Favourite club, first and foremost would be my putter. You always go back to the biggest problem. I don't putt for much dough, but I will use a putter in virtually any green related situation (green side, toe-down out of rough).
You'll always be closer with your worst putt than your best chip! And wouldn't you know, I just bought a new putter! A Ping G5i Tess, a blade style putter with a "dual durometer face" and a great swing weight (for me). I switched from a Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport II putter (without the insert) so having a new toy in the bag for the 2006 season is exciting.
Why is the putter my favourite club? Because it's the most difficult to master, the true mark of a seasoned golfer. You could hit a 500+ yard par 5 in 2 shots, and still 3 putt from 50 feet for a par. |
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The other thing about putters that I enjoy, is you could have all the technology in the world, and never "feel" right over a put. Yet you still have a company like Titleist making their Bullseye-type putters, or Wilson with it's 8802 model of a few years ago.
Phil Mickelson had Yonex make him a special left handed version of the club as I believe Wilson didn't make the 8802 in a left handed version. Now Cleveland has made a beautiful blade putter in the same likeness as the 8802 of old, but I found that the lines of the Ping G5i Tess will assist me with alignment a lot more. |
The 8802's greatest feature is the total lack of alignment aids and subsequently teaches you to trust your alignment and stroke, but that is not for everyone.
| I like a more simplistic design (as in the Ping G5i Tess), because it allows you to focus more on the ball. Also in the Ping line of clubs is Cliff's new putter, the Craz-E. A monstrosity like no other. My eye cannot get used to seeing that large a head behind my ball. The sales pitch on this putter? Because of the face weighting technology put into this club (balance the club on your index finger on the kick point of the shaft and the face will point to the ceiling), it is supposed to help you swing back and through the ball. |
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Reality? You command how well you swing the ball out and through the putt, no putter can do that for you. But again, I'm biased to more simple designs!
I like my other clubs, but my putter is still favored over the others.
Scott Fallowfield
Shave5strokes.com Team
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