There were several guys rolling these putters when I was last there. One bought the SS9 because he loved the face. Golfwrx forums are often far removed from what a lot of golfers think so I would say try them and decide for yourself. I think the Roll Control face is getting strong reviews. I liked it immediately. 
 

I am going to buy a Betti, still trying to decide which one. I have been rolling the 2023 heads in multiple sessions over the past 3 weeks and I am down to two finalists — the SS35 and the Queen B 11 (which has the new micro honeycomb face.) The two heads look great and give a nice comparison of how the faces feel and it is worth it if you are able compare them and see what you think. The micro honeycomb is a little firmer by design but I roll them both well. 

 

I am fond of both and it’s hard to decide. But as of now I am leaning toward the SS35 because the boxcar shape looks great — it’s one of the best looking putters I’ve seen. I don’t like putters with long blade lengths. The SS35 head is compact and it’s very easy to set up with my eyes just inside the ball, and the face produces consistent speed on slight mishits. I like the lines on both putters. They look like milled art. 

[NZ315]

6 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

Well to give another opinion the Roll Control face is one of my favorite features of the Studio Stock lineup. I don’t find it feels really soft, I do find it does what it was developed to do — it puts a great forward roll on the ball. Like, a perfect roll. It is less firm than the micro honeycomb face but not close to the softest I have encountered. Very much in the middle. There is a lot of steel there, it’s not an insert! I think Odyssey putters feel softer and the roll off that famed insert feels like plastic to me, not even as good as Odyssey’s old micro hinge face. So I guess it is all a matter of opinion. I like the Bettinardi face more than the double milling on the new Scotty Cameron lineup, which is softer by design. 

 

The forward roll that Roll Control imparts is easy to see it and I am impressed by it. It’s all about making more putts and avoiding 3 putts and I can see Roll Control helping my numbers. I play on a lot of fast greens and it seems well suited for that. There were several guys rolling these putters when I was last there. One bought the SS9 because he loved the face. Golfwrx forums are often far removed from what a lot of golfers think so I would say try them and decide for yourself. I think the Roll Control face is getting strong reviews. I liked it immediately. 
 

I am going to buy a Betti, still trying to decide which one. I have been rolling the 2023 heads in multiple sessions over the past 3 weeks and I am down to two finalists — the SS35 and the Queen B 11 (which has the new micro honeycomb face.) The two heads look great and give a nice comparison of how the faces feel and it is worth it if you are able compare them and see what you think. The micro honeycomb is a little firmer by design but I roll them both well. 

 

I am fond of both and it’s hard to decide. But as of now I am leaning toward the SS35 because the boxcar shape looks great — it’s one of the best looking putters I’ve seen. I don’t like putters with long blade lengths. The SS35 head is compact and it’s very easy to set up with my eyes just inside the ball, and the face produces consistent speed on slight mishits. I like the lines on both putters. They look like milled art. 

Another putter I have been considering is the Scotty Champions Choice.

I don’t have anywhere local to me that has the SS35 in stock to put with. They have the Queen B11 I did try that out and it was really nice. I wanted to compare the two more. I think I would like the more boxcar look of the SS35. How much shorter is the blade length of the SS35? I have seen in reviews that it is shorter.

Not being able to try them both is making my decision harder. It would be much easier if I could see, feel, roll

Edited May 12, 2023 by NZ315

[dmeeksDC]

25 minutes ago, NZ315 said:

Another putter I have been considering is the Scotty Champions Choice.

I don’t have anywhere local to me that has the SS35 in stock to put with. Which is making my decision harder. It would be much easier if I could see, feel, roll

Yeah, the Champions Choice is nice, just so overpriced.
 

I found the SS35 at Golf Galaxy and also Second Swing in Columbia, MD. i think PGA Superstore carries Bettinardi too. 

[NZ315]

1 minute ago, dmeeksDC said:

Yeah, the Champions Choice is nice, just so overpriced.
 

I found the SS35 at Golf Galaxy and also Second Swing in Columbia, MD. i think PGA Superstore carries Bettinardi too. 

Agreed the CC is overpriced. I would much prefer the T22 fastback but same thing with the price. Hard time dropping over $1000 for a putter. 
My local golf galaxy and DICK’S don’t have the SS35. 

[dmeeksDC]

21 minutes ago, NZ315 said:

Agreed the CC is overpriced. I would much prefer the T22 fastback but same thing with the price. Hard time dropping over $1000 for a putter. 
My local golf galaxy and DICK’S don’t have the SS35. 

OK. Well, if you want a few more photos or a shot with the ball in front of the face I can do that next time I am there. 

[NZ315]

55 minutes ago, dmeeksDC said:

OK. Well, if you want a few more photos or a shot with the ball in front of the face I can do that next time I am there. 

That would be awesome. Thanks

[LoopySwing13]

I have an older SS the #5 and agree it is softer than honey comb but a touch firmer than my Cameron classic. It really depends on the ball as well, as my PXG ball feels firmer than the AVX I used to play. I do like the FIT and feel I get a touch more “roll out” with that over my Cameron due to the grooves. 

[Misc1600]

Agree. Love my SS #8 from years ago… 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Misc1600

[jholz]

It's all going to be a matter of the feel you are looking for. Both Scotty and Bettinardi are going to provide a quality product - at least one hopes they will...given the price.

 

But, I would argue that Bettinardi is going to give you a wider range of "feels" throughout their putter lineup.

 

If you are looking at the "Studio Stocks" - these are currently coming with the "Roll Control Face." Earlier iterations, pre-2021, came with the "F.I.T." face. I'd be lying if I could tell you the difference, outside of appearance. F.I.T. face has more rounded corners in the milling - RCF is more of a 90* corner. That's about what I can tell.

 

Either way, this is the softest face that Bettinardi offers. It's soft and springy. Puts an amazing roll on the ball. If it fits your desired feel, its tough to go back to anything else.

 

All I can say is that Bettinardi produces a very high quality putter...and it's got better street cred than a run of the mill Scotty.

Edited May 12, 2023 by jholz

[MattM97]

7 minutes ago, jholz said:

It's all going to be a matter of the feel you are looking for. Both Scotty and Bettinardi are going to provide a quality product - at least one hopes they will...given the price.

 

But, I would argue that Bettinardi is going to give you a wider range of "feels" throughout their putter lineup.

 

If you are looking at the "Studio Stocks" - these are currently coming with the "Roll Control Face." Earlier iterations, pre-2021, came with the "F.I.T." face. I'd be lying if I could tell you the difference, outside of appearance. F.I.T. face has more rounded corners in the milling - RCF is more of a 90* corner. That's about what I can tell.

 

Either way, this is the softest face that Bettinardi offers. It's soft and springy. Puts an amazing roll on the ball. If it fits your desired feel, its tough to go back to anything else.

 

All I can say is that Bettinardi produces a very high quality putter...and it's got better street cred than a run of the mill Scotty.

 

I actually find the FIT Face to be softer than the RC Face but again feel is subjective to the user. I do have something with an RC Face showing up so will give it a test and see. 

 

But everything else you said I agree with, more "feel" options with Bettinardi and all quality too along with Scotty. 

[jholz]

Just now, MattM97 said:

 

I actually find the FIT Face to be softer than the RC Face but again feel is subjective to the user. I do have something with an RC Face showing up so will give it a test and see. 

 

But everything else you said I agree with, more "feel" options with Bettinardi and all quality too along with Scotty. 

 

I would really love to hear your thoughts on the F.I.T. vs. R.C.F. debate. I have not had an opportunity to compare.

 

All I know is I love my SS7. That thing puts the ball in the hole.

[MattM97]

4 minutes ago, jholz said:

 

I would really love to hear your thoughts on the F.I.T. vs. R.C.F. debate. I have not had an opportunity to compare.

 

All I know is I love my SS7. That thing puts the ball in the hole.

 

I unfortunately don't have anything with a FIT Face and finding a reasonably priced lefty to compare is harder said than done I think. I'd just be going off memory but the one hard thing with FIT Face is that there are many versions where some are much softer and others are on the firmer side. 

[jholz]

5 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

 

I unfortunately don't have anything with a FIT Face and finding a reasonably priced lefty to compare is harder said than done I think. I'd just be going off memory but the one hard thing with FIT Face is that there are many versions where some are much softer and others are on the firmer side. 

 

Yeah, I agree with you on both points. Lefties are always begging - and it seems like it's taken some time for Bettinardi to truly figure out this segment of their lineup.

 

I mean, we've seen "hex milling" and non-milled faces for years. It's the softer end they keep experimenting with.

 

But, I'd argue they've hit on something with the RCF face. The combination of the face milling with the horizontal grooves is special. The only thing I can compare it to - not in terms of feel, but rather impact on performance - is C-Grooves.

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by jholz

[Misc1600]

I had both the INOVAI 6.0 with the FIT face and the RC. I also preferred the FIT face in that as well. 

[MattM97]

4 minutes ago, jholz said:

 

Yeah, I agree with you on both points. Lefties are always begging - and it seems like it's taken some time for Bettinardi to truly figure out this segment of their lineup.

 

I mean, we've seen "hex milling" and non-milled faces for years. It's the softer end they keep experimenting with.

 

But, I'd argue they've hit on something with the RCF face. The combination of the face milling with the horizontal grooves is special. The only thing I can compare it to - not in terms of feel, but rather impact on performance - is C-Grooves.

 

 

Yeah lots of their Hive stuff in lefty oddly has FIT Face which I don't really want give me some fly mill, honeycomb or micro honeycomb milling but that is what it is. 

 

As for the RC Face and C-Grooves they developed the RC Face after milling the first putters for Fitzpatrick and taking the C-Grooves and redeveloping them. So I tend to point to people towards them for anyone looking for a "modern Yes!" putter but not Adams is back with C-Groove putters so cheaper options. f

[jholz]

3 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

 

Yeah lots of their Hive stuff in lefty oddly has FIT Face which I don't really want give me some fly mill, honeycomb or micro honeycomb milling but that is what it is. 

 

As for the RC Face and C-Grooves they developed the RC Face after milling the first putters for Fitzpatrick and taking the C-Grooves and redeveloping them. So I tend to point to people towards them for anyone looking for a "modern Yes!" putter but not Adams is back with C-Groove putters so cheaper options. f

 

Exactly.

[dmeeksDC]

55 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

 

Yeah lots of their Hive stuff in lefty oddly has FIT Face which I don't really want give me some fly mill, honeycomb or micro honeycomb milling but that is what it is. 

 

As for the RC Face and C-Grooves they developed the RC Face after milling the first putters for Fitzpatrick and taking the C-Grooves and redeveloping them. So I tend to point to people towards them for anyone looking for a "modern Yes!" putter but not Adams is back with C-Groove putters so cheaper options. f

Makes sense. It does remind me of C grooves and also the RC grooves are a bit like the radial insert Bobby Grace developed for his putters. I am a Grace fan and enjoy the nice roll his putters produce, so not surprising that I like Roll Control. And I think I just like the overall sensation of the milled putters. But I have to say, the micro honeycomb face is very appealing too. I like it better than the original honeycomb. 

[NZ315]

Seems more Betti fans here vs Scotty. I really love the look and the slant neck of the SS35 not sure about the blade length seems a bit squaty. 

[dmeeksDC]

13 hours ago, NZ315 said:

Another putter I have been considering is the Scotty Champions Choice.

I don’t have anywhere local to me that has the SS35 in stock to put with. They have the Queen B11 I did try that out and it was really nice. I wanted to compare the two more. I think I would like the more boxcar look of the SS35. How much shorter is the blade length of the SS35? I have seen in reviews that it is shorter.

Not being able to try them both is making my decision harder. It would be much easier if I could see, feel, roll

Welcome to my rabbit hole. I obsess over details on putters. 
 

The SS35 is only slightly shorter in blade length vs others but it may look like it is more due to where the hosel is on the head. 

 

I don’t play center shafted putters but I have always liked near-center shafts or at least hosels not so close to the heel. One thing I like about Bettinardi is they often have putters that look like a tweener of a heel shafted and center shafted putter. See the photo below and note how the hosel is mounted about one shaft-width closer to the center (more in the cavity) on the SS35 and Queen B 14 (the middle two) vs more toward the heel on the SS16 and Queen B 11. It makes a difference at address. 
 

The SS35 puts me more on top of the ball at address, which I like. But when I roll the Queen B 11, I can still make that happen with a slightly shorter putter length (33.5 vs 34.) So it comes down to preference, what you like to see. The Queen B 11 is slightly larger as you can see but it’s not dramatic. The hosel location contributes to the SS35’s compact look. 

SS16, Queen B 14, SS35, Queen B 11

 

[NZ315]

39 minutes ago, dmeeksDC said:

Welcome to my rabbit hole. I obsess over details on putters. 
 

The SS35 is only slightly shorter in blade length vs others but it may look like it is more due to where the hosel is on the head. 

 

I don’t play center shafted putters but I have always liked near-center shafts or at least hosels not so close to the heel. One thing I like about Bettinardi is they often have putters that look like a tweener of a heel shafted and center shafted putter. See the photo below and note how the hosel is mounted about one shaft-width closer to the center (more in the cavity) on the SS35 and Queen B 14 (the middle two) vs more toward the heel on the SS16 and Queen B 11. It makes a difference at address. 
 

The SS35 puts me more on top of the ball at address, which I like. But when I roll the Queen B 11, I can still make that happen with a slightly shorter putter length (33.5 vs 34.) So it comes down to preference, what you like to see. The Queen B 11 is slightly larger as you can see but it’s not dramatic. The hosel location contributes to the SS35’s compact look. 

SS16, Queen B 14, SS35, Queen B 11

 

In the Bettinardi line I am in between the same as you B11 or SS35. Slant neck is preferred. Rough choice both great. I will be staring at the picture for a while since I can find the both in the same place. Lol

[dmeeksDC]

11 minutes ago, NZ315 said:

In the Bettinardi line I am in between the same as you B11 or SS35. Slant neck is preferred. Rough choice both great. I will be staring at the picture for a while since I can find the both in the same place. Lol

I’ll provide more photos over the weekend to deepen the analysis! Let me know if you want any shot in particular. 

[Smokey227]

Anyone rolled both the Queen b 14 and the SS35? Would like to hear the comparisons.

 

I assume the ss35 would feel softer with the RC but I don’t have a place to roll either close to me. 

[Brentwood]

I have owned my SS35 for about a month now and am very pleased. I’ll add my brief experiences with my SS35 and some of the newest Betti lines below. 
 

@dmeeksDC brought up some really good points regarding the compact shape and how this setup is particularly inviting to stand over the ball. I also enjoy getting over the top of the ball so this is ideal. 
 

In terms of roll/feel I am coming from a mushy face insert as I prefer something softer. The RC face has been fantastic and I know this is the ideal face milling for me personally. By no means is the RC face too soft though from my experience, I actually found some of the other premium offerings to feel even softer. 
 

Before purchasing, I went to a local store multiple times and alternated between the SS, BB, and QB series focusing more on the face milling than the models. Although it’s a small sample size, I found the faces to perform as advertised. The SS was the softest, BB was a muted middle ground, and the QB was a firmer feel. Given my preferences for something softer, it was a no doubter with the SS35 although I think the BB46 and QB14 are sharp! 
 

As a side note, the stock Lamkin grip (standard size) has been another component that I’ve really enjoyed, cheers! 

[Shaffer_C]

12 hours ago, Smokey227 said:

Anyone rolled both the Queen b 14 and the SS35? Would like to hear the comparisons.

 

I assume the ss35 would feel softer with the RC but I don’t have a place to roll either close to me. 

I've hit both and the SS35 to me feels softer with a lower pitched sound. My preference is to the queen bee line for feel although they both put a great roll on the ball. The qb14 doesn't technically fit my stroke but I was holing everything with it. Have a QB6 coming my way.

[ChunkMeDaddy]

I've rolled the new SS series and the Inovai which both have the roll control face. For some reason the inovai feel so much firmer than the SS and I couldn't figure out why. When rolling the inovai it seemed to jump off into a forward roll so smoothy and with the SS it was a bit less lively. Both had slant necks and were mallets. The only thing that I could think of was that the loft for the inovai is 1* stronger vs the SS. Anyone else have a similar experience/ would be able to confirm this strange theory of mine? 

 

Really like the look of the Inovai 8 just nervous to pull the trigger for some reason

[Smokey227]

8 hours ago, Shaffer_C said:

I've hit both and the SS35 to me feels softer with a lower pitched sound. My preference is to the queen bee line for feel although they both put a great roll on the ball. The qb14 doesn't technically fit my stroke but I was holing everything with it. Have a QB6 coming my way.

I like the a softer feel. Sounds like for me I may like the ss35 better. Appreciate the response. 

[dmeeksDC]

I was at Second Swing today and took some more photos as promised for @NZ315 and other fellow wrxers who have not seen these putters in hand. I also spoke for a while on the phone with a fitter at Bettinardi, who was very helpful. Here are some comparison pics with a few Camerons for size purposes and photos with a ball at address. 

Top: Scotty Cameron Special Select Fastback 1.5; Below: Bettinardi Studio Stock SS35. 

 

Left: Special Select Flowback 5.5; Right: SS35

 

 

SS35

QB 11 top with Fastback 1.5

Closeup of QB14

 

Closeup of SS35

 

QB11

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by dmeeksDC