Tag: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

TaylorMade Spider Tour X Black Proto putter

TaylorMade drops an all-black version of the prototype putter Scottie Scheffler tinkered with.

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.

This promising teen switched to a mallet putter because of Scottie Scheffler and now is contending at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur

“He changed to a mallet and won two in a row, so I’m like, why not me?”

Seventeen-year-old Eila Galitsky switched to a mallet putter for one reason: Scottie Scheffler. Galistky, who is currently contending at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur after an opening 5-under 67, made the switch less than a week ago.

“He changed to a mallet and won two in a row, so I’m like, why not me?” she explained.

The new mallet putter, she said, has given her a confidence on the greens she hasn’t had before. Combine that with an average carry distance of 265 yards off the tee, and the South Carolina commit is becoming a force to reckon with in the amateur game.

The Thai player won the 2023 Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific to earn a spot in last year’s field but said she wasn’t prepared for the weather conditions she found in Georgia and missed the cut. This year, she traveled over early and played in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley beforehand to acclimate and tied for third.

ANWA: Photos

At last year’s Chevron Championship, Galitsky tied for 28th and earned low amateur honors.

Top-ranked Scheffler debuted the TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and won by five, leading the field in strokes gained putting. Then he won again at the Players Championship and is the undisputed favorite heading into the Masters.