14 February 2023|Golfing with gratitude
If you read the earlier post about my terrible putter addiction then you'll know I have an agreement with my regular partners that should motivate me to stick with my current gamer. However, at the risk of inviting my friends to kick me in the unmentionables, I couldn't resist the temptation of booking a fitting at the new putter studio within the Callaway Performance Centre here in St Andrews. They've been fitting it out and stocking it up for a while now and every time I've been to the range I've stood at the window like a kid at the toy shop! I'd spoken to Mike Lander about it at my Paradym fitting and, after the new TriHot and Versa announcements from Odyssey, I just couldn't resist the temptation any longer so booked it. Like the fittings for Callaway clubs, you make an appointment through your local pro shop or retailer and the fitting itself is free. What's not to like about that!
Mike explained that a putter fitting should last around an hour with an element being inside using SAM Puttlab and an element being outside on the putting green. The studio-based assessment takes static measurements and uses SAM Puttlab to analyse your stroke. I've never been a big fan of the SAM device that clips onto your putter shaft as I've always thought it impacts feel and stroke. But, unlike some "big box" retailers, SAM is just one part of the fitting process here. The next stage is narrowing down putter choices, making some putts inside and then going out to the excellent practice greens to see the real-life performance. This is where aim, start line, pace etc are all more thoroughly assessed and where I think a fitting here should really set itself apart. A 12-foot putt indoors on fake grass is nothing like the real world.
The incumbents
What was I hoping to gain from this?
I've got two putters at the moment. The "gamer" for most of last year has been a flow-neck Odyssey Toulon (above left) with a Lamkin Deep Etched grip. This was the club subject to "the agreement". It's a mid-mallet design with a large alignment line in the flange. The alternate is a custom-made Kari Lajosi blade with no alignment aids. I've had a love/hate relationship with this putter. It was made in consultation with Bruce Rearick and when I took it to a fitting/lesson with Ross MacLeod a few years ago he told me it fitted perfectly, to commit and put the practice time in with it. But what does he know! I've just swapped the grip to a Golf Pride Tour Only which is very similar in shape and size to the Lamkin and it has significantly improved the feel of the club. It's currently in the bag.
What I'm hoping for from the fitting is peace of mind that one of my existing putters is already the best fit. That way I can avoid a kick in the nuts! However, if the fitting process proves (beyond doubt) that these putters are not right, then I will listen to their advice and commit to whatever they recommend. My putter is the last club in my bag to be assessed and once complete then I will have checked and overhalled all my clubs, leaving me ready for the season ahead with no doubts about equipment. Post this fitting I commit to no more club changes this year.
So what was the fitting like?
As expected the fitting started with an assessment of my current putter. As I am using the Lajosi at the moment then that's what we used for the baseline data. Of the 5 calibration putts I holed them all. SAM demonstrated my arcing stroke and recommended heel-shafted blade or mid-mallet putters - exactly what my two current putters are. I've been fascinated by the claims made about the Tri-Hot 5K line and if they really do blend the forgiveness of a mallet with the looks of a blade then they could be my answer. We tried the 1,2,3 and double wide heads with the 3 being a flow neck and the rest being plumbers necks. We quickly narrowed that list down to just the 3 head. We then tried the new White Hot Versa 3 TS which is the same shape as my Atlanta but just larger. It performed well but I didn't like the look or feel of it.
I didn't like the size, feel or finish of the Versa. We kept rolling some putts with both and then put them back on the SAM for some analysis and it also indicated that the 5K putter was performing better for me too,
By now we were already getting close to the end of the hour session and didn't have time to take the putters to the outdoor green for testing on real grass, which was disappointing. I liked the feel of the 5K Three more than the Versa 3 and I do wonder if the technology in that head could help prevent some of the stability issues I feel can creep in with the Lajosi.
Conclusion
I have to be honest and say I'm disappointed we never managed to get the putters out onto the grass. Between the two shortlisted putters, the 5K Three was the winner, but I'm not convinced it has done enough to kick the Lajosi out of the bag. SAM analysis proved beyond doubt that the Lajosi is indeed a good fit and that I should have just listened to Bruce and Ross in the first place and possibly saved myself a lot of searching over the last few years. The analysis today also proved that the Toulon Atlanta is also a good fit and an excellent option if I'm not feeling confident with the Lajosi and want that little bit of extra alignment help as well as more stability and forgiveness.
I'm not quite convinced enough to order a 5K Three, but if I see one on demo at Ladybank then I will take it for a roll on the practice green and pit it against the Lajosi in a putt-off. I really could have done with an extra 30 minutes for the fitting. For now, the Lajosi stays in the bag. It's different to the putter I made the agreement with, but I'm hoping my friends go lenient on me given I already owned it!
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