In honor of Memorial Day and our military, Bettinardi Golf is releasing the second putter in their military-themed Armageddon Limited Edition series, the BB56 Armageddon. Like it’s predecessor, this Armageddon putter features a military motif, but putter also features maybe the coolest metal that I have ever seen used to build a putter.

It was about a year ago when Bob Bettinardi and crew unveiled their first military-themed putter, the BB1 Armageddon Limited Edition putter. That putter featured a military color palate, and other military-inspired design elements, like the Picatinny Rail top line. Combine that with their first uPatch headcover, and you had a truly unique putter offering.

This new Armageddon putter blows away its predecessor. Not because the BB56 placed third in this year's Most Wanted Mallet Test. Not because of how precisely it’s made, we are talking about Bettinardi after all. Instead what sets it apart is what its materials.

Yes, I’ve just teased about the metal for the second time. I feel no guilt about that. The metal in this putter is next-level cool

BB56 Armageddon Specifications:

Material: High-grade (Military) Kaiser 6061 Aluminum
Insert: 303 Stainless Steel Topline
Face Milling: Floating Fit-face
Weight: 350 grams
Finish: Stealth Desert Sand TPT
Lie: 70 degree
Loft: 2 degrees
Grip: Bettinardi Lamkin Deep Etched Cord Orange Grip
Number Made: 125
MSRP: $500.00
Release Date: May 24, 2018 (10:00AM CDT)

So, About That Metal...

Some of you metal heads out there may be poised to strike at your keyboards, sharpening your wrath as you prepare to explain to me how this Kaiser 6061 aluminum is not different from the typical 6061 aluminum of the stock BB56.

Maybe you have a point. I’ll defer to your metal expertise, but you are dead wrong about the metal in the BB56 Armageddon being typical aluminum.

I’ll let Specialist Ryan Finch explain about the metal.

The material came from the shop my Dad worked at. They cut door armor for Humvees. There were blanks that were the window cut outs that normally would be scraped. Dad asked the owner if he could save some to do a project for me. He always took pride in making the armor and the deployment was hard on the family. We sat on the material for 10 years trying to come up with something to make.

So Ryan’s dad worked at the factory (Magna Machine Company) where they manufactured the armor that was protecting his son while he was deployed. His dad saved this metal, and that is the metal that the BB56 Armageddon putters were milled from.

How amazing is that? That is so amazing to me that I’m at a loss for words to express my amazement. I’m not often awestruck by putters, but reading the email from Ryan stopped me in my tracks.

But why putters, and why Bettinardi? Again, I’ll let Ryan tell his story.

I started golfing with Dad when I got back home, at first it was a way to hang with dad and drink beer. More I played the more I grew to love it. As my PTSD really started kicking in it was a good forum of therapy.

I reached out to Bettinardi because Dad’s a big Bettinardi fan and they're the perfect company. Big enough to be in retail stores and across the globe but small enough to do cool projects and actually answer emails. Robert and the crew are big military supporter and awesome to work with. I couldn't have picked a better company to work with. Bettinardi is more of a family than just a company, Dad and I are proud to be a small part of that family now.

Again, I’m pretty much speechless about all of this, which is not so helpful when trying to tell a story, but what else can I say? I am amazed, impressed, and in no small way touched by the story of how these putters came to be.

Armageddon vs. The Stock BB56

As if the story of the metal was not enough to establish the uniqueness of the BB56 Armageddon, there are also some design elements that separate it from its stock brother.

Color Scheme

Like the BB1 Armageddon, the BB56 Armageddon features a previously unreleased finish. The Stealth Desert Sand finish is a bit lighter, and less Earthy when compared to the Flat Dark Earth finish of the BB1 Armageddon.

Looking at the photos of military Humvees, I’d say that this Stealth Desert Sand finish is a pretty good match, which is likely the point after all.

Design Changes

In addition to the different color, there are a few other design modifications worth pointing out. First of all, the stock BB56’s flymill face has been replaced with a Floating F.I.T. Face. The F.I.T. face milling removes material (and mass) from the face, which will make the putter feel softer.

When you look at the address position, you will also notice that the milling pattern in the side cavities has changed. The BB56 Armageddon features five ridges per side, compared to the far more numerous, and smaller ridges found on the stock BB56. The bottom of the BB56 Armageddon also lacks the milled furrows found on the stock BB56. And yes, the sight line is bright orange.

MOLLE Headcover

Once again, the Bettinardi Armageddon release comes with a one of a kind headcover. This time, rather using the uPatch Velcro design again, Bettinardi designed the headcover to look like the MOLLE webbing system found on military packs. My civilian self had no clue about the MOLLE system, but thankfully there is Wikipedia.

MOLLE is an acronym for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. The system's modularity is derived from the use of Pouch Attachment Ladder System (PALS) webbing as rows of heavy-duty nylon stitched onto the vest to allow for the attachment of various compatible pouches and accessories.

Not only does this headcover keep with the military theme, but you have spots to lash things to it as well. Sure, you could probably just slide a pitch tool or tees in there, but I’m sure that there is a little pouch out there just begging to be attached to this headcover.

It’ll be a Rapid Deployment

With only 125 of these being made, you can expect them to sell out quickly, so head over to Bettinardi, or contact your local authorized Bettinardi dealer. Some of you are going to be turned off at the $500 price tag on these, but in the land of limited edition putters, $500 seems a bit low even.

Custom BB56 putters have been instantly selling out in The Hive for $900, leading me to believe that these Armageddon BB56s, with the amazing metal pedigree, Bettinardi could have sold for more.

Just like last year, Bettinardi will again be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Warriors for Freedom Foundation, who provides support for veterans and their families.

So, with the BB56 Armageddon, you get a performance-tested design, metal sourced from actual Humvees, a solid father-son story, and some of your purchase goes to a deserving charity.

Well done Bettinardi Golf, well done.

Win a BB56 Armageddon

Do you know a veteran or someone currently serving in the military who would like to bag this putter? Well, you will have a chance to win one for him or her! Just keep an eye on the Bettinardi Instagram page this weekend for your chance to win.