Bettinardi BB28 Spud Putter Review

 Bettinardi BB28 Spud Putter Review

Bettinardi was founded in 1998 and has produced fine milled putters ever since, with the likes of Matt Fitzpatrick winning the 2022 U.S Open Championship with one in play, albeit a custom model. If a milled face is a priority for you when looking for a new putter, the Bettinardi BB28 Spud putter is well worth considering. The BB28 has been beautifully constructed from a single piece of 303 stainless steel, the same metal trusted by contracted Bettinardi players on all major professional tours. 

In order to gain a full understanding about the Bettinardi BB28, I took it for a spin on the course to see how the putter performs and whether it can be considered one of the best golf putters released this year. As someone who has gravitated towards a milled putter face, I was particularly excited to see how the BB28 putter would feel compared to the likes of the Queen B 11 putter I recently tested. 

The two have different milling patterns on the face, the Queen B was crafted with a Mini Honeycomb pattern and the BB28 with an Aggressive Flymill face milling design, which provided a soft feel that still gave me plenty of feedback on strike location. I noticed I putted fairly consistently from distance with the BB28 and seemed to get the ball to the hole easily thanks to the responsive face. This did however take a little getting used to when putting down hill, as I found myself often running some efforts a few feet past.

The Bettinardi BB28 putter comes to market as one of the most forgiving models in the Bettinardi range and unsurprisingly is one of the most forgiving putters we have tested this year. The putter comes in a double-wide shape and is finished in a clean looking Graphite Gray PVD which I think makes this putter look really premium but also confidence inspiring when set at address. The PVD finish really highlights the craftsmanship of the milling and has been formulated so it shouldn’t wear off over time.

Despite the carefully designed perimeter weighted head of the BB28 putter and high MOI characteristics, I did find myself often missing putts to the right of the hole. The combination of a head designed to stay completely stable and a flow neck, may not be the best choice for someone who has more release in their putting stroke like myself, or who uses a traditional blade style putter with more toe-hang. I managed to adjust by aiming a little left and managed to get the putter working beautifully for me. I thought the putter allowed me to start the ball on line regularly once my alignment was correct and its premium looks make this one of the best mallet putters I have tested.

The BB28 Spud Putter is one of the best Bettinardi putters in the current range thanks to its excellent feel and stylish aesthetics. The BB28 retails at £429 and comes with a choice of two excellent stock grip options - the Lamkin Sink Fit in either standard shape or Jumbo, one of the best putter grips on the market.