Studio Stock

The 2011 Studio Stock is the model line's first year of existence on record: the release Bettinardi put out immediately after leaving Mizuno to fly his own flag. Our review of the series, filed as the putters arrived that December, covered all seven original heads (1, 1F, 2, 2F, 3, 3C, 4), noting the "F" designation for a soft flowing neck and the "C" for center-shafted models, with plans already underway to expand the line further.

What we held the Studio Stock up as was a return to "a mass-produced soft carbon-steel putter with a glossy Black Oxide finish," built with a "Triple Coating" more durable than prior Black Oxide finishes, though we noted it "still requires diligent maintenance to avoid tarnishing." We found the feel exactly as expected from Bettinardi: the ball came off the face crisply, with the clean lines giving an undistracted look at address. Each putter shipped with the new patent-pending, velcro-less headcover, and the line was fully customizable, loft, lie, length, dexterity, grip, headcover, ordered straight from the website rather than requiring a trip to the Tinley Park studio.

Putterzone.com lists this release as a Half Moon Mallet and puts the MSRP at $375. Our own review priced it at $365.00. Community opinion on the 2011 release leans toward scarcity: it's been called rare and hard to obtain, with putterzone.com going as far as saying "It has been impossible to get one of these for less than $600," a striking gap against either published MSRP figure.