Tinley Park-based high-end putter maker expands into irons
Photographs by Charles Cherney
This article appeared in the June 2024 edition of Chicago District Golfer.
To read more Chicago District Golfer stories, head to our article archive.
Sam (left) and Bob Bettinardi are looking to take their family-owned business to the next level with the rollout of irons.
Bettinardi Golf is known for its precision-milled putters and wedges, but the Tinley Park-based company has been on a Stimpmeter roll of late with new expansion strategies, including the introduction of its first-generation iron sets.
In April, the company founded in 1998 by Bob Bettinardi rolled out its new irons with two models: the muscle-back MB24, featuring Tour-proven aesthetics for players demanding precision, and the cavity-back CB24 set, offering increased playability and shot forgiveness.
Both sets share the Bettinardi focus on quality and precision while also applying the company’s hallmark Honeycomb milling and classic design found in its putters and wedges. Both the muscle-back and cavity-back styles are priced at $1,600 per set from 4 iron through pitching wedge and are available in right- and left-handed models.
“We’ve been in the golf business for 26 years and it has always been a dream to make irons the next extension of the brand that started in 1998,” said company president Sam Bettinardi, 34, who runs the family-owned business along with his father Bob. “We have been waiting for the right time to come out. We have so many loyalists asking when we were going to make irons.”
Making the dream a reality has been years in the making for the Bettinardis.
“He was pushing me for the past five or six years,” said Sam of his father’s focus on expanding the company’s product line to include iron sets. “We focused on making the best irons possible and last summer we got our first samples.”
Not by coincidence, the rollout comes as the golf industry continues its upward trajectory. According to the National Golf Foundation (NGF), there were a record 531 million rounds played in 2023 compared to the previous record high of 529 million rounds played set in 2021. The NGF also sees rounds trending more than 10% ahead of the five-year, pre-pandemic average from 2015-19. In addition, players typically replace their irons every five to six years, according to Bettinardi, whose company hopes to capitalize on the strong demand.
“The company is called Bettinardi Golf, not Bettinardi Putters,” said Bob Bettinardi, who serves as chief executive officer. “I did want to get into irons, but we are not just going to come up with any set of irons. We are doing it the right way. We are not Callaway where you have 800 employees. We have 100 employees, and it takes time. It’s our first foray [into making irons] and you want to make sure you are doing it perfect.”
The new irons are sold in select golf stores, including PGA Tour Superstore and Club Champion outlets, in some green grass clubs as well as through Bettinardi.com.
“I don’t want them sold off the rack,” said Sam Bettinardi. “Go in and get fitted and have the fitter tell the story. It is intimate purchasing.”
Before the April release, the irons were put to the test with Bettinardi putting the new clubs into Tour players’ hands as part of the company’s extensive market research and design. Among the players was World Golf Hall of Famer Fred Couples, who appeared in a video displayed on the company website, giving the irons his thumbs up, thereby bolstering Bettinardi’s confidence in the product.
“Last summer we got our first samples in and brought them to the range to be tested against multiple irons,” Sam Bettinardi said. “We got tournament players to test it. To have a hall of famer tell us we have a great product gave us the green light to go all systems and bring it to market.”
The rollout of the new iron sets is the latest effort in Bettinardi’s recent aggressive growth strategy. Last year, during Bettinardi’s 25th anniversary, the company opened its glitzy Studio B Oak Brook at 1225 22nd Street in west suburban Oak Brook. The 7,000-square-foot studio and store features the company’s putters, wedges, head covers and apparel, as well as the new irons, which can be fitted in the store. Studio B also features “The Hive,” a space that showcases the company’s limited-run putters and headcovers, as well as fitting services, which clients rave about. The retail space replaces the smaller company’s Tinley Park location, which had been accessed by appointment only and experienced limited foot traffic and brand exposure.
“We are in a very prominent location, and it has been nice to plant a big flag in Chicago,” Sam Bettinardi said of its Studio B store. “It lets customers experience what the Bettinardi brand is all about.”
The company’s new approach comes as Sam Bettinardi continues to evolve his leadership role. Sam, who graduated from Marquette and had a stint on the golf team, joined the family business in 2013, where he has played a key role in growing revenue.
“Direct-to-consumer demand has exploded and our wedges have helped that,” he said. “Irons will continue to propel it forward.”
While Sam runs the company’s day-to-day operations, his father continues to be closely involved, especially in product design.
“We’ve had a good run and Sam has taken it to the next level,” Bob said.
John Lombardo is a Chicago-based journalist who covered the golf industry for Sports Business Journal.