Turns out (shocker!) that I make more putts with a flatstick that’s more forgiving and easier to line up. More specifically, my putter of choice, a Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset— the standard length version of Wyndham Clark’s model — has helped me fight my dreaded pull miss and also apply more top spin to keep my putts on target.
But what I want to highlight in this piece is another component of the putter that has become a key tech talking point across the putter industry: its center of gravity.
My old putter had a forward CG, and I struggled at times with both my start line and roll. My Ally Blue, with its shaft well behind the face, has a much deeper CG, which has helped me improve both these deficiencies.
CG position relative to the front or back of the head not only helps determine the MOI and therefore forgiveness of the putter but also how you react to it. For many golfers, the deeper the CG, the earlier your stroke will bottom out, encouraging you to hit up on the putt and create topspin.
Scotty Cameron just added a deep CG option, the Phantom 12, to its lineup, and the existing Phantom 9 is already finding its way into more bags.
But there are still players who stroke it more consistently with a forward CG mallet, like Brooks Koepka, who is now in a Cameron Fastback shape.
We’ve seen this same concept with TaylorMade’s newest Spider release and the new Tour V and Tour F shapes, which cater to players who need a little more forward CG to become more aware of the face.
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On Tour, Odyssey recently launched the TRTL prototype mallet, which has four weights on the sole. It’s very reasonable to assume that those weights can be used to move CG forward and back.
Also on Tour, Scotty Cameron has begun using more and more aluminum inserts in putters. The lighter weight material allows more mass to be placed back in the head. Is this something we see go to retail soon?
It’s no secret this drive toward deep CG putters is driven by the success of the TaylorMade Spider Tour X on Tour. But history shows us novel ideas in golf equipment don’t stay novel for long, and each OEM will eventually put out its own spin on the design.
Call it the next frontier of putter design: deeper CGs, lighter faces and more options.
3 things I’m thinking
1. Stinger season: As the PGA Tour heads across the pond for links golf at the Scottish Open and Open Championship, expect to see fewer high-lofted fairway woods and more utility irons. Tommy Fleetwood was testing a long-iron replacement this week, and Justin Thomas was also testing a 2-iron with a Fujikura Ventus Red HB shaft.
2. Titan force: Project X’s new Titan line of shafts added a new profile on Tour last week, Titan Green, and the line has quickly built some momentum this season, especially with Wyndham Clark winning twice with Titan Yellow.
3. Paralysis by analysis: I’ve had a back-and-forth love hate relationship with my driver. I’ve made several changes to it over the past month, but I think I’m learning, it’s not the tool, it’s the carpenter. Better to set it and forget it!
