TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck putter

TaylorMade has released Scottie Scheffler’s Spider Tour X L-Neck putter.

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Gear: TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck putter
Price: $349.99
Specs: Stainless steel and aluminum body with a grooved urethane face insert. 34- and 35-inch clubs for right-hand players only.

Who It’s For: Golfers who want a putter that can help create a more consistent roll while also helping the player aim and align the face more effectively.

The Skinny: Like the previously released Spider Tour putters, the L-neck hosel is designed to be easy to aim and to create forward roll quickly. Its moderate toe-hang makes it ideal for golfers with a slight-arc stroke.

The Deep Dive: Scottie Scheffler was already the world’s No. 1 player before he switched to the TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck putter on the eve of the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational. He won that week and then won again the following week at the Players Championship. Since Scheffler put the Spider Tour X L-Neck in his bag, he has earned over $21.2 million in PGA Tour prize money (through the 2024 Travelers Championship).

TaylorMade released four Spider Tour putters during the summer of 2023, but Scheffler’s L-Neck was not one of them. Now, after his success, TaylorMade is adding the L-Neck to the cluster of Spiders and making it available to everyone.

Previously released Spider Tour putters had a single-bend, double-bend and short slant-neck hosel, but this putter has an L-shaped hosel that creates about 20 degrees of toe hang. It’s subtle, but for golfers like Scheffler, who make a slightly arced putting stroke, the balance is ideal.

Like the other Spider Tour putters, the Spider Tour X L-Neck has TaylorMade’s True Path alignment system on the top. The white area extends from the topline to the back of the head forks in the back and has a single black line inside it. It helps your eyes to focus on the path your putter establishes at address and makes it easier to aim the face. It was this feature, the True Path alignment system, that made Scheffler bench his blade putter and switch to this mallet.

TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck
The Spider Tour X L-Neck is large enough to contain the True Path alignment system. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The allure of the Spider putters has always been how stable they are for their size. Yes, some Spider putters have been massive, like the Daddy Long Legs that Brian Harman used to win the 2023 British Open, but most golfers like Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and several others have been drawn to compact Spider putters that have extra weight in the back to boost the moment of inertia and the stability. On off-center hits, the Spider Tour putters resist twisting, so putts stay online more effectively. Energy is also transferred to the ball on off-center hits more efficiently, so mis-hit putts roll nearly as far as well-struck putts for better distance control.

Spider Tour X L-Neck also comes with a Pure Roll insert made with Surlyn and a series of grooves that point down at a 45-degree angle. The grooves grab the back of the ball at impact and encourage a forward roll instead of skidding and bouncing.

Below are several close-up images of the TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck putter.

Winner’s Bag: Scottie Scheffler, 2024 RBC Heritage

A complete list of the golf equipment Scottie Scheffler used to win the 2024 RBC Heritage.

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A complete list of the golf equipment Scottie Scheffler used to win the 2024 RBC Heritage:

DRIVER: TaylorMade Qi10 (8 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Scottie Scheffler’s driver” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/R5q9k7″]

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Scottie Scheffler’s fairway wood” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/3eWNGv”]

IRONS: Srixon ZU85 (3), with Nippon Pro Modus3 Hybrid Tour X shaft, (4), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft, TaylorMade P-7TW (5-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts.

WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50, 56, 60 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Scottie Scheffler’s wedges” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/21zNAD”]

PUTTER: TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck prototype

BALL: Titleist Pro V1

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Scottie Scheffler’s golf ball” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/vNka7A”]

GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (full swing) / Golf Pride Pistol (putter)

TaylorMade TP Black putters

TaylorMade TP Black putters have a dark finish, grooved face and classic look in the address position.

Gear: TaylorMade TP Black putters
Price: $199.99 each with KBS 120 Chrome Stepped shaft and Lamkin Sink Fit Skinny grip
Specs: Milled 303 stainless steel heads with grooved Surlyn insert

Who It’s For: Golfers who love classic-shaped putters and want help creating a more consistent roll.

The Skinny: These are dark-finished versions of traditional TaylorMade TP putters, with a Pure Roll insert designed to reduce skidding and encourage the ball to start rolling sooner.

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The Deep Dive: When it comes to putters, TaylorMade struck gold with the Spider, and the Carlsbad, California, brand has turned out several different versions of the stable mallets over the last decade. However, TaylorMade’s TP line of putters has remained available for players who are not ready or willing to leave classic-shaped putters behind. In 2021, TaylorMade released the TP Hydroblast line, which featured a softened chrome finish, and in 2023 the TaylorMade rolled out the TP Reserve putters. Now, for 2024, it is bringing out the TP Black Collection.

If you are looking for the hottest new designs or the latest technological features, look somewhere else because the TP Black family features three heel-toe weighted blades, a compact mallet and two mid-size mallets that will all look familiar.

Each has been milled using 303 stainless steel for a softer feel, and all of the putters have black Pure Roll insert with grooves that point downward at a 45-degree angle. According to TaylorMade, the downward-facing grooves grab the back of the ball at impact and encourage it to start rolling instead of skidding and bouncing on the green, resulting in more consistency and better distance control.

The anodization process that adds the black finish helps the anti-glare look last longer, while the single white alignment on each head stands out easily and should help players aim the face more effectively.

Below are several images of the new TaylorMade TP Black putters.

Best new golf putters you can buy in 2024

Check out Golfweek’s list of the best putters available to purchase in 2024.

The big trend in drivers this season is adding stability and boosting the moment of inertia (MOI) so tee shots that you mis-hit fly straighter and farther. The big trend in putters in 2024 is similar — more forgiveness and stability.

Twenty years ago on the PGA Tour, most players used heel-to-toe weighted blades like the classic Ping Anser, Scotty Cameron Newport and Odyssey #1. Then, in the mid-2000s, the Odyssey 2-Ball putters exploded and mallets found their way into more and more bags on tour and in local clubs. Fast forward to the mid-2010s, and TaylorMade’s Spider Tour putter, a mid-size mallet with a high MOI but some toe-hang for golfers who have an arced stroke, takes the putting world by storm. Odyssey’s #7 and Scotty Cameron’s Futura X 5, with stability-boosting extensions in the heel and toe became more popular over the last decade too.

Plenty of golfers still love the look and feel of classic blades, but mallets, often made with multiple materials, are here to stay because they allow designers to shift weight into performance-enhancing areas and create bolder alignment features.

The best putter for you is waiting at your local shop, and after going through a putter fitting that includes discovering your idea putter length, lie angle, loft and balance, you will know exactly what it is. The putters listed below can give you a starting point to learn more about clubs you might want to try.

Note: Putters are often released on two-year product cycles, which means updates are released every two years. For that reason, you will see several 2023 offerings alongside new 2024 putters.

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.

New TaylorMade Spider Tour putters for 2023

TaylorMade’s new Spider Tour putters boost stability while making it easy to aim your putts and get the ball rolling more quickly.

Gear: TaylorMade Spider Tour Series putters (2023)
Price: $349.99 each with KBS shaft and SuperStroke Pistol 1.0 grip
Specs: Steel body mallet putters with grooved Surlyn insert, internal polymer and steel weights. Lengths: 33″-35″
Available: Oct. 27, but available for pre-order NOW

Who It’s For: Golfers who want more stability and consistency on mis-hit putts. 

The Skinny: Blending traditional Spider shapes with multimaterial constructions, the updated Spider Tour Series putters aim to help golfers achieve better distance control, a higher-quality roll and easier alignment. 

The Deep Dive: In the world of golf equipment, the term ‘golden handcuffs’ refers to when players love a product so much that they don’t want brands to change it or update it. You never hear it used about drivers because everyone wants to hit the ball farther, but elite golfers often bristle when they hear companies are tweaking muscleback blades. You hear the term batted around in putter discussions, too. While TaylorMade has offered several versions of Spider putters over the last few years, Spider Tour putters have remained among the most popular. So, instead of fighting that popularity and trying to convince players to use something else, TaylorMade is leaning into the size and shape that has brought it so much success and spawned so many imitators. 

The new Spider Tour family is comprised of five clubs that have similar shapes and that share several common technologies. For example, a gunmetal-finished aluminum wireframe body that helps to reduce weight in areas of the head that don’t impact performance, and designers have added a new Hybrar Echo Damper behind the leading edge in the sole. It’s an internal piece of polymer with an accordion shape, similar to the Hybrar Echo Damper found in the Stealth and Stealth HD irons. As it does in those clubs, the polymer soaks up excessive vibrations that are created at impact to improve sound and feel.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop all TM Spider Tour Putters” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/rQR6eQ”]

TaylorMade Spider Tour (2023)
The Spider Tour’s True Path alignment system makes it easier to aim and start putts in your intended line (David Dusek/Golfweek)

Each of the new Spider Tour putters also has TaylorMade’s True Path alignment system on the top, comprising a white area with a single black line extending from the topline and forks in the back. The white is designed to grab your eyes’ attention and make it easier to focus on your putt’s intended path.

Finally, TaylorMade gave each Spider Tour putter its Pure Roll insert. The Surlym insert features a series of grooves that point down at a 45-degree angle designed to encourage a forward roll and topspin off the strike instead of skidding and bouncing.

TaylorMade Spider Tour (2023)
The Spider Tour has a boxy, high-MOI design that has been popular and influential. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

The standard Spider Tour has a classic boxy shape, and with its small slant neck, the hosel has about 30 degrees of toe hang, so it should be ideally suited to golfers with a slightly arched putting stroke. The Spider Tour has weights in the back heel and toe area that pull the center of gravity back to the head’s perimeter. This weight distribution also increases the moment of inertia (MOI), which helps the Spider Tour resist twisting on off-center hits and keep putts on their intended line more effectively. According to TaylorMade, the new Spider Tour’s MOI of 5,700 g/cm2 is 700 g/cm2 higher than the original Spider Tour, so golfers should find it more stable and forgiving.

The Spider Tour X has a similar shape, but instead of having the back weights project out, they have been designed into the sole, under two small block pieces in the heel and toe. With the weights slightly more forward, the Spider Tour X has a slightly lower MOI (5,000 g/cm2).

One of the new shapes is the Spider Tour Z. Its chassis has been designed lower to the ground and the center area, where the True PaAth alignment system rests, is slightly higher. It has small blocks in the back, like the Spider Tour X, but its weights have been designed in the front heel and toe areas of the sole. This shifts the CG location forward, to make the Spider Tour Z’s face rotate like a blade-style putter. Its MOI is nearly identical to the Spider X’s MOI.

The Spider Tour V is like a Spider Tour Z with the back blocks in the heel and toe removed. Its weight is forward, to encourage face rotation during the stroke.

Finally, the Spider Tour S, which will be released in the Spring of 2024, is the largest and heaviest Spider Tour putter. It will be available as a 35- or 38-inch club and be counterbalanced.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop all TM Spider Tour Putters” link=”https://pga-tour-superstore.pxf.io/rQR6eQ”]

Here are several close-up images of the new Spider Tour Series putters:

TaylorMade TP Reserve Milled putters

TaylorMade TP Reserve putters blend craftsmanship, feel and precision.

Gear: TaylorMade TP Reserve Milled putters
Price: $399 each with KBS 120 Chrome stepless shaft and Lamkin Deep Etched grip
Specs: Milled 303 stainless steel. Right- and left-hand versions in 33-inch, 34-inch and 35-inch lengths with 3 degrees of loft and 70-degree lie angle. 

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Available: NOW

Who They’re For: Golfers who demand classic looks and emphasize sound and feel.

The Skinny: With an emphasis on craftsmanship and attention to detail, TaylorMade reenters the premium milled putter market with three blades and three mallets in the TP Reserve line.

The Deep Dive: TaylorMade has enjoyed tremendous success in the putter category by combining multiple materials such as stainless steel, aluminum and tungsten with high-tech designs. Over the past 15 years, the Spider family has featured large and small mallets popular with tour pros and recreational golfers because their perimeter-weighed designs boost forgiveness. At the same time, their unique face inserts encourage the ball to roll instead of skid. Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson have each won majors with Spider putters.

However, there has been a hole in TaylorMade’s putter lineup that the brand has tried to fill over the years with mixed success: the premium milled category. While Spider mallets remain popular, many elite golfers and tradition-loving amateurs still prefer all-steel putters that blend craftsmanship and quality with timeless design. These golfers understand the science of putting, but they also see it as an art – they want a tool that can help them paint masterpieces on the greens.

TaylorMade’s new TP Signature line, comprised of three blades and two mid-size mallets, is designed for these golfers. 

TaylorMade TP Reserve B11
TaylorMade TP Reserve B11 (David Dusek/Golfweek)

While there is a TaylorMade logo on the heel portion of the face, golfers will notice a new logo on the back, a green R, which symbolizes the new line. The new logo signifies TaylorMade’s commitment to differentiating this line from the cast putters it offers. It wants the Reserve family to be aspirational, rare and something that golfers see as the highest level of quality and craftsmanship that TaylorMade produces.

To that end, the B1, B2, B3, M1 and M2 heads are precision-milled using 303 stainless steel, a soft material that amplifies feel and allows golfers to gain a better sense of precisely where they hit the ball on the face. While milled areas have been polished smooth, golfers will see the tiny milling grooves in other areas. The advantage of milling is the manufacturing tolerances are tighter, so edges are sharper and the intended designs are produced more accurately.

TaylorMade TP Reserve
The grooved face of the TaylorMade TP Reserve B11 putter. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

TaylorMade has designed a series of grooves in the hitting area. In the Spider putters, the grooves enhance the roll, but in the Reserve putters, the grooves help with acoustics. Using higher-compression, urethane-covered balls (which discerning golfers tend to use), TaylorMade tested 15 different types of grooves with various depths and pattern tightnesses before opting for this specific pattern because it creates the sound that company research showed elite golfers want to hear at impact.

There are weights in the heel and toe areas of the sole that fitters can change to adjust the putter’s swing weight based on length or a golfer’s preferences. All the TP Reserve putters also feature a single black alignment line.

The TP Reserve B1 is a classic heel-toe-weighted blade with a thin topline and straight rear bumpers, while the similarly shaped B2 has a shorter blade length and curved rear bumpers. The B3 blade has an extended back flange for a more solid look.

The TP Reserve M2 is a fang-style mallet with extensions in the heel and toe areas, while the M3 is a semi-circular mallet. The TP Reserve M5, the most compact mallet, blends the B3 and M2, having a curved back section that ends in a straightened portion.

After each putter’s name, TaylorMade adds a second number to designate the hosel or neck configuration of the club. Clubs with an L-neck (or plumber’s neck) have a 1 at the end, while small slant necks get a 3, single-bend hosels get a 7, and the long flow neck adds a 9 at the end of the putter’s name.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop all TM TP Reserve putters” link=”https://imp.i366014.net/Kjq4yn”]

Take a close-up look at the TP Reserve putters below.

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.

U.S. Open: Collin Morikawa contending at The Country Club after switching putters

Morikawa made a critical gear change and it’s paying off.

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BROOKLINE, Mass. — At 25, and having already won the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 British Open, it’s hard to criticize Collin Morikawa’s game too much. Put a 5-iron in his hands and Morikawa is money (he ranks fifth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach the green and was No. 1 last season), but kryptonite for this Superman is putting. Give him a putt four to eight feet from the hole and statistically, he’s one of the worst on Tour (making 66.41 percent and ranking 154th).

But so far this week at the U.S. Open, on some of the trickiest greens the players will face all season, Morikawa’s putting is holding up. It’s a big reason why he has shot 69-66 and is at the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend. And part of that success may be due to his new putter.

Collin Morikawa's TaylorMade putter
Collin Morikawa putting with a TaylorMade GT Spider Rollback at the 2022 U.S. Open. (Photo: David Dusek/Golfweek)

In an effort to improve his putting, Morikawa made a putter change before the start of The Memorial three weeks ago, taking out his TaylorMade TP Juno and adding a TaylorMade Spider GT Rollback.

U.S. OpenPhotos | Leaderboard | How to watch

The two putters are very different in design. Morikawa used TaylorMade’s MyTP putter program on his smartphone to design a TP Juno, a heel-toe weighted blade, with an especially long neck then had PGA Tour reps make it for him. The Spider GT Rollback, which was released in January, is a semicircular mallet that has a chassis machined using aluminum with an 80-gram tungsten ring in the back of the head. The added weight increases the moment of inertia (MOI) and makes the club more resistant to twisting on off-center hits. It should definitely be more forgiving than TaylorMade’s blade-style putters.

Morikawa’s putter also has a grooved, Pure Roll face insert. There is urethane between the insert’s aluminum bars to soften feel, but the bars point downward at a 45-degree angle to grab the ball at impact and encourage it to roll instead of skid.

Through two rounds at The Country Club, Morikawa has made birdie putts from 9, 10, 13 and 14 feet, as well as par-saving putts from 6, 8 and 9 feet.

Morikawa’s Spider GT Rollback has a short black line extending back from the topline instead of the three long lines that come on the retail version. It’s 34.75 inches in length, as 2 degrees of loft and a 71-degree lie angle. The putter is fitted with a Super Stroke Pistol GTR Tour grip.

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TaylorMade Spider GT putters

TaylorMade extends the Spider putter franchise with a new version that has extreme perimeter weighting and a compact design.

Gear: TaylorMade Spider GT putters
Price: $350 each
Specs: Mid-size mallets with steel weight extensions and tungsten back weights. Aluminum chassis and grooved face insert. Matte black, silver/black, red/black and white/blue colorways.
Available: March 4

Not that long ago, most elite golfers and recreational players used heel-toe-weighted blade putters. Mallets were for golfers who needed help or who tried to make a straight-back-straight-through putting stroke. But starting in 2016, TaylorMade began having success with mid-sized mallets that were ideally balanced and weighted for golfers who have a slightly arched stroke. The first Spider putters caught on because blade users could keep using the same stroke with the added forgiveness of a mallet. 

Since then, TaylorMade has refined and worked to improve the performance of the Spider line. In 2019 there was Spider X, and in 2021 the company released Spider ES. 

Now with the release of Spider GT, the company is trying to push the concepts further and help golfers gain consistency on the greens.