PutterZone – Best Putter Reviews
Larry Garcia is on a mission to change accepted notions of “true roll” on the putting green. As founder of Q-Roll Golf, Mr. Garcia is also the inventor of the company’s patented Radius Face Technology, which is found on each of Q-Roll’s putters. In a nutshell, Radius Face Technology is designed to “strike the golf ball above its equator, producing immediate top-spin and a true, forward role for improved control and accuracy.” Q-Roll currently offers four putter models under the banner of “Q-Roll Classics,” as well as two truly exotic aluminum milled putters, the Celebration Monarch and Celebration Wave. According to Mr. Garcia, Q-Roll putters are being met with very favorable response from tour players, although cracking the sponsorship code has proven to be a bit more difficult than achieving true roll. PutterZone.com recently had the honor of speaking with Q-Roll’s outspoken and charismatic leader. Following is our exclusive interview:
Can you please tell us a bit more about the origins of Q-Roll Golf, such as when and how it got started?
As an avid golfer and student of the game of golf, I became aware that the roll being generated by both flat and lofted face putters was somewhat less than desirable. The skid produced by these putter types can lead to many errors, not the least of which are bad distance control and misdirection. There had to be a better way. After quite a bit of testing, it became apparent to me that a radius putter face, with the leading edge at the top of the face and making contact above the equator of a golf ball, is the desired functional design. It applies an immediate topspin to the golf ball and achieves a state of true roll faster than any putter ever tested by Swing Dynamics of Carlsbad, California.
What sets Q-Roll Golf putters apart from other putters?
Q-Roll putters, with radius face technology, simply roll the golf ball better than any other putter on the market today. Robotic testing has proven that. Lofted face putters were considered an improvement over flat faced putters and therefore became the rage over 30 years ago. This technology, which was designed to deal with largely imperfect greens, is still the favorite of many putter designers and manufacturers today. In the period since the introduction of lofted face putters, there have been significant improvements in the grass used on putting greens, and their conditioning. Today, you can hardly detect the golf ball indentation on the green that so many manufacturers claim is the reason why the loft is needed, and that is to get the ball out of the indentation. It should be apparent that flat and lofted face technology is a thing whose time has come and gone. The future of putter technology must lie in the ability to get the golf ball rolling as quickly as possible, with as much retained energy from the putting stroke as possible, so that the direction and distance control of the putt can be maximized. Q-Roll putters accomplish this better than any other putter on the market today, and we have the robotic test results to prove it.
Yes, and we can prove it.
About a year ago, you issued a “challenge to the putter industry.” Can you please elaborate on that and tell us what came of it?
I have been very upset at the claims that are being made by other putter manufacturers regarding their ability to apply immediate true roll to a golf ball impacted by their putters. In reality, you can apply top spin to a golf ball that is properly struck above its equator, but it is in fact impossible to apply immediate true roll to a golf ball. The reason is that there is a substantial forward force being applied to the golf ball when it is struck and it will take some revolutions to get the golf ball rolling in a true roll state. To define true roll accurately, it is when a golf ball starts roll at its circumference. This is certainly not when a golf ball, although possibly rolling in a top-spin state, is skidding along the putting surface at a distance greater than its circumference. In an effort to de-bunk the claims of these so-called true rollers, I issued a public challenge to the entire putter industry to come forward, subject themselves to robotic testing on a straight-up basis with no gimmicks or biases, and if any manufacturer either matched or beat our robotic results, we would so acknowledge them publicly. Guess what, no takers! As far as grooves having an effect on the roll of the golf ball, the Chief Technical Advisor for Golf Digest, Frank Thomas, recently wrote that “There is some belief that grooves might prolong contact time and thus reduce backspin, but this is essentially immeasurable based on the minor amount of backspin applied to the ball in the first place.”
What are the latest exciting developments at Q-Roll Golf, and do you have any new products on the horizon?
Q-Roll is preparing itself for a strong move forward in the golf industry, and to showcase its products and their effectiveness to the golf community. New Q-Roll putter models will be unveiled as 2007 progresses.
