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Re: Putters

• JasonNumber100 2,909 Posts

  Mon, Jul 8 2013 2:39 AM

  Hello.

  I've really enjoyed this free rental weekend. It's given me the chance to compare my current equipment with alternatives.

  There is always a lot of talk about which is the best putter. It's often said that the best putter is the one that suits you and like any other club you have to practice. I have to agree. I'm eligible for all the putters apart from one.

  Over the weekend I rented all the top ones. My usual one is the Nike Method (lvl77).  It has been said that the Nike can leave putts short and I realise it does on short putts up to 10ft. A big difference between the putters is the meter. The lowest on Nike is 10ft, but the others will be 15ft. However, I didn't miss so many short putts with the others. The Versa (70+) I tried first and took to it instantly, more confident on shorter putts, I knew if I hit it the speed would be true. I'd heard the Daytona was good, but I couldn't get use to it. The MAX Control (80+) hit a few good long putts, but I didn't feel completely confident using it. The others were okay, bit hit and miss with the Ghosts. On all putters I found the meter speed about the same I didn't notice any difference. I was using Nike 20XI-X  balls (lv71+).

  The main thing you have to worry about is the meter, depending on the increments can you successfully judge how hard you'll need to hit your putt. Is the meter true to the speed you hit? If you hit it slightly off will it be forgiving? However, no putter will tell you the correct line.

  My conclusion is, there is no one best putter. I could probably get use to any of them if I was given enough time. Now I'm just confused as to which putter I'll use. I've played with the Nike for so long now I'll probably stick with it. The Versa is tempting me, but like anytihng it will take practice to master it. There is no shortcut, I guess I'll just have to keep on practising.

   

• royphillips1 1,278 Posts

  Mon, Jul 8 2013 2:48 PM

  I Think the Max 80+  is The Daddy, When l First Got it l thought l had made a big mistake But l Stuck With it,  And  it is  a Dream  Putter.  Tried The VERSA And just thought it was a Deluxe Rossa    Wich l used befor the Max.

• alanti 10,564 Posts

  Mon, Jul 8 2013 3:24 PM

  I did the same Jason and tried a few different putters including the Max, Versa and upper level Ghost.

  The latter two will not work for me, as I have become lazy in calculations, so the 15/30 foot scale just throws me. Thats where the Max Putter is great (although to me it looks like a hockey stick). The downside of the Max was the meter speed was faster than I am used to.

  But at the end of the day, I will stick with what I know (and that includes the Methods oddities of having to whack putts under 10 feet). There is no quick fix, just learn how to use whatever you have.

• gedi83 277 Posts

  Mon, Jul 8 2013 4:13 PM

  If you are good at dinging, the highest level Ghost is the best - I think it's the only one that has 4.5 dots accuracy - this might be important if e.g. you want to make 20-25ft totally straight putts.

• Ducati916 1,116 Posts

  Mon, Jul 8 2013 8:16 PM

  I heard a few players saying how much they like that new Versa...so, like a fool, I bought it instead of renting it first. Played with the Rossa for quite a while and was so used to it...I'm sure it's just me, but, the versa has a bit slower meter...but it seems to speed up on every putt right before the ding....only had it 2 days now, but, I have to say...I don't like it at all....I can find no noticable difference in forgiveness and I believe the meter is not the same speed the whole way.......p.s....remember the days when a nice new putter cost about 800 credits...now I have this paper weight that cost 3000....I guess pixels cost more to make these days.

• WoodenHands 526 Posts

  Mon, Jul 8 2013 10:56 PM

  Ducati916:

  I heard a few players saying how much they like that new Versa...so, like a fool, I bought it instead of renting it first. Played with the Rossa for quite a while and was so used to it...I'm sure it's just me, but, the versa has a bit slower meter...but it seems to speed up on every putt right before the ding....only had it 2 days now, but, I have to say...I don't like it at all....I can find no noticable difference in forgiveness and I believe the meter is not the same speed the whole way.......p.s....remember the days when a nice new putter cost about 800 credits...now I have this paper weight that cost 3000....I guess pixels cost more to make these days.

  Have recently done the exact same thing , played the Rossa for ages , bought the versa ( without renting first ) and hate it , another expensive lesson learned ( until next time )

   

   

• Jimbog1964 8,378 Posts

  Mon, Jul 8 2013 11:26 PM

  Personally the Versa works for me.  Had the HL Max, Nike and free rented the L92 Ghost.  I decided I have spent enough on putters LOL and no more changes needed.  It's all so personal and IMO any of the HL putters work fine.  Some will suit some folks better than other's and vice versa.  Mainly I think it's about choosing carefully (which is why free rental weekends are a help)and then sticking with one for a long time...........Now if WGT want to do a double XP weekend don't let me stand in the way:)   

• bluzgolf 1,077 Posts

  Mon, Jul 8 2013 11:46 PM

  Jimbog1964:

  (snip)

  Now if WGT want to do a double XP weekend don't let me stand in the way:)   

  You forgot to add, "Before the end of August!"   lol

   

• geraldlarousse 1,986 Posts

  Mon, Jul 8 2013 11:48 PM

  The high level Versa is a excellent putter. It all depends what kind of putter you are, and what you are comfortable with.

  All of the top putters are deadly in the right hands!

• gedi83 277 Posts

  Tue, Jul 9 2013 7:40 AM

  For Rossa likers, Versa is probably the best option, other than the L92 Ghost spider. I myself bought the spider before Versa came out, but if I had to choose now, I'm not sure which one I'd take...

  Spider has better precision, but Versa has better balance, forgiveness and slightly slower meter (not to say that it's too fast for Spider) I tried Max and Nike in the past and they seem OK but worse than these 2, perhaps because of their strange increments.

  So IMO Ghost Spider > Versa > Max > Nike.

  But in any case my suggestion is to try only 1 putter (or at most 2, but not all) during a free rental weekend, as one needs some time to get used to it and collect meaningful statistics about its performance...

  Btw, out of 20 players with the highest yearly earnings, the selection of putters is as follows:

  Ghost spider - 6, Max - 4, Nike - 3, Rossa - 3, Versa - 2.

  Given that Versa is very new and Rossa the oldest and the most popular at intermediate levels (also probably best value), it pretty must justifies my ranking :) though have to admit that putter is probably the most varying club among the top players...