• Blade Putters

They’re the flatsticks for the purists, yet even these benefit from some clever tech

‘WE’VE SEEN THE SHAPE BEFORE, BUT RARELY HAVE WE SEEN SUCH EXQUISITE CRAFTSMANSHIP’

PING VAULT ANSER 2 www.ping.com Head weight: 350g Grip: Ping Pistol PP62 Toe hang: Strong

TECH: Milled from solid blocks of 303 stainless steel and inspired by Ping’s tour pros. True Roll face tech sees grooves milled to different widths and depths to help speed up off-centre hits to increase consistency.

WE SAY: The Anser 2 comes with serious credentials. It’s a Tourproven shape, the finish is fantastic, it’s made from soft carbon steel and we know Ping has pored over the new variable width and depth grooves for hours. But the million-dollar question – and the clincher to any potential purchase – is whether it’s demonstrably better than what’s gone before. And that’s what our testers struggled to agree. We just couldn’t say for sure that distance control, feel and roll were any better (which could partly be down to the new super-sized grip, which felt huge on this style of head).

VERDICT: It feels lovely and will do a very good job for those who take the plunge. But you can get exactly the same head shape in the Sigma G range, with the same grooves, for US$128 less...

TAYLORMADE TP COLLECTION JUNO www.taylormadegolf.com Head weight: 345g Grip: Standard Lamkin rubber or OS Superstroke Toe hang: Moderate

TECH: Skim-milling and a tour satin finish give a really crisp appearance at address, while new 45° face grooves and a 6061 aluminium face insert ensure putts skid less.

WE SAY: Taylormade blade putters have never had quite the same success on Tour – or in club golfers’ hands – as their Spider designs. But it doesn’t stop them trying. These models are all cast and then skim milled, so you get a very sharp, clean appearance at address. It also means the putter doesn’t need to be painted, so you get a top quality look and finish. We loved the new Lamkin grip; its pistol shape with sharp edges, traditional size and a flat front drew plenty of compliments, making it really easy to tell when the face was square.

VERDICT: Though the Juno is beautifully made, if you sat it down among a line of blades it would struggle to stand out. A slightly lower price is reflective of the head not being 100% milled. But if we’re honest most golfers would struggle to feel the difference.

PIRETTI CORTINO 1.5 www.pirettigolf.com Headweight: 365g Grip: Piretti standard Toe hang: Strong

TECH: The Cortino is created from a single block of 11L17 carbon steel, so there are no welds around the hosel to absorb vibrations or feel. The flow neck design favours an arc-shaped putting stroke.

WE SAY: From top to bottom the Cortino oozes class, and you can’t fail to spot it. Yes, the head is a shape we’ve seen before, but rarely have we seen such exquisite craftsmanship. A strong toe hang is quite severe, so it’s best suited to strokes with a slight to stronger arc. Our testers liked the firmer feel and extra feedback the Piretti generated over some premium models, but at about US$448 a piece the Cortino is a hefty investment. For us, it’s one likely only to be used by serious golfers who’ll cherish this club.

VERDICT: At this end of the market price is irrelevant. If you’ve promised yourself a new premium putter and you’ve got a nice arcing stroke, you won’t be disappointed.

SCOTTY CAMERON SELECT NEWPORT 2 www.titleist.com Headweight: Changeable depending on length Grip: Red Matador Midsize Toe hang: Moderate

TECH: Precision-milled from soft 303 steel to maximise feel and responsiveness. A floating insert helps raise MOI which means a higher resistance to twisting.

WE SAY: Respect to Ping for inventing the Anser putter shape, but surely Scotty deserves credit for coming up with the idea to precision Cnc-mill such an iconic shape, too. The Newport 2 is one of his most coveted models, and we can see why. The head’s moderate toe hang will suit a stroke with a bit of rotation and we felt the head bore a touch more weight, which we really liked as it’s been said before that Scottys can be a bit light for year-round use in the UK. A simple single alignment line focuses attention nicely.

VERDICT: A top quality putter which blade purists will adore. The floating insert is a worthwhile refinement. If you must have the Rolex of putters you’ve just found it.

ODYSSEY O-WORKS #1 WIDE www.odysseygolf.com Headweight: 350g Grip: Superstroke Pistol GT Tour or Superstroke Slim 2.0 (Counter Core) Toe hang: Slight

TECH: New finger-shaped grips on the stainless steel face plate are combined with a thermoplastic elastomer feel layer to grab and interact with the cover at impact, lifting the ball into a better roll.

WE SAY: Many golfers think blade putters are just for arcing strokes, but it’s simply not true any more. The #1 Wide, with its shorter but wider body, along with the sort of double bend shaft you often find in mallet putters, means this design has much less toe hang, so is much more suited to straighter strokes. That microhinge face insert feels absolutely perfect and we all loved the new red highlighted sight lines. We tested this model with a Superstroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip, which is bigger with softer edges than the Pistol GT Tour, but just as nice to use.

VERDICT: We love how models like this open up blade putters to a wider audience. Our testers felt the full shaft of offset really encouraged getting the hands ahead of the ball to stroke the ball beautifully. A top all-round putter.

‘WE WERE VERY IMPRESSED BY THE TECH, SO MUCH SO OUR GEAR EDITOR PUT ONE IN PLAY’

PING SIGMA G KINLOCH www.ping.com Head weight: 350g Grip: Ping Pistol P60 Toe hang: Moderate

TECH: New milled aluminium face inserts have variable depth and width grooves to deliver consistent across-the-face ball speed performance. Feel is enhanced by a highenergy elastomer insert.

WE SAY: A classic toe and heel weighted design is combined with a scalloped back. A plumber’s neck means a slight toe hang, making it a good match for a slightly arcing stroke. The head’s really clean and simple and the platinum finish looks very sleek with a single alignment line. Ping’s big new thing is the aluminium face insert and variable width and depth grooves. It means you get a slightly higher MOI from this traditional blade as weight’s removed from the face. All three testers felt they holed more than their fair share with the Kinloch.

VERDICT: For golfers who like tinkering with their putter, Ping’s adjustable length shaft should definitely be an option. It means you can change your set-up in an instant. We really liked the quality finish, excellent new feel, sound and roll.

SCOTTY CAMERON SELECT NEWPORT 2 NOTCHBACK www.titleist.com Headweight: Changeable depending on length Grip: Red Matador Midsize Toe hang: Slight

TECH: Precision-milled in the USA from soft 303 steel to maximise feel and responsiveness. A floating insert and wider notchback help raise MOI, which means a higher resistance to twisting.

WE SAY: Proof, if you need it, that blades don’t just suit arcing strokes. Cameron has cleverly come up with a single bend shaft, which does away with the plumber’s neck you usually get on a blade. It means you get less toe hang and opens up the Notchback to being much more friendly for less arcing strokes. Two of our testers absolutely loved the concept and thought they could immediately slide the Notchback straight into play. As you’d expect, feel and roll is fantastic, and a worthwhile addition is the ‘notch’ which helps raise MOI higher than you’d typically find with a blade.

VERDICT: If you love the look of blade, but don’t have the stroke to get the best out of one, this could be right up your street. If you generate half as much confidence as we did with it, you’ll be over the moon.

BETTINARDI BB1F www.bettinardi.com Headweight: 350g Grip: BB Series standard Toe hang: Strong

TECH: A classic flow-neck blade with toe and heel weighting for a good degree of forgiveness. Each head is created from a blend of mild steel to deliver a great sound and feel at impact. Milled in the USA.

WE SAY: With such sleek designs Bettinardi’s stock is continually growing in tour player circles. Every dimension, curve, mill mark and even the pattern on the face (which Bettinardi has worked out affects feel) has been pored over to deliver a top-class putter. The flowneck means you get more toe hang than most of the blade putters we tested, so it’s particularly well suited to strokes with a stronger arc. We loved how it encouraged getting our hands ahead of the ball and really stroking it across the green, rather than hitting at putts with a damaging, wristy stroke.

VERDICT: With a decent price gap between Bettinardi and Scotty putters now there’s a real choice to be made between the two.

EVNROLL ER2 www.evnroll.com Headweight: 370g Grip: Winn Pro 1.18 Toe hang: Slight

TECH: EVNROLL putters have a brand new face milling pattern which inventor Guerin Rife says gives a progressive energy transfer. To me and you, that means putts hit offcentre roll virtually the same distance as centre hits.

WE SAY: EVNROLL only started up last year, yet Guerin Rife has been designing putters for 25 years. So it’s fair to say there’s a ton of experience rolled into his new concept. The big story is the specially-shaped face grooves, and we’ll happily admit to feeling a real engagement between ball and face at impact. The ER2 had the widest head of the blades tested, so MOI and forgiveness should be slightly enhanced over most models, and that certainly played out with the amount of putts we holed.

VERDICT: We’re not going to go quite as far as saying the ER2’S clever face grooves ‘gear’ off-centre putts back online, as EVNROLL claims. But we were very impressed by the tech, so much so the gear editor put one in play.

ODYSSEY O-WORKS #1 www.odysseygolf.com Headweight: 350g Grip: Superstroke Pistol GT Tour or Superstroke Slim 2.0 (Counter Core) Toe hang: Moderate

TECH: New finger-shaped grips on the stainless steel face plate are combined with a thermoplastic elastomer feel layer to grab and interact with the cover at impact, lifting the ball into a better roll.

WE SAY: Odyssey can legitimately claim to have invented the insert. And since its introduction in the ’90s, they have toiled over improving the feel and roll of their original design. In 2017 they reckon they’ve hit the jackpot. Our testing results suggest they’re definitely onto something. Little fingers on the O-works insert ‘lift’ putts into action and the resulting feel, sound and roll is different to anything we saw on test. If you’re not one to be seduced by CNC milled putters, we reckon the #1 is the complete blade.

VERDICT: A top drawer putter, and that the microhinge face is something else. It’s not milled, but when it looks, feels, sounds and rolls as good as this, who cares? If you’re in the market for a new blade in 2017, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t try one.