Antidote SB1

The Antidote SB1 is the standard-weight version of Bettinardi's first-generation Simply Balanced blade, a center-shafted zero-torque design built around a 6061 aluminum pocket insert set into a 303 stainless steel body. The maker's page lists it at 360g, with a Diamond Blast body finish and Sapphire Blue Anodized pocket insert, 3 degrees of loft that cannot be changed, 70 degrees of lie, -1 offset, and -90 degrees of toe hang. A counterbalance variant of the same head exists at 400g, but this entry concerns the standard SB1.

Bettinardi's own copy describes the head as "engineered to stay square through impact and deliver unmatched stability and consistency for any stroke type," with the Simply Balanced system aligning the shaft to the head's center of gravity so the CoG "lies perfectly at the center of the putter." The face carries Bettinardi's F.I.T. milling, which the maker's page states "removes 55% of the material from the face, for a soft, responsive feel at impact," a figure that pluggedingolf.com's coverage of the release echoes directly.

Reviewer opinion on the SB1 leans favorable. pluggedingolf.com's write-up called it a putter with "strong performance attributes and wonderful craftmanship," concluding that "the Antidote SB1 is simply a great putter" and noting the site felt they "could easily see the SB1" in their own bag. Community sentiment cited alongside that review points to the same qualities: soft feel and sound at impact, eye appeal, and a consistent roll-out, along with praise for the milling work around the bumpers and sole and for a headcover with a magnet closure. None of this is Putter Talk's own testing, but it is the shape of opinion currently on file for this release.

Within the Antidote SB1's own line, the standard model reads as the base expression of the Simply Balanced idea, a wide-body blade at a conventional 360g meant for players who want the zero-torque benefit without the added counterbalance mass and length of its 400g sibling.