Langer Wins with New Heavy Putter

Bernhard Langer got help from some heavy metal on Sunday as he teamed up with Tom Lehman to win the Champions Tour's Legends of Golf tournament on the second playoff hole, beating Jeff Sluman and Craig Stadler for the crown.

Langer’s new stick is a custom Heavy Putter DX3 by Boccieri Golf, which he used to sink a 45-foot putt on the first hole of the playoff. 

For more information on the Heavy Putter’s proprietary weighting technology, read PutterZone.com’s recent interview with inventor Stephen Boccieri. 

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PGA Tour Win for $69 Putter

Yes, it's true: a $69 putter just won on the PGA Tour. 

When Jerry Kelly rallied on the back nine yesterday to win the Zurich Classic, he did it with a Cleveland Classic 3 putter in hand. Jerry Kelly's putter costs just $69 at your local golf shop. It earned Kelly $1.1 million.

We can't say we're totally shocked. In an earlier review of the Cleveland Classic 1 putter, PutterZone.com concluded: "The Cleveland Classic 1 putter is a screamer of a steal at $69, boasting a smooth, buttery feel that far exceeds its price point."

PutterZone.com also named the Cleveland Classic to the top of its 2009 Best Buys list. 

It was also a good week for Cleveland's sister brand, Never Compromise. Seven players teed up Never Compromise's X-Ray putters at the Zurich Classic.  That's quite an accomplishment for a brand new line of $149 putters. Look for the X-Ray putters to be released to retail in early May.

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Fire in The Belly Putter

After the second round of the 2009 Masters, PutterZone.com remarked: "Several players in contention heading into Saturday...are wielding long putters and belly putters. If one of them wins, look for the debate about these putters to be rekindled."

Sure enough, Angel Cabrera won with a belly-length putter, and the debate about long putters has been rekindled as expected. Sports Illustrated, for example, questions the efficacy and ethics of long putters in its latest issue. It's one thing when someone uses a long putter to win a regular PGA Tour tournament or Champions Tour tournament. It's another when the Masters or another Major tournament is won with one of these unconventional sticks.  

For now, however, the debate is more of a spark than a fire, as Cabrera actually didn't use his putter in the manner that agitates the "ban the belly" crowd. In other words, he stroked his putts as with a regular-length putter, without anchoring the shaft to his body. A belly putter is typically anchored to the stomach. A longer putter can be anchored to the chest. 

It's the anchoring that calls into question the legality of the belly putter, as some feel it violates the "traditional and customary" rule regarding club use. The same goes with anchoring a long putter to the chest or chin. 

PutterZone.com doesn't have a strong opinion on the issue as it regards tour usage. No tears would be shed here if they were outlawed, but it seems as though the genie has been out of the bottle far too long to suddenly ban the belly putter. 

The more relavant question is whether or not the average golfer should consider using one, especially if his or her putting game has gone off the rails. 

A few years ago, PutterZone.com wrote: "You want to exhaust your available options before switching to the belly putter. The belly putter can add stability and balance to your stroke, but at a potential cost of overall control and feel—a trade-off that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

That opinion still holds around here. As Tom Lehman told Golf World last year, "I can always be an average putter with the long putter. But if I wanted to be a really good putter, I had to go back to the short putter...I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of pain in the short term to make myself a great putter."

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Insider Interview: Heavy Putter

The Heavy Putter is back, and it’s sleeker and slimmer than ever. When the first Heavy Putters were introduced by Boccieri Golf more than four years ago, they turned heads with their unconventional looks and opened minds with their unique weighting properties. The secret to the Heavy Putter’s success isn’t just the heavier putter head, but also a counterweight in the shaft that raises the balance point and quiets the wrists. 

After really pushing the design envelope with its Heavy Putter Deep Face Series putters last year, Boccieri Golf unveiled a new concept heading into this year—the lighter and more traditional-looking Heavy Putter MID-WEIGHT Series. The Heavy Putter MID-WEIGHT K4 model recently received high marks from PutterZone.com for its classy good looks and compelling weighting system. PutterZone.com recently caught up with Heavy Putter inventor Stephen Boccieri to get the scoop on the new Heavy Putter MID-WEIGHT Series. Following is our exclusive interview:

What was the inspiration behind the new MID-WEIGHT Series? 

This is a simple one! For the past few years, consumers have been asking for a lighter Heavy Putter. We were told that the original Heavy Putter was just too quantum a leap in weight for a golfer to adapt to—even though our early research indicated that the heavier weight was clearly a benefit to the golfer’s biomechanics and that it would produce a more consistent stroke. The overwhelming evidence was not enough to convince most golfers. So we decided to embark on another research study that would redefine the Heavy Putter category.    

How do they compare and contrast to earlier Heavy Putter models, and how have they been received so far?

The concept is basically the same: increased weight in the head of the putter with a counterweight in the grip end of the shaft. The difference is that we lightened the head to 400 grams from 465 to 475 grams and we reduced the counterweight to 200 grams from 250 grams. This produced a putter with a total weight of 750 gram versus the original weight of 900 grams. The total weight is the key to improved consistency of the stroke, and the higher balance point produced by the counterweight reduces the activity of the hands and wrists.

The testing we did that lead us to our 2009 advertising campaign indicated that seven out of 10 golfers preferred the new MID-WEIGHT to the putter in their own bag. So far, early retail results are indicating a four-times inventory turn, which is way beyond expectations. Most retailers are satisfied with a two-times turn of inventory in the putter category.   

This is the most traditional looking line of Heavy Putters to date. Was that a conscious decision?

During our testing, we decided to reach out to golfers across the nation and ask them exactly how and what they look for when buying a putter, and I must admit the answers surprised me. More that 85 percent of those surveyed wanted the see putters that were considered to be the classics and not new shapes that resemble the Starship Enterprise. One of the other interesting findings was that golfers really didn’t like the loud colors that the OEM’s were using on their grips. They simply wanted a black grip. We tried to listen as best we could and decided to give the golfer what we believed would be their dream putter.

There’s naturally a bit of a learning curve when it comes to educating golfers about the Heavy Putter compared to lighter, more traditionally weighted putters. What are some of the misperceptions that you have to overcome?

You’re right about the educating part, but surprisingly most golfers in a one-on-one really understand the benefit of increased weight to improve the consistency of the stroke. They do have a harder time understanding that the higher balance point will quiet their hands. They still feel like the putter needs more head feel, which of course would require lowering the balance point and thus cause the hand and wrists to become more active.

There are two major misconceptions we encounter continually with the use of a Heavy Putter. The first is that the putter can’t be good on fast greens. Well, the truth be known, the Heavy Putter is better on fast green because the putter is traveling at a much slower speed at impact and actually requires a larger stroke to propel the ball the same distance as a lighter conventional putter. This always surprises golfers the first time they putt with a Heavy Putter. They usually come up short of their target. It’s fun to watch their expressions after they see the result.

The second misconception is the putter must not be good for long lag putts. Well, once again the opposite is true. The Heavy Putter produces a more simple pendulum style stroke with less wrist and hand motion during the stroke, and simply requires an increase in stroke length to increase distance versus a conventional putter that requires a substantial amount of “hit” in the stroke to propel the ball the intended distance. The only problem with the “hit” is how much hit do you apply to the stroke to achieve the correct distance. This simply means you must adjust the force you apply to every length of putt instead of just increasing the length of a simple pendulum. If done correctly, the distance control with the Heavy Putter is machine-like.  

The last time we chatted, you had a driver on the drawing board. Are you still exploring different clubs? What can we expect next from Boccieri Golf and Heavy Putter?

The launch of the MID-WEIGHT Series of Heavy Putters has taken every bit of my focus. During these uncertain economic times, I wanted to make sure we had a solid foundation in the putter category before we enter another category in the volatile golf market. But rest assured, I dream about golf and improving golf equipment every day of my life. That’s what I do.

Thank you, Stephen! 

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TaylorMade Performance Lab Opens in Boston

New England seems to have all the luck these days when it comes to sports. From the Red Sox to the Celtics to the Patriots, it's all good. 

Now, New Englanders can celebrate another piece of good fortune as TaylorMade Performance Labs opens its sixth custom golf club fitting facility at The International in Boston.  

“The International is steeped in tradition and we know golfers from the Northeast will take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy an unparalleled custom fitting experience," said Herb Meistrich, president of TaylorMade Performance Labs.

Golf has been played at The International's site for more than 100 years, starting with a nine-hole course built on 66 acres that sold for $640 in 1899. 

The new TaylorMade Performance Lab in Boston follows the relatively recent opening of one in Palm Desert, California. Apparently, the club fitting business is booming despite the cloudy economic climate. 

PutterZone.com recently experienced the TaylorMade Performance Lab experience at the Aviara Golf Academy in Carlsbad, California, giving it high marks as a unique opportunity to raise your game. Read the review to learn more about how TaylorMade has turned motion picture and video game technology into a remarkable club fitting system.  

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Brian Gay's Bettinardi Putter

When Brian Gay seemingly came out of nowhere by winning the Verizon Heritage Classic by an astounding 10 shots on Sunday, he did it with a secret weapon in his bag: a Mizuno Bettinardi D.A.S.S. (for Double Aged Stainless Steel) C-03 model putter.

Gay's putter features a modified F.I.T. face (for Feel Impact Technology) which is found on the Mizuno Bettinardi Black Carbon putter line. The putter is therefore a bit of a hybrid between the Black Carbon line and the earlier Mizuno Bettinardi C-Series putters.

PutterZone.com reached out to Robert Bettinardi, who confirmed that he has been working closely with Gay on fine tuning all of the elements of the putter.

“It was nice to see Brian pull away with a convincing win,” Bettinardi said. “We have been working with Brain over the last couple of months on his putter and we felt that we had provided him with the best instrument possible."

P.S. The Mizuno Bettinardi Black Carbon BC4 recently earned a Gold Award in PutterZone.com's 2009 Power Picks.

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RoboCup Ball Return Makes Practice Easy

Putting may not seem like the most backbreaking activity at first glance, but those of us who spend hours on the practice green know otherwise. 

If we were all as young and limber as Camilo Villegas, it might not be an issue. But the fact is that the constant leaning to putt balls and bending over to retrieve them from the cup can, in fact, cause back strain over time. And once your back starts aching, it becomes very difficult to concentrate on your putting fundamentals.  

Enter a new product called the RoboCup, a "ball return robot" that fits inside any practice green cup or standard-sized cup. When you sink your putt, the RoboCup lifts the ball and shoots it right back to you. 

The RoboCup  ($49.95, includes protective case) made quite a splash at the PGA Merchandise show in January. Now, as of this week, the first orders are being filled. RoboCup runs on four AA batteries and will return the ball up to 14 feet, depending on green speed. A set of batteries lasts for 15,000 putt returns. 

The RoboCup ball return robot is the invention of Keith Foley of Fine Tune Golf. Foley says the idea came to him while watching the Golf Channel's "Fore Inventors Only," a reality show about golf equipment inventors and their creations. It was a classic light bulb moment for Foley. 

He recalls, "I had a thought totally irrelevant to the product I was looking at. I realized how convenient it would be to have your practice balls come back to you. It took me awhile to get over the fact that no one had discovered this yet. I was later disappointed to find out that the show was not going to air again, since I had begun developing a product that could clearly win. After two years of development, the product was complete, just in time for the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show, where we won 'Best New Product.'" 

Foley says that the RoboCup has earned quite a few fans on the professional circuits. "Our tour representative, Mike Neal, has been on the tour practice greens for 11 years," Foley says. "Through his demonstrations over the last couple months, he has collected over 150 players who have requested the RoboCup, including Arnold Palmer. Mr. Palmer did a double take as the ball popped out of the hole in front of his eyes. He exclaimed, 'You’ve got to be kidding me!'"

The RoboCup comes with an optional Caddy Cord ($14.95), which lays on the ground and loops around the back of the hole. With the Caddy Cord in place, missed putts are fed into the hole, allowing the robot to return them just as it does perfect putts.  

"Maybe it’s just my perception, but I feel like I make a lot more and longer putts with this product rewarding me on every stroke," Foley says. "I feel I focus more intensely on the target with the goal of having the ball returned without touching the Caddy Cord."

The RoboCup isn't cheap, but it sounds like a worthy investment for those who are committed to practicing their putting, and who want to save time and avoid back pain along the way. Stay tuned for the PutterZone.com review. 

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SuperStroke Putter Grips Have New Bite

Tiger Shark Golf recently gobbled up a big fish in the putter grip ocean by acquiring SuperStroke, maker of the oversized grip most famously seen in the hands of K.J. Choi. 

According to Tiger Shark, the company is now planning a third—and lighter—SuperStroke model to join the existing Classic and ProLine designs. Tiger Shark has also just started offering SuperStroke grips as an upgrade on its Tiger Shark putters. 

Tiger Shark is most known for producing value-conscious golf clubs, including putters that typically fall in the $59 to $79 price range. Tiger Shark is also no stranger to the oversized grip business, as its Jumbo putter grips have sold more than 1 million units. 

“We are now offering SuperStroke as an upgrade on our current and future Tiger Shark putters, including our new Jim Flood-designed putters and our GreenSpeed and Great White putters,” says Tiger Shark’s Jon Claffey. “We will continue selling the SuperStroke grips individually, too, so consumers can attach them to their own putters.”

The SuperStroke ProLine models cost $39 and the SuperStroke Classic models cost $29. However, as upgrades to Tiger Shark putters, the ProLine grips add just $20 to the cost of the putter. K.J. Choi’s putter grip is the SuperStroke Classic Grip. 

SuperStroke grips aim to relax the hands, inhibit wrist breakdown and engage the shoulders for a smoother, more consistent putting stroke. The grips feature a unique taper-free design, and they can be adjusted up and down with a spacer rod to change the length of the putter. SuperStroke grips can also be rotated around the shaft, allowing the golfer to place the flat side of the grip in one of three positions—face up, against the right palm, or against the left palm. 

On another note, Tiger Shark is set to release its new RAP putters—for Reverse Axis Position—this summer. The putters are designed by Jim Flood, the founder of Odyssey Putters who joined Tiger Shark in 2008. The Reverse Axis Position putters are loosely based on Flood’s distinctive Bass Ackwards putters, which caused a bit of a stir back in the day. The new putters will cost between $99 and $129. 

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Rife IMO Putter Set to Swim Upstream

The Rife IMO putter is ready to roll—and to swim upstream, too. 

Many putters today preach the benefits of high MOI, which is achieved by distributing weight away from the head’s center of gravity and toward the rear perimeters. High MOI allows a putter to resist twisting and turning on miss-hits, resulting in more forgiveness and enhanced accuracy on errant strikes.

But how about engineering a putter to actively minimize miss-hits in the first place—and to thus render ultra-high MOI largely immaterial? 

Such is the stated performance pitch of the Rife IMO putter (which stands for Inline Momentum, and which also seems to be a mischievous wordplay on MOI). On the IMO, the bulk of the mass is distributed straight down the spine of the putter, not along the perimeters. 

This new offering by Rife Putters is set for release later this month at a street price of $149. 

Here’s how Rife Putters’ Matt Molloy put it in a recent interview with PutterZone.com: “The IMO line is based on the premise that most golfers don’t benefit from ultra-high MOI putters, because their miss-hits aren’t far enough off-center to take advantage of the technology. We feel that a putter with 80 percent of the mass directed behind the sweet spot, which is quite large on the IMO, will give the majority of golfers a very stable hit but will also help them swing the putter more on plane as the mass is very directed towards the ball.”

The IMO design also aims to combat deceleration, a mechanical flaw that plagues many golfers. Decelerating the putter head through impact destabilizes the stroke and results in errant putts. The center-weighted design of the IMO intends to maintain acceleration through the ball. 

Molloy went on to say that Rife will continue to offer putters with higher MOI, but that the IMO serves its own unique purpose. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. At the end of the day, will the IMO simply continue to swim against the MOI stream, or will it turn the tide on how we perceive putter design? Stay tuned... 

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Kenny Perry's Putter Magic

Can a new putter turn a great golfer into an elite professional and potential Masters Champion? Yes, apparently. 

Indeed, when 48-year-old Kenny Perry—the 2009 Masters co-leader heading into the final round—was asked about the secret to his newfound success at an age when most players are on the decline, he cited a change of putters.

Here’s what the Golf Channel asked Perry after Saturday's round: “Three wins last year, one win this year...How have you gotten better with age?”

Perry replied: “My short game is why it has happened. My putting has been a huge change. I've always been decent with the driver and the irons, but I've never been good with the flatstick. A gentleman gave me that putter at Bent Pine, my club in Vero Beach, and I've putted beautifully ever since he gave me this putter.”

He continued: “It's got a real dead face, the ball comes off real slow. These greens are out-of-control fast—they're Mach 3 with their hair on fire out there. And you know what, I'm not nervous, I don’t feel like the ball is going to get away from me when I stroke a putt. If anything, I have to give it a little extra, I’m actually leaving them short. In my past here, I could never do that, I was always gunning them way by, I didn’t have any touch or feel. And I’ve got a lot more touch and feel right now.” 

So what is Kenny Perry’s putter? It’s a PING G2i Craz-E mallet (pictured here) with a blue urethane face insert to achieve the soft feel that Perry mentioned. It’s not the prettiest stick, but it’s magic in Perry’s hands.

Some folks are fond of saying that “it’s the archer, not the arrow,” suggesting that putter technology is of marginal significance compared to talent and training. 

Try telling that to Kenny Perry. He had all the talent and training in the world. But his potential wasn't maximized until he found a putter that truly fit his game.

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Which Putter Will Win The Green Jacket?

The leaderboard at the 2009 Masters is getting crowded as the tournament turns the corner toward the final two rounds, and PING putters are leading the charge.  

Kenny Perry's putter is a PING G2i Craz-E mallet. Angel Cabrera's putter is also a PING Craz-E mallet as well. Todd Hamilton's putter is a PING B60 mid mallet. 

Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia has returned to the TaylorMade Spider, switching from a TaylorMade Daytona by Kia Ma blade prior to the tournament. Chad Campbell's putter is a Scotty Cameron by Titleist prototype. Tim Clark's putter is an Odyssey White Steel 2-Ball mallet. 

Several players in contention heading into Saturday, including Clark and Vijay Singh, are wielding long putters and belly putters. If one of them wins, look for the debate about these putters to be rekindled. 

Frank Thomas, former USGA technical director, wanted to outlaw long putters and belly putters, and he is not alone. PGA Tour pro Will MacKenzie was recently quoted as saying, "I think it would be cool if they made it illegal." Ernie Els has also opposed long putters. 

Stay tuned...

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More Than One Way to Win the Masters

As the Masters tournament unfolds this week, recent champions at Augusta National will provide a study in putter contrasts, proving that there’s more than one way to win a Green Jacket.

Indeed, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods—who have won the last four Masters tournaments—each wield a distinctly different flatstick from the other.

Immelman’s putter is a new Nike Victory Red putter prototype, about which very little is known at this time. Recent photos reveal, however, that Immelman's putter is a mid mallet, meaning that it’s fatter than a blade but doesn’t quite have the girth of a typical mallet. The new Nike prototype putters appear to have a multi-material face, with a red groove pattern embedded in milled stainless steel. 

Johnson’s putter, the SeeMore FGP, has been covered extensively here at PutterZone.com, including all the way back to April of 2007 when we took note of Johnson and his putter after the opening round of the Masters. Three days later, Johnson got fitted for the Green Jacket. The SeeMore FGP putter is a unique styled zero-offset blade featuring SeeMore’s signature RifleScope alignment system, which consists of a red dot and two white lines on the crown of the putter. At address, Johnson visually frames the shaft with the white lines, hiding the red dot in the process to ensure a consistent setup and square alignment. 

Phil Mickelson’s putter is an Odyssey White Hot XG blade, which features Odyssey’s signature multi-material face insert for enhanced feel and feedback. Tiger Woods’ putter is a Scotty Cameron by Titleist Newport 2, which he has used since 2000. The Newport 2 is an Anser-style, heel-toe weighted blade. The Anser design, which was created by PING founder Karsten Solheim, is the most popular putter style on the professional circuits. 

Other notable contenders to watch out for include Sergio Garcia playing a custom TaylorMade Rossa Daytona by Kia Ma putter, Jeff Ogilvy playing a Scotty Cameron by Titleist Newport prototype, Vijay Singh playing a Never Compromise Exchange Series mallet and Padraig Harrington wielding an Odyssey 2-Ball blade putter.

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Free Masters iPhone App Delivers

For professional golf enthusiasts who own an iPhone or iPod Touch, the ultimate application this week is the free Masters Golf Tournament app available via iTunes. 

With this app, any iPhone or iPod Touch connected to the Internet can not only show up-to-the-minute leaderboard results, but also live footage of Amen Corner and video highlights. 

Better yet, the app features a hole-by-hole breakdown of Augusta National with matching flyover videos. That’s right, you can watch a bird’s eye view of each hole from tee to green via video recorded from a helicopter, giving you the visual scoop on hazards, doglegs and green shaping.

The Masters app is a must-have for anyone seeking to make the most out of their Masters viewing experience.   

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Holmes Switches to NCX-RAY Putter

Never Compromise's X-Ray putters are off to a red-hot debut as J.B. Holmes wielded the new NCX-RAY Sigma putter to near victory on Sunday at the Shell Houston Open—after adding it to his bag midway through the tournament. 

Holmes required just 25 putts on Sunday to tie Paul Casey after four rounds, forcing a playoff. But when Holmes hooked his tee shot into the adjacent pond on the first hole of the playoff, even his X-Ray belly putter couldn’t save the day. 

Skip Kendall and Steve Marino have also started playing the new Never Compromise X-Ray putters (also called NCX-RAY putters) on the PGA Tour. These putters include the Beta mallet and Tau blade models in addition to the Sigma (pictured here). 

PutterZone.com first broke the news about these putters in January. They will be available starting in May for $149 to $159, depending on the model. 

For more information on the Never Compromise X-Ray putters and their "Suspended Face Technology," read PutterZone.com's recent interview with Never Compromise's Adam Sheldon. 

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A Win for Nike Victory Red Putter?

Paul Casey’s triumph at the Shell Houston Open on Sunday didn’t just mark the first PGA Tour win for the gritty Englishman, but also the first victory for Nike’s mysterious new prototype tour putter. 

Word of this new putter was first leaked by Golf Magazine last September. The magazine was able to secure a photo of Paul Casey’s putter, but that was about it—Casey and Nike representatives refused to discuss the putter’s name or technology, which includes a distinctive red groove pattern on the face. 

The sole of Casey's putter features an image of the state of Texas and a code beginning with FW—an homage to Nike’s design headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. Nike's design headquarters are affectionately known as “The Oven.” 

But missing from Casey’s putter is any direct link to Nike’s new line of “Victory Red” irons and wedges, which are most famously wielded by Tiger Woods. 

However, photos recently surfaced of Trevor Immelman’s Nike prototype putter, which clearly bears the Victory Red “V” logo on the sole, adding fuel to the rumor that Nike is teeing up a Victory Red line extension in the form of Nike Victory Red putters. 

The emergence of Nike Victory Red putters would likely signal the end of Nike’s other high-end putter line, the Unitized series. The Unitized putters are, in PutterZone.com’s opinion, highly underrated. In fact, Casey and Immelman both won earlier tournaments with Unitized putters. 

A Nike Victory Red putter makes perfect sense. The Unitized putters enabled Nike to dip its toe into the premium putter waters. Now, two years since the launch of the Unitized line, it's time for Nike to take a fresh look at the high-end putter category. 

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YES Dawn Putter Review

YES! Golf is unveiling several new putters for 2009, but one of them in particular is designed to stand above and apart: the YES! Dawn model.

YES! putters are most famous for their signature C-Groove face technology. The Dawn aspires to take this technology to the next level with intensive craftsmanship, high-end materials and a price to match.

Does the YES! Dawn ($299) live up to its promise? Following is PutterZone.com's YES Dawn putter review.

The Storyline

The Dawn putter aims not only to be the crown jewel of the YES! portfolio, but to serve some notice as well. In the words of Blair Philip, YES! Golf’s director of research and development, “From the materials to the shape to the finish to the grip, it is the best the industry has to offer in our opinion.”

To achieve their vision for the Dawn model, Philip and his colleagues began with the decision to use forged 303 stainless steel “to give the professionals and connoisseurs out there the sound and feel that they have been demanding.”

The classic Anser-style head shape was chosen for its track record of success. According to Philip, “We then picked the highest quality components in the world to match the quality of the head that was produced. We challenged our manufacturing partners to produce perfect parts every time. The tolerances on these parts are incredibly tight. Every putter must pass multiple inspections to make it to the market. We assemble them here in Colorado, so we know they are perfect every time.”

Philip says that the degree of toe hang was “painstakingly researched and matched to what the best blade user wants.”

He also says that considerable research was invested in determining the ideal combination of putter loft and sole draft, which is the angle of the bottom edge of the face to the rear of the sole. Depending on the loft of a putter, the sole draft can make a putter appear to be (or actually be) open or closed at address. The geometry of the Dawn, however, “allows the putter to sit squarely on the green surface. I will not tell you how we did this, but it took more effort than you might think.”

The ultimate goal, Philip says, was to craft a putter that left no stone unturned in the pursuit of quality and performance.

The proprietary concentric C-Grooves on the Dawn and other YES! putters are positioned at a 20-degree upward slant. According to the company, “Upon contact, these edges grip the ball surface and apply physical forces that simultaneously lift the ball out of its resting position and impart and over-the-top rolling motion.” The idea is to establish immediate true roll for improved accuracy and consistency.

The Dawn is 100 percent CNC milled from a one-piece forging of 303 stainless steel. The stock lie angle is 72 degrees and the loft is 2.5 degrees. The putter is available in lengths from 32 inches to 37 inches. The head weight is 345 grams. The Dawn comes with a stock Iomic brand grip and a head cover with a magnetic closure.

The View from PutterZone.com

At first glance, from afar, the YES! Dawn putter might be mistaken for just another Anser-style putter, the most common genus in the putter ecosystem. But it is much more than that, as I quickly found out.

First off, I was immediately comfortable with the Dawn putter, as if it were designed just for me. That could just be a coincidence, a sort of alchemy of physique and mechanics.

But I suspect that it also has something to do with the more universal qualities of the design and the obviously extreme attention to detail that went into developing the putter. For example, all that talk about matching sole draft to loft might sound like marketing jive, but I can attest that the Dawn walks its talk on that front. This is a putter that truly wants to sit and appear square, which ultimately helped me sink more putts.

The feel of the YES! Dawn putter is magnificent. Pure strikes are rewarded with a thick, juicy resonance in the hands and ears. There is a sort of smooth, glassy quality to the feel as well, as if the ball is literally gliding off the face. This sensual glassiness is something that I have experienced on other YES! putters, so I must attribute it to the unique properties of the C-Grooves.

I can’t testify to the efficacy of the C-Grooves in terms of true roll. I’m not a physicist. I can say that the Dawn rolled the ball very cleanly and consistently. Was it the grooves, the relatively low loft, some other performance factor, or a combination thereof? On the other hand, why ask why?

I’ve been heckling YES! for a few years about its standard black, white and bright yellow horizontally striped grips. I’m told that these grips are actually quite popular (and they’re obviously a great branding mechanism), but I find them to be a bit obnoxious. On that note, I was delighted to discover that the Dawn’s stock Iomic brand grip is a simple black with a small yellow brand logo on the front. Best of all, this grip offers the beautiful feel and texture for which Iomic is renowned.

The look of the Dawn is quiet and purposeful, but with some subtle sexy nuances that give it just the right touch of luxury. The use of mustard yellow-orange paintfill in places is a rather ballsy aesthetic choice, but it actually works quite well with the steel finish. The lines of the putter are sharp in places, giving it a clean, sleek profile.

The Dawn ultimately has an “it” factor that is tough to fully explain or quantify. Whatever “it” is, the Dawn has “it.” This putter is simply a cut above in the way it sets up, in the way it feels, and in the way it performs. It is the putter equivalent of a Porsche in how it handles, and in how all of its parts come together with a vivid sense of beauty and balance.

The Bottom Line

The YES! Dawn putter walks its talk in terms of superior quality and performance. It boasts a rare sense of poise and purposefulness, delivering the ball to the hole with remarkable feel and a consistent roll. The YES! Dawn is ultimately the kind of putter that can earn its way into the bag for years to come, making it well worth its asking price.

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Goode Putter Review

A new putter company says that personal fitting is the path to putting happiness—and that it is ready to lead the way.  

Indeed, Alabama-based Goode Putters is practicing what it preaches by offering its putters with a full suite of custom-fitting options at the point of purchase. 

But do Goode putters ($199 to $249) truly deliver the goods? Following is PutterZone.com's Goode putter review. 

The Storyline

Goode Putters was founded by the Goode family, with Greg Goode and his father Malcolm heading up the operation. They unveiled their first putters at the PGA Merchandise Show in Florida earlier this year. 

Wielding more than 15 years in the metal machining business, Greg and Malcolm are also avid golfers, a passion that inspired them to turn their professional attention to putters. But rather than simply craft putters, the Goodes created a personal fitting system that allows golfers to mix and match putter features to their personal preference. Available customization includes:

-Lengths from 29.25 to 36 inches, offered in increments of a quarter inch.

-Lie angles between 68 and 72 degrees

-Three hosel options: full offset, half offset and no offset (pictured below)

-Three head styles favoring three stroke types: straight, slight arc and wide arc

-Two head compositions: milled stainless steel and milled carbon steel 

-Three grip colors spanning two sizes, regular and mid-size

To assist with personal fitting, the company’s web site features a “Dominant Eye Offset” chart for determining hosel style, as well as a chart that applies length and lie to your height and setup style.

Each of the three head styles has its own balance and toe hang properties, enabling them to favor different stroke types. The Series 1 head (335 grams) is designed for a straight-back-straight-through stroke. The Series 2 head (340 grams) favors a wide arcing stroke, while the Series 3 (345 grams, pictured above) head appeals to a shallower arc. 

About the only things that aren’t customizable on Goode putters are swingweight and loft. But even the loft of the putters—or lack thereof—has a story. Indeed, all Goode putters have zero degrees of loft, bucking the standard of two to four degrees. According to the company, the zero-loft face imparts a more immediate true roll.

The cost of a custom Goode putter is $199 for a carbon steel version and $249 for a stainless steel version. The heads and shaft units (hosel, shaft and grip) are also sold separately, enabling the golfer to swap heads or offsets. The heads are removable via a screw in the sole. 

The View from PutterZone.com

Many, if not most, recreational golfers haven’t given a lot of thought to putter fitting, instead trusting that what they’ve pulled from the retail rack is sufficient enough. My friend Will is one such golfer, so I invited him to join me in ordering a Goode putter. 

There were a couple of things that stood out about Will’s existing putter. For starters, the 33-inch length was too short for his relatively upright setup, forcing him to straighten and lock his arms at address, and thus creating tension in his stroke. Also, while Will subscribes to a straight-back-straight-through putting stroke, his putter was a heel-shafted Zing-style model, which favors a wide arcing stroke.

Within minutes on the Goode web site, Will had remedied the situation, opting for a 34-inch length, and choosing the face-balanced Series 1 head, which favors a straight-back-straight-through stroke. He also opted for the no-offset hosel and the 71 degree lie angle, both of which were determined through Goode’s online fitting process. He chose the stainless steel head over the black carbon steel head, as his eye preferred the stainless finish. 

And just like that, within 10 minutes, my friend had built a putter to fit—rather than fight—his physique and mechanics. How cool is that?

My experience was similar, although I chose the Series 3 head to fit a shallow arcing stroke and the half-offset hosel per Goode’s eye-dominance recommendations, resisting my personal urge toward full offset. I also chose the carbon steel head. 

The carbon steel versions at $199 offer the most bang for the buck, particularly as they don’t feel substantially different than the pricier stainless steel versions, based on my comparisons with both. The look of the putters is quiet and reserved, with ornamentation being limited a simple Goode logo in the cavity. I would have liked to see something—anything—stamped into the sole of the putter to make it look a bit less raw. 

The Goode putter’s zero-loft face initially required a bit of acclimation. Loft is one of those things you don’t really notice until it’s gone. Peering down at the Goode putter at address is like looking down a razor’s edge, an effect amplified by the sharp cornering of the topline.  

I reside in a dry climate with hard greens, conditions that favor lower lofts, so as long as I didn’t put a forward press on my stroke, the ball rolled nicely. Golfers with a forward press—the act of leaning the shaft toward the target and essentially de-lofting the club—may find themselves pinching the ball upon contact. 

The Goode Series 3 putter performed beautifully for me across several sessions, offering crisp feedback and a clean roll. The sweet spot isn’t huge, so this is a putter that will keep you honest. The zero-loft face fosters a disciplined setup, particularly on the low- and no-offset models, as it clearly exposes variations in shaft angle. Once I locked into the putter’s visual cues, I began sinking longer and longer putts. 

I believe that the Goode putters will be a boon for golfers who are willing to work to be consistent with their putting. In addition to offering the foundational benefits of personal fitting, these putters, by nature, foster disciplined mechanics.

The Bottom Line

The Goode family isn’t just making great putters—they are performing a public service by demystifying the core aspects of putter fitting and making it easy for golfers to embark on the process. Goode putters offer reliable performance in a distinctive package, with the $199 carbon steel heads offering the most bang for the buck. Goode putters will particularly appeal to golfers who are inquisitive about fitting and committed to raising their game. 

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