Yes! Nicky Putter Review

With its new Nicky model putter, Yes! Golf has gone back to the future, incorporating modern groove technology into an old-school blade.

Does the Nicky ($149) do justice to the classics? Following is PutterZone.com’s Yes! Nicky putter review.

The Storyline
Yes! Golf unveiled its first C-Groove putters at the 2000 PGA Merchandise Show and entered the U.S. Market in 2004 after Retief Goosen won his second U.S. Open title using the same C-Groove putter he used in his 2001 U.S. Open victory.

Today, Yes! Golf ranks at the top of LPGA putter usage, and is also a force on the PGA Tour, with Goosen, Stephen Ames and Colin Montgomerie among its converts.

The concentric C-Grooves on Yes! putters are designed to send the ball on a truer topspin roll for enhanced directional and distance control. A truer roll essentially means less skidding and hopping, which translates to improved accuracy.

As Yes! Golf CEO Francis Ricci stated in an earlier interview with PutterZone.com: “The groove edges on impact—assuming the plane of the strike is slightly upward—grip into the surface of the ball and impart an over-the-top rolling force.”

The Nicky is a classically styled heel-shafted blade, one of a wide variety of putter styles offered by Yes! Golf. The 304 stainless steel head weighs 350 grams, which is heavier than most traditional blade putters. The sole and grooves are chromium plated. Two alignment lines are scored in black atop the crown.

The View from PutterZone.com
In profile, the Nicky looks sleek and classic, but its shiny chrome accents and signature C-Groove face are purely 21st century. The Nicky manages to be both flashy and classy, and it will definitely turn heads on the green.

As a fully toe-down blade, the Nicky naturally favors a gated stroke (as opposed to straight back and through). Additionally, the heavier 350-gram head seems to magnify the blade’s predisposition to opening and closing along the path of the stroke. In the words of Volkswagen, this putter requires some “Fahrvergnügen.” It’s a putter for folks who like to take their putter for a ride, not vice versa.

To me, the feel of the Nicky is neither firm nor soft, but rather both. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but the Nicky exhibits a clicky firmness as well as a supple core, sort of like biting into an Oreo cookie.

I’ve generally been noncommittal when it comes to the efficacy of putter grooves in matters of imparting truer roll. Putters with face grooves usually have lower lofts, and I play in a dry climate with relatively hard, fast greens—conditions that favor less loft. So is it the chicken (grooves) or the egg (less loft)?

The C-Grooves on the Nicky, however, do make me wonder. There just seems to be a little bit of magic in the roll off the Nicky. It’s tight and glassy and precise. The ball hugs the ground, a mesmerizing visual effect that translates to heightened performance.

I’m not crazy about Yes! Golf’s black-white-yellow brand color scheme, which is found on the grips of all Yes! putters. However, the folks at Yes! tell me that this scheme is a big hit for them, so what do I know? It certainly sets the brand apart. And, color aside, the Nicky’s grip feels great in the hands.

The Bottom Line
The Yes! Nicky is a sexy blade for those who prefer the look and behavior of a more traditional putter. It offers classic blade performance with the added advantage of the signature C-Groove face, which enhances accuracy by way of a beautiful roll. Yes! Golf is coming on strong these days, and the Nicky is no exception.

Rife Rolls Out New Cayman Putter

Rife Putters is set to unveil the newest model in its acclaimed Island Series—the Cayman blade.

According to Rife: “The latest addition to the Rife Island Series…will appeal to golfers looking for a more traditional look and feel. The new Cayman, like all of the Island Series putters, is 100-percent CNC milled from soft 303 stainless steel and features Rife’s patented ‘RollGroove’ technology, producing the quickest roll in golf.”

The Cayman has already been spotted at several PGA tournaments. According to Rife, it will be posted for sale on the company’s web site at the end of this week, and will start appearing at retail outlets shortly thereafter. The price is $179.

The Cayman borrows from the classic “softtail” design popularized by T.P. Mills and others, with a curving topline toward the toe. At first glance, the Cayman looks striking.

The initial iterations of the Cayman featured a “sound slot” at the base of the cavity behind the face for enhanced audio feedback. However, Rife determined that the Cayman performed better without the sound slot, so the retail version will not have it.

Rife says that the Cayman’s “mid-slant hosel produces a toe-ward weight bias promoting a open to close swing path so common among the greatest players in golf.”

Following are the Cayman’s specs:

Head weight – 345 grams

Lie Angle – 70 degrees

Loft of head – 2 degrees

Shaft kickback – .5 degree (shaft leans back away from the face toward the right eye)

Effective loft – 1.5 degree (head loft minus kickback)

Groove to land ratio – 1 to 3 (groove width 45/1000” to land 15/1000”)

Lengths – Available in 35” and 34” RH and 35” LH

Winn custom AVS grip

Proprietary extruded tube stepless steel shaft

Head cover with magnet clasps

Tattoo Your Titleist

A remarkably cool golf ball accessory is coming to a store near you.

Indeed, from shamrocks to aliens, flowers to flames, you can now tattoo your Titleist (or any favorite ball) with something more stylish, and less messy, than a Sharpie marker.

Golfdotz were first unveiled at the PGA Merchandise Show earlier this year, and PutterZone.com recently put them to the test with very happy results.

The genius of Golfdotz is their simplicity and durability. You just cut out your chosen icon from a sheet of twelve, peel off the backing paper and press it onto your ball. Within seconds, the icon is transferred, adhering cleanly to the dimples as if it were printed just like the ball’s own brand logo. The price is $4.99 for a pack of a dozen Golfdotz, which are proudly made in the U.S.A.

Golfdotz are the invention of entrepreneur David Poole, an Englishman who came to the United States by way of Japan. He spent seven years in Japan, studying martial arts, becoming fluent in Japanese and heading up the marketing division for a large Japanese corporation, including starting and running an Indy motor sports sponsorship program.

According to David, “I took up golf as I had a fear of looking like a complete idiot on the first tee of big corporate outings. Sadly, this plan failed!”

In 2002, after moving to the U.S., David started a company that specializes in “new generation transfer technology.” After success at the industrial level, he wanted to test the retail marketplace with his own ideas. His company, Transfer Studio, unveiled Golfdotz and Footiez (tattoos for shoes) simultaneously in January.

“Response from PGA show has been incredible and we picked up distribution all over the world," David says. "It is going to be an interesting year.”

Among the many Golfdotz designs are alignment lines that can help you line up your putt and gauge your ball’s rotation. However, PutterZone.com thinks you’re more likely to sink that crucial putt when feeling the good vibes of an alien or a shamrock.

If you are looking for a sleek, unique and stylish way to personalize your golf balls, look no further than Golfdotz.

Putter Buzz: Boo Scares Up Another Win

Boo Weekley repeats with a familiar putter, Lorena Ochoa dominates with a new model and Tiger Woods puts some bark in the arc. Here's the latest Putter Buzz on the PGA Tour and beyond:

1. Boo Weekley wielded his trusty Never Compromise GM2 Exchange #7 putter (pictured here) while securing his repeat victory at the Verizon Heritage tournament, picking up a cool $990,000 in the process. Never Compromise is on a PGA Tour roll right now. Steve Flesch used the same #7 model putter at the Masters, finishing in fifth place and earning $275,000. Vijay Singh and David Toms were among others playing with Never Compromise putters at the Masters. Click here for PutterZone.com’s review of the Never Compromise GM2 Exchange #2 putter.

2. Lorena Ochoa’s remarkable run of four straight victories has been aided with a PING Redwood Series ZB putter, one of PING’s two new Redwood Series models. Her latest win at the Ginn Open tied the LPGA record for consecutive victories, and she has now qualified for the World Golf Hall of Fame at the age of 27.

3. Rising star Andres Romero is making noise with a Rife Barbados model putter, tying for 8th place at the Masters. According to Rife: “This is the 3rd year in a row that Rife has had a top 10 finish at the Masters, with a T-5th place finish in 2007 and a T-3rd place finish in 2006.” Click here for PutterZone.com’s review of the new Rife Two Bar Hybrid putter.

4. Tiger Woods’ putter may have failed him at the Masters, but he’s still a genius with the flatstick. Charlotte Observer writer Ron Green, Jr. recently took a lesson from Hank Haney, Woods’ instructor. According to Green, Haney told him: “Woods…rotates the putter 11 degrees during his stroke, 4.5 degrees open going back, 6.5 degrees closed on the follow through.” Surely, the amount of rotation depends on the length of the stroke, but the point is clear—Woods not only putts with an arcing stroke, he does it with surgical precision.

Golfers Say Adios to Back Pain

Can golfers with chronic back pain regain their game without undergoing surgery or other intensive measures? Yes.

In the latest issue of Golf Digest, you will find this revealing little tidbit in Tim Rosaforte’s Tour Talk column: “Ben Crane says he can partially thank Dr. John Sarno for three top-12 finishes in early 2008. Crane was in so much back pain in 2007, he visited Sarno, who says a lot of back pain is caused by tension and anxiety. Crane says he’s now free of pain.”

What Rosaforte doesn’t mention is that Dr. Sarno has authored several books that can give the rest of us relief from back pain, too.

Even if you’ve been told you have a bulging disc or some other structural explanation for your pain, you should consider what Dr. Sarno has to say, because it just might save you untold grief and money. What you are about to read is strange but true—just ask Ben Crane.

The View From PutterZone.com
It seems that every few months we hear of some PGA tour professional who is suffering from a sudden onset of mysterious ailments, many of them related to back, neck or joint pain. Mike Weir and Aaron Oberholser are some recent examples. Ben Crane, however, is the first professional golfer I’ve heard about who has consulted Dr. Sarno.

I can personally attest to Sarno’s methods, as his methods cured my own persistent bouts of severe back pain about nine years ago. Shock jock Howard Stern and ABC investigative reporter John Stossel are among the many believers as well. A former boss turned me onto Sarno’s books. I was resistant at first, but I couldn’t argue with the results. We're talking nothing short of a miracle here.

The only thing you need to bring to Sarno’s teachings is an open mind. Just listen, absorb and accept what he’s saying. If you don’t, it won’t work. Sarno’s methods do not require exercises, stretching or physical therapy. Rather, they simply require you to come to terms with the mind-body pain process.

Contrary to what the medical establishment would have you believe, Sarno says that back pain is usually a physical manifestation of a non-physical cause.

In other words, the physical pain is very real. It’s not in your head. However, the physical ailment that causes the pain is frequently rooted in personality traits and psychological tensions that many of us harbor—even wealthy professional golfers with great lives and wonderful families. If you come to terms with this, and if you accept it as the cause of your back pain, you very well may find that your pain has suddenly gone away.

Even if you’ve been diagnosed with a bulging disc or some other structural cause for your back pain, you need to consider that many pain-free people are walking around with bulging discs, totally unaware of the condition. What the medical establishment views as causation, Sarno has proven is often just correlation.

Also, if you can attribute the onset of your pain to a specific incident or accident—such as straining yourself while lifting a heavy box or, in Mike Weir’s case, a fan jumping on your back—you need to know that Sarno’s teachings account for this as well.

Of course, there are instances when traditional medical intervention is required to alleviate back pain and physical damage—just not nearly as often as the medical establishment would have you believe.

I won’t go into all of Sarno’s insights here. All I will do is recommend that you start with his first book, Healing Back Pain. It’s a quick read, and you can find it new for $10. Then read Sarno’s second book, The Mindbody Prescription.

I have no personal or vested interest in Dr. John Sarno. I’ve never spoken with the man. I’ve just read and benefited from his books. I am grateful for his work and feel obligated to spread his good news. It worked for me, it worked for Ben Crane, and it just might work for you.

And The SeeMore Putter Winner Is...

The winner of PutterZone.com’s recent exclusive drawing for a $325 SeeMore mFGP is Mark Zubert of Minnesota.

Mark was thrilled to receive the good news. It turns out that he is a fan of SeeMore putters and, in fact, even made his own putter based on the principles of the SeeMore RifleScope alignment system. While he likes his creation, he says that the mFGP will definitely knock it out of his bag.

Just prior to receiving the call from PutterZone.com, Mark said he’d been out on the practice putting green during lunchtime. He sounds like the type of golfer who will put in the hard hours to make the most out of this magnificent putter.

Congratulations, Mark! Please stay tuned at PutterZone.com for future drawings and special offerings.

Which Putter Will Win The Masters?

Keep an eye out for the hottest putters at the Masters on Sunday, because they will speak volumes about the personal nature of putting.

People often write to PutterZone.com, asking about the “best” putter, or which is a “must have” putter. The fact is that no such putter exists—and the evidence of this can be witnessed right now at Augusta National.

At the Masters, the elite of the elite are competing for what many consider the greatest honor in golf, the green jacket. Yet they are all pursuing the same goal with remarkably diverse putting instruments.

The same can’t be said for any other club in the bag. Take the wedge. Sure, there are many different wedges out there, but the differences between them are relatively slight when compared to putters. The same can be said for irons and woods.

Yet take a look at Padraig Harrington’s Odyssey Two Ball, Zach Johnson’s SeeMore FGP and Sean O’Hair’s TaylorMade Spider, to name a few players within the top 15 of the Masters leaderboard going into Sunday. Or Steve Flesch’s Never Compromise mallet, Stephen Ames’ Yes! Valerie or Tiger Woods’ Scotty Cameron Newport 2.

Some of these putters are massive, others are slight. Some are mallets, others are blades. Some are face balanced, others are not. Some have inserts, others don’t. Some have face grooves, others are flat. It’s a veritable Wild Kingdom of putters out there at Augusta National. Yet each of these putters has earned a starring role on golf's biggest stage.

If the most elite golfers can field such a range of putting instruments, it stands to reason that the rest of us would be subject to a similarly personal affinity for certain putters. Indeed, what feels like a shovel to one golfer can feel like a scalpel to another.

Which is why there is no “best” putter. That’s the bad news for those trying to find an easy answer. But the good news is that there is the "right" putter out there for everyone, from the average golfer to the guy who will be fitted with a green jacket on Sunday.

UPDATE: 2008 Masters Champion Trevor Immelman's putter is a Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport Circle T putter.

Drill Bits: Masters Edition

The putting instructor to 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson has a tip for you, too.

Indeed, for the latest entry in our Drill Bits series, PutterZone.com turned to Pat O’Brien, instructor to Zach Johnson as well as Vaughn Taylor. Who better to consult on the eve of the 2008 Masters?

Drill Bits is currently focusing on “silent killers,” the sneakiest ailments that can wreak havoc on your putting game. One such ailment is poor posture, and O’Brien is at the forefront of preaching proper posture as essential to successful putting.

Over time, it’s easy for any golfer to start falling prey to hunching over the ball when putting, lurching from the waist instead bending at the hips—a posture issue exacerbated by the fact that so many of us spend countless hours hunched over a computer keyboard or steering wheel. This can unwittingly cramp your putting style, causing undiagnosed performance issues and considerable frustration.

For this reason, O’Brien recommends that you learn to bend crisply from the hips, not the waist, to achieve a more athletic putting posture. When we queried him on the subject, he responded:

“Posture to me is one of the key elements to consistent putting. When your lead arm is hanging freely from your side, you can make a natural, arcing stroke. The simplest way to get there is to stand tall and relaxed. Let your hands tell your body where to go—the further they travel, the more you will feel a slight bend from your hips. Picture yourself shaking hands with a small child—your hands tell your body where to go, not vice versa. This is the correct sequence to achieve that athletic but relaxed posture that you see with great putters like Tiger Woods, Vaughn Taylor and Zach Johnson.”

Note that the hip bend recommended by O’Brien isn’t extreme, but rather a slight, comfortable tilt.

In addition to being a teaching professional, O’Brien is also a consultant to SeeMore Putter Company, which recently released a DVD titled Pat O’Brien on Putting. The DVD offers O’Brien’s insights into grip, alignment and setup as well as posture. It can be purchased on SeeMore's web site, where you can also view in-depth articles featuring O'Brien's methods.

P.S. Click here to enter PutterZone.com’s exclusive drawing to win a $325 SeeMore mFGP putter. Click here to read PutterZone.com's earlier interview with Pat O’Brien.

PING Karsten Anser Putter Review

It sounds too good to be true—a classic putter made by a legendary company for under $100.

Indeed, with its new Karsten Series putters, PING Golf has released several of its beloved designs at a street price of just $89. So is there a catch, or do we truly have a steal on our hands?

Following is PutterZone.com’s PING Karsten Anser putter review.

The Storyline
No company has played the putting game like PING over the past 40+ years. PING putters have won more than 2,300 professional tournaments around the world since the 1960s.

Founder Karsten Solheim crafted his first putter in his garage in 1959, igniting a revolution in putter design. At the time, he worked for General Electric. It wasn’t until 1967 that he resigned from GE to start Karsten Manufacturing, the parent company of the PING brand, so named for the “ping” sound of the putter upon contact. That was the same year that Julius Boros helped cement PING’s credibility, winning the Phoenix Open with a PING Anser model putter.

According to the lore, Solheim initially sketched his "answer" on the sleeve of a vinyl record album. The putter featured a cavity-back design for heel-toe balance, as well as an offset hosel. At the suggestion of his wife, he removed the ‘w’ from "answer" so it would better fit on the club.

Today, the Anser is the most-copied design in the putter market, a testament to its enduring genius. PING was also a major force in iron design, and today offers a full range of clubs and accessories. The company remains a family affair, with Solheim's son running the show.

In late 2006, PING unveiled its Redwood Series putters ($249), its first foray into the high-end milled putter market. A year later, PING launched the Karsten Series, an affordable yin to the Redwood’s luxury yang. In addition to the Anser model, the Karsten Series includes other classic PING designs, such as the Piper and Zing.

According to PING: “For golfers preferring the performance of a steel face with an insert feel, the Karsten Series meets the criteria. An elastomer insert in the cavity provides enhanced feel while maintaining the solid response of a steel-faced putter. Weight savings from the new cavity shapes were redistributed to the perimeter to increase each putter's moment-of-inertia for added forgiveness.”

The View from PutterZone.com
I’ll never forget my father buying me a PING Anser in the late 1970s or very early 1980s (I can’t recall the exact year). I was over the moon. This was the ultimate putter at that time.

Playing the new Karsten Anser inspired me to dig that old Anser out of storage as a point of comparison. The new Karsten version is just a bit thicker, but otherwise looks identical in shape. Of course, there are points of difference, such as the older version’s darkened bronze finish, sound slot and lighter weight. But in terms of overall profile, the Karsten Anser is true to its roots.

The Karsten Anser is the real deal in matters of performance, too. While dozens of companies have produced countless iterations of the Anser, PING knows this design better than anyone else, enabling them to deliver the Anser’s classic playability at even the Karsten’s remarkable price.

I wouldn’t say that this putter has an “insert feel,” and that’s just fine with me. I don’t want my Anser to feel like an insert putter (ie: a face that isn’t metal). However, the elastomer insert behind the face (which doubles as a PING logo in the center of the cavity) does seem to add a bit of fullness the feel, which I find appealing. It’s still steely, but with a nice plumpness, too.

The color scheme of the putter is silver and black with accents of gold for a sleek, sophisticated look. The included head cover is equally sweet. Silver piping separates panels of black canvas and gray pleather, with the PING logo is embroidered in gold and white. There’s even a magnet sewn inside the top of the cover that gently grabs the putter for a cozy fit.

My only quibble is that the putter is a bit wordy. From head to shaft, grip to head cover, the words PING and Karsten appear a total of 15 times. Of course, some of these instances are minor (such as the little Karsten on the butt of the grip), but it’s still a tad indulgent.

Wordy or not, however, the Karsten Anser rises well above its price point in terms of performance and presentation. It seems like nothing is a deal these days—gasoline is going up, stocks are going down and money is tight for many folks. In that context, the Karsten Anser is a particularly welcome sight.

The Bottom Line
Rather than simply stooping to the under-$100 price point, PING raised the bar on it with the Karsten Series. The Karsten Anser delivers proven performance in an attractive package, making a serious value statement in the process. If you want bang for your putting buck without breaking the bank, you can’t go wrong with PING’s Karsten Series putters.

The Putter Buzz for 3/31

Yes! Golf continues to get bagged by big names, the TaylorMade Spider spins a web of success, and the Heavy Putter is back in black...

Here's the latest Putter Buzz on the PGA Tour and beyond:

1. Yes! Golf, already a leader on the LPGA Tour, is gaining ground on the PGA Tour as well. At the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational, Colin Montgomerie used a Yes! Victoria II model putter, while Stephen Ames wielded a Valerie model (pictured here), the same putter with which he won the Skins Game in November. Meanwhile, Retief Goosen returned to his old Tracy model, the putter that helped him win the U.S. Open. Click here for PutterZone.com’s earlier interview with Yes! Golf’s CEO Francis Ricci.

2. The new TaylorMade Spider putter has already racked up some remarkable stats on the professional circuit: 12 PGA Tour events, 83 times in play, 32 different players have used it, 15 top-25 finishes, 10 top-10 finishes and two victories already in 2008. If there has ever been a new putter introduction that was as sweeping and successful right out of the gates on the PGA Tour, PutterZone.com can’t recall it. Click here for PutterZone.com’s review of the TaylorMade Spider.

3. The Putting Arc reports that “the professional win total for known Putting Arc users in 2008 now stands at 20,” inclusive of the international circuits. The Putting Arc is a training aid designed to instill the feel of the optimal arc-type stroke. According to the company, “The modern putting stroke of the successful touring pro is the inside-to-inside or arc-type stroke. This is the stroke used by 95 percent of successful touring pros.” Click here for PutterZone.com’s earlier interview with the Putting Arc’s V.J. Trolio.

4. Heavy Putter just released its C2-DF Tour model putter, the production version of its C2-DF Limited Edition putter, of which only 500 were made. The C2-DF Tour belongs to Heavy Putter’s new Deep Face (DF) series, and features the same Anser-style head as the regular C2-DF model. The Tour version, however, is forged and milled from 303 stainless steel, and features a durable PVD (for “physical vapor deposition”) finish for a rich black profile with gold lettering. This is a seriously sharp-looking Heavy Putter. Click here for PutterZone.com’s review of the Heavy Putter DF series.

5. Tom Conway, a golf equipment representative based in Indianapolis and a contributor to PutterZone.com’s Drill Bits series, reports good news from Ashdon Golf—a newer producer of putters designed by Ronnie Pritchett. The company’s Bermuda Triangle model divides the putter into three equal segments to connect at the center of the heel and toe, resulting in a generous sweet spot. “These putters really boil down to stability and balance, which will help you make more putts,” Tom says.

Stay Dry During Wet Golf

April showers might bring May flowers, but they can also put a damper on your golf game.

Thankfully, your choices in rain gear have never been better, not just from the standpoint of styles and brands, but also in terms of technology and performance.

Starting with your hands, TaylorMade’s H20 Wet Weather gloves (pictured below) keep your digits dry and cozy during a downpour, and they also work well when the skies clear, too. The durable construction resists water penetration, yet it is also breathable for heat dissipation. Silicone “hex dual grip” synthetic leather palms resist slipping in wet conditions.

Ironically enough (considering their brand name), Sun Mountain is a leader in gear designed for rainy days, including jackets, pullovers and pants. Their RainFlex gear isn’t cheap, but the quality is remarkable and worth the investment. Even the zippers and pockets are waterproof.

Keeping your head and face dry is important as well. Sun Mountain, Mizuno and others make caps and bucket hats that are designed to repel water. If the weather gets really crazy, you might consider a GustBuster umbrella, which has wind-release vents designed to withstand gusts of 55 miles per hour while keeping you dry.

If the thought of rain darkens your golf day, then you might consider upgrading your rain gear, so that you can keep grinding until the sun comes out.

This report was authored by Nick Taylor, proprietor of Golfland Warehouse, the official retail affiliate of PutterZone.com. The Golfland Warehouse Report is an exclusive monthly series designed to keep golfers informed about the latest equipment, technology and ideas in the world of golf, with an emphasis on putting and the short game.

Win a $325 SeeMore Putter

With the 2008 Masters just around the corner, now is your chance to win the putter that won last year’s Masters.

Indeed, you can win a new SeeMore mFGP putter in this exclusive PutterZone.com drawing.

Entering is easy, and here’s what you need to know:

The mFGP is an updated milled version of the classic SeeMore FGP putter that Zach Johnson used to win the 2007 Masters—eight years after the late Payne Stewart won the 1999 U.S. Open with a SeeMore FGP putter. In addition to their FGP putters, Johnson and Stewart share another little-known connection. Teaching professional and SeeMore consultant Pat O’Brien was a good friend of Payne Stewart. Today, O’Brien is Zach Johnson’s putting instructor.

Now is your chance to own the putter of champions as PutterZone.com and SeeMore Putter Company team up to offer a SeeMore mFGP putter (34 inches, right handed) to one lucky reader. This putter belongs to SeeMore’s new generation of mSeries precision-milled putters featuring the company’s signature RifleScope alignment technology. The retail price of this putter is $325.

How to Enter / Rules
Simply send an email to sean@putterzone.com with “SeeMore Putter” in the subject line. Inside the email, provide answers to the following questions (the answers are above):

1. In what year did Zach Johnson win the Masters with a SeeMore putter?

2. In what year did Payne Stewart win the U.S. Open with a SeeMore putter?

3. What is the name of the SeeMore consultant with connections to Johnson and Stewart?

4. Be sure to also provide the following: Your full name, shipping address and telephone number.

IMPORTANT: Follow the above instructions carefully to ensure qualification. Deadline for entry is noon on April 14, 2008—the day after the conclusion of the Masters. Contest prize is limited to one putter for one winner. Sorry, eligibility is limited to residents of the United States and Canada. Only one entry allowed per household. Area codes and zip codes will be monitored to ensure that the proverbial ballot isn’t stuffed. The winner’s provided name, address and phone number must all be legitimate and accurate. Anything less will result in disqualification. Winner’s name will be publicized on PutterZone.com.

Determining The Winner
PutterZone.com will collate all qualifying entries and assemble them into a random order. The entries will then each be assigned a unique number. PutterZone.com will then ask a SeeMore Putter Company representative to randomly select one number within the final number range. The selected number will determine the winner.

PutterZone.com will call the winner to confirm name, shipping address and telephone number. If a message is left, the winner must call back to confirm within 48 hours or another winner will be selected.

A Sweet $10 Training Aid

Sometimes the simplest training tools are the most effective, especially when it comes to putting.

For evidence, look no further than the No Bogey “Perfect Practice Putting Cup,” which actually lives up to its rather lofty name.

The No Bogey is a soft vinyl practice cup that you place on your carpet or other indoor putting surface. Sure, you’ve seen a variety of practice cups and related devices. But the genius of the No Bogey cup (aside from its nifty $10 price tag) is its angled shock-absorbing lip that helps you calibrate your speed and distance control as well as your accuracy.

There’s nothing worse than stroking the ball perfectly in line with the cup, only to come up an inch or two short—which is why the patented lip on the No Bogey requires you to make your putt with just enough velocity and authority.

Conversely, if you have too much velocity, the ball will roll out and over the back of the cup. Only the surest putts settle into the No Bogey cup, which mimics what you want to do on the course.

There are no moving parts to the No Bogey cup. You just throw it down and start putting from any angle. The diameter of the cup is 4.25 inches, which is the same as a regulation putting cup. The No Bogey cup was created by entrepreneur Eric Schindler and is today marketed under the IZZO brand.

Drill Bits: Your Game's Silent Killers

Like the human body, your putting game can suffer from a variety of silent killers that erode performance and elevate scores.

These silent killers are the little things that can creep into your game unnoticed, at the risk of becoming habitual, not unlike hypertension or high cholesterol.

For the next three weeks, PutterZone.com’s Drill Bits series will focus on some of the sneakiest ailments, starting with putter deceleration…

As teaching professional Ed Weathers once wrote in Golf Digest: “The most common putting mistake I see the average club player make is this: Taking the putter blade back too far and then decelerating coming into the ball.”

It’s very easy to fall prey to deceleration, especially on shorter putts. Have you ever missed an easy four-foot putt and wondered what the heck just happened? Most likely, deceleration happened. When you decelerate your putter into impact, you randomize your results. Your tempo becomes jerky or yippy, distorting your angle of impact.

Deceleration is an easy habit to form, but also an easy habit to break. Awareness is a big first step. A good next step is to simply practice some four-foot putts and drills from the vantage of this awareness.

Establish the true distance you need to take the putter head back in order to make a smooth, natural acceleration into the ball, and for the ball to firmly reach the cup (it doesn’t take much from four feet!). Then, place another ball just beyond that distance point, and make some more practice putts without touching that second ball with the back of your putter.

This simple drill will help you synchronize your takeaway with the length of your putt while imparting the sensation of smooth acceleration into the ball.

SeeMore mFGP Putter Review

The putter that helped Zach Johnson win the Masters last year is going back to the future.

Indeed, the classic SeeMore FGP putter used by Johnson has been refashioned into the mFGP putter ($325), a high-end milled version of the original.

Is the mFGP a worthy sequel to its legendary predecessor? Following is PutterZone.com’s SeeMore mFGP putter review.

The Storyline
The SeeMore Putter Company story has been told at length in earlier pieces here at PutterZone.com, including our review of the SeeMore m1 putter and recent interview with Jim Grundberg, co-owner of SeeMore Putter Company.

The short story is that Payne Stewart won the 1999 U.S. Open with a SeeMore FGP putter, sinking some epic putts to secure his victory and turning the spotlight on SeeMore in the process. SeeMore’s calling card was (and remains) its signature RifleScope Technology (RST) alignment system, whereby a blackened lower shaft visually intersects and hides a red dot on the putter crown. Two parallel white lines frame the shaft and serve as an indicator that the golfer is in perfect position to make a consistent and reliable stroke.

Despite its tour-proven success, however, SeeMore ultimately fell on hard times before Grundberg and his partner Jason Pouliot, both putter industry veterans, acquired the company in 2006 and re-launched the SeeMore brand in early 2007 with their new mSeries line of super-premium milled putters, including the mFGP.

Shortly thereafter, Zach Johnson seemingly came out of nowhere to win the 2007 Masters with an original SeeMore FGP model in hand (although PutterZone.com never gets tired of reminding people that we took note of Johnson and his SeeMore putter on Thursday after the first round). Some might have called it good fortune for SeeMore, but it seemed more like fate to those who knew the whole story.

Whereas the original FGP—which SeeMore still offers for $149—is cast from an aluminum-bronze material, the mFGP is precision milled from 303 stainless steel. The straight shaft meets the head just short of center, and the balance is nearly fully toe down. The head weight is 330 grams and the loft is 3.5 degrees.

The mFGP comes with three lie angle options, four grip options, lengths customized to the half inch, and your choice of one of eight available head covers. SeeMore is clearly committed to the concepts of proper fitting and personal customization.

The View from PutterZone.com
In contrast to its shapely siblings in the mSeries, the mFGP strikes a more industrial profile that is true to its FGP roots. The heel and toe are squared off, and the cavity has an old-school look—just like the original FGP.

At the same time, this putter just oozes the aura of quality that distinguishes the entire mSeries, with a classy black satin finish, fine milling marks on the face and elegant stamping on the sole.

To me, there is nothing sweeter than finely milled, high-quality steel that meets the ball with a sensual balance of firmness and suppleness, bringing music to the ears and magic to the hands. Like its sibling m1 blade, the mFGP delivers this beautiful sensation, but with a slightly softer touch.

Putters like the mFGP and m1 make me want to practice my putting. The sweet spot is so sweet that I keep coming back for more. Off-center contact is vividly communicated—it’s not harsh, but not nearly as rewarding, either. So I keep at it, pursuing the reward, challenging myself to groove the pure center again and again. While some putters are designed to mask your putting flaws, the mSeries putters inspire you to fix them.

The white framing lines of the RifleScope alignment system really pop against the black finish of the mFGP, making it very easy to ensure that you’re square to the target line. This alignment aid is a brilliantly simple piece of visual insurance that keeps your setup on the straight and narrow.

I wouldn’t suggest rushing out and investing in the mFGP or other mSeries putters with the expectation that they will provide a quick fix for your putting game. Rather, these putters offer something more lasting, and more important, than a quick fix. They offer the opportunity to take your game to the next level, particularly if you’re ready to commit to the tour-preferred arcing stroke and the RifleScope visual system, and if you’re ready to put in the hard hours required to raise your game.

The Bottom Line
The mFGP is a masterful update of a true classic, honoring the original FGP design with the highest levels of quality and craftsmanship. The RifleScope alignment system is a timeless performance aid, and the mFGP matches it with phenomenal touch and old-school style. With its mSeries putters, SeeMore is making nothing less than some of the finest putters in the world today.