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The December issue of GOLF Magazine features an excellent look at the Odyssey White Ice putters. In a nutshell, the insert of the new White Ice putters has been designed especially for softer, high-performance golf balls preferred by professional players and skilled amateurs. The putters also feature a new, darker finish.
In the video below, Odyssey's Austie Rollinson goes into more detail about the new line.
SAN FRANCISCO – Nike Golf is going to sell a limited number of Method putters starting at noon EST on Monday, Nov. 2, on nikestore.com.
After giving Nike your ideal length and lie angle, your putter will be built in Fort Worth, Texas, at Nike's R&D facility where pros like Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Paul Casey and Lucas Glover's equipment is made.
While only the blade-style 001 model (photo) will be available, according to Nike, each putter will be customized with your initials and shipped within three weeks.
The cost of the limited edition putter will be $499.The official release date of the Method putter is Feb. 1, 2010.
Also see:
- Video: Nike's Tom Stites explains the technology
- Equipment Finder: Research and buy Nike putters
- Special Section: Putters
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- In 2004, Ernie Els contended at all four majors, but didn't win any. That season the Big Easy ranked ninth on the PGA Tour in putting average, needing only 1.74 putts per green hit in regulation. This year, he's tied for 153rd in that category, averaging 1.801.
So it was no surprise that I saw him spend an hour on the speed practice green at Liberty National Wednesday in preparation for Thursday's start of the Barclays. With the help of his caddie, Ricky Roberts, as well as an assist using a video camera, Els hit putt after putt with an Odyssey putter made especially to his specifications and preferences (below). The stainless steel design is shaped like a classic heel-toe weighted Anser.
However, halfway through his practice session, Els started putting with a custom finished Odyssey White Hot XG #5 (below). Els has used this putter on several occasions this season, including at the PGA Championship two weeks ago.
Els did not appear happy with his putting Wednesday afternoon, so it will be interesting to see which putter goes in the bag Thursday. The greens at Liberty National have plenty of contours and are running fast, so regardless of which putter he uses, Els will need to find his 2004 magic is he's going to contend.
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Camilo Villegas has covered his driver with a University of Florida gator for years, but Scotty Cameron recently made a special California Series putter for the Colombian star. Villegas had been using a Titleist by Scotty Cameron GSS Circa '62 #6, a model not currently set to be included in the California line, which debuts in late September. However, Cameron created one especially for Villegas and decorated it in Florida colors.
(Photo by David Dusek)
During the PGA Championship, I wrote about the new Nike Method family of putters and the new Scotty Cameron California line of putters. Several readers wrote that $250 or $300 is too much money for a putter. Others pointed out that during a typical round, an amateur player might use his or her putter 28-35 times per round.
I e-mailed several GOLF Magazine Top 100 Teachers and asked them the following question: What is the most important/valuable club in a weekend player’s bag?
Here's what they wrote:
Brian Mogg,
coach
of Y.E. Yang and director of the Brian Mogg Performance Center at
Golden Bear Golf Club at Keene's Point in Windermere, Fla.
The putter is the most important/valuable club in the bag. However, the actual cost to the manufacturer to build a putter is much less than a large-headed driver with a
graphite shaft. Your putter is vital and important and
worth every penny if it works, but proportional to what it costs to make
it should also be looked at. This is why $250 seems high-priced for a
putter.
Mike Bender, coach of Zach Johnson and master instructor at the Mike Bender Golf Academy at Timacuan Golf Club in Lake Mary, Fla.
Without
a doubt, the most important club in the bag is the driver. Have you
ever heard of a golfer incurring a penalty on a
putter? If
the average amateur golfer hit to his typical distance, but you put him
in the middle of every fairway, he'd better his handicap by a mile.
When I was playing the PGA Tour, officials had just started to keep detailed stats, and the No. 1 putter was Morris Hatalsky. For being the best putter, he was nowhere near the top of the money list. But guys like Greg Norman, Tom Kite, Bruce Litsky, Nick Faldo, and Mark O'Meara were, and none of them could be considered great putter like Ben Crenshaw, Lorin Roberts and Brad Faxon.
The saying should be putt for show and drive for dough.
John Elliot, director of golf instruction at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club in Ocala, Fla.
The question can be answered a couple of different ways depending on the word valuable. Valuable can mean most expensive, which would be your driver, or most valuable can mean the club that has the most influence on your score, which is your putter.
Mike Perpich, River Pines Golf Club in Alpharetta, Ga.
"For the weekend golfer, the wedges are the most important clubs. The 52°, 56°, and 60°. Stats show that even the best putters in the world only make about 15% of their putts from 15 feet, so pitching and chipping the ball closer when you miss the green is a big deal. Since most club players are only going to hit four to six greens per round, pitching and chipping the ball well is absolutely critical."
Steve Bosdosh, The Members Club at Four Streams in Beallsville, Md.
A 24° hybrid is the answer for average golfers. They will putt about the same regardless of putter and slice drives with a $500 titanium driver or an old persimmon model. But get them to use a 24° hybrid in place of fairway woods and long irons and most golfers will get down the fairway faster and near the green in fewer strokes. All else being equal, that will help them shoot lower scores.
So as you can see, while no one disputes the importance of good putting, there is plenty of debate over which club is the most important in your bag, even among the experts. So what's your view? What is the single most important golf club to you? Write your answer in the comments area below.
CHASKA, Minn. – A year after Paul Casey convinced Nike officials to let him use a new prototype putter at the 2008 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, the company officially announced the arrival of the Method putter line Tuesday evening.
There are five putters in the line and each will retail for about $250. A limited number will be available later in 2009. The putters will be made widely available on Feb. 1 of next year. The photos here show the Method 1, an Anser-style, heel-toe weighted blade with a plumber's neck and site dot. There are two other blade-style putters in the line, as well as two heel-shafted mallets.
All of the five Method putters come standard with 2° of loft and will be available in 33-, 34-, and 35-inch lengths. None of the five head shapes are groundbreaking, but each employs a technology that has drawn a lot of attention.
The grooves in the face of the Method putters are what Nike calls Polymer Groove Technology. A channel is cut in the sole of the club and behind the face. A soft polymer material is then forced into the channel and allowed to seep out of slots cut into the putter's face (right). A portion of the polymer is then cut out, leaving a tiny gap between the soft material and the sharp stainless steel grooves.
"As the putter is coming up and through the ball, these tiny little knife edges of steel will actually dig into the ball, and the polymer will dampen the feel," said Tom Stites, Nike's director of product innovation.
On the green, a golf ball rests in a small depression created by its weight. Putters need loft to get the ball out of the depression, but the loft also imparts backspin, which causes the ball to tumble when it first lands rather than rolling smoothly. Nike says these polymer grooves help get the ball out of its depression without imparting backspin.
"By taking the backspin off, the ball can just start to roll," Stites said. "A putt that rolls more quickly and more true to the hole is more efficient, goes a little bit farther and stays on line much better."
Using high-speed video footage, Nike officials showed that, using his old putter, Justin Leonard's putts skidded 3.6 inches before they started to roll. Using a prototype Method putter, that distance was reduced to .3 inches.
"By being able to bite into the ball itself, we're able to put less loft on the putter, still lift the ball out of the depression on the green, but we get immediate over-roll."
Stites also pointed out that by creating the channel and removing some steel from the face, 30 grams of weight could be redistributed to improve performance. That mass was repositioned in the form of tungsten weights (right) placed in the heel and toe areas to lower the center of gravity and add stability at impact.
Also see:
- Video: Nike's Tom Stites explains the technology
- Equipment Finder: Research and buy Nike putters
- Special Section: Putters
(Photos by David Dusek)
CHASKA, Minn. — Putter guru Scotty Cameron is set to release a new line of Titleist putters, the California Series, at the end of September. On Tuesday at the PGA Championship, many pros got their first look at the new flatsticks. Rod Pampling and Darren Clarke immediately requested that models be made to their specifications and planned to try one on the practice green here at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
There are four models of California putters, each named for a town. From the top, they are Coronado, Monterey, Sonoma and Del Mar.
The most noticeable feature is the new finish. Cameron refers to it as "Honey Dipped." The gold tone is created when the stainless steel heads go through a special heating process. Depending on the light, the California putters show flashes of pink and purple too.
When I spoke with Cameron on the range at Hazeltine Tuesday, he made it very clear that the look of the putters was very important. "I want it [the look at address] to be flowing, because if anything gets stuck or looks sharp, your eye goes to it," he said. "That makes the putter look like a brick on the ground."
Two other subtle things help to keep the look of the putters clean. First, there are no steps in the shaft of the California putters. Second, the decorative shaft band has been placed on the back of the shaft near the handle. These details are designed to make it easier for your eyes to concentrate on the ball and your line at address.
While he refers to the putters as "old world classic," there is at least one modern feature built into the new putters. On the sole of each California model are two 10-gram weight screws. Like the screws used in the Studio Select putters, these screws are not designed to be removed or adjusted by the golfer. However, via custom order, they can be changed to create heavier versions of the putter using the same head.
The Coronado is a classic blade putter with two steps in the back flange area. It features a single alignment dot on the top and a round neck. The Monterey is a classic heel-toe weighted, Anser-style blade with a plumber's neck and a single-line alignment aid. The Sonoma also features a plumber's neck and a single alignment line, but it has a rounded back flange and slightly longer face. The Del Mar has a larger, circular back flange with a high toe area.
When they are released in late September, the California Series putters will retail for about $299.
(Photos by David Dusek)
In this eisode of This Week in Gear, learn all about the clubs that Stewart Cink used to win the 2009 British Open, as well as Mark Calcavecchia's new Ping driver, the Ping G15.
Stewart Cink, winner of the 2009 British Open, has been using Nike's CCi Forged irons for several seasons. When I spoke to him earlier this season and asked if he was planning to switch to a newer model, Cink explained that finding time to make changes can be challenging.
"After I won in Hartford [June, 2008], I didn't want to change anything up," he said. Then, after the FedEx Cup playoffs in September, when the Nike Victory Red irons were released, Cink was busy testing new golf balls with Nike's Rock Ishii.
"I ended up using a new ball for about five months. I didn't want to use a new ball, and then change irons or my driver, because if you change everything you don't know what's happening," he said. "Or what's giving you the benefit."
Although Cink is now using Nike Victory Red wedges—he used to play the Nike SV wedges—the most significant equipment change he has made this season happened in Texas at the Crowne Plaza Colonial. As GOLF.com reported, having played a Never Compromise Sub 30
M3 belly putter for more than six seasons, Cink switched to a traditional-length Nike prototype putter. Featuring a traditional Anser-style look, and heel-toe weighting, the milled face of the putter has a series of red ribs. The ribs are designed to reduce skidding and help get the ball rolling faster.
Cink's Nike prototype has more cosmetic details than the early Nike prototype putters seen on the PGA Tour (like Paul Casey's). There is a waffle pattern on the heel and toe, similar to the pattern on the back of the Nike Victory Red Half-Cavity irons. There is a sight line on the back flange of Cink's putter, and where Casey's putter has red paint-fill, Cink's is trimmed in black. Finally, on the bottom of Cink's putter there is a reference to The Oven, Nike's club building and testing facility in Ft. Worth, Texas.
I've seen five different versions of Nike's prototype putter with similar cosmetics to Cink's. Although nothing has been officially announced by Nike Golf, with this much detailing—and now two major wins by Cink and Lucas Glover—it would be surprising not to see these putters made available fairly soon.
Here is a list of the clubs Stewart Cink used to win the 2009 British Open at Turnberry:
DRIVER: Nike SQ Sumo² Tour (9.5°) with UST ProForce AxivCore Tour Red 79 shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: Nike SQ 2 (15°) with UST ProForce AxivCore Tour Red 79 shaft
IRONS: Nike Pro Combo OS (2, 4), CCi Forged (5-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts
WEDGES: Victory Red (52˚, 56˚, 60˚)
PUTTER: Nike prototype
BALL: Nike One Tour D
(Top photo: Robert Beck/SI; Putter:Jon Super/AP Photos)
While many competitors at the 2009 British Open have chosen to add a 2-iron to their bag and remove their 5wood, it's interesting to note that two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen is carrying both at Turnberry.
The popular thinking has been that shots hit with a 5-wood, which would naturally fly high, would be pushed around by the wind. A 2-iron, while not as good from light rough, can more easily be hit low, beneath the wind.
Goosen, who carries a 5-wood in his standard set, removed his 3-iron to make room for the 2-iron.
Here is a complete list of the clubs Goosen, who shot 67-70, is using at Turnberry.
DRIVER: TaylorMade r7 SuperQuad (8.5°) with Fujikura RE AX TP 85 shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade Tour Burner (14.5°) with Fujikura ROMBAX TP75 shaft, R9 (19°) with a Fujikura Motore F1 shaft
IRONS: TaylorMade Tour Preferred (2, 4-PW)
WEDGES: TaylorMade rac (54°, 64°)
PUTTER: Yes! Tracy
BALL: TaylorMade TP Black
(Photo bySam Greenwood/Getty Images)
