For 18 months, Bettinardi has been telling golfers that Simply Balanced technology is the future of putting. The catch was that future only came in center-shaft. That changes now with the Hexperimental #7 and #9, the first heel-shafted putters to carry the brand's zero-torque design.
What Makes the Bettinardi Hexperimental Putter Different?
The engineering problem was never trivial. Zero-torque technology works by aligning the shaft axis with the putter's center of gravity, which is straightforward when the shaft goes through the middle of the head. Moving that connection point to the heel while maintaining the same physics required Bettinardi to rethink the geometry entirely. The solution involves a modified plumber's neck with minimal onset, preserving the visual profile that heel-shaft loyalists expect while delivering the face stability the brand has been promising.
The two models split along classic lines. The #7 is a compact mallet with a rectangular cutout that pushes weight to the perimeter. The #9 is a wide-body blade with a high toe, the kind of shape that has been moving greens for decades. Both are milled in-house from 303 stainless steel with the re-engineered F.I.T. Face that removes 30 percent of the face material for softer impact feel. At $550 each, they sit firmly in Bettinardi's premium tier.
Why Does a Heel Shafted Putter Expand Bettinardi's Market?
This matters beyond the product itself. Bettinardi has been climbing steadily in industry visibility, up more than 22 percent in tracked brand momentum over the past month. But the company has always faced a fundamental ceiling: its most innovative technology was locked into a shaft configuration that a majority of golfers do not prefer. Center-shaft putters remain a minority taste, particularly among better players who grew up looking down at a heel connection. By solving the engineering challenge, Bettinardi just expanded its addressable market significantly.
The left-hand option on the #9 is worth noting. Lefty golfers have been underserved in the premium putter space for years, and Bettinardi continuing to include them in limited releases suggests the brand understands that loyalty in the putter category is built one player at a time. Whether the Hexperimental line becomes a permanent fixture or remains a limited experiment, the technology bridge has been crossed. Expect heel-shafted Simply Balanced to show up across more of the lineup if these sell.
