I first heard about Bettinardi earlier this year when I received a press release mentioning their new 2010 Putter line. The owner of the company, Bob Bettinardi has been making putters for years and the putters are pretty coveted by those who roll with them.

I received a Bettinardi BB1 putter a couple weeks before the 2010 PGA Merchandise show to review and it’s still in the bag today. While I was at the show I had the awesome opportunity to interview Bob Bettinardi about the company and learned a lot about the company’s values, initiatives, design concepts, etc..

During the interview, we discussed one of the companies newer initiatives; custom Bettinardi belt buckles.

“The Bettinardi belt buckles were started about two years ago.” says Bob Bettinardi, “When I would go to tour events, I saw a lot of customization on the buckles and I started thinking to myself, maybe we should be doing this. Because custom belt buckles are made out of steel and we already have the facilities. I started coming up with a concept and shortly after we designed and implemented it. The belt buckles are really going crazy now because we’re able to customize it for green grass establishments and corporations.”

I asked him if any prominent players on tour were sporting the Bettinardi custom belt buckle and he mentioned that Angel Cabrera was wearing it when he won the 2009 Masters.

The custom belt buckles are precision milled under the same exacting standards as Bettinardi putters and the buckle is an extension of the companies superior metal craft from the function of golf putters to the golf fashion world.

Beginning as a solid piece of high-grade double aged stainless steel (D.A.S.S.), the Bettinardi buckle goes through an incredible proprietary milling technique on their horizontal milling machines. These are made entirely on site and are monitored at every step. Machinists and technicians handle each custom belt buckle through the entire production process.

The Bettinardi belt buckle is available in two brushed finished sizes: 1-1/4″ and 1-1/2″, and like its putter counterpart, can be customized to your taste and specifications, including 3-letter initialing, design engraving, and hand-painted elements.

The process to designing a custom buckle was a simple one. I sent Bettinardi an image of the blog’s new logo (which I still need to integrate into the site).

About a week later I received an email with the rendering of the custom belt buckle and they asked if I wanted any changes or modifications made to it.

After I gave the thumbs up on the rendered buckle, it went into production. About two weeks later, I received a very nicely put together package from Bettinardi containing the buckle, a black belt and a card with a little message that read:

“Dear Friend,

On behalf of Bettinardi Golf, we would like to thank you for choosing a product from your R.J Bettinardi Sculpted Metal Collection. We pride ourselves on design and craftsmanship to those who appreciate the finest quality. It is our hope that you take as much pride in your selected item as we do. If we can be of further assistance to you, please feel free to contact us.”

I’m happy with the buckle and feel good wearing it. Problem is, I don’t have enough green in my wardrobe to wear it daily.. The Bettinardi Custom belt buckle is up to the standard the company sells itself with and they did a really good job rendering the logo on the buckle. Accompanying the buckle was a high quality, hand crafted full-grain black leather belt. The price of a custom buckle is $200.

Aside from the custom work, Bettinardi also has a collection of Buckles and belts for you to choose from. The price for these is $175 for the buckle and a belt of your choosing.

I know what you’re thinking, man, that OGB buckle is AWESOME and I REALLY want one! Well, you can purchase it for $175 (belt included). If you’re interested, shoot me an email and we can get it setup. You’ll purchase it through Bettinardi, but since it’s custom work, I need to give you the OK to use it.

I’m interested to hear what your comments are on the custom belt buckle. I think it’s pretty badass, but then again.. I’m a bit biased since it’s MY logo!