Bettinardi Golf on a heater. Their staffer Matt Fitzpatrick and his hot DASS BB48 Tout Dept. putter are winning tournaments left and right, ranking him first in the FedEx Cup race and third in the OWGR.
Fitzpatrick and his brother Alex shot a tournament-record 57 in Saturday’s better-ball round of the Zurich Classic and then survived a challenging Sunday for the victory.
Two Bettinardi mallets also placed first and second in the 2026 Most Wanted Mallet test. I’d say that Bettinardi’s new VDF (Variable Depth Flymill) Face is performing as promised. A tip of the cap to the Bettinardi design team.
Although the 2026 Most Wanted Zero-Torque putter test is still in process, the 2025 top-five finish of the Bettinardi Antidote SB2 sets a high expectation level.
Which brings us to today’s announcement: Bettinardi is adding two new zero-torque “Hexperimental” models to their Antidote putter line.
Although these are not official stock line additions, they do expand the total number of zero-torque Antidote models to six, making Bettinardi one of the most prolific companies in the category.
Bettinardi sticks their neck out (and back)
These new models are based upon classic Bettinardi designs but not necessarily classic Antidote designs.
Even the most myopic of observers can’t miss the change in hosel design.
All of the previous Bettinardi Antidote zero-torque putters are center-shafted with the shaft attaching at the putter’s center of gravity. These two new Antidotes are heel-shafted.
Heel shafts are so hot right now
If you are feeling like it’s Groundhog Day, I’m with you. Putter design often chases trends. Currently, heel-shafted zero-torque putters are Hansel-hot.
Multiple companies are now offering zero-torque putters that are not center-shafted. Evnroll and PXG have used novel zero-torque hosels for a while but the most significant heel-shafted splash came last summer when L.A.B. Golf released a heel-shafted version of their OZ.1 HS putter. Their recently released Link2.1 and Link2.2 models are heel-shafted as well.
Most recently, Odyssey took heel-shafted zero-torque to a whole new level by building zero-torque putters that don’t look like zero-torque putters.
Now we can add Bettinardi to the heel-shafted zero-torque cohort. I’ll let company president Sam Bettinardi explain why this was a good move for them.
“Simply Balanced™ over the last 18 months has been our most talked-about putter tech, but it’s only ever been available in center-shaft. The Hexperimental #7 and #9 opens that up to more players, with the same zero-torque advantage, on a design they are most familiar looking down at.”
Bettinardi’s hosel movement methodology
The cornerstone of the new Hexperimental design in the new hosel. At first glance, it looks like a normal plumber’s neck. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that it attaches to the head a little further back from the face and a little closer to the cavity than a normal plumber’s neck.
Additionally, the joint at the top of the neck has slid toward the rear. Typical plumber’s necks create one shaft of offset, placing the shaft axis in front of the putter face. This new Hexperimental hosel heads in the other direction, positioning the shaft axis behind the neck and well behind the face.
Those of you who’ve been following along know where this is going. Once you add a bit of length to the neck, the new hosel design aligns the shaft axis with the center of gravity, effectively eliminating the torque.
The shaft doesn’t need to attach to the CG to eliminate torque; it just needs point at it.
In addition to making the zero-torque putters look like more traditional putters, this new neck allows more traditional head shapes to become zero-torque putters.
I don’t think either of the new Hexperimental Antidote models would have worked with the center shaft build.
Let’s take a look at the two models and you will see what I mean.
Bettinardi Hexperimental Antidote #7
The Hexperimental #7 is a compact mallet. Right away, you can see why the design would not be possible with a center shaft. It’s tough to attach a shaft to a hole.
The hole in the head is important to the design, distributing weight to the perimeter. This perimeter weighting plan boosts MOI and stability.
The Hexperimental #7 is a great squared-off option for those who found the Bettinardi Antidote SB5 too round for their liking.
Still, I do feel like Bettinardi missed an opportunity here to modernize one of their iconic head shapes such as the Half Moon Mallet or Boxcar/Slotcar. Had I opened my inbox and seen a zero-torque version of one of those heads, my head would have exploded.
I’ve had a Half Moon mallet with a plumber’s neck on my putter bucket list for decades and I know I’m not the only one.
Bettinardi Hexperimental Antidote #9
As far as modernizing a classic, Bettinardi nailed it with the Hexperimental #9. This putter is a zero-torque 3 Step JAM, one of Bettinardi’s iconic shapes.
Many golfers cite the 3 Step JAM as their favorite Bettinardi head shape. Many professionals like the head as well. I seem to remember Collin Morikowa putting one in play not too long ago.
From the back, the Hexperimental #9 looks like a normal 3 Step JAM featuring a cavity and plumber’s neck.
That’s the big win. It’s zero-torque that looks traditional.
As with the Hexperimental #7, this putter would not work with the center shaft. First of all, the center of gravity is likely too far forward to attach the shaft to it. It would likely need an attachment point built into the cavity.
More importantly, a center-shafted version of the 3 Step JAM would look awful. Yes, that’s very judgemental of me. You may not agree but when I imagine what that putter would look like, I get a little nauseous.
Bettinardi is known for making beautiful putters but an attractive center-shafted, zero-torque 3 Step JAM would be a big ask. Somethings just shouldn’t be done, like covering a 1958 Corvette with a camouflage vinyl wrap.
Thankfully, the new hosel is able to add the zero-torque technology while keeping the look of the putter intact.
The classic Corvette still looks stock but it has a fire-breathing modern LT5 engine under the hood.
The ever-expanding zero-torque putter landscape
These two new Bettinardi Hexperimental putters demonstrate that innovation is alive and well in the zero-torque putter category. In many ways, this putter category is the uncharted territory where no one company owns the market and the “it” putter is still out there.
Time will tell if either one of these Hexperimental models ends up as a part of a future stock Bettinardi Antidote line. That happened with a Hexperimental Inovai putter. It could happen here.
But why wait for a stock one? The Hexperimental Antidote #7 and #9 feature a unique Black Armor TPT finish, with splashes of Distressed Blue on the face and sole.
The combination of 303 Stainless Steel and Bettinardi’s F.I.T. Face™ (Feel Impact Technology) face milling produces one of the softest-feeling putters out there.
At $550, these are not cheap but they are a solid value. Stock Antidote models are priced at $450. That extra Hexperimental $100 gets you a new head shape, finish and a cool Hexperimental head cover.
If one of these fits your fancy, drop the Benjamin and enjoy the Hexperiment.
Find out more about the new Hexperimental Antidote zero-torque putters at Bettinardi.com.
