50 Words or Less
The Rife Barbados 2.0 has a confidence inspiring shape. Great balance, roll, and control.
Introduction
Rife was a putter brand that made a great name for itself with success on the PGA Tour, the LPGA, and the Senior Tour all at once. As soon as some momentum was building up for Rife, it was almost has if they just completely disappeared. What happened is that Rife transitioned into new ownership and an effort was being made to re-image the brand into new presence known as Rife Golf. With this re-emergence into the golf world, Rife brought with it some new futuristic designs, the classics that many had come to love, and some twists on the classics to give loyalists some new options. The Rife Barbados 2.0 is one of those re-tooled classics, and this review will explore whether or not it lives up to its predecessor.
Looks
How do you improve on a mallet that had already seen so much success and developed a loyal following? Well Rife made the face and edges of the Rife Barbados 2.0 a little thicker and “squished” the head a little bit. The head shape really frames the ball nicely and the three sight lines on the back flange really make this mallet easy to line up. The black finish keeps the sun from reflecting back at you and seems to be nice and durable.
Sound & Feel
For a period of time, I actually had the original Rife Barbados in my bag, so I was excited to how the Rife Barbados 2.0 compared on the course. The original Rife Barbados had a little more of a muted “thud” off the face but the Barbados 2.0 has a little bit more a “clink” or “tinny” sound to it. It’s definitely a little lighter and airy-er sound when compared to the original Barbados.
By thickening the face and edges, Rife brought the weight of the Barbados 2.0 up to 380 grams compared to the original Barbados weighing in at 350 grams. As a result, the Barbados 2.0 feels very stable throughout the swing and very solid at impact. The heavier weight gives a nice feel and response making control of your putts a breeze. I found the Barbados 2.0 very easy to use when it came to speed and distance control.
Performance
It is a firm belief of mine that Rife putters are some of the best in the game when it comes to putting a nice pure roll on the ball, and the Rife Barbados 2.0 is no exception. The RollGroove face is the real deal and the ball comes off into a nice tight roll immediately. I have yet to hit a Rife putter where I have experienced any skips, hops, or slides prior to rolling toward the hole. The perfect roll makes it easy to keep the ball on line and strong at any distance. Historically, I have played a Rife Aruba, but this Barbados 2.0 has been a nice alternative as a mallet makes it easy for me to keep the face square throughout the stroke resulting in more accurate putts.
Conclusion
As a big fan of the original Rife Barbados, I openly embraced the introduction of the Rife Barbados 2.0 putter and I’m not the least bit surprised that it’s a great little putter. If you’re looking a nice mallet putter in the mid-level price range with high-end performance, the Rife Barbados 2.0 is an excellent option to take a look at this season. For the original Rife Barbados loyalists, Rife puts it best: “This mallet complimented by the Barbados 1.0 will give the true RIFE believer an opportunity to fall in love once again.”
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Bill Bush
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Hey Bill,
Thank you for the helpful review. I recently purchase this same putter but the one I found had red trim instead of blue from RIFE. Can you tell me the difference as they come with two different grips and head covers as well? You also described a “tinny” sound when striking the ball but I’ve found it to be more of a thud similar to the White Hot insert. I’m guessing it’s just updated trim on the same putter for the next years model. The sound difference you describe does intrigue me though. Any thought?
Jamen,
Unfortunately Bill no longer writes for Plugged In Golf. I’m sorry we can’t answer your question.
Best,
Matt
Bill may no longer write for Plugged In Golf, but since you still run his review, you should be willing to respond to the comments it generates. Just sayin.’ (BTW, I have the exact same question as Jamen.)
We did respond. We responded by giving the honest answer that we don’t know because no one on our current staff has used this putter.
-Matt