.

-i
fux -,Y,'!
:i ,,:::,
i-;fli"lj{i{? ".1,:

.tli
s-
fq

TESTF'D:21
.. 3i
 "The SeeingEye
dog of putters-it just
ffi "I intentionally hit
some short putts
@ lvlallets
I
"It truly is a
'marksman'given
I

guides you along." out on the heel. its feel, touch and
-AndySimon They still went in." directional help."
-PeterKraus -JimEsther

BoccieriHeaw MizunoBlack OdvssevWhiteHot

D3-DF' CarbonBC3 XGMa"rxmanMini
$169,steel; heavyputter.com $249,steel; mizunousa.com $169; odJtsseltgolf.com
WE TESTED:34"and35"in TrueTemper WETESTED:34" and35"insteelshaft WETESTED:34" and35"insteelshaft
steelshaft COMPANY LINE:"This1Oo-oercent milled CoMPAI\IY LINE:"Ourmulti-layer insert
COMPANYLII\E: "Thedeepface(DF)and one-oiece carbon steeloutterdelivers ultra- combines a soft,highlyresilient
elastomer
'humpback'design theCGtoencourage consistency.
raise lts'Feel ImpactTechnology' (FIT) corelwhichcreates greatfeelandhelpsto
consistent sweet-spot Thisoptimal facedramatically
contact. reduces thesurface area Bettheballrolling quicklyl
witha thin,firm
transferof energyresultsin betterroll w h e reth e b al lmakescontact w i ththe outerstriking
surface that'sfine-tunedfor
andmoreconsistent control.
distance The face,andthisin turndelivers an extremely responsiveness."
D3-DF is roughly doubletheweight0f a solidandsoftfeel."
conventional outter" Oun Tosr Pexnl Sevs:
Oun Tr,sr Peunl Savs: PROS:Fanspraiseitscleanfeel-there'sa
Oun Trsr PeNr,LSavs: PRos:Thesurprisingly softfeel,asthough noticeable cushioned effectatimDact;two
PRossExtremeheadweightprevents it'spadded, won'tdiminish thesatisfying bold,shortened alignment barsareeffective
twistingandfacemanipulation, a good clickyou'll hearwhen youcatchthesweet ataddress;you canusethealignment bars
optionforthosewithjumpynerves; more spot,heawenough to maintain a pendulum to mentallytrace yourswing path;itshines
oftenthannot,it'seasyto control distance motionwithoutbeingtoo heavyto affect withspeed controlontrlckydownhill putts;
givenitsheaviness;smoothsoutawa) /vard speed control; likeitscompactness;strikingoffsethoselandtoe hangencourage a
stroke;there aretimesthisputterseems to jet-black headandsharpwhitesightline natural arcstroke.
puttitself;allowsyouto usetheentireface. encourage precise alignment. coNs: Dissenters saythatfeel is often
CoNS:Mis-hitsfeeltoo muchlikecenter coNs: Notthebestforlagputting-needs heardmorethanfelt;it canbe a little
contact;difficultto makedelicatestrokes, moreoomohto rollputtsas far as other challengingto achieve proper paceonlong
momentum kicksinandyoufightthe putter; mallets;a littlelacking indistanceforgiveness, puttsdueto the extremesoftnessof the
onceinawhilqputtscangetawaydistance- misses goshorter thanothers; somefindthe face;unconventi onal shapehas i ts
wise;uninsplring grayfinish. smallgripmakes
flatbattleship theirstroke toohandsy. "feel"players
detractors; maywantmore.

166 MLF MAGAZINE MAY 2OO8 GOLF,COM

 Clu6lbsffiss:S
HO\MWEDIDIT upwith
feet.Theyihenfollowed overall
impressions.Ourexclusive WHEREWEDIDIT
Weassigned eachofour on-course (Weprovided
testlng. researchpartner,
HotStixcolt TheHotstixPerformance
center
a putting
ClubTesters laneonthe themwith34-and35-inchputters.) measured rolloncenter
hitsand GCinScottsdale,AZ
at LegendTrail
practice
green.Testers
struck12 lookand
tooknoteoffeel,
Panelists heel-toe
forgiveness
usinga
puttsperputterfromthreeto40 andalsoshared
control, their mechanicalputting
device.

"Noticeably "Feel,look, "Given allthe

more impact feel performance. alignment lines, it
thanmany This is the total might make sense to
others tested." package." be fit for lie angle."
-MarkHaberstroh -ChrisKlamkin -JeffBones

PingKarsten Rife Tivo Bar Sizemore

Series860 Hybrid
$89,steel;pinggolf,
com $199,steel com
; rifeputters. com
$349,steel; sizemoregolf.
WETESTED: 34"and35"insteelshaft WETDS|TED:34" and35"insteelshaft WET.ESTEIL34" and35"insteelshaft
COMPAI|IY LINE:'Anelastomer insertin COMPAI{YI.,II\IB ourpatented
"ltfeatures CoMPANYLII\IEr"Thetriangularshaped
thecavityenhances feelwhilemaintaining 'Rollcroove' technology (horizontalface alumlnum headhaspronounced copperrail
thesolidresponse putter.The
ofasteel-faced grooves thatproduce a no-skid
roll),
two-bar ofcenter
sightlines.Aset aliSnmentinserts
can
weightsavings
fromthecavityisredistributed alignment system, rearweighting
adjustable be customized to accommodate a player's
to theperlmeter.
Themulti-levelalisnment thatprovides maximum stability
andtakes alignment preferences,
whileinterchangeable
deviceaidsinalignment." various greenspeeds intoaccount, plusa endcapsletyouoptimize yourspeedand
veriical
alignmentnotchforconslstent
setup." distancecontrol."
Oun Trsr PeNu, Sevs:
PROS:Agoodupgrade for 860devotees; Oun Tpst P,q,Nu,Savs: Oun TBsr PauELSevs:
the clubrespects its rootswitha nodto PRoS:Offersterrificcontrol;heavyhead, PROS:Therearealignment aidsgalore,
evolution;providespredictably consistent weightedbars,keepsthe face
with t\,^/o andthe largeheadandbroadsiShtlines
results;givesyoufeedback fromboththe squareduringthestrokeevenif contactis makeliningupyourputta snap;provldes
clickysoundandthesense
crisp, of instant off-center; faceinsertis remarkablysoft; firmfeeloncontact;
a distinct, head-heavy
feelcominguptheshaft;getdialedinand multiple alignmentaidsaretoughto match sensation ofthefacecontribute
andstability
saygoodbye tothree-putts; the860shape andmakepropersetupa cinch;thesoft to a smoothstroke;noneedtoworryabout
lookslikeanoldfriend;fansofoldPingsteel feel,tightrollandgoodspeedcontrollet gettingittothehole-puttsrolloutfarther
headsshouldstepintothisonelikeanold testersputtassertivelyin birdierange,
ball thantnerest.
pairof shoes. seems to rollimmediatelyofftheface. coNs3Visually speaking, there'swaytoo
CoNS:A groupof testersare not blown coNs: Heavy-ish headfeel maycause muchgoingonwiththiscopper- andsilver-
awaybythe860'sdirectional forgiveness; someto struggle with distancecontrol; coloredtriangular head; to blowputts
liable
a fewpanelistsfindthetextured gripto be quirkyappearance couldturnoff purists; pastthehole;wouldlikemorehelpwhen
tooslippery impactfeelmaybetoolightforsome. outtsstravfromtheirline,

GOLRCOM MAY 2OO8C.OLF MAGAZINE 167

 PRICESLISTEDAREWHAT
Tnn Ralxc SvsrBu RATINGS
***** EXCELLENT YOUSHOULD EXPECTTO
voteonLook,
Hou/it works:Testers PAYATRflAIL
winningmodel ****VERYGooD
FeelandControl.The
themostpolnts)
(theonethatreceives ***c00D
isawarded GOLFMagaz'1e/Clubrest ** AVERAGE
s-starstatus. * PooR

"Valerie whispers
feedback rather than
"Impact is as smooth shouting it out."
-Dar.teLucarelli
as silk-sweet, with l
no aftertaste."

Titleist Scotry Yes!C-Groove

CameronRed X3 Valerie
$299,steeI; t i tlei st.com ; yesgolf.
$149,steel con
WETESTED:34" and35"in steelshafts WETESTED:34" and35"insteelshaft
COMPANYLINB"Theprecision-milled head, COMPANYLINFI "IhiSface-balanced, cavity-
madefrom3o3-stainless steel,hasa glare- backheadismadefrom3O4-stainless steel.
resistant'charcoalmist'finish.lt featuresa TheC-croove's concentric edges havea 20-
sinelebendshaftwith '1l4-shaft of offsetfor degreeupward slant. Oncontact, theseedges
ide;ltoe-flowthroughthestroke.Thestepless griptheballandliftit outofitsrestingposition
steelshaftenhances feel." andimpart anover-the{op rollingmotion."
Oun Tnsr Perqpl Sevs: Oun Tnsr PaNnl Sevs:
PROS:Puttsdon'tjumpofftheface,you're PRoS:Getstheballrollingquick;it takes
alwaysin controlof the ball;extremely the fearout of putting;counton sniffing
responsive, it offerslightfeedback on off- somewhere aroundtheholeon centeror
centerputts,testersloveitssmooth, true off-center
slightly contact;soft impact feel,
roll;gripit lightlyandallowoveralIweighting evenon longer,moreforcefulstrokes;
togenerate aneasy, repeatablependulum heavierheadmass, ballstarts quickly
rolling
stroke;this simple, classy, winsome mallet sodistance controltakeslittleeffort;ideal
isanaesthetic favorite;
longwhitealiSnment for square-to-square strokes; weighting
strioeorovesuseful. encourages a smoothrhythmicstroke;
CONS:A player'smalleuinconsistent consistentdistance acrosstheface.
strikersmaywantto lookelsewhere for coN$ Feedbackto thehandsistoomuted;
more'game-improvement' helpon toe sometestersquestion thetwo-toneloot(
misses; it won'tbewillingto saveyouon andusefulness ofthethin,whitesightaid;
anyblatant mis-hits. misses feeltoosimilart0 centerhits.

:i:"+'r

168 GOLF MAGAZINE MAY 2OO8 GOLECOM

 Clu6lest:{F*hi

Model Head MOI Center 31A-incf 3/4-inch

weight iglcm contac{ heel toe
Grams) (feet) (feet) (feet)
PutterMojo BoccieriHeavyD3-DF
MlzunoBlackCartoJ},
471 4,836 15.4 14.7
329 3,03i 14.3, 13-4
14.3
Eightmidsizemalletsthat keepyour puttinSgameon-track
Odysseywhite HotxG 1Aa 3.407 1 5 . 6 1 5 . 0 1 3 .8
Wner Wn Drn MarxmanMini
We anchored each one of the 3S-inch putters to a
PinEKarstenseries860 332 3.486 16,4 14.6 ,
me c hanic al put t in g d e v i c e . C l u b s m a d e th e s a me
Rife'n^roBarHybrid AAE
4,417 16.3 16.O 14.9
consistentbackswing to hit a lS-foot putt (approx.)
SizernoreXM-2 a AO I
3,411 16.! 15.5
and we measuredresults for centerhits, 3/4-inch misses
Titleist
ScottyCameron 331 3,344 15.2 14.2 13.9
toward the he el,andll4'-inch missestoward the toe. For REdX3
the purpose of this test,we used standard-sizegrips on
3bu : 3,619l 14.7 144 1411
eachmodel. Here'show the clubs fared:

Wnan Wp Lnennpn
DISTANCE: The Sizemore,Ping and Rife roll it the farthest on
centerhits.Byconkast,theMizunohitsittheshortest.Neitherway
isbetterorworse;it'swhetheryouprefertomakealongerorslighfly
shorter stroke to reach the hole. The
differenceon centercontactbetween wtNNERSCIRCIf
longestandshoftestmodelistwofeet. Toseeall the winners,
go to page171.
FORGIVEI\IESS:AIIofthese arehelpfuL
Still, the Yes!Valerie C-Grooveis most PIJTTERSTSSTED
forgiving; the total differencebetween Checl(out otherputters
centerand off-centerhitsisjust sixindres. we've
that in
clubTested
thepasiyear
at
HotStixGolfcollected
datausinsa golf.com/equipment
puttingdevice.
mechanical

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