Mallet Putters – Syndication Server

PXG Allan putter

A special hosel and balance helps the Allan keep the face square to your putter’s path.

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Gear: PXG Allan putter
Price: $449.99
Specs: 303 stainless steel chassis with injected polymer and milled 6061 aluminum crown.

Who It’s For: Golfers who want to reduce face rotation on putts and increase stability and consistency.

What You Should Know: The PXG Allan putter is designed with an S-shaped hosel that creates a toe-up balance, helping the putter’s face stay square to the arc of your stroke. This design aids golfers in making solid contact more easily.

The Deep Dive: According to the Rules of Golf, when you sole your putter and rest it flat on the ground, the shaft can’t go straight up. If it did, golfers could make a pure pendulum stroke, which golf’s governing bodies believe would reduce the challenge of putting. To ensure a challenge, the putter must have a lie angle of no less than 80 degrees, which is why every golfer’s putting stroke has some level of arc. One of the biggest challenges in putting is returning the putter face to the exact position you establish at address and preventing it from swinging into the ball with an open or closed face, which would start the ball rolling offline.

PXG’s new Allan putter, named after the brother of PXG founder Bob Parsons, is designed to eliminate this challenge by helping golfers keep the putter face square to the natural arc of their stroke while boosting stability and improving distance control.

PXG Allan putter — The hosel points directly at the center of gravity, creating toe-up or “Zero Torque” balance. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The Allan putter achieves this with a unique hosel design. Unlike many hosels that attach to the heel area and create some level of toe hang, or center-shafted putters that produce a face-balanced condition, the Allan putter has an S-shaped hosel that points the tip of the putter shaft directly over the center of gravity (CG) behind the center of the hitting area. The hosel then bends and attaches to the putter head in the heel area, creating a toe-up condition that PXG refers to as Zero Torque.

When you make a stroke with the Allan putter, the balance helps keep the face square to the arc of your stroke, reducing the chances of the face fanning open on the backswing and closing on the downswing and follow-through. According to PXG, this should allow golfers to return the putter to the ball with a square face more often and start putts rolling on their intended line more easily.

There are two other notable features of the Allan’s hosel and shaft configuration. First, when you address the ball, the backward-pointing shaft and hosel give you an unobstructed view of the ball. Second, with the shaft set so far behind the putter’s topline, the Allan putter creates a natural forward press. Typically, when a golfer intentionally presses their hands forward before making a stroke, it de-lofts the face and points it downward. To counteract this, PXG designed the Allan with five degrees of loft, which offsets the two-degree forward press and makes the putter play like a club with a more typical three degrees of loft.

The black frame of the Allan putter is made of 303 stainless steel, and the face is designed to be very thin. Behind the face, there’s a hollow chamber filled with a lightweight polymer called S COR, which PXG says absorbs excessive vibrations to enhance sound and feel.

The silver-toned top piece of the Allan is milled from 6061 aluminum, which is exceptionally light. Each Allan putter comes with a single black alignment line.

On the underside of the Allan, adjustable weights have been added to the toe and heel areas, allowing fitters to adjust the putter’s swing weight based on its length or the player’s preferences. Finally, the pocket designed into the aluminum piece enables golfers to press the Allan on top of a ball and pick it up without bending over.

Below are several close-up images of the PXG Allan putter.

Scottie Scheffler’s New TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter. What makes it special?

Golfweek talked with TaylorMade’s director of product creation for putters, to learn why the putter is unique.

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Scottie Scheffler won over $21 million in prize money last season and was one of the PGA Tour’s worst putters. His driving and iron play were that good. He played in 23 events and made the cut in all of them, earning top-10 finishes in 17 to go along with two wins and two runner-up finishes. He did all that while finishing No. 162 in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Scheffler tinkered with different putters in the second half of 2023, benching his Scotty Cameron blade-style putter for a prototype TaylorMade Spider with a milled face at the end of the PGA Tour season. That didn’t work, so Scheffler played a few events with a blade made by the Olson Putter Company at the end of 2023 and in early 2024, but that didn’t work out either.

Then, in the days leading up to the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, Scheffler switched back into a TaylorMade Spider and won, leading the field that week in Strokes Gained: Putting. The following week, he won again at the 2024 Players Championship, finishing first in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (naturally) and 37th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Rory McIlroy’s prophecy appeared to be coming true because, speaking with Amanda Balionis at the Genesis Invitational in February as Scheffler struggled on the greens, McIlroy had said, “I’d love to see Scottie try a mallet, but selfishly for me, Scottie does everything else so well that he’s given the rest of us a chance.”

A few days before the Masters, Golfweek talked with Andrew Oldknow, TaylorMade’s director of product creation for putters, to learn what makes Scottie Scheffler’s new Spider Tour putter unique, how it is similar to Spider Tour X putters sold at retail and more.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/5gJa91″]

Golfweek: Let’s go through a progression. Towards the end of last season, Scottie Scheffler started using a TaylorMade Spider putter with a milled face. Was the goal to create a mallet that would feel like the milled blade putters that he had before but that would provide the forgiveness or stability?

Andrew Oldknow: The goal, honestly, was to give him better alignment. While centering the ball with the alignment system, we were actually trying to get that thing to perform just like a blade.

We put a massive amount of tungsten in the front of that putter. We used all aluminum in the back. We gave it a profile of the Spider X shape, but under the backside, it really was all cut out. We were hollowing the whole thing out to get as much weight forward as possible so that the putter actually closed like a blade.

At the time, he loved the performance of his blade, he just felt like he didn’t have enough alignment out of it. True Path worked really well for him in terms of centering the ball. One of his biggest issues is he doesn’t always hit the ball center face.

GK: Got it. A blade simply doesn’t have the size to be able to accommodate a True Path-style alignment system.

AO: Correct.

GW: After playing a few events with an Olson blade, Scottie and his team asked TaylorMade for many different Spider putters with different hosel configurations, neck styles, and even different inserts. Obviously, he was very open then to the alignment system you talked about, and he wound up settling on a Spider Tour X with an L-neck hosel. That configuration is not available at retail. How much does that hosel configuration play into the way his putter swings for him?

AO: Yeah, great question. So, over the last few years, even Rory McIlroy has gone into a slant-neck version of the Spider Tour. They’re very similar, but the toe hang is going to be slightly different.

We know that toe hang is slightly more toe down with the L-neck, so that helps [Scottie] rotate and feel more blade-like performance. Again, we’re trying to get him the good feel that he wants. He’s been in the blade for the majority of his life, and winning majors and so forth in a blade product.

So, we want to make sure that when he’s releasing the putter, that it has the right feel. A slightly more toe-down putter is going to have more of a familiar feel, and so that’s been the most important thing for him.

And yes, he asked for everything under the sun and our team has done everything we can to provide him with that.

GW: I noticed on the retail putters there is an X7 in the sole in the toe area, but on Scottie’s but an X1.

AO: Yep.

GW: Does that mean anything?

AO: Yeah, hosel, that’s the type of hassle on there. We have code names for our hosels.

Scottie Scheffler lines up his putt on No. 11 during the final round of the Masters Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Network

GW: So, the motivation for Scottie to change was really rooted in wanting to be able to align the putter more easily, and then you designed a Spider that would swing like his blade. But now, instead of hitting off a milled metal face, he’s using a grooved Pure Roll face. Is it the same one that is in retail putters?

AO: He was in the camp of wanting more metal face inserts versus the Pure Roll Surlyn insert. We provided him with milled prototypes and metal versions with different thicknesses to get different feels. And then, low and behold, Joe Ryon, who runs our putter lab, was like, “Let’s just throw one in with the actual, stock, Surlyn insert even though they’re not asking for it.” We wanted to give it to him.

The Pure Roll insert has a little bit of aluminum powder in it, so it’s 80 percent Surlyn. We’ve player-tested pure Surlyn inserts (essentially ionomer resin) in the past, but they test too soft.

GK: So that’s the same insert that is found in the retail Spider Tour putters?

AO: Yes. The addition of the Aluminum flake slightly firms the compound to create a perfect balance of feel, sound and roll performance. And, as you can see, the score lines and grooves are angled down slightly. They will grab the ball better and get it rolling. In everything we’ve ever tested on our Quintic Ball Roll system here in The Kingdom, you will see that if you put somebody in this 80/20 Pure Roll insert, they will instantly get better numbers.

GK: What is the loft on Scottie’s putter?

AO: Our traditional Spider Tour putters have 3.5 degrees of loft, but Scottie’s has 3.1 degrees. You need some loft in there because the ball sits in a depression created by its weight. You have to get it out of the depression or else you end up just jamming it into the ground, but the grooves grab the back of the ball and stop it from back spinning.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/5gJa91″]

L.A.B. DF3 putter

The L.A.B. DF3 putter looks odd but helps players get putts on their intended target line more easily.

Gear: L.A.B. DF3 putter
Price: $449 (stock) and $559 (Custom)
Specs: 6061 aluminum with steel weights. 69-degree lie angle

Who It’s For: Golfers who struggle to square their putter face at impact or start putts on their intended target line.

The Skinny: Using a unique weighting and balance system, the DF3 putter is designed to keep the face square to the arc you create when you set up to putt and help you start your putts on your intended line more easily.

The Deep Dive: Anyone who has ever seen a L.A.B. Golf putter has heard the snickers and jokes like, “Even Stevie Wonder thinks that’s an ugly putter,” and “Hey, what’s with the potato masher on a stick?”

The putter corral at your local pro shop may be filled with offerings that mimic the elegant Ping Anser, the timeless Wilson 8802 blade and the trend-setting TaylorMade Spider, but L.A.B. Golf has never offered anything like those putters. Instead, the Creswell, Oregon-based brand asks golfers to look past the aesthetics and allow the form to follow function.

A few years ago, you may have spotted Adam Scott using a Directed Force mallet putter, a massive mallet with a circular shape in the back that L.A.B. Golf still offers today. The company’s new DF3 putter for 2024 is similarly shaped but smaller. While that might make it more appealing to some golfers, it retains the critical technology that started L.A.B. Golf’s cult following — lie angle balance.

The LAB Golf DF3 putter has eight screw-in weights in the sole to push more mass toward the hitting area. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The conventional wisdom states that golfers who create a strong arc in their putting stroke will benefit from a putter that has significant toe hang, while golfers who create more of a straight-back, straight-through stroke benefit from putters that are face-balanced.

The L.A.B. Golf DF3 is designed entirely differently. After you sole the putter behind the ball, the DF3’s weighting encourages the face of the putter to remain square to the arc you establish in the address position.

To be clear, this is not face-balanced. This is lie angle balanced (L.A.B. stands for lie angle balance).

To make this effect happen, each DF3 putter, which is made from 6061 aluminum, is center-shafted and has eight weights positioned in specific areas in the front of the sole. The weights vary based on the putter’s length, and they are all measured and installed by hand.

The other unique thing about the DF3 putter is that it comes standard with a Press Pistol 2 Degree grip that holds the shaft asymmetrically. The shaft enters the grip on an angle that tips away from your target and creates a forward-press in your address position. As a result, the hitting area and most of the DF3’s weight are in line with your hands at the address, while the hoop portion of the putter, which has a golf ball-grabbing hole, is set back.

Some may see the DF3 and other lie angle balance putters as a gimmick, but Grayson Murray won the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii using a L.A.B. Golf Link.1 putter and Lucas Glover won back-to-back PGA Tour events (the 2023 Wyndham Championship and FedEx St. Jude Championship) using a L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max, signaling that elite players are taking notice of what the small brand is doing.

L.A.B. sells black DF3 directly to golfers on its website in 34 and 35-inch lengths, but custom-fitting is highly encouraged and allows golfers to mix and match colors, lengths, shafts and alignment features.

Below are several close-up images of the L.A.B. Golf DF3 putter.

TaylorMade releases Scottie Scheffler’s Spider Tour X Proto

The TaylorMade Spider Tour Proto has a milled face and forward center of gravity location to make it play and feel like a blade.

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During the second half of the PGA Tour season, Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 ranked player, grew frustrated with his poor putting and, on several occasions, decided to use a prototype TaylorMade putter instead of his old heel-toe weighted blade. From outside the ropes, the putter looked very similar to Rory McIlroy’s Spider Tour X putter, but the club Scheffler used was very different, and now TaylorMade has decided to make that putter, the Spider Tour X Proto, available as a limited-edition model.

The Spider Tour X Proto has the same mid-size mallet shape as the standard Tour X, and it will be available as a 34-inch club with 3 degrees of loft and a 70-degree lie angle, which are fairly standard. The L-Neck hosel creates a balance point that results in just under 30 degrees of toe hang, so golfers who have a slightly-arced putting stroke should find it matches their style well. It even has the white True Path Alignment system on the top, like the other recently-released Spider Tour putters.

What sets the Spider Tour X Proto apart from the standard Spider Tour and Spider Tour X is its face and center of gravity (CG) location.

The new Spider Tour putters all have TaylorMade’s white TPU Pure Roll insert that features a series of grooves that point downward at a 45-degree angle to encourage the ball to roll instead of skid. The Spider Tour X Proto has a milled metal face that is attached to the body by four screws. Looking closely, you can see the milled marks on the face.

The milled face in the Spider Tour X Proto should create a firmer feel than the standard Spider Tour, and make it sound like a solid, one-piece putter instead of a multilateral mallet. With sound and feel being so interrelated in putting, the Spider Tour X Proto should perform more like a milled blade putter than any other previously offered Spider.

And then there is the weighting. The Spider Tour and Spider Tour X have weights in the back of the chassis that pull the CG location back and toward the perimeter of the head, which helps boost the moment of inertia (MOI) and increase forgiveness. The CG location in the Spider Tour X Proto has been shifted forward by 13 millimeters, which encourages the face to rotate more on the downswing and produce a blade-like swing. However, because of its size, the club still has more stability than a blade-style putter.

The Spider Tour X Proto will only be offered in a right-hand version for $500 on taylormadegolf.com. Below are several close-up images of the TaylorMade Spider Tour Proto putter.

Scotty Cameron drops limited edition Concept X 7.2 LTD putter

The Scotty Cameron Concept X 7.2 LTD putter stylishly blends stability and touch on the greens.

Gear: Scotty Cameron Concept X 7.2 LTD putter
Price: $750
Spec: Milled 303 stainless steel body with 6061 aluminum sole plate, adjustable steel weights
Available: Sept. 15

Scotty Cameron releases limited-edition putters a few times a year, and the clubs often blend elements of putters that are gaining popularity on the PGA Tour with unique finishes or colors. The just-released Concept X 7.2 LTD is the latest limited-edition offering to drop and it stylishly blends a popular mallet shape with a hosel configuration and weight system into a club that is sure to turn heads.

The Concept X 7.2 LTD’s body is milled from 303 stainless steel for a soft feel, with wing-style extensions in the heel and toe areas. When golfers address the ball and look down, they will see a pair of lines that are designed to be the width of a golf ball on the inner-facing side of each wing, along with three “cherry bombs” on the top line. Combined, these alignment features should make it easier to aim your putts and roll start them on your intended line.

Instead of using steel on the bottom of the club, a 6061 aluminum sole plate has been designed into the Concept X 7.2 LTD. Removing weight from the middle of the sole shifts more of the overall weight to the perimeter, for increased stability. It also helps to create the discretionary weight needed to add a pair of adjustable sole weights. They are not intended to be changed by golfers, but fitters can add different weights in those spots to adjust the putter’s swing weight.

The hitting area of the Concept X 7.2 LTD has been designed with the same dual-milling treatment found on the new Super Select putters. A first, deep milling helps to create a low-pitch sound and soften the feel at impact before a second milling shaves off the points created by the first milling, so more of the steel comes into contact with the ball for a more consistent roll.

Unlike many mallet putters that are face-balanced, the Concept X 7.2 LTD has a moderate amount of toe hang thanks to a plumber’s neck hosel. This neck configuration is popular on many of Cameron’s Newport-style blade putters and it should make the Concept X 7.2 LTD swing and feel like a heel-toe weighted blade, while providing the stability and forgiveness of a mallet.

The Tour Black finish of the head is complimented by a black stepless shaft and black pistol grip. A limited number of Concept X 7.2 LTD putters will be available at Titleist-authorized shops starting September 15.

Scotty Cameron releases Super Select Del Mar, Fastback and Golo putters

In the market for a new putter?

Scotty Cameron released the Super Select family of blade-style putters in January at the PGA Merchandise Show, and now Titleist’s putter guru is extending the Super Select line with the addition of four new clubs.

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The Super Select Del Mar, Fastback 1.5, Golo 6 and Golo 6.5 are compact mallets that are designed to provide the same feel and sound that the Super Select blades create, but with slightly larger heads and more perimeter weighting, they should provide more forgiveness.

Like the original Super Select putters, the new mallets start as a block of 303 stainless steel before being milled into shape. Then the hitting area is given a new dual milling, with the first pass of a computer-controlled bit creating a series of deep cuts into the face before a second milling flattens the peaks that are made. According to Cameron, the advantage of dual milling is it provides a softer feel and lower-pitched sound that “deep milling” creates and that many players like, but gets more of the steel in contact with the ball for increased consistency and a better roll.

Scotty Cameron Super Select Golo 6.0 — The Super Select putters have a dual-milled face design. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

A pair of weights in the sole allows fitters to change the swing weight of the Super Select putters based on the club’s length and a player’s personal preferences.

The Del Mar is the smallest mallet and is all steel, but the Fastback 1.5, Golo 6 and Golo 6.5 have portions of the sole removed before a 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum sole plate is screwed into place. This removed weight from the center of the head, so more of the overall weight is in the heel and toe, which boosts stability and forgiveness.

The Scotty Cameron Super Select Del Mar, Fastback 1.5, Golo 6 and Golo 6.5 are now in stores for $449.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Super Select Del Mar” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/B0KRBJ”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Super Select Fastback 1.5″ link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/GmDRE2″]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Super Select Golo 6″ link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/g1oaJX”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Super Select Golo 6.5″ link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/JzqRBv”]

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Can a $450 putter be a good value?

Putters that cost $450 or more might be a wise investment in your golf game.

Golf is costly, but over the years I have shared many ways to save money and make wise purchasing decisions on gear. Get shoes with replaceable spikes to prolong traction, buy tees in bulk online and invest in good rain gear that will last for years instead of two or three cheap pieces that leak every time you try playing through a shower.

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So, what I’m about to write might come as a shock, but I think it’s true: An ultra-premium putter, which easily can cost $450 or more, might be one of the best values for your game.

I get it: Paying a driver-like price for a putter is insane to many golfers. There are many high-quality putters that cost less than $200 and feature helpful technologies.

Getting custom fit and purchasing a putter such as the just-released Scotty Cameron Super Select Newport 2, a Toulon Design Memphis or a Ping PLD Milled Oslo 4 – all of which have a retail price of $449 – requires a significant outlay of cash. But consider these things before you completely dismiss the idea of owning one of these clubs.

1. The shapes are timeless.
If you put any of the aforementioned putters down behind the ball and like it, you will always like it. Shapes like these never go out of style.

2. The technologies are timeless.
When it comes to drivers, technologies change all the time. Faces are made thinner and faster, crowns become lighter and advancements in manufacturing lead to new ways to hit the ball farther every year.

In contrast, putter technologies change slowly. Many of the most high-end putters are still milled from a single block of stainless steel, and in many cases materials such as aluminum and tungsten are strategically added to improve performance. Some of these putters have special face inserts or unique weighting systems to help you roll the ball more effectively. But as with their looks, the technologies you typically find in ultra-premium putters are time-tested.

3. Over time, they’re cheaper than drivers per shot.
Let’s do a little math. If you buy a new driver such as a Callaway Paradym, Cobra AeroJet or TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus+, you will pay $550 or more. If you are an avid golfer and play 30 rounds in a season, and you hit your driver off the tee on every par 4 and par 5 (14 drives per round), you will hit driver 420 times in a season. That works out to $1.31 per shot. If you skip a few generations of drivers and play the same club for five years, that’s 2,100 shots at $0.26 per shot.

If you buy a $450 putter and need 30 putts per round, in your first 30-round season you will pay 50 cents per putt for those 900 putts. A properly fit, ultra-premium putter can easily be played for five years or longer, so if you play 30 rounds a year for five years and take 30 putts per round (4,500 putts), your cost per putt goes down to $0.10 per shot.

So, per shot, an ultra-premium putter is cheaper than today’s modern drivers.

4. They maintain resale value.
Everyone should be careful when buying used equipment online to avoid counterfeit gear. If you are looking for bargains and check the prices of used putters such as the Bettinardi Queen B Series putters, you won’t find any for less than $150 to $200, and many are still fetching $300 or more. The supplies are limited, the demand is high and the value of ultra-premium putters can remain strong for years. So if you decide to part ways with a high-end putter, you can expect to obtain a nice trade-in credit at your local store or sell it outright for a good price.

Being a good value does not mean something is inexpensive. Paying $450 or more for any golf club represents a real investment in your game, so be sure to get custom fit. Below are several ultra-premium putters that nearly any golfer would love to use.

TaylorMade Spider GTX, Spider Max putters

The new TaylorMade Spider Max putter has moveable weights in the sole, while the GTX has the highest moment of inertia of any Spider.

TaylorMade has offered Spider putters for more than a decade, ranging from the compact Itsy Bitsy Spider to the massive Daddy Long Legs. Through the years the company has added different technologies and innovations to broaden the Spiders’ appeal while helping establish new trends.

What Spider putters all have in common is weight positioned back in the heel and toe areas, which boosts the moment of inertia and increases stability on mis-hits. That’s been the secret sauce for Spider putters – they can make a smaller putter play like a big one. That’s good, because most golfers avoid big, oversized putters even though they would benefit from their stability and forgiveness.

For 2023, TaylorMade has two new Spider putters, the Spider GT Max and the Spider GTX. Their shapes are familiar, but these arachnids are unlike anything TaylorMade has released in the past.

Scotty Cameron Monoblok 6.0, Monoblok 6.5 putters

Monoblok putters feature a semi-circular shape and perimeter weighting to maximize feel and stability.

Gear: Scotty Cameron Monoblok 6.0, Monoblok 6.5 putters
Price: $650 each
Specs: Milled 303 stainless steel with 6061 aluminum sole plate and steel weight screws
Available: Oct. 7

Who It’s For: Golfers with deep pockets who look to a mallet putter that enhances feel but also is forgiving on off-center hits.

The Skinny: Milled from one block of solid steel, both Monoblok putters feature a semi-circular shape and perimeter weighting to maximize feel while also increasing the moment of inertia and stability on mis-hits

The Deep Dive: The Scotty Cameron GoLo putters from the early and mid-2010s were updated several times and available in sizes ranging from the compact GoLo 3 to the extra large GoLo 7, with the GoLo 5 sitting in the middle. They had a flowing, semi-circular shape, and the larger models featured perimeter weighting that made the heads more stable than golfers might expect on off-center hits.

With the release of Monoblok 6.0 and Monoblok 6.5, Cameron is returning to the familiar shape and trying to offer players a pair of putters that deliver outstanding feel and touch on the greens and better performance on putts hit outside the sweet spot.

Scotty Cameron Monoblok putters — The Monoblok 6.5 is milled from a solid piece of 303 stainless steel. (Titleist)

As the name implies, each of the Monoblok putters starts as one block of 303 stainless steel. The block is positioned in a milling machine, and a computer controls a fast-spinning bit that passes back and forth over the metal, shaving off tiny ribbons of material until Cameron’s desired shape is produced. Milling putters this way improves quality control and ensures the same shapes are produced every time.

The faces of the Monoblok 6.0 and Monoblok 6.5 are also milled to help create a sound and feel that Cameron thinks will be pleasing to many golfers.

A large portion of the sole of the club is removed during the milling process, then covered with a 6061 aluminum plate. The aluminum weighs significantly less than the steel that was in the head, so more of the overall weight naturally shifts to the perimeter, which boosts the moment of inertia for more stability. There are also weights in the heel and toe area that can be changed by custom fitters to increase or decrease the Monoblok 6.0 and Monoblok 6.5’s swing weight based on the club’s length and the golfer’s preferences.

While both clubs feature a single black alignment line in the cavity of the head, the neck and hosels are different. The Monoblok 6.0 has a mid-bend shaft and is nearly face-balanced, so it should appeal to golfers who make a straight-back, straight-through putting stroke. The Monoblok 6.5 has a short, curved neck that creates more toe hang, so it is better suited to golfers who like arc in their putting stroke.

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Tour Edge Exotics Wingman 700 Series putters

The Exotics 700 Series is for golfers who want forgiveness and increased consistency on the greens.

Gear: Tour Edge Exotics Wingman 700 Series putters
Price: $199.99 with KBS CT Tour shaft and Lamkin Jumbo Sink Fit Pistol grip
Specs: Mallet putters with interchangeable sole weights, carbon fiber sole plate and grooved, thermoplastic polyurethane face insert
Available: August 1

Who it’s For: Golfers who prefer the look and forgiveness of a high-MOI mallet that want to improve their alignment and increase consistency on the greens.

The Skinny: The three new Wingman 700 Series putters have a softer face insert than the original Wingman for enhanced sound and feel, but still offer a lot of forgiveness thanks to extreme perimeter weighting and a multi-material design.

The Deep Dive: The first Tour Edge Exotics Wingman putter was released in 2020, and now the company is looking to expand the popularity of the mallet by offering it in three different head shapes, each coming with two hosel options. The key technologies, however, carry across all three clubs.

Tour Edge Exotics Wingman 700 Series — The Lock-On Alignment system helps players set up to the ball more consistently. (Tour Edge)

Each of the 700 Series putters has an angular shape, and the first thing most golfers will notice when they set one down and address it is the Lock-On Alignment technology. It’s a pair of black areas on the top of the club, and each has a single white alignment line in the center. The idea is that when your eyes are in the proper position over the ball, the lines will appear joined, but if you are standing with your eyes either too far to the inside or the outside, the white stripes will not appear to touch. It can be a helpful, easy way to ensure that you are set up to the ball, and in a good position, before every putt.

Each of the three 700 Series mallets is cast from stainless steel, but a large portion of the sole is covered by a carbon fiber plate that reduces the amount of stainless that would be used by 34 percent. That does two important things. First, it takes weight out of the middle of the club and creates perimeter weighting. Second, it allowed designers to take the discretionary weight saved by using the carbon fiber and repurpose it in the form of interchangeable sole weights in the back heel and toe areas. The 700 Series putters come with 3-gram weights, but 8- and 15-gram weights are available in separately-sold kits. The weights further boost the moment of inertia (MOI) to help the clubs resist twisting on off-center hits.

Finally, the MicroGroove face is designed to encourage the ball to start rolling instead of skidding for better speed control, but Tour Edge opted to use a softer thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) to create a softer feel.

The Exotics Wingman 701 and 702 have the same head that features a pair of extensions on the heel and toe wings that hold the sole weights. They have the highest MOI and most stability, with the 701 having 30 degrees of toe hang thanks to a short slant neck hosel. It should be ideal for players with a slightly-arched putting stroke, while the 702’s double-bend hosel makes it face balanced for golfers with a straight back, straight through stroke.

The Exotics Wingman 703 and 704 have a slightly-smaller head that lacks the extensions on the back of the heel and toe wings that the 701 and 702 have. The sole weights are also forward in the head. The 703 has a short slant neck hosel, while the 704 has a double-bend hosel.

Finally, the 705 and 706 are the most compact, with sole weights in the front. The 705 is designed for golfers with an arced putting stroke, while the 706 is face-balanced.

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