“A large fang-style high-MOI mallet with strong alignment aids for maximum stability. Face-balanced and forgiving, best matched to a straight-back-straight-through stroke.”
The BB56 is a large fang-style, high-MOI mallet — described by Bettinardi at launch as the most intricate putter in the BB line — that mixes a 6061 military-grade aluminum body with a separate 303 stainless steel weight built into the topline. Placing that steel weight directly behind and above the ball's equator at address raises the center of gravity while the fang shape maximizes MOI, a combination aimed at producing solid contact and consistent roll even on poor strikes. Its most visible feature is a wide, silver stainless alignment bar with a black sightline running down the middle, framed by the aggressive face milling Bettinardi used across its 2018 mallet releases.
Multiple independent reviewers (Golf.com's ClubTest, Today's Golfer, Golfalot) called it the best mallet Bettinardi had made to that point and reported no faults in testing — strong, convergent critical praise across outlets — though it remained a mid-pack seller next to the era's dominant high-MOI mallets from Odyssey and TaylorMade rather than developing standalone cult demand.
High-handicap or inconsistent-stroke players who want the most help Bettinardi's BB mallets offer and don't mind a bold, alignment-aid-heavy look and a slightly firmer, higher-pitched sound at impact than Bettinardi's steel blades. Feel-focused or better players used to soft milled steel may find the aluminum body's sound off-putting.
Released in 2018 as Bettinardi's most aggressive answer yet to the high-MOI mallet category defined by TaylorMade's Spider and Odyssey's #7-style heads, using a mixed-material (aluminum body, steel topline weight) construction to hit CG and MOI targets that pure-steel milling makes harder to reach.
Reviewers explicitly described it as having 'maxed out forgiveness and stability' — the raised-CG topline weight plus fang-shaped high-MOI body is Bettinardi's most forgiveness-focused BB shape from this era, trading a firmer aluminum-driven sound and feel for maximum stability on mis-hits.
Calibrated across the whole catalog — a tour blade scores low here on purpose; it means control, not ease.
Realistic private-party prices run roughly $160-$280 for a clean example; being discontinued since 2020 and mixed-material (rather than solid steel) keeps it from commanding the same resale floor as Bettinardi's classic milled-steel blades, despite the strong reviews.
Reading is one thing — hitting is another. Book a bay and see the numbers for yourself before you buy anywhere.
