WWhen Phil Mickelson, a user of classic blade putters throughout his career, started putting with a large hammer late last year, it was an indication that even for the most ardent blade proponent, the benefits of the hammer are too real to ignore.
Luke Williams, Odyssey’s senior director of product, says Mickelson’s move to a modern club reflects a broader trend among average golfers, especially now that wands can be designed to work with both straight motion, which favors -balanced “and the arc travel typically used by users of blades with a” toe-hang “design.
“Phil has always been particular about feeling the release of the face, but with the hammer, he believed his starting lines were much more consistent,” says Williams. “Some players may find they feel less facial rotation than they are used to, but I think the consistency they see will outweigh the feeling they are used to.”
The newer sticks are not only more forgiving and better at aiding aim and alignment, but they could stabilize face control while running. This means more consistent impact, more faithful roll and better distance control. Although the choice of putter may lean towards the spiritual, data through the use of high-tech putter fittings suggests that more golfers should use clubs (see our tests, below).
Club putter sales are increasing beyond blades, for some models up to 9 to 1. Nick Sherburne, who directs assembly for Club Champion’s 74 facilities nationwide, says club fittings outnumber blade fittings by 2½ to 1.
“Teachers and teaching aids have pushed people away from a bow shot to more of a straight, direct motion, which lends itself better to a hammer,” he says.
Mickelson, of course, went back to one of his old blades this spring. Sometimes the numbers fail to overcome emotions. Sometimes though, especially for average golfers, they should.
▶ The parallel wing shape includes the three-line alignment aid developed for Callaway golf balls. The lines increase the target’s awareness. Versions with face balance and tip available. BUY NOW
▶ This head combines steel with aluminum casting, which is about one third of the density of steel. This allows the heavier steel to stabilize the frame so that off-center hits roll like center hits. BUY NOW
▶ A heavy steel wing in the rear – more than 40 percent of the total weight of the head – secures the lightweight, scratch-resistant aluminum frame in the front. The goal is more consistency. BUY NOW
▶ A triangular bridge connects across the clubhead for added stability. But the view at the address is still that of a traditional compact hammer. The design keeps the face square on impact. BUY NOW
▶ The loft on this extreme hammer increases four times (from 1 degree below to 4 degrees above) to produce a constant roll regardless of how the rod leans at the address. BUY NOW
We cooperated with the club champion, the best premium clubfittter, to see how the data supports oversized putters. We matched a hammer and blade putter to golfers’ length specifications. The putts were analyzed by SAM PuttLab, which measures dozens of performance attributes through ultrasonic motion acquisition. Below we detail how the chopsticks overcame the blades in specific areas. (The percentages, in red, reflect how much better wands were rated in three key metrics.) Overall, out of 100 scores, wands scored higher than blades 62% of the time.
CORNER OF FACE IN THE EVENT OF AN IMPACT
▶ Putting your face on the target on impact is essential for a good mass. In our test, seven of the 10 players were squarer on impact with a club putter than with a blade.
ANALYSIS However, the angle of the face on impact doesn’t tell the whole story. SAM PuttLab uses a statistic called Trend, which combines the angle of the face with elements like the face at the address, the rotation of the face and the position of the impact to show how close a putter is to producing elite play performance. In this statistic, wands have a higher score for eight of the 10 players.
PATHWAY
▶ Good putts are achieved when the face of the putter remains perpendicular to the path of the put stroke. The less your face moves during your blow, the more reliable your put will be. In the test, the sticks produced more positive results in terms of the timing and route of the stroke, especially how square the putter is to the route.
ANALYSIS The SAM PuttLab rating for Face to path measures how square the surface of the putter is in relation to the round trip. The clubs produced higher ratings for all 10 players.
CONSISTENCY
▶ Putt is one way to analyze put, but this metric can be too simplistic: in our test, clubs and blades produced the same percentage of putts. However, even though players used putters they had never tried before, their setup, strokes, and impact positions were more repeatable with clubs than with blades.
ANALYSIS A high score in SAM Putt Lab’s Consistency the assessment reflects a small variability in address location, stroke pathway, and impact. The clubs scored higher for seven of the 10 players.
▶ Former PGA Tour pro Larry Rinker, now a put coach in Florida and Colorado, says about 80% of golfers he has tested control the put stroke with their (dominant) hand. “Those players need a putter,” he says. Her tip: Find a six foot straight putt and see what your tendency to be wrong is. If a right-hander misses to the right, a hanging putter can help. Missing on the left? A face-balanced putter can prevent you from closing your face.
“A big problem is the people who stand with their backs, because that’s what they were told to do,” he says. “You have to free your stroke by allowing your hands and wrists to be involved. This is why Tiger only practices putts with his right hand. He is repeating a natural and intuitive trait.” —RON KASPRISKE
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