Never Compromise Unveils Connoisseur Putters

Never Compromise is set to release its new Connoisseur putters, the third line of putters in what has become an epic year of rebirth for the brand.

At first glance, the Never Compromise Connoisseur putters look smoking hot, as befits sticks that borrow the ambiance of fine cigars.

The Connoisseur line consists of four models: the Portofino heel-toe weighted blade; the Robusto classic blade; the Culebra Zing-style blade; and the Perfecto mallet (pictured here). Each is forged and milled from 303 stainless steel.

The Connoisseur putters follow the Gambler and Dinero putters released by Never Compromise earlier this year.

PutterZone.com published a preview of the Connoisseur putters in June. Now comes word that they are hitting the market at a retail price of $299. Custom putter fitting options as well as engravings and paintfills are also available via the Never Compromise web site for $349.

Stay tuned for PutterZone.com's Never Compromise Connoisseur putter review.

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Coming Attraction: Yamada Milled Putters

With the mass putter market hitting a rough patch in recent years amid a struggling economy, it's always nice to learn about boutique putter makers who are finding their niche and hitting their stride, such as SeeMore, Piretti, Axis1, Sizemore and Miura.

Now another relative newcomer has happily hit our radar: Yamada Milled Putters.

Billed on the company web site as an "eccentric putter craftsman," Tohru Yamada has been making putters since 1986, a vocation originally inspired by the workmanship of a T.P. Mills putter that he had purchased for himself. After producing putters for other companies, he set out on his own a few years ago, launching Yamada Milled Putters.

Yamada offers two tiers of putters: Yamada Limited Edition ($425) and the Yamada 2011 Series ($299). All of the putters are precision milled from carbon steel. The Yamada Limited Edition putters, however, present more options in terms of shaping, finish and fitting.

One signature Yamada finish that jumps out is the Burning Copper (pictured above), which is said to offer the softest feel of the available finishes.

The putters are also colorfully named and feature eloquent supporting storylines. For example, the Musashi model blade is named after a "warrior monk" who is described as follows: "Musashi, as he was often simply known, was perhaps the most renowned Japanese swordsman who ever lived and was the author of The Book of Five Rings, a book on strategy, tactics, and philosophy that is still studied today..."

Other Yamada putter models include the Emperor, Shogun, Imperial, Kendo, Hawk Eye and Terminator. According to the company, Yamada putters are making headway on professional circuits around the world.

At first glance, Yamada putters appear to exhibit considerable craftsmanship and creativity. We hope to get our hands on one soon. On that note, stay tuned for PutterZone.com's Yamada putter review.

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Make Your Own Belly Putter

Are you intrigued by the recent success of the belly putter on the professional circuits, and ready to try one yourself?

Well, you can build your own. No, not from scratch, but rather with the "Belly Putt" conversion kit ($39), which turns your existing putter into a belly putter. The kit includes the Belly Putt shaft extender and grip, as well as the tools you need to make the conversion.

According to the company, the kit is easy to install and easy to remove, and readily adjustable in length. It sounds like a fine way to experiment with the belly putter without making a huge investment.

Before you turn your regular putter into a belly putter, however, you should be advised that a proper fit is still paramount. Lengthening your existing putter will alter its swingweight. Also, dialing in the proper length will still be essential for making a consistent and effective stroke.

Here at PutterZone.com, long putters have hogged the sudden spotlight, notching three consecutive victories on the PGA Tour. We write about the world of putters, and the long putter is the hottest story, bar none, at this moment.

Quite frankly, it has been hilarious to read the volleys from proponents and critics of the long putter. Perhaps the most colorful anti-long putter rant came from John Huggan at CBS Sports: "Those things have no place in golf because they allow players to hole putts without making a proper stroke. In fact, I hate them. I bet there are blazers on both sides of the Atlantic ruing the day they allowed those grotesque implements through the screening program."

Well, not only are these "grotesque implements" here to stay, they are on the rise like never before. So the question is: Are you ready to convert and commit to a belly or broomhandle putter?

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PGA Tour Goes Belly Up

With Adam Scott, Keegan Bradley and now Webb Simpson wielding long putters to win tournaments in consecutive weeks this August, unconventional flatsticks are the new normal on the PGA Tour.

Webb Simpson's putter is a PING Craz-E belly putter, while Keegan Bradley's putter is an Odyssey Sabertooth belly putter.

As Nick Price was quoted saying in the Wall Street Journal: "It (the belly putter) simplifies the fundamentals of putting so much that increasingly guys who have putting problems or inconsistencies are going to end up turning to it."

After winning the PGA Championship, Bradley similarly commented that the belly putter makes it easier to putt, "especially when there's some nerves."

The corresponding critical counterpoint to such observations is aptly summed up by the commentator who called long putters "an asylum from the ruinous effects of pressures that should be integral to the game."

In other words, while some feel that long putters are simply an easier way to play golf, others believe that they are the wrong way to play golf.

And some golfers even bounce from one belief to the other, such as Ernie Els, who once said, "They should definitely be banned. I believe nerves and the skill of putting are part of the game." Els switched to a long putter this year.

So far, there have been no reports of a run on golf retailers for belly putters, but with these unconventional flatsticks suddenly racking up consecutive victories on the professional circuits in the hands of younger players, there's no doubt that some of the stigma has been shaken and that more recreational golfers will be apt to try them.

Of course, golfers looking for a magic putting cure in the belly putter may be courting new frustrations. A proper fit and persistent practice are essential to success on the green with a long putter, as they are with any putter.

But there's no denying that, for some golfers, going long can pave the way for less strokes. Just look at the winner's circle on the PGA Tour.

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Bradley Bellies Up to Victory

The playoff between Jason Dufner and Keegan Bradley at the PGA Championship also proved to be an unprecedented duel between two unconventional flatsticks.

Indeed, Keegan Bradley’s putter is the first belly putter to notch a major tournament victory, while Dufner’s putter turned the spotlight on the oversized SuperStroke grip.

Bradley’s putter is sure to re-ignite the debate about belly putters and other putters that are anchored to the torso during the stroke.

The belly putter is among the “long putter” craze sweeping the professional circuits and, by extension, recreational golf. Adam Scott lit a fire under the long putter’s popularity this year, using a broomhandle putter to make a run at the Masters and to dominate at the Bridgestone Invitational. Jim Furyk just switched to a long putter for the first time this week.

“Personally, I think it’s an easier way to putt,” Bradley said. “Especially when there’s some nerves.”

And therein lies the rub: there are more than a few folks in the golf industry who feel that anchoring the putter provides an unfair advantage. Writes Conor Nagle at Wei Under Par: “With the exception of Tim Clark, exponents of the broomhandle or belly-anchored flatstick have been drawn to it through incompetence or insecurity. They’ve sought...a measure of respite: asylum from the ruinous effects of pressures that should be integral to the game.”

Moving on, Keegan Bradley’s putter is an Odyssey White Hot XG Sabertooth, the same putter that Harrison Frazar used to win the St. Jude Classic earlier this summer. And oddly enough, Frazar’s putter is outfitted with the same SuperStroke grip used by Dufner this week. This massive grip was popularized by K.J. Choi, and aims to relax the hands, inhibit wrist breakdown and engage the shoulders for a smoother, more consistent putting stroke.

In other words, putting tradition took a beating yesterday, with two rising young stars airing a virtual television commercial for unorthodox yet effective putters.

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Are You Fit to Putt?

What does Jason Day play? How about other tour stars?

We queried TaylorMade and Never Compromise about the putter specifications used by top players on the professional circuits and discovered exclusive data that shines a vivid light on the benefits of putter fitting.

And these benefits are not just for the pros—more than ever before, they are available and applicable to the average recreational golfer as well.

What The Pros Play

Day’s TaylorMade Ghost Spider is 35 inches long with a loft of 2.5 degrees and a lie angle of 71 degrees. Interestingly, Justin Rose is three inches taller than Day, but plays with a shorter TaylorMade putter at 34.75 inches with a higher loft of 3.5 degrees.

Never Compromise also shared specifications on several players who use their putters. Two of these players are exactly six-feet tall, but while one uses a putter that is 34.5 inches long with 5 degrees of loft and a 71.5 degree lie angle, the other plays one that is 34 inches long with 3 degrees of loft and a lie angle of 69 degrees.

As you can see, these putter measurements from the PGA Tour are all over the map from player to player. But that is also the common thread—very few professionals use putters that feature the “standard” specifications offered at retail.

In other words, the professionals employ putter fitting as an essential part of their game, because they know that an ill-fitting putter never helps, and will only hurt.

The New Era in Putter Fitting

But the average golfer is still stuck with a so-called "standard" putter, right? Wrong. Not anymore.

Indeed, as detailed in PutterZone.com's new putter fitting guide, the same personal fitting options employed by the pros are now widespread at the point of purchase.

For example, Never Compromise recently launched a “My Custom Putter” feature that enables you to select from a variety of personal fitting options. The SeeMore Putter Company and Piretti Fine Putters are among other companies that also enable you to choose a custom length, lie angle, grip size and more. Meanwhile, TaylorMade and others offer adjustable weighting technologies.

The bottom line is that there’s no longer any excuse not to seek a better fit for better results on the green. There’s a reason why the professionals are fit to putt—and why you should be, too.

P.S. Putter fitting isn’t rocket science. There are some simple steps you can take to achieve a better fit. You just need to know what to look for. On that note, you may want to check out Putter Perfection, the acclaimed new putter fitting guide by PutterZone.com.

P.P.S. Following are specs on additional professionals:

Sergio Garcia - TaylorMade

Height: 5’10”

Putter Length 33.5”

Putter Lie 70

Loft 3

Camilo Villegas - TaylorMade

Height: 5’9”

Length 34”

Lie 70

Loft 2.5

Paula Creamer - TaylorMade

Height: 5’9”

Length 33”

Lie 70

Loft 3

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PING Precision Milled Anser Putters

Following up on the launch of its innovative iPING putter app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, PING is set to release a new line of milled putters exclusively dedicated to its iconic model, the Anser.

The PING Precision Milled Anser line consists of six models, each with varying degrees of balance that can be matched to the golfer’s stroke type, as indicated by colored shaft bands.

The model with the blue shaft band (Anser 5) is designated for players to employ a straight-back-straight-through putting stroke (0 to 3 degrees of face rotation). The putters with a green shaft band (Anser 1, Anser 2 and Anser 3) are for golfers with a slight arcing stroke (3.5 to 7.5 degrees of face rotation), while those with a red shaft band (Anser 6 and Anser 4) are recommended for golfers with a strong arcing stroke (7.5 or more degrees of face rotation).

The corresponding iPING app can help the golfer determine his or her average face rotation. Click here for PutterZone.com’s review of the app.

PING is to be commended for demystifying club balance as a fundamental aspect of putter fitting. The concept of matching a putter’s balance to the golfer’s stroke type is nothing new, but typically involves jargon such as “face balanced” and “toe hang.” By simply color coding its putters, PING is leaving the jargon behind and bringing putter fitting further into the mainstream.

The varying degrees of balance in the new Anser putters are achieved by employing a variety of hosel types and hosel lengths. Historically, the Anser featured a plumber's neck offset hosel, but the new line breaks the mold (see photo above for example). This enables PING to offer different Anser models to fit a range of stroke types. (if you want to learn more about putter fitting and how you can get fit for better results, check out PutterZone.com's acclaimed new guide, Putter Perfection).

Look for the new PING Precision Milled Anser putters to be released on August 11. PING is also expanding its Scottsdale line with several new models, all of which will be similarly color coded to match the golfer's stroke type.

A stand-alone mallet, the PING Sydney putter, joins the new wave of PING putters as well. The Sydney is crafted from high-grade aluminum and features a distinctive red alignment aid.

Stay tuned at PutterZone.com for updates and reviews on the latest PING putters.

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Tiger Woods: Back to The Blade?

Heading into the Bridgestone Invitational this week, Tiger Woods has a new caddie, a new goatee and, possibly, a new putter—a Nike Method blade.

Indeed, in the early practice rounds Woods is wielding a Method 001 blade instead of the mid mallet he’s been using during his checkered 2011 season to date.

Well, okay, it’s not exactly a new putter. Woods first flirted with the Nike Method blade at last year’s British Open, but quickly returned to his trusty Scotty Cameron putter—the putter that had been in his bag for more than 10 consecutive years.

But later in the year, he put a toe-down Nike Method mid mallet into play, and that’s what he’s been bagging so far this year.

The switch to a toe-down mallet putter prompted one tour professional to remark: “Tiger relied on his putting to make up for a lot of bad ball striking in recent years. That’s why I don’t understand why he went to a putter that’s harder to putt with, a putter with a face that releases even more. Most people go to putters with less face rotation, not more.”

Perhaps Woods himself, in the wake of some inconsistent putting performances, now agrees. While going with the mid mallet, he cited his “release pattern” and referenced his swing changes, and how everything from driving through putting is connected.

Now he appears poised to switch back to the Nike 001 putter, which, like his famous Cameron, is an Anser-style blade with a plumber’s offset neck hosel. Will returning to this familiar style help Tiger recapture his old putting magic? Stay tuned.

P.S. To learn more about putter fitting essentials and how you can achieve a better fit, check out Putter Perfection by PutterZone.com.

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Insider Interview: Ontic Putters

Bernie Pinder started playing golf in 1964 “only because I had to” for a new job as a sales engineer." He always loved sports, but never thought he would ever play golf—until he hit that first ball and got hooked. He became fascinated with the importance of putting in lowering one's score, and one night, after a new putter concept hit him in the middle of the night, he jumped out of bed and started sketching. He made his first putter in 1987, and Ontic Golf Group, LLC was incorporated in 2003. All Ontic putters are CNC-machined and assembled in Grand Haven, Michigan, and feature Adjustable Lie Angle Technology that helps the golfer lock in a precise lie angle. They also feature Dynamic Sole Technology, which enables the golfer to set up to that precise lie angle on each putt. We caught up to Bernie to discuss Ontic putters, as well as his thoughts putting and to learn what's next from Ontic. Following is our exclusive interview:

What is Dynamic Sole Technology (DST) and how does it benefit the average golfer?

I would define our DST putter design concept with just one word: Consistent.

Our DST started as a concept to lower the weighting in the heel and toe areas of the putter to both increase weighting and to support higher MOI values. In addition, the DST design proved to be the perfect sole platform for absolute precise lie angle adjustments of a putter. By resting the putter on the lowered heel and toe features, the putter sits flat to the putting surface. The custom-fit lie angle is then absolute, and the set-up ritual and stroke plane become consistent. The other putter features are also more consistent when the putter sets up flat, such as putter balance, weight distribution from heel to toe, and face alignment.

Having said that, all other putters on the market today have a rounded convex sole, with off-the-shelf upright lie angles of 70 to 72 degrees that cannot be custom fitted for precise and consistent lie angles. Any slight hand, ball, or stance change allows the golfer to rock the putter over the convex sole, changing the lie angle. This slight change produces inconsistent set-up, ball and eye position, and changes in the stroke plane.

How does your Adjustable Lie Angle Technology (ALAT) Work?

With the development of our M-PULSE series putters with the ALAT System, we were able to design a method for self-adjusting lie angles. After 17 months of development and USGA evaluation, the innovation of the Ontic Adjustable Lie Angle Technology was complete. For the very first time, every golfer is now able to easily and precisely lock in their custom lie angle. When I say precise, I mean any degree, or fraction of a degree, ranging from the max upright of 80 degrees to a flat range just under 60 degrees. If your lie angle is 67.357, you can do it! In addition, if the golfer wanted to make a lie angle change, it can be done quickly.

You state that “for 95 percent of the golfers we have fitted, the lie angle range has been from 65 to 69 degrees,” which is significantly flatter than what is typically considered “standard.” Is this a function of your recommended setup position or something else?

From our personal, hands-on putter fitting process, our data shows that 90 to 95 percent of golfers fall into a bell curve range of 65 to 69 degrees for their custom lie angle. The precise lie angle is determined by the set-up ritual for each individual golfer. Since the golfer’s physical stature varies, so will the set-up ritual vary. We will be writing more on the set-up ritual soon, however, our videos show the process very well. I consider the precise lie angle for the individual golfer the most critical starting foundation for all custom fitting procedures.

Your vision statement includes the following: To bring putting instruction beyond the hype and myth that is marketed today. Can you elaborate on that?

Where do I start? Here are a few…For more than 30 years I have been collecting articles about putting, putters, instruction, etc., and over those 30 plus years I have seen many changes in this great game of golf. Much has been pure marketing hype and a lot of hand-me-down myths. Here are a few…

Eyes over the ball: Only for some. Others say they do, but don’t

Forward press: How consistent is this? Are you forward pressing 1 degree or 3 degrees?

Ball settles down in a depression on the green and you need more loft to lift it out: Really? Not even on greens with a stimp of 8 will this happen. I have done precise gauge testing to disprove this myth.

Arc stroke for heel-shafted putters, and straight back-straight through for center-shafted putters: I assume the putter head knows the difference? I am working on dispelling this and promoting the best type of putting stroke. One method is close, but both above are wrong.

Hit the ball on an up-stroke to get instant forward roll: Only the absolute loft at impact, at the correct ball position in the set-up, gives best roll rates.

What’s next for Ontic Golf?

Great question…. It is a tough business trying to get our great message and innovative putters on the market. Ontic is slowing growing and we have had sales around the world. We are putting together a great team of PGA and teaching professionals. Ontic putters are carried by a few retail stores and a few green grass shops. It has been a building process, and with our current team we feel 2011 will be a good growth year. Hopefully a Tour player and more will be taking a look at Ontic putters. Ontic Golf will be opening more Ontic Short Game Golf Academies that focus mostly on putting. Ontic also will introduce another putter training aid called the Putter’s Grail very soon. It is our goal to introduce the M-PULSE Lite The Fire putter and a new M-PULSE blade putter. We have a patent-pending on a new putter shaft, but cannot say more about the innovation for the shaft at this time.

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