By Tony Dear
In another productive year for boutique putter/wedge manufacturer Bettinardi, the Antidote Hexperimental #2 become its latest release following the introduction of seven BB blades and mallets featuring Variable Depth Flymill (VDF) Face-Milling which involves nine individually tuned zones across the face – deep grooves where you need control, shallow where you need energy; the Matt Fitzpatrick-inspired BB1 Fitz Flow and BB48 Fitz; the gorgeous HLX 6.0 Molten Copper Wedges; and the heel-shafted Antidote Hexperimental #7 and #9 putters which featured the company’s Simply Balanced Zero-Torque technology and Feel Impact Technology (F.I.T.) face-milling.
The Antidote Hexperimental #2, a heel-shafted version of the center-shafted Antidote SB2 which first appeared in January 2025, was announced last Friday and adds to the Tinley Park, IL-based company’s impressive inventory.
The Antidote Series features five base models with Simply-Balanced technology (Zero-Torque), while its Hexperimental putters are an experimental (obviously) extension of the Antidote putters. Sam Bettinardi, son of company founder Bob Bettinardi, has described Hexperimental putters as “a space for innovation and iteration”, where putters may or may not become permanent stock models.
As such, the #2 is a limited-edition putter and will, therefore, only be available for a limited time. It retains the SB2’s high-MOI mallet head, but rather than being center-shafted, the shaft meets the head nearer the hosel, giving it a more conventional look (as we know, the centrally-positioned shaft just doesn’t look right for a lot of golfers).
That and the absence of the Simply-Balanced weighting and geometry, which balances the putter around the center of gravity, gives the Antidote Hexperimental #2 about 30 degrees of toe hang, which means the putter head drops downward 30˚ when the putter is balanced horizontally by its shaft. This moderate-strong toe hang makes it more suited to a stroke with a noticeable arc in which the putterface wants to open rather than remain square throughout the stroke.
To create its high MOI, the head is crafted using two materials – 303 stainless steel for the face and 6061 aluminum for the center and rear. A lightweight center surrounded by a denser material on the perimeter increases the putter’s stability, making it resist twisting should you ever strike the ball away from the sweetspot.
The improved F.I.T. face-milling removes about 30% of the face material, which gives the putter a soft, responsive feel at impact.
Alignment/sight lines are similar to those on the original Antidote SB2 – two parallel lines a ball’s width apart extending to the rear of the head and framing a blue, anodized center insert. The Black Armor TPT finish with distressed blue accents and matte-black shaft give the Antidote Hexperimental #2 as sleek and attractive a look as a large mallet can have.
$550
Grip – Standard or jumbo Bettinardi Black Hex polyurethane
Putter comes with magnetic mallet headcover
Right-hand only
bettinardi.com
The Antidote Hexperimental #2 becomes the third member of Bettinardi’s Antidote Hexperimental family By Tony Dear In another productive year for boutique putter/wedge manufacturer Bettinardi, the Antidote Hexperimental #2 become its latest release following the introduction of seven BB blades and mallets featuring Variable Depth Flymill (VDF) Face-Milling which involves nine individually tuned zones across
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