The new Bel Air II blade putter has officially put LA Golf smack dab in the middle of the putter game. Improvements and enhancements to the original Bel Air X don't merely make Bel Air II a better putter. They make it a putter so damn good it's going to be a favorite and best performer for many players. And the Bel Air II artistry makes it as lustworthy as it is trustworthy.
Is the Bel Air II going to be a Scotty Cameron Newport or Ping Anser killer? Absolutely not. Is Bel Air II going to be a Newport or Anser legitimate competitor? Absolutely yes. Bel Air II is LA Golf putting the putting world on notice they mean business and they're ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone.
Bel Air II was designed with significant input from Bryson DeChambeau. So it's not surprising this putter has undergone somewhat of a transformation from the original Bel Air X. For the record I loved the original Bel Air X. I think it's a fantastic putter. And I'm going to compare Bel Air X and Bel Air II for you a bit in this review. But the Bel Air II is going to bring even more players into the LA Golf putter fold who may have stood on the sidelines before by giving them more of what they want in putter appearance, sound, and performance.
Here are 10 things to know about the new LA Golf Bel Air II putter.
Number 1. ▪️The first thing you immediately notice about the new LA Golf Bel Air II putter is its different shape from the original Bel Air X. And there are a few things worth noting here. First the blade length is shorter and more traditional. In the picture below you see Bel Air II, Odyssey Ai ONE Milled One Wide T, and the original Bel Air X. The Bel Air II neck is also closer to the putter face. I like this because it promotes a more arcing stroke (my natural swing) with more toe hang. Bel Air II is also wider front to back than the original. And as you can see it's the same width as Odyssey's wide blade putter (I'll tell you why that is below).
Number 2. ▪️Bel Air II also features a sculpted neck. We've seen other putter companies do this but LA Golf takes it further by removing weight from the back and front of the neck (the horizontal beam like appearance). This allows even more weight to be repositioned in the toe and heel of the putter head to increase LA Golf's already renowned stability and MOI. And we'll talk a bit more on that below as well.
Number 3. ▪️The LA Golf Bel Air II also has a redesigned sole. It's a subtle improvement over the original but its value to many players is undeniable. Bel Air II has a triple sole (toe and heel areas ground away) which makes it easier to sole your putter with certainty at address. And when you know your putter is sitting flush at address this helps you know your aim is also square. This triple sole also makes it easier to raise the toe or heel at address (which some players like to do) with that same certainty as when you have the putter sitting flush to the ground. Again we've seen other putter companies do this in the past but as valuable a design as it is, why not incorporate it? And LA Golf did just that.
Number 4. ▪️Another obvious difference in the Bel Air II putter compared to the original LA Golf Bel Air X is the new body construction. It combines a carbon fiber body with a milled stainless steel face and the result is an elevation of LA Golf innovation and technical craftsmanship. Let's go over three of these benefits one by one.
Number 5. ▪️First, as noted above the new Bel Air II putter is a shorter (heel to toe) and wider (front to back) blade than the original Bel Air X. Yet a closer inspection will show LA Golf uses what appears to be the same amount of carbon fiber in Bel Air II and it used in the original. So with Bel Air II you're getting the same stability or MOI (and honestly maybe more) of that original larger blade but now in a smaller and more elegant, traditional looking head. Carbon fiber is extremely lightweight compared to traditional steels and materials used in putter design. And LA Golf has redistributed significant (tungsten) weight low, in the heel, and toe of Bel Air II to create an absolutely massive sweet spot with stability that rivals and in some cases even surpasses large mallet heads.
Number 6. ▪️Two, the new Bel Air II putter now sounds and feels like a fully milled stainless steel putter. And it makes sense that it should because LA Golf has given Bel Air II has a fully milled SS face. Sound and feel with the original Bel Air X was honestly hit or miss. People either loved it or they hated it. It wasn't soft like an insert or firm like a milling. To me it was like a muted snapping of your fingers or higher pitched solid wood feeling. It was crisp and I found it charmingly different. Suffice to say it wasn't a sound and feel that appealed to most traditionalists. But the Bel Air II is going to make even the staunchest of traditionalists extremely happy in the sound and feel departments.
Number 7. ▪️And three, the Bel Air II milled stainless steel face helps me manage the speed of my putts better than the original Bel Air X. If you liked the original Bel Air X you already know distance control was (and is) spectacular. In part that's because of the LA Golf's Descending Loft Face (DLF) technology and I'll touch on that more below. But I noticed Bel Air II just feels and plays like a heavier putter without actually being a heavier putter. I assume this has to do with the fully milled SS face. With Bel Air II it's easier for me to control the speed of my stroke and my tempo is smoother. I'm pretty sure Bel Air II also produces a faster roll. And all of this helps me dial in those longer and lag putts tighter with Bel Air II compared to the original.
Number 8. ▪️Twenty-five years from now when LA Golf celebrates its Silver Anniversary their putters will still have DLF (Descending Loft Face) technology. It's that good, it's that smart, and it actually works. DLF is basically a face with four descending degrees of loft from top to bottom. It corrects for shaft lean variance from address to impact so your ball launch is as consistent as a clean center strike. So if you come into the ball with a forward press (which can smother the ball into the turf), DLF has more loft on the top to roll the ball instead of driving it into the ground. Conversely if you come into the ball with an upward angle, DLF has less loft at the bottom to prevent a bouncy roll and instead keep it smooth like a square delivery. Ultimately you get a predictable roll and exceptional distance control no matter where you hit your ball on the face.
Number 9. ▪️The Bel Air II putter features LA Golf's extremely stable P-Series shaft. All you really need to know about the P-Series shaft is players everywhere call it the most stable putter shaft in golf. And no matter what putter they play they're willing to spend an additional $299 to experience the benefits. With the Bel Air II you get the P-Series as a stock (no up-charge) shaft. I won't go into depth about P-Series engineering. You can read about the tech on LA Golf's website. But I can sum up P-Series performance for you just by saying it absolutely helps keep your putter head on line and eliminates unwanted vibration and deflection. I have this shaft installed in other putters I own as well.
Number 10. ▪️I We already talked about the Bel Air II fully milled stainless steel face and DLF technology but I'm reserving one last segment about the face insert. There's not much on LA Golf's website about the face inlay but clearly it exists. I don't know if it's a multi-material construction or if there's any story on shape or configuration. I can tell you however the feel is incredibly solid (almost) like a pure milled face with no insert. At the same time it's somewhat softer than the areas towards the toe and heel that don't have this insert. It's extremely responsive and provides all the feedback you could possibly want. But maybe it's just LA Golf reminding us "you can hit it anywhere in this enormous sweet spot and there is absolutely no variation in consistent roll and distance control."
The new Bel Air II putter is the kind of putter that can revitalize your game on the greens. It's the kind of putter you can trust absolutely and fall in love with completely. LA Golf calls Bel Air II an evolution of their most popular blade putter. But that might be a modest understatement.
The LA Golf Bel Air II might also be a Darwinian transformation of the blade putter as we know it altogether.
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