TaylorMade Spider Tour putters – Syndication Server

Gear: TaylorMade Spider Tour X Black Proto putter
Price: $500, equipped with a KBS CT Black PVD Stepless shaft and a SuperStroke Pistol GT 1.0 Black grip
Specs: Steel-body mallet putter with a milled face insert and black PVD finish. Available in lengths ranging from 33 to 35 inches.
Who it’s for: Golfers seeking improved distance control, forgiveness, and a putter with an anti-glare finish.

What you should know: The Spider Tour X Black Proto retains the shape of the popular Spider Tour X putters, favored by both tour professionals and recreational golfers. Its milled face offers a firmer feel at impact while the black PVD finish minimizes glare and delivers a distinct aesthetic.

The deep dive: TaylorMade introduced the Spider Tour family in August 2023. Toward the end of the season, Scottie Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked golfer, used a TaylorMade Spider Tour prototype with a milled face at several PGA Tour events. While the milled-face Spider Tour X Proto has been available since September 2023, TaylorMade has now released the Spider Tour X Proto Black, featuring an all-black design.

The Black version mirrors the previously released Spider Tour Proto putter in having 3 degrees of loft and a 70-degree lie angle. It also includes both an L-Neck hosel and a short slant neck hosel, like Scheffler’s prototype.

TaylorMade Spider Tour X Black Proto — The True Path Alignment system is blacked-out in the Spider Tour X Black Proto putters. (TaylorMade)

Unlike earlier Spider Tour Proto models with a silver-toned aluminum chassis and a white True Path alignment system featuring a single black line for aiming, the Black version incorporates a subtler design. The True Path alignment shape remains but is finished in black PVD, blending with the chassis. The alignment line from the topline to the back of the head also persists, but its black-on-black appearance is understated, requiring golfers to look closely to discern it at address.

From a performance perspective, the Spider Tour X Black Proto shifts more weight to the front of the head. The milled stainless-steel insert is heavier than the Hybrar Echo Damper material used in standard Spider Tour X putters. This forward center of gravity encourages a putter face rotation resembling that of a blade-style putter, ideal for golfers with an arced putting stroke.

Below are several close-up images of the TaylorMade Spider Tour X Black Proto putters.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/FfTs4o4BmUF3J0r6iMmw/1713204641095_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”PHNjcmlwdCBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLmFueWNsaXAuY29tL2FueWNsaXAtd2lkZ2V0L2xyZS13aWRnZXQvcHJvZC92MS9zcmMvbHJlLmpzIiBkYXRhLWFyPSIxNjo5IiBkYXRhLXBsaWQ9Iml6dGZpNHp1bjQyZWUza3ZpeXp1dW1kc2d6dXUyM2x4IiBwdWJuYW1lPSIxOTk4IiB3aWRnZXRuYW1lPSIwMDE2TTAwMDAyVTBCMWtRQUZfTTgzMjciPgo8L3NjcmlwdD4=”][/anyclip-media]

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.