A plethora of putters to pick from in '06

April 26, 2006 By Chuck Stogel GolfWeb Equipment Correspondent

Putters are among the most individualistic clubs we have in our bags. There are so many styles, head shapes and visual looks available, and more are seemingly produced each week.

With the state of the art in clubmaking today, most putters work very well, and so it’s a matter of finding the one that works best for you.

One of the reasons there are so many putters available is that it takes less investment to develop and make a few putters compared to a full line of clubs. Besides the major manufacturers, there are a lot of “tinkerers” out there with a notion on how to make putters better and putting easier for all of us.

Among the notable new putters available this season is the latest from Nike, the OZ Black T130 oversized mallet, which launched last month and represents the third model in the company’s OZ Black series.

Meanwhile, off the major manufacturers’ track, several relatively fledgling ventures are producing putters that may be worth considering and trying. Heavy Putter, Q-Roll, Rife and Dead Straight are lesser known entities all vying for a place in the golf bag.

Here’s a closer look at a selection of new putters available in 2006.

NIKE

The large, center-shafted OZ Black T130 expands the Nike lineup OZ Black lineup, which includes a T100 Mallet and T160 Blade.

The oversized T130, which received considerable praise in testing by several groups of players assembled by GolfWeb, has the highest moment of inertia (MOI stability factor) in the entire OZ line. The added stability is provided by two 65-gram tungsten weights positioned rearward in the heel and toe locations of the lightweight aluminum body. The design is meant to reduce skidding in addition to enhancing stability.

The Nike OZ Black T130 putter has a list price of $169.

The T130 also has a soft polymer, honeycomb type insert to keep the ball longer on the face and help promote a better roll.

Color schemes are always a big part of what Nike does and the strikingly good-looking T130 features a soft thermoplastic C-Thru Grip by Lamkin with a black and silver pattern underneath.

According to company officials, the OZ Black family was the creative influence of PGA TOUR staff member Stewart Cink, who observed during the prototype stage that the black color made the head visually seem not as large and was more pleasing.

GolfWeb testers rated the OZ Black T130 very highly, praising its looks, setup, solid contact, distance control and high degree of stability. Not that it matters in putting, but there was some criticism about difficulty in putting the head cover back on, probably due to the flared rear flange. Still, overall, testers rated the putter as excellent for those who are disposed to the oversized mallet style.

Suggested retail price for the OZ Black T130 is $169.

HEAVY PUTTER

Launched just last year with six original models, Boccieri Golf is introducing two new Heavy Putter styles for this season.

The Heavy Putter B3-M putter has a list price of $229.

Noted for their extremely heavy weight, the new Matte series consists of the A3-M blade and B3-M mallet models.

Both putters have heads finished in a dark gray along with a satin-finished shaft.

On the pro circuit, the Heavy Putter was used successfully by Troy Matteson last year to lead the Nationwide Tour and gain a PGA TOUR card for this season. Last month, TOUR pro Mark Lye also joined the playing the staff.

The Heavy Putter is noted for heads that weigh 475 grams, grip weight of 250 grams and overall weight ranging up to 900 grams, almost or more than twice the weight of many standard putters. Additionally, there is a weight kit with four additional plugs that lets golfers tailor the bias and specific weight based on personal preference.

“The 250-gram weight in the grip section raises the balance point 75 percent higher than conventional putters,” said Steve Boccieri, inventor and president/CEO.

Without the added grip weight, the heavy head would be hard to control. But, in testing among players assembled by GolfWeb, the Heavy Putter was surprisingly easy to control through the swing and impact, and was rated very, very stable.

Both A3-M and B3-M models feature diamond cut, patterned faces for a soft feel and Surround Sight semicircular alignment aids. Available in a choice of standard lengths, plus Mid and Long versions, suggested retail price is $229.

Q-ROLL

Known among its followers for Radius Face technology, which help players strike the ball above the equator for immediate topspin and forward roll, Q-Roll just this month began shipping its Classics collection, which boasts seven models.

The Q-Roll Classics lineup has four perimeter-weighted putters with varying blades, rear flanges and hosels: Classic 1FW, II, VI and VII.

Classic III and IV models are face balanced mallet styles.

Classic V, with an “Ironmaster/Arnold Palmer” shape, is a plain blade with small, plain rear flange.

Each of the putters is milled from a brass/nickel alloy which provides the same weight but a softer feel than comparable stainless steel.

The Classics series is the first rollout for Q-Roll since adding industry veteran Andrew Tarlow as president last November.

“Q-Roll golf has unlimited potential,” said Tarlow. “If people just try a Q-Roll putter and Radius Face technology, they’ll never go back to their old putter.”

GolfWeb testers praised Q-Roll’s putters for looks, setup and an exceedlingly solid, lively roll off the face, along with good distance control.

Suggested retail price for the Q-Roll Classics putters is $199.99 each.

RIFE

The guiding force for Rife putters is Guerin Rife, who firmly believes in specifically sized, horizontal grooves on the face.

“Just as grooves in irons help control spin, so do grooves in a putter face,” said Rife.

Rife’s new Two Bar putter features Roll Groove technology, designed to yield “no-skid” roll after impact. The milled grooves press into the cover of the ball, gripping and lifting it. There’s also two-thirds less surface contact, engineered for a softer feel.

With a four-point stability weighting system, the Two-Bar putters, in blade or mallet style, come with a changeable weight kit, allowing golfers to customize the club for bias and overall weight. The parallel bars, going rearward perpendicular from the face, not only provide weight but also an alignment aid.

Suggested retail price for the Two Bar putter is $199.75.

DEAD STRAIGHT

Simplicity in looks is one of the keys for Dead Straight’s new Middleweight and SharpShooter putters.

Most putters, according to designer Larry Weeks, are visually “busy” and distracting for golfers.

“I wanted an uncluttered putter that had nothing to distract the eye while trying to line up a putt,” said Weeks.

The Middleweight is an oversized trapezoid style in a muted gray with a smooth face while the SharpShooter is a smaller, rounded mallet style with a face insert. Both have semi-hollow bottoms.

Adjustable steel and aluminum weights in the Middleweight, which come in a kit, allow golfers to vary the head weight from 340 to 370 grams. The SharpShooter has a head weight of 340 grams. Both putters feature 95 grams of added weight in the grip for enhanced balance and stability.

GolfWeb testers gave both Dead Straight putters mixed reviews. The putters were rated easy to align and solid at contact on center hits, but some reviewers said the feel at impact was “clunky.”

Suggested retail prices for the Dead Straight putters are $185 for the Middleweight and $240 for the SharpShooter.