“Bettinardi's first zero-torque Simply Balanced design in a blade shape that keeps the face square through the stroke. Best for players who want a blade look but struggle with face rotation; suits a straighter stroke.”
The SB1 is the blade of Bettinardi's 2025 Antidote line -- the brand's first entry into the zero-torque category that L.A.B. Golf popularized. Its 'Simply Balanced' construction positions the shaft in line with the head's center of gravity so the putter hangs face-up (roughly 90 degrees toe-up) and stays square through the stroke without the golfer fighting face rotation. Bettinardi wrapped that engineering in a wide-bodied blade shape with curved bumpers and a center-ish shaft, then gave it F.I.T. (Feel Impact Technology) face milling that removes about 55% of the material in the hitting zone for what reviewers call the softest sound Bettinardi makes. It is the zero-torque putter for players who dislike the boxy look of the genre.
A credible, well-reviewed launch (Plugged In Golf, Golf Monthly) that established Bettinardi in a hot category, but as a first-year 2025 production model it has no cult history -- notable for being a milled, USA-made take on zero-torque with unusually traditional lines, not a collectible. The category's icon status belongs to L.A.B.; the SB1 is a strong challenger, not a legend.
For the player who wants zero-torque, square-face help but refuses a bulky mallet -- arc-stroke golfers and traditionalists drawn to a compact, milled blade with a soft feel. Also good for those who fight a rotating/closing face. Golfers chasing maximum MOI and off-center forgiveness should choose the SB2/SB3/SB5 mallets; those who don't want to adapt to the face-up, square-through mechanics of zero-torque should stay with a conventional toe-hang blade.
Launched January 2025 as one of the two original Antidote models (with the SB2 mallet), Bettinardi's answer to the zero-torque wave led by L.A.B. Golf and joined by PXG, Evnroll and others. It competes as the premium milled, Made-in-USA option in a category otherwise defined by cast/multi-material designs, and reviewers rated its stroke feel among the most natural of the zero-torque putters tested.
Split forgiveness, and the number reflects the trade-off. The zero-torque Simply Balanced design meaningfully reduces face-angle error -- the single biggest source of missed putts -- so the face stays square with less skill input. But the SB1 is still a compact blade shape with modest MOI, so pure off-center strikes lose more roll than a big mallet. A 5 credits the real face-stability help while docking it for blade-class MOI; the mallet Antidotes (SB2/SB3/SB5) forgive off-center misses better.
Calibrated across the whole catalog — a tour blade scores low here on purpose; it means control, not ease.
MSRP $430. As a 2025 first-year model, used supply is thin and prices stay high: expect graded reconditioned-retail at or near full price and realistic 2026 private-party value around $300-390 for a clean head, dependent on length and shaft. Beware reconditioned-retail listings implying scarcity value -- this is a current-catalog putter, not a collectible, so depreciation is limited only by its newness, not by cult demand.
Reading is one thing — hitting is another. Book a bay and see the numbers for yourself before you buy anywhere.
