Equipment
Bettinardi signs Francesco Molinari to its Tour staff
Team Bettinardi now has an Italian flavor. Francesco Molinari, who incidentally has been using a Bettinardi putter since the Italian Open, has officially joined Bettinardi’s tour stable.
The No. 21 golfer in the world had been testing the BB39 and BB56 models in competition, ultimately choosing the BB56.
The BB56, which we profiled here in our look at the BB series, is made from 303 stainless steel (topline weight) and 6061 military grade aluminum (body) to enhance MOI. It also features a raised center of gravity, designed to get the ball rolling end-over-end more quickly.
“I’m delighted to have signed with Bettinardi and using what I believe to be the best performing and finest looking putters on Tour,” said Molinari. “I’ve tested different Bettinardi models in my quest to win on tour in 2018 and make the Ryder Cup team again, and the BB56 sits perfectly for me. I love the technology involved and how passionate the brand is on creating quality putters.”
Molinari is coached on his putting by Dave Stockton. The 35-year-old finished runner-up at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, and second at the European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. He also tied for sixth at The Players Championship.
Robert Bettinardi, President and CEO of Bettinardi Golf, said. “Signing Francesco is fantastic news for the Bettinardi brand and we’re thrilled to have him on board. He’s a very popular and successful player on both European and PGA Tours, and we’ve worked closely with him to enhance his performance on the greens.”
Molinari joins Matt Kuchar, Ben Silverman, and Jim Herman as members of Bettinardi’s PGA Tour Staff for 2018.
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.
From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4
3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms
Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105
Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
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Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4 3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4 5-wood: Ping G440...
Eric Cole WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: PXG Lightning Tour Max (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees) Shaft:...
Si Woo Kim WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X Mini driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Mini...
Wyndham Clark’s winning WITB: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
Acew7iron
Dec 21, 2017 at 8:32 pm
*KuchAR
spell check got me
Acew7iron
Dec 21, 2017 at 8:30 pm
I will be joining the team also…
Just picked up a Kucher #2 arm-lock model off the Bay for a steal of a deal
#pumped for 2018 golf
Benny
Dec 28, 2017 at 8:32 am
LOL… welcome to the team! 😉