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.

Ames Says Yes! to $600k at Skins Game

How would you like to own the putter that earned Stephen Ames $650,000 on Sunday? In fact, you can—for just $150.

Indeed, Ames wielded a Yes! Golf “Valerie” model putter to sink the seven-foot putt that netted him six figures on the 18th hole of the Skins Game at Indian Wells yesterday. The Valerie, a newer model by Yes! Golf, is now available at a variety of retailers.

In what now sounds like prophecy, Yes! Golf CEO Francis Ricci wrote PutterZone.com on November 6 with the following news: “Stephen Ames won the PGA Tour's final tournament of the year using his new Valerie that he started using just a few weeks ago. He finished tied for first in total putts and ninth in putts per green in regulation. His winning check of $828,000 moved him from 65th on the money list to 31st for a total of $2.9 million. Ames is defending champion of the ‘Skins Game’ to be played later this month.”

The Valerie is a mallet-style putter made of 304 stainless steel. It features a cavity-back compact head design that is face balanced with a double bend shaft and single sight line for easier alignment. The concentric C-Grooves on the faces of all Yes! Putters are designed to send the ball on a truer topspin roll for enhanced directional and distance control.

P.S. Click here to read PutterZone.com’s earlier Insider Interview with Francis Ricci of Yes! Golf.

British Open Exclusive: Hot Putters on Tour

Which PGA Tour players will wield which putters at this week’s British Open? What are the hottest flatsticks on the professional circuits at this moment? Everybody knows that Tiger Woods uses a trusty Scotty Cameron putter and that Phil Mickelson keeps two custom Odyssey putters in his stable. But what about other golf legends and rising stars? What’s working for them on the green?

PutterZone.com is no stranger to these questions. It’s only natural that recreational golfers want to know what works for the top players in the world, as it just might work for them as well.

So, with a little reconnaissance, PutterZone.com developed the following unprecedented dossier on who’s using what right now.

There are a few things you should know about this dossier. It is accurate and up to date, but only to the point that a pro golfer decides to switch putters, which can happen at any time. Also, where possible, I have taken care to specify if a putter is a prototype or has been highly customized. But you can bet that all of these putters have been customized in one way or another, in terms of loft, lie, length, weighting, etc. You’d be hard pressed to find a pro who pulls a putter right off the rack—and for the same reason you might consider having your putter professionally fit to your own physique and mechanics.

So, without further ado...

Several hot hands on the PGA Tour are playing Rossa Series putters by TaylorMade. David Toms has won nearly $2 million this year with a Rossa Imola 8 model in his bag. Sean O’Hair employs a Rossa Monza Corza AGSI model, while Kenny Perry favors the Rossa Inza model. The Anti-skid Groove System Insert (AGSI) on the latest Rossa putters is engineered to reduce backspin and promote forward spin earlier in the shot for enhanced distance control and accuracy.

Angel Cabrera used PING’s Redwood Anser model putter while outpacing Tiger Woods to win the recent 2007 U.S. Open—earning him a solid gold replica of the putter as part of PING’s gold putter program for tour victors (a regular win gets you gold-plated putter while a major victory earns you a solid gold putter). Other PGA Tour pros wielding the Redwood Anser putter include Lee Westwood. The new Redwood Series features three classic PING shapes, all crafted from precision-milled 303 stainless steel. The series name pays tribute to Redwood City, California, where founder Karsten Solheim created the first PING putter in his garage. Meanwhile, Chris DiMarco uses PING’s Anser IsoForce putter.

Boccieri Golf’s Heavy Putter continues to gain momentum on tour, and Troy Matteson has already won more than $1 million this year with one in his bag. Matteson’s current putter is a prototype Heavy Putter blade with a satin finish. Brad Fritsch is also playing the same prototype on the Nationwide Tour, while Ken Staton plays with the Heavy Putter A3 model. Heavy Putter’s tour prototypes may or may not be precursors to future models, but PutterZone.com has confirmed that Boccieri Golf plans to release new Heavy Putter models later this year. Stay tuned.

Yes! Golf’s C-Groove putters are proliferating on professional circuits worldwide. Since 2001, Retief Goosen has used an early version of the company’s Tracy model, with which he has won two U.S. Opens. Jerry Kelly has rapidly ascended to 24th on the PGA Tour money list with a Sophia model in hand. On the LPGA Tour, Juli Inkster uses a Marilyn model. The concentric C-Grooves on Yes! Putters are designed to send the ball on a truer topspin roll for enhanced directional and distance control.

Never Compromise’s Exchange Series #7 model (pictured here) is getting a serious workout on the PGA Tour, with Vijay Singh, Boo Weekley and Michael Putnam all wielding it (Singh frequently uses the belly version). The Exchange Series putters come with adjustable color-coded weights that fit into four ports. The putter head by itself weighs 320 grams. Both Singh and Putnam typically use two white 10-gram weights in the back ports for a total head weight of 340 grams. Weekley typically uses two of the white weights in front and two blue 15-gram weights in back for a total of 370 grams. The Exchange Series kit also comes with a pair of red five-gram weights.

Rife Putters is red hot right now, having released its acclaimed Island Series putters on the heels of its successful 2 Bar line. Justin Rose uses the Island Series Barbados model. Brian Gay, who is currently ranked 13th in putting average on the PGA Tour, employs Rife’s GR5 mid blade, which is similar to the current GR6 Aussie model. Peter Lonard uses the cool 2 Bar Scarab—alas, the Scarab is a prototype that is unavailable to the general public. The standard 2 Bar mallet, however, is widely available. Rife’s putters feature RollGroove technology, through which precisely milled face grooves are designed to impart a more consistent roll.

It’s no secret that Zach Johnson won the 2007 Masters and 2007 AT&T Classic with a SeeMore FGP model putter in hand. Meanwhile, Vaughn Taylor has ridden his SeeMore FGP to a ranking of 21st in PGA Tour putting average. Earlier this year, SeeMore released its new mSeries precision-milled putters, and the m1 model has seen a lot of action in the hands of Stuart Appleby, who has been hanging around the top of several leaderboards of late. SeeMore’s calling card is its RifleScope technology, through which a blackened shaft visually intersects and hides a red dot on the putter crown. Two parallel white sightlines frame the shaft and serve as an indicator that the golfer is in perfect position to make a consistent and reliable stroke.

Jesper Parnevik uses a V-Foil M7.5 K GT putter by MacGregor Golf. Meanwhile, Billy Mayfair is using a prototype of one of MacGregor’s new DCT putters with Face-Off technology. Designed by Bobby Grace, MacGregor’s DCT putters features Distance Control Technology (DCT), which transfers more energy to the ball on miss-hits for enhanced distance consistency. They also offers two interchangeable putter faces: a polymer face designed for faster greens and a titanium face for slower greens

Newcomer GEL Golf will make its major tournament debut at the British Open in the hands of David Gleeson of Australia, who will play with GEL’s Ruby model putter. In addition to fashionably bright color schemes, GEL putters incorporate a soft aluminum insert with a series of finely milled saw-like grooves engineered to start the ball rolling faster and straighter.

Insider Interview: Yes! Golf's Francis Ricci

In a rather short period of time, Yes! Golf has emerged as a putter powerhouse, both on tour and at retail. Yes! Golf remains a relatively small company whose tour inroads have been truly earned, not purchased in the form of lucrative player sponsorships. The open secret to the company’s success is its patented C-Groove technology, which was invented by English putting guru Harold Swash. The concentric C-Grooves on Yes! Putters are designed to send the ball on a truer topspin roll for enhanced directional and distance control. Based in Denver, Colorado, Yes! Golf is actually the outgrowth of an earlier golf equipment company, Pro Gear Inc. But for all intents and purposes, Yes! Golf was born in 2000 when it unveiled its first C-Groove putters at the PGA Merchandise show. Yes! Golf 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, PutterZone.com recently spoke with Yes! Golf President & CEO Francis Ricci about the unique attributes of the company's C-Groove putters—and about what we can expect next from Yes! Golf. Following is our exclusive interview:

What sets Yes! putters apart from other putters in terms of features and benefits?
Our patented C-Groove face design feature is the difference. This design feature provides a greater margin of error compared to all other putters that we have tested when the ball is impacted less than ideally.

Most putting experts, including most professional golfers, understand that achievement of a "true" rolling motion within a minimal distance after impact is required to afford directional and distance control. The energy created by the strike of a putter face will dissipate at differing rates when balls skid, bounce, back spin or side turn upon impact, even when the player uses an identical stroke. As a result, two or more balls struck with identical strokes will often finish at different locations and distances. On the other hand, balls that achieve true roll within a minimum distance after impact, with identical striking, will finish within much tighter deviations of both direction and distance.

Very few players consistently achieve ideal impact with any putters. We define ideal impact as one wherein the face of the putter is square to the target line at impact and wherein the loft at impact and the plane of the strike at impact are physically correct to produce the desired true roll. The world's best putters achieve the ideal impact frequently, but even they will miss-hit on occasion. The C-Groove design feature minimizes the effects of miss-hits compared to all other putters we have tested.

In other words, even when the putter face is slightly open or closed to the target line, or the loft or the plane of the strike at impact is less than ideal, the C-Groove design provides compensating factors.

Please describe the relationship between the C-Groove design feature and true roll—in other words, what exactly do the grooves do?
The groove edges are 4/1000th of an inch and only two groove edges contact the ball at impact. 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 much like grooves on irons and woods impart backspin on a ball.

Under slow-motion video analysis—which we have done thousands of times—the ball is almost always struck with some degree of positive loft, resulting in the ball acting like a chip at the beginning, with the ball up above the surface and turning backwards. Although the ball when impacted with a C-Groove putter can be lofted above the surface for some distance, the groove edges impart an over-the-top rolling force, resulting in a more controlled motion compared to the actions—such as bouncing and skidding—caused by backward turning in the initial distance of a putt.

We have observed that most good putters, including most pros, impact the ball with almost zero loft, thereby eliminating back turn but still having some measure of skid when other putters are used.

Can you tell us a bit more about Harold Swash, the inventor of your C-Groove technology?
Harold Swash, now 74, has been teaching putting primarily in his homeland of England and elsewhere in Europe for nearly 40 years. He also has developed putters, putting training aids and wedges over the years. He also operates the Harold Swash Putting Schools of Excellence, which now has several locations in the U.K. and Europe. He has been known as the "European Putting Doctor" for many years. His putting students have included many tour players including Padraig Harrington, David Howell, Henrik Stenson and, in times gone by, Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam.

Where does Yes! stand at the moment in terms of growth on tour and at retail?
Our putter counts by tour over the past 18 months are either number one or number two on the LPGA Tour; number two, three or four per event on the European Tour; number one on the Korean PGA and LPGA tours; number one on the Duramed Futures Tour; top five on the Japan PGA and LPGA tours; and generally number four or five on the PGA and Nationwide Tours, after the leading brands Titleist/Cameron, Ping and Callaway/Odyssey.

At the retail level, our sales have grown tenfold since 2004. In the United States, our market share is close to number five. In the United Kingdom, our market share is number three. In Korea, it’s number one.

Your putter model names, such as Callie, Sophia and Olivia, are very distinctive. Can you tell us more about these names and what they signify?
We adopted the policy of using feminine names upon Retief Goosen's 2001 U.S. Open victory. We renamed the putter he used, and which he still uses most of the time, after his wife Tracy. The other names are for family members of some of our personnel, or are other popular names. We believe that golfers and their putters should have a close and friendly relationship and that putters should be considered as delicate instruments rather than “weapons.” These notions are consistent with feminine names.

What are your latest models—and what can we expect next from Yes! Golf?
We just released our first two forged models and plan on additional forged models. Our first forged putter is the Callie-F model, and we just released a forged Abbie model. Also, we will be releasing some new models over the next few months incorporating unique alignment concepts. We are also planning to partner with a maker of products used for the custom fitting of putters, as well as for putting instruction and training.

Can you tell us a bit more about your upcoming models and their alignment concepts?
Without letting the cat out of the bag, I can only tell you that the unique alignment features are based on the human eye-brain functions.

Thank you, Mr. Ricci! For more information, visit the Yes! Golf web site.

Tour Pros Saying Yes!

Yes! Golf’s putters are on a worldwide roll, with tour professionals from China, France and the United States wielding the company’s flatsticks with considerable success over the past weekend.

On Sunday, French pro Jean-Francois Remesy used a Yes! Callie putter (pictured here) to birdie four of the final five holes for weekend scores of 65 and 64 to finish in a tie for 1st at the BA-CA Open in Austria (he lost in a playoff after an approach shot bounced into a water hazard). Meanwhile, at the Suntory Open in Japan, Zhang Na used a Yes! Marilyn Pink putter to become the first player from mainland China to win on the Japan Ladies Golf Tour.

Also over this past weekend, 40 players put Yes! putters to work at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship in Maryland, setting an LPGA tournament usage record for Yes! Golf. Additionally, Allison Fouch won the Duramed Futures Tour’s U.S. Steel Golf Classic in Indiana using a customized Yes! Callie putter.

Whew! Anything else? The answer is, of course, yes…

Sergio Garcia appears to have steadied his putting game after switching to a Yes! putter at the 2007 Players Championship—a good sign as he prepares for this week’s U.S Open. Sergio’s putter is a new mallet model that shall go unnamed for now. Stay tuned here at PutterZone.com in the coming weeks for more insight into this exciting new putter from Yes! Golf.

Facing Your New Putter Choices

In the competition for your golfing dollar, several putter manufacturers are facing off with new technologies designed to impart “true roll” for optimal accuracy on the green—and much of this competition is being waged right on the putter face itself, where you will find inserts, grooves and other special features that aim to raise your game.

True roll is defined as the ball rolling with perfectly straight topspin off the putter face without skidding, hopping or other unpredictable movements that can wreak havoc on direction and distance control. Actual true roll is a bit of a mythical concept, given the many variables of natural putting surfaces, but the pursuit of what you might call “truer” roll is keeping a lot of putter designers very busy.

If you’re in the market for a new putter, the technological crossfire can be confusing. Following is a breakdown to help you navigate your current choices in putter face technology—and to alert you to some newcomers that will be hitting the market soon.

Face Inserts
A face insert is a separate material that has been inserted into, or on, the putter to create a desired ball-striking effect. In most cases, the insert is a softer material than metal.

The notion of a face insert sounds relatively simple, yet in practice it can be quite complex and multidimensional. For example, Odyssey’s White Hot XG insert technology, found in the popular Odyssey Marxman and other models, features an elastomer core material, a thin outer striking surface and a textured impact zone that the company claims creates “even better forgiveness and truer roll than previous models.”

STX Putters takes the tech talk a step further, referencing scientific concepts such as “dwell time” and “coefficient of friction” to demonstrate how its elastomeric inserts cradle the ball during contact for reduced skidding.

MacGregor’s new Response DCT putter is literally changing the face of insert technology with its “Face-Off” design—the putter comes with two easily interchangeable faces, one made of polymer and the other titanium, to best fit your game or playing conditions.

What next? Keep an eye out for the Dark ACE by Profound Putters, an exciting new European putter that should cross the Atlantic sometime this summer. The Dark ACE features a soft insert behind the face to dampen vibrations while maintaining the pure audio feedback of metal.

Face Groove Technology
Rife Putters, Yes! Golf, TaylorMade and GEL Putters are some of the companies leading the charge with groove technology, through which precisely engineered grooves on the putter face are designed to create a truer, more consistent roll.

According to Yes! Golf, “the key to more accurate putting is to achieve forward rolling motion immediately upon striking the ball.” Yes! Golf’s answer is its C-Groove technology, which features distinctive concentric grooves on the putter face, as seen on Yes! putter models such as the Yes! Callie and Yes! Dianna. According to Yes! Golf: “The patented concentric edges on the C-Groove putter face grip the surface of the ball and apply physical forces which simultaneously lift the ball out of its resting position and impart an over-the-top rolling action.”

The horizontal RollGrooves found on Rife’s putters, such as the Rife Barbados, and the Anti-skid Groove System Insert on TaylorMade’s Rossa putters, such as the Rossa Imola (pictured here), promise a similar effect. A newcomer on this groovy scene is GEL Putters. GEL stands for Groove Equipment Limited, which tells you that this company takes the groove business pretty seriously. Keep an eye out for GEL Putters, as they are poised to make a national rollout soon.

Face Loft (or lack thereof)
Larry Garcia, founder of Q-Roll Golf, believes the answer to true roll is found in loft (or lack thereof), not in inserts or grooves.

Putter loft is the angle of the putter face in relation to the ground, in the same way that a nine iron has a lot of loft and a three iron has less loft. Most putters feature a small degree of loft.

Q-Roll’s putters, however, feature Radius Face Technology, through which the leading edge of the putter face is toward the top of the face, not at the bottom—a sort of anti-loft. Radius Face Technology is designed to “strike the golf ball above its equator, producing immediate topspin and a true, forward role for improved control and accuracy.” Q-Roll is a smaller company with a big idea that is gaining converts by the day.

As you can see, the answer to achieving true roll depends on who’s asking the question. Regardless, you can take comfort in the fact that many great scientific minds are working hard to raise your game, and that somewhere among the above technologies is a putter that just might perfectly fit your stroke and style.

Putter Success Roundup

So how is your putter doing? Following is roundup of recent successes on tour:

YES! PUTTERS
On the PGA Tour, the YES! Dianna finished third and the Sophia putter finished tied for eighth at the Verizon Heritage in an unusual Monday finish because of high winds on Sunday. Battling similar wind conditions on the LPGA Tour, Laura Davies finished third at the Ginn Open in Reunion, Fla using a YES! Victoria II putter. YES! also finished second in the putter count on the LPGA Tour with 28 putters in play.

SEEMORE PUTTERS
SeeMore Putter Company sustained its momentum at the Verizon Classic with impressive top 10 finishes by Masters Champion Zach Johnson and Vaughn Taylor. Taylor finished fourth with an impressive 1.556 putts per GIR with an outstanding 1.375 in the final round. He jumped nine spots on the money list to 22nd from 31st this week. Taylor finished in the top 10 in only his second Masters last week. Johnson followed up his stunning Masters victory with a sixth place finish at Harbourtown. He is now in fourth place on the money list jumping from eighth place. Both are in the top 20 in Tour putting statistics.

RIFE PUTTERS
Rife Putters found success on the LPGA Tour this past weekend in Orlando, Florida with a T-4th and a T-6th Place Finish at The Ginn Open. Prior to making the switch to a Rife putter at the Ginn Open, the T-4th Place Finisher's best showing this season was a 60th Place Finish. She decided to make the switch to Rife's Aussie Blade putter and it immediately landed her in the Top 5, earning a paycheck for $118,370.00.This week's T-6th Place Finisher at the Ginn Open used her Rife 2 Bar Mallet putter to earn her 2nd Top Ten Finish of the 2007 season and a paycheck for $79,340.00.

Yes! Golf Offers Free Demo DVD

Yes! Golf is currently offering a free promotional DVD called "The Art of Championship Putting." They don't say exactly what's on the DVD, but I imagine it delves into the company's unique C-Groove putter face technology as well as specific putting instruction. You certainly can't argue with the price. Free lessons are always welcome around these parts. Click here to request a copy.