Making Matt’s putter

When Bettinardi first started working with Matt, he’d been using a Yes! Tracy II putter since the age of 16. But as the brand had gone out of business, the world top-20 player had taken to buying his back-ups on ebay. Bettinardi spent five years working with Matt and, after producing almost 30 prototypes, they created his perfect putter and signed him to a deal at the end of 2020.

“Matt can tell between the smallest changes in feel, sound and shape,” says Executive Vice President Sam Bettinardi. “He notices everything, so our team really had to step it up when working with him.”

Matt loves using what he knows, so moving on from the circular-shaped C-groove face of the Yes! involved a lengthy transition period. As the patent had expired, Bettinardi were able to take all that was good about the groove and move it on with new shaping, to give a slightly better feel and roll.

“Offset is a really personal thing and nailing that, along with the flow neck design that Matt likes, was a key step forward,” says Sam. “He likes a sixth of a shaft of offset (other players range from threequarters to an eighth), the 346g weight has to be spot on, with zero tolerance, and he insists on a polished silver topline but the body absolutely has to be black.”

Matt’s putters are created from double aged stainless steel – the metal is heated and cooled twice, which anneals and softens the material for machining, while also giving a softer feel. Matt’s so switched onto feel that when Bettinardi regrip his putter, they even have to sandpaper it to ensure they create the rough, rugged feel he loves.