The Mizuno Bettinardi Black Carbon putter line contains seven putters, all made from Mizuno's noted one-piece milled carbon steel design. The line's designer, Bob Bettinardi, has been known for his craftsmanship and world-renowned putter designs since 1990. His latest signature Mizuno products feature the unique and patented F. I. T. (Feel Impact Technology) face, a variety of heads, black chrome finish, and shaft lengths of 33, 34, 35 and 43 inches.
BC Series 1-3
The first three putters in the Mizuno Bettinardi Black Carbon line are the BC1 (toe-heel-weighted blade, squared edges, slant neck), BC2 (rocked-back flanged blade, rounded edges, plumbers neck) and the BC3 (toe-heel-weighted mallet, double bend shaft).
BC Series 4-7
The Mizuno Bettinardi Black Carbon series also includes new models (as of September 2009). They are the BC4 (traditional blade, heel-toe-weighted, rounded double neck), BC5 (pocket-cavity mallet, center shaft), BC6 (toe pocket-cavity blade, plumbers neck) and the BC7 (classic iconic blade). The BC Series also includes the BC5 Belly putter (pocket-cavity mallet, 43-inch center belly shaft).
F.I.T. Technology and Chrome Finish
Black Carbon putters are made using Mizuno's patented F.I.T. milled face technology.
Each Mizuno Bettinardi Black Carbon putter has Mizuno's patented F. I. T. (Feel Impact Technology) face design, a special milled sweet spot that reduces the hitting area, allowing the center of gravity to remain close to the center of the clubface, increasing the softness of each shot.
Black Carbon putters are also marked by their durable black chrome finish, allowing the accented alignment lines to stand out to make lining up putts easier.
Performance and Benefits
Mizuno Bettinardi Black Carbon putters, with their one-piece construction and exceptionally detailed faces, make putting a pleasurable experience. While not as soft as putters with rubber face inserts, the F.I.T. technology creates a semi-soft feel, allowing for just enough hardness at impact to gain control of every stroke. The white-on-black line/head look makes lining up putts almost effortless. Each putter in the series is smooth on its take-away and propels putts forward extremely well, starting shots rolling from the top of the ball.
The stock Winn AVS Honeycomb (Gold/Black) grips are comfortable, durable and attractive.
Price
In the price department, don't expect dealers to bend much. New Mizuno Bettinardi Black Carbon putters are moving off the racks for about $250 (as of September 2009). Warehouses, liquidators and traders are still getting about $200 for used BC Series putters in good condition.
About The Author
Jim Hagerty is a freelance writer and journalist. In addition to the hundreds of Web-based articles to his credit, he's a staff writer for "The Rock River Times," where he covers arts and entertainment, outdoors and human interest news events. Hagerty holds a Bachelor of Science in public relations and journalism from Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
