BDubya23

That is a sexy repair tool, DivotHead. I've seen those online before but I've never been able to justify the price. But it's pretty much the perfect combo now with the putter. Hmmm. Tempting.

Dang, y'all quick on the trigger with your Stage 2s. I will be working on mine today and maybe tomorrow if I don't finish it. Well done partners!

Stage 1 is donedy. I hope I did okay for my first review here.

Stage 3 Reserved

​Bettinardi Studio Stock #8 ​Official MGS Forum Review by BDubya23 Performance at the Practice Green Accuracy – Are you able to consistently hit your target? As long as I can find the middle of my putter on my shots, the target is easy to hit. The ball comes off soft and has a nice feel to it. But if you do not strike the center, you might be in trouble. Distance Control – How does the club compare to other products strictly from a distance perspective? ​Compared to my current Odyssey O-Works #1, the distance held true with both pieces of equipment. That is until mishits came into play. Mishits on my current gamer, the O-Works, held their speed and did not lose anything when struck off of the heel or the toe. In contrast, the SS8 lost a noticeable amount of distance when compared side by side.​ Alignment – Are you able to hit your target line with ease? ​​Just the same as every other blade style putter, you have the one simple line to adjust and aim all your shots with. If you can do it on your current blade, you will not have a problem with this one. There is nothing fancy to the alignment aid. I never really had any problems hitting my intended line. Forgiveness – What happens when you mis-hit the ball? How much distance is lost? Does the ball still hit your line, push, pull? ​To me, mis hitting the ball meant firmer shots. You could feel this in the grip when doing so. As you've seen from pictures, the area to strike the ball does not extend across the entire face of the putter, so this is something you should expect and note before even picking up this putter. Mis hits did end up short, but I did not notice and putts straying off the line too much. There were no major pulls our pushes, and if so, that was all user error. Control – Are you able to make the ball do what you want it to (within the limitations of your own abilities). ​Yes, there is no workability like that of an iron. Like I mentioned in my first bulletin about the middle of the putter, if you can strike it there your ball will go exactly where you want it to. Practice Green Score: 9 of 10 points Performance on the Course Accuracy – How well did you hit your target? How is your dispersion and your proximity to the hole? When the game was taken to the course, things became a little more tricky, but still played out well. I did end up having mishits which did not help me get my balls going all the way to the hole. As a result, I was sometimes left with tap in pars or bogeys, which I didn't have a lot of with my other gamer, the O-Works. Alignment - Are you still hitting the ball on your intended line? Ball is staying on line when struck in the sweet spot, as you would imagine would happen with any other blade style putter. I never had any issue completely missing my line. Distance Control - Are you short? Long? Able to hit your distance repeatedly? Since this is course performance, the nerves are sometimes racing. Therefore, you cannot always be on your "A" game like one the practice green. This leads to some toe and heel strikes, which means significant loss of distance and a really "not-so-sweet" feeling on the hands. You'll know when you don't hit the center, trust me. On the flip side, you'll definitely know when you do hit the center... AHHH FEELS SO GOOD! Consistency – Are you hitting putts consistently or all over the place? I'm not spraying putts everywhere, but I'm also not dropping every single dinger. I've made my fair share of "downtown" putts, but I've also missed my fair share. The bright side is that I am consistently hitting them long or short, never left or right. Is it lowering your score, keeping the same or costing you strokes? Score remains about the same, the O-Works is tough to beat. But man, the look of the Betti is just mesmerizing. Course Score: 35 of 40 points Looks General shape: Classic looking blade putter with bold lines and a little bit a curve. We all like some sleek curves, don't we? Graphics: MY OH MY! The gray and the blue and the black.. just amazing. My O-Works is a little too much for me with all the red, black, and white.. it's almost distracting. But this SS8 is one of the most gorgeous putters I think I've ever seen. You can tell some fine craftsmanship went in to creating this flatstick. Other unique details: The blue Lamkin grip is the icing on the cake. I don't know what it is, but it's the perfect addition. It's not like your traditional putter and the SuperStroke grips they usually come with, which makes it stand out a little bit. I love it. How does it come together visually? Imagine the most beautiful women you have ever laid your eyes upon, then translate that to a putter.. that's it. Just a dime piece. How does it compare to other products in its category? Blows everything else out of the water. From the grip to the blade to the headcover, it's pure class. Now I'd just like to see the same design except with different color combos. Looks Score: 15 of 15 points Sound and Feel Is it soft, crisp, dull, clunky? Let me tell you that sweet spot shots are one of the best feelings in the world, and that doesn't change with this putter. It's what some would call... butter. Striking the middle of the putter gives you such a good feeling and makes you wish you could do it every single time. Unfortunately that is sometimes not the case, at least not at my skill level. Heel and toe strikes do make a considerably louder noise and a much, much firmer feel. Does it feel consistent across the face, or are mis-hits noticeably pronounced? Like mentioned above, mis-hits feel more clunky that the sweet spot, but that's why it's called the sweet spot. The entire front of the putter does not consist of the face, like some putters do. The heel and toe and have mill, therefore giving you the different sound and feel in those areas. ​ I will add an audio link of me hitting the ball in the sweet spot. The ball being used is a Callaway ChromeSoft. After listening to just the audio, it may seem like the ball has a clunky, sorta tink noise to it, but I can assure you that it is not that pronounced. I just had the mic really close to the ball. http://picosong.com/vvNZ/ Sound and Feel Score: 12 of 15 points Likelihood of Purchase How likely would you be to purchase this product? ​I have always wanted to game a Bettinardi, I love the style and the quality of products that they bring to the table. However, I have never had quite enough dough to splurge on one. This is almost the case as it lies now. I know I spent a little bit of money on my O-Works, but I don't know if I'd be able to shell out $400 for a new putter. That being said, this is most definitely going in the back and kicking my O-Works to the side. LOP Score: 15 of 20 points Conclusion This putter is everything you could ever ask for in looks, and almost in feel. The Studio Stock #8 is nothing shy of a fine piece of art, as you would expect from Bettinardi. The only thing that will slow you down in purchasing this type of flat stick is the price tag. At $400, it is a little on the high side... at least for me. Buuuut, like I just said I will be putting it in the bag. The reason behind this is because I'm a firm believer that you should always game something that looks good to you. Some may argue that that is not a wise decision, but I feel that it brings some sort of confidence to yourself when you know you have a top of the line putter resting in your hands. If money isn't an issue and you love the pure, buttery feel when you hit the sweet spot, this one's for you. It's simple, bold, and even a smidge of flashy all at the same time. Now I truly know what the Bettinardi brand is all about. ​Total Score: 86 of 100

​​​Stage One: Who Am I? ​​​​Hello, guys and gals. I am a new member to the MyGolfSpy community and I was welcomed with opened arms, so thank each and every one of you for that. Also, a special thanks to the MGS staff for allowing me this opportunity to put my reviewing skills to the test. I will attempt to tell you a little bit about myself and a whole lot about the Bettinardi Studio Stock #8. ​My friends call me BD, I have been playing the lovely game of golf for about 13 years now. It hasn't been until recently that I have really gotten into it and have been playing and practicing more, trying to take my game to the next level. Golfing has not only been a part of my life for a while, but my families life. My grandpa taught my dad, my dad taught me, and I plan on teaching my son (whenever that day comes). We always try and go out together at least a few times a year to compete against one another, and yes, we keep it friendly... sorta. So you're probably wondering, if you've been playing for 13 years, what's your handicap?​ As of lately I have been hovering around the 8-9 area, and I play almost daily. I just posted my best score last month and it was one of the greatest accomplishments I've had so far with this crazy game. I say crazy because I went out the next day and beat that score by a stroke. Then guess what happened the next day? No, I didn't beat that score, I went out and played and it felt almost as if I didn't know what golf was. Remember, I said crazy​ game. You wanna know ​what equipment is in my bag? ​Well, I'll tell ya. I just upgraded to a Ping G driver at the beginning of this season. It was my first upgrade in a very, very long time. Like I said, I haven't taken the game this serious in a looong time, so I felt it was time for some new equipment. I love love love the G. It's probably my favorite piece in my bag as we speak. Next up is the TaylorMade burner 3W, which I feel is a club A LOT of golfers have had in their bag at some point, if not the 3w, then some other Burner model. Then comes my Adams Blue hybrid, the trusty rusty if you will. I don't hit this club often, but when I'm in a sticky situation and I need something to bail me out, Adam is always there. Such a good guy. Remember when I mentioned Burners? Well, the 2.0 irons are what I'm hitting. Yes I know, time for a major upgrade. Wedge game has been spot on thanks to my TaylorMade Tour Preferred wedges. Finally my putter is the Odyssey O-Works #1... which is currently being taken out and exchanged for the Bettinardi Studio Stock 8.. duh. Time for a little break, enjoy some snapshots of this gorgeous putter while I take a breather. ​Alright I'm back, let's talk about the strengths of my game.​ Fortunately one of the most difficult clubs to hit is my strength. Whenever I step up to the tee I am more confident than ever that I am going to end up somewhere in the fairway. I have been putting in lots of work with this and it has paid off tremendously. No, I'm not 100% but it is leaps and bounds over where I was at last year. I still have the occasional duck hook out of bounds, but 8 times out of 10 I can hit the fairway. Now, on the other end of the spectrum, I'll tell you about the ​weakness of my game.​ Iron play has been difficult for me the past few months. I have been really working on creating lag and getting more consistent with my strikes, but it's a lot harder than it sounds... at least for me. I've tried several drills at home and when I try and translate everything to the course side of the game, I can't repeat it. It's not that I don't strike my irons decent, it's just not where I want it to be... at all. I will keep working until I figure it out. I forgot to note one thing about my strength, and that is ​my current ball flight​. I can typically produce a draw when it comes to my driver and longer irons, and have been doing some work to incorporate a cut in there on demand. Sometimes that cut doesn't do what I want it to do, but hey that's golf. My irons flight is on the high side, when I strike them well. When I don't strike them well, I obviously miss my target. ​My typical miss​ is usually left. This is sometimes due to a hook that I cannot control or just simply pulling the ball. The good is that the miss isn't crazy far off line, but it's certainly not my target. My downswing and rotation could use a lot of work and I believe this is what I have to blame for some of my misses. Now, when I miss with my driver, I really miss. There is no in between when it comes to hitting a draw and a hook. I either hit a nice, soft draw or a crazy hook that will make you wonder what the heck happened. Did I just hit a boomerang? Thankfully, that doesn't happen too ​often, but when it does it's always fun to watch.... ​Who wants more pictures? You want more pictures. Here you go. I'd like to talk about what makes me love the game.​ First off, it's competitive. Not only do you get to compete against others while you're out, but you get to compete against yourself. What other sports do you get to do that in? Not many. I've always been a competitor growing up and it never changed when I took up golf. The game is unpredictable, you can go out one day and shoot even par or even under par, then the next day you shank three OB, slice one into the water, and that's only have four holes. I love it. Also, it's just fun. It allows me to meet people from all over the country through tournaments that are hosted all around our state. There is nothing else that provides that opportunity, at least for me. It brings so many people together, no matter their skill level, and allows you an outing to just have fun. That's truly what I love. Now, onward to what type of golfer I am.​ You know how I just said I love the game because it's competitive? That explains the exact type of golfer I am. I am always looking for competition. You want that 1 foot gimmie putt? Nah, you're gonna have to hit it. Okay, not that bad, but I do like to compete. That being said, I also know when I can just relax and not worry about anything else but enjoying the moment. That's a little bit about me, now let's get to talking about this Betti. I'm gonna drop a couple more photos and then we'll talk about the putter itself from a visual standpoint. I hope these pictures do justice as to how b-e-a-utiful this thing is. I always look at Bettinardi putters in store but I have never actually purchased one, just window shopped. Every single one of them has blown my away with their looks, and this one is no exception. Right out of the box my jaw dropped and I was like "Wow, this is sexy." Just by looking at and handling the headcover, you can just tell this Studio Stock 8 screams quality. I'm not sure if the pictures picked it up well, but the head has a darker finish, like a flat grayish color. It's very cool looking. From behind the butter, it's simple. You see the Bettinardi scripture and it's a classic looking flatstick. When you turn it upside down, that's where the flair is. It's almost like the mullet saying "business in the front, party in the back." The gloss blue and black, make this thing shine... literally. The grip is also very neat looking. The blue lamkin corded grip is surprisingly more comfortable than I had thought and the way it says Bettinardi down the shaft let's everyone know you're here to sink some putts! Anyway, I'll leave it at that for now. Time to get back out there, putt for dough, and prepare for stage 2.

Might have to look into this. How much did it run you?

I have the G and it's so good, at least for me. I will say the driver is one of my strong points and I love my G. Unfortunately I didn't compare it to the G30. Wish I would have now.

Do you use this with your phone or some sort of camera?

I don't do much reading at all, but I did read the little red book at the end of last year and it was good. I need to pick up other golf related reads, I just can never tell myself to sit down and read.

Those things are sweet!

Welcome, from Missouri. Good looking setup, how do you like the SM6 wedges?

This is going to be a fun review, OG

I'm all for music as long as it isn't crazy loud and distracting to not only you, but others on the course. But, it also depends on what kind of golf I'm playing. If I'm doing something competitive and taking it a bit more serious, I think the music might be a no go. However, if I'm out just drinking some beers and having a good time playing golf, play whatever you like.

Yeah I hear ya. Always a fan of Phil. Been reading that Hideki and Fleetwood are a couple of good picks to put your money on as well.