MALLET PUTTERS
If your stroke needs more help getting the ball in the hole, one of these could be just what you need
PING VAULT OSLO £275 FIXED £299 ADJUSTABLE
www.ping.com Headweight: 365g Grip: Ping Pistol 62 Toe hang: Face Balanced
TECH: Milled from a solid block of 6061 aluminium. The Oslo has a stainless steel sole plate to lower CG and raise stability and MOI. True Roll face technology sees grooves milled to different widths.
WE SAY: The Oslo’s a bit of a brute and definitely has the biggest head here. That stretched, wide head means excellent off-centre forgiveness, though, and paid dividends for two of our testers, who holed a stack of putts from different distances. Some will say the head’s a bit dull and lacks the excitement of any changeable sole weights, counter weighting or a face insert, which is surprising at this price. But we can confirm the Oslo did what its oversized body is supposed to do – help us hole more putts.
VERDICT: A very good if pricey blend of stability, simple alignment and forgiveness, which is just what many golfers need. Our testers couldn’t agree the huge grip was for everyone as its softer edges weren’t quite as good for feeling when the face is square, but overall the Oslo is a very solid, stable putter.
CLEVELAND TFI MEZZO £129
www.clevelandgolf.co.uk Headweight: 360g Grip: Lamkin Cleveland TFI Toe hang: Face Balanced
TECH: Cleveland says 80% of golfers don’t have their eyes directly over the ball when putting. They reckon that by raising the alignment aid to exactly half the size of a golf ball they’ve created the most accurate aid ever.
WE SAY: Centre-shafted putters were on the up and up a few years ago. Yet this year the trend seems to have slowed as there was a distinct lack of models for us to test. Our feeling hasn’t changed about them, though, as we think they offer a fantastically simple way to putt, particularly if you like to see your putting stroke work in straight lines. Our pro was the only tester to put up a protest over the Mezzo’s head shape, but then proceeded to hole putt after putt with it!
VERDICT: If your putting could benefit from some simplification then you won’t find a simpler model to set up and aim than the Mezzo. Feel and feedback off the face is firm, a good match for UK greens that aren’t at their summer best.
TAYLORMADE TP MULLEN £199 (LAMKIN GRIP) £219 (SUPERSTROKE)
www.taylormadegolf.com Headweight: 350g Grip: Lamkin or 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 and roll quicker.
WE SAY: We often talk about how mallet putters can better suit a straight back and through stroke, but the Mullen’s decent amount of toe hang means it’s well suited to those with an arcing motion, too. A two-line alignment setup is a little different to most, as neither stripe points to the position of impact. But we felt it framed the ball really nicely and gave a good indication of the putter’s takeaway path.
VERDICT: If you’re lucky enough to have a nicely arcing putting stroke and have been looking for a mallet putter to suit it, the Mullen is right up your street. Some will say £199 is a lot of money for what appears to be a pretty simple design, but skim milling ratchets up costs.
PIRETTI FIRENZE £349
www.pirettigolf.co.uk Headweight: 375g Grip: Piretti standard Toe hang: Slight
TECH: A half-mallet design created from soft 11L17 carbon steel to ensure excellent feedback. Face balancing helps keep the face aimed at your target and a slight offset encourages a handsahead-of-ball stroke.
WE SAY: Piretti are very much a boutique putter brand with big ambitions. Like most quality 100% Cnc-milled putters they don’t come cheap, but they do use their own blend of carbon steel which they reckon improves feedback. There’s no getting away from the Firenze’s big size – some will say it’s too big. But if, like our pro who couldn’t stop holing putts with it, you’ll gain confidence from the excellent feel and forgiveness, we reckon its size will be very bearable.
VERDICT: It doesn’t happen very often, but we had to wrestle the Firenze putter out of our test pro’s hands at the end of the day! That’s how much he liked it. Most golfers will need to be similarly impressed to lay out £349 for one. The Firenze is very simple, but every detail is executed to perfection to give a proper premium overall feel.
BETTINARDI QUEEN BEE #7 £299
www.bettinardi.com Headweight: 360g Grip: Queen Bee standard Toe hang: Slight
TECH: Bettinardi’s putters are all Cnc-milled in the USA. A flow-neck gives a really simple look at address and a specially milled flange back frames the ball perfectly from above. A soft, mild carbon steel head delivers top drawer feel and feedback.
WE SAY: Each Bettinardi is milled from a single block of carbon steel, which means creating an expensive CAD file for every dimension and curve on the head. And because the putter starts life as a larger block, way more material is wasted than casting. Each head is produced in the USA so labour costs are higher, too. All this goes some way to explaining the higher price. If you’re a fan of precision crafted Cncmilled putters with a nod to tradition, you’ll love the #7’s sleek and slender compact head.
VERDICT: In a world where products regularly fall off the end of a production line by the gazillion, Bettinardi’s creations are a real treat. Yes, the Queen Bee’s compact head is pretty small, so it’s likely to only inspire real confidence for decent players.
‘YOU WON’T FIND A SIMPLER MODEL TO SET UP AND AIM THAN THE MEZZO’
ODYSSEY O-WORKS R-LINE £179
www.odysseygolf.com Headweight: 350g Grip: Superstroke Pistol GT Tour or Superstroke Slim 2.0 (Counter Core) Toe hang: Face Balanced
TECH: Finger-shaped grips on the stainless steel face plate combine with a thermoplastic elastomer feel layer to grab and interact with the cover at impact, lifting the ball into a better roll.
WE SAY: On the surface the R-line looks like just another Odyssey mallet. But we think its attention to detail and overall tech package warrants more than just a second look. Yes, Odyssey has made the R-line’s shape before, but the O-works has so much more to bring to the party than just a new insert. The updated Versa (black, white, black) cosmetics are perfectly enhanced with a single red alignment stripe, which some might think wouldn’t work – but it really does. And like we said in the blade, that insert feels fantastic and rolls putts better than any Odyssey putter before.
VERDICT: A simple facebalanced mid to largeheaded mallet which is well suited to straightback-and-through strokes. Feel from the face wasn’t the softest or firmest, but feedback is muted.
PING SIGMA G PIPER 3 £175 FIXED SHAFT £199 ADJUSTABLE
www.ping.com Headweight: 360g Grip: Ping Pistol PP60 Toe hang: Moderate
TECH: Aluminium face inserts have variable depth and width grooves to deliver consistent acrossthe-face ball speed performance.
WE SAY: Ping’s Sigma G range comes in 13 different shapes, along with a further two counterbalanced models, so it’s fair to say there’s a design to suit everyone. A moderate toe hang means the Piper’s well suited to a slightly arcing stroke, and the fuss-free appearance (just two alignment stripes a golf ball’s width apart on the top) should attract a good deal of attention from purists. We can’t say for sure the variable width and depth grooves helped us hole more putts, or improved consistency, but we did feel the Piper rolled putts along the surface alongside the very best, and all three testers thought the new grip size and shape was spot on.
VERDICT: There’s five mallets to choose from in the range, which opens them up to a very wide audience. The Piper might not be the most exciting design on the market, but it is exceptionally solid across the board.
SCOTTY CAMERON SELECT NEWPORT M1 £335
www.titleist.co.uk Headweight: Variable on length Grip: Matador Red Midsize Toe hang: Slight
TECH: A mid-mallet that’s precision milled in the USA, with a 303 steel body and soft aluminium floating insert and sole to help raise MOI.
WE SAY: We loved the Newport M1 in last year’s Top Gear test and that bond hasn’t been broken. It’s a first class, ultrastable mallet which as you’d expect feels fantastic and even though it doesn’t have any face groove tech like many modern designs, it rolls putts just as smoothly as the very best. VERDICT: We couldn’t agree if we all loved the ‘cross-hair’ alignment setup or not, as it draws attention back from the impact position. But all in the M1’s an ideal face-balanced, mid-mallet design, and thanks to its stability-improving tech is still really effective. Scotty Cameron has never come cheap, and a £65 price hike from last year is huge. But while this model now costs as much as some drivers, you’ll use it far more often.
TAYLORMADE TP BERWICK £199 (LAMKIN GRIP) £219 (SUPERSTROKE)
www.taylormadegolf.com Headweight: 350g Grip: Lamkin or Superstroke Toe hang: Face Balanced
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: We applaud Taylormade for their endeavour with the TP Collection, as from the similar head shape of the Berwick and Mullen they’ve created both a face balanced mallet and a strong toe hang design, too. It’s no mean feat, but it comes down to the different hosels and straight/ bent shafts. What it means to you is that no matter what your stroke type, there’s a mallet in the collection to suit. We love the sculpted, sharp edges of the Lamkin rubber grip, too.
VERDICT: You couldn’t wish for a simpler looking putter at address, and the firmer aluminium face insert produced lovely feedback and roll, which we reckon will be a hit on UK greens.
WILSON STAFF GRANT PARK £95
www.wilson.com Headweight: 356g Grip: Wilson Staff Infinite Toe hang: Strong
TECH: A flanged mallet with extra weight in both the head and grip to create a counterbalanced model. A double milled face ensures precision, while parallel and perpendicular sight lines simplify alignment.
WE SAY: Wilson can lay claim to making the legendary TPA putter that Nick Faldo used to win a couple of Majors. We can’t say the Grant Park is exactly the same shape, but it is very close. A huge amount of toe hang means the Grant Park is much more suited to a putting stroke with rotation than a straight-back-and-through motion. We liked the white toe-to-heel alignment line on the top edge which clearly shows where the blade is pointing, and we also felt the positive crisp feel off the solid milled face was spot on.
VERDICT: Wilson Staff says the Grant Park is counterbalanced; after testing a stack of putters we’d say it’s a more gentle introduction to the concept. The oversized grip fits nicely in the hands and will go some way to helping eliminate wrist break from your stroke, too.
‘WHILE THIS MODEL NOW COSTS AS MUCH AS SOME DRIVERS, YOU’LL USE IT FAR MORE OFTEN’