I’ve always had a soft spot for the traditional blade style putter used by Ben Crenshaw and Phil Mickelson, playing such models as the Wilson 8802 and “the” Original Putter by Arnold Palmer. To me, there isn’t a more timeless club. It oozes tradition. Old video footage shows Jones, Palmer, Hagan and Snead using them, yet they’re almost as forgotten as persimmon due to the current trend of mallet putters. Much to my dismay, I haven’t found many blades around anymore, so when I saw that Yes! developed the Sophia, I had to try it.
Design and Look
If I can use an analogy here, I think picking a putter is a lot like dating someone; you’re interested in more than just their looks, but in order to have a meaningful and lasting relationship, you have think they’re somewhat attractive. The Sophia caught my eye with its classic look. The hossle is located on the heal of the club and the head of the club is quite slender, which is quite refreshing these days as some putters are begining to resemble potato mashers.
C-Grooves
I’m typically more of a feel player and try not to get wrapped up in the technology of how a club works (I have a hard enough time thinking my way around the golf course, let alone understanding how all the engineering behind the equipment works), but with the C-Grooves, I needed to know. I found some good information in Erik’s review of the Olivia Mallet Putter by Yes! and on yesgolf.com.
The Yes! website states:
Upon impact with the golf ball, the patented concentric edges on the C-Groove putter face grip the surface of the ball and apply physical forces which simultaneously lift the ball out of its resting position and impart an over-the-top rolling action.
This was the most noticeable thing for me, in a good way. The C-Grooves helped my ball hug the green, giving a pure roll. With previous putters, my ball would skid before going into a roll. The Sophia got my ball rolling immediately, even on overgrown greens.
The best way I can put it is when I was putting with the Sophia, it felt like I was rolling the ball rather than hitting it.
Setup and Feel
One of the first things noticed with the Sophia is the soft and somewhat tacky Winn grip. It’s a bit softer than I was accustomed to, but it really helped with feel. The grip got a lot of comments from my playing partners as it’s yellow, white and black, but they soon ended as I was making putts and taking their money!
I began my testing of the Sophia with eight footers, as I’ve found that it’s quite difficult to line up the face of the club at that length. I tend to have the face slightly open at address so putts will miss right. I had no problem lining the Sophia putter up and was draining eight footers like a pro! I think this was largely due to the balance of weight in the club head. When I rested the club on the green, it was virtually square to my target without any adjustments. Additionally, the alignment line helped line up the putt as well. Of the blade putters I’ve used, there has never been an alignment line, and I’ve always found that frustrating.
The Sophia is very sturdy and is made of 17-4 stainless steel. Every putt I hit felt very solid. I found the putts I hit a bit off-center did not lose as much distance and stayed on a straighter line that other blade putters.
The difficulty I had with the putter is the shiny silver top. On sunny days, the glare can be quite distracting and if the sun hits the club just right, it’s almost impossible to see the ball. This can easily be fixed with white-out or a piece of tape, but it would be nice to figure out a way to incorporate a non-glare finish and still keep the clean look of the shiny silver.
Extras
The Sophia comes with a gray, padded headcover to keep the putter safe. It’s as good of a headcover as I’ve received (Scotty Cameron Putters included) and the velcro seems to be attached quite well. (I’ve lost plenty of these headcovers because of faulty velcro.)
Additionally, it appears that the customer comes first with Yes!. There’s been some (positive) discussion in our forum regarding Yes! Customer Service.
Forum user, sevenfourate, discussed his recent experience with Yes! customer service:
The managing director replied straight away,couldnt say sorry enough on the reps / factories behalf,was disgusted at the fact the putter ever left the factory in that state and that no-one seemed in the least bit interested,and has offered me any putter i choose from their range,custom fitted (any spec i choose) and delivered to my door this week with no charge.
The Sophia ships with 2.5° of loft and a lie of 72°. Buyers can adjust the lie +/- 2°. Shaft lengths are available in one-inch increments from 32 to 37 inches. The cost: $170. Find the Olivia at your favorite dealer or online at yesgolf.com.
Conclusion
Yes! Golf has taken the traditional blade putter, fixed all the nuances with the older models and made a blade putter that has as true of a roll as I’ve ever seen. Although the shiny top can cause a wicked glare from the sun, it won’t keep me from putting the Sophia in play. I’ve been putting a heavy ball and making more putts since I started using it. The price seems quite reasonable and you can celebrate the tradition of the game using this club with its vintage style.
To use my dating analogy again, I’ve found a new woman in my life and her name is Sophia. Golf traditionalists will love the look, all players will love the feel, but your wives might not like your new lady friend. Go pick one up and give it a try.
Great article Josh. I’m very impressed with the Yes! putter company. While they might not have the Rolls Royce image of say, Scotty Camerons, Yes! putters get the job done on the course and that is what matters in my book.
I agree with you about the look of it. I have not ever seen that one before, and I am very impressed with how sharp it looks.
You did a heck of a review on it, and it seems like it’s definitely a good one. Yes! may be on their way to something special in the future.
Thanks for the article Josh.
I have always been a fan of the traditional blade putter. Unfortunately, my choices have been very few since I am a lefty putter and SC does not make the Napa in a LH! I just ordered my Sophia LH in a 32″ model and I will be posting my review in a few weeks.
Thanks again.
I read this topic. I think may be more optimistic opinion…
The “C” grooves do not line-up with the sweet spot. It’s a BIG problem.
I’ve had my bag stolen and had to get my clubs replaced…when it came to replacing my previous taylor made rossa cgb 2 lambeau putter i tried the “SOPHIA”and many others…let me tell you how this putter performs for me…
NO PUTTER OUT THERE worth 170$(wich i paid)feels and putts like this putter…the soft grip,shorter putter(not being a tall person 5’6),the amazingly balance feel of this putter just makes you wanna get to the green!!a real confidence booster on my part…”IM NOT A SALES REP.FOR YES COMP.” i just love this putter…so easy to line up…
my foursome has noticed a change in my putting and actually one of them is considering buying one after trying my “Sophia”…is it true they name theyr putters after the wifes of the pro’s that use ’em??i heard that somehwhere…
anyway…when i bought it this are the following i compared with…
-taylor made rossa imola 6
-odyssey white hot xg 8
-odyssey dual force 2
-ping g5i pal
-ping anser classic scottsdale
-ping classic zing 2
-mizuno bettinardi c04
-cleveland blade
-nike unitized retro
-nike ignite 2
-titleist scottie cameron american classic flange 3
anyhow none of these were up to my yes Sophia!!a lot of them price over also…enjoy!!hope it does it for u too!!
I own a Yes “tracy” like the one used by Goosen to win the U.S. Opens. I just purchased a Marilyn to try a mallet style putter. I am about a 2-3 handicap. I was looking for a putter to help me drop about 3-4 more putts per round to break into the 60’s consistently. These putters just give you a chance to make more putts. It took three putts out of the equation for me. The question is how many one putts can I have with it? It will not make the stroke for you, but I can always tell a huge difference in the contact of a Cameron, Odessey, Rossa, Ping, or any other preferred vendor on the market. Sometimes I navigate back to an odessey just to feel how much difference the Yes actually makes. I have had a variety of other putters, nothing else comes close to the Yes line. Alignment is no problem. If you can line it up with other putters then the Yes! putter will be no different.
I really think the c-groove will work for all skill levels. Mid to High handicappers will benefit from a truer roll….even with mis-hit’s. Again, it give a truer roll everytime off the face.
Other vendors have began to manufacture the faces with roll inducing technology. They are all pretenders. Nothing compares to the c-groove technology. Everything else is a mute point. I won’t ever use another putter. I sold my cameron’s and everything else.
Please, don’t believe it and continue to use whatever you are currently using. I love having any advantage I can get over people I play with. They think I hole so many putts because of my skills level. Little do they know. If you aren’t using a Yes! then you are playing from position of disadvantage.
I just picked up the Sophia and can’t wait to play with it. I have been putting with a Wilson 8802 putter for the past 7 or 8 years and love the look of the putter, but it wasn’t heavy enough for me. I was looking for a “modern” version of the 8802 and something that had some more mass to it. Just playing around with the Sophia I can immediately feel a difference.
I paid $139 for this putter and there are no others that even come close to this price. In fact the only other putter that has this classic blade design that I have come across is the Scotty Cameron Napa, which is significantly more expensive.
I recommend this putter to anyone looking for a classic-style putter that isn’t gimmicky.
I just purchased the Yes! Nicky in favour of the Sophia because it has a heavier head and additional sight lines. This putter is excellent and will help you drain putts that otherwise you’d be happy to lag close.
I started using this putter and without any hesitation can say that I have knocked off at least 3 maybe 4 strokes per 18 holes just because of the way this putter feels. It took literally 5 puts to get the feel of the putter.
Obviously being a 2008 model this putter cost me only $75.00 in 2009.
I will be glad to sell my Odyssey putter to some unlucky person!
I really enjoyed your review as I have been putting with a 8802 style blade putter. I use the Tad Moore Tour Classic with the copper insert blade putter and it is by far the best putter I have ever used. I have tried the mallets and SC blades (Newport 2), but they don’t feel the same in my hands when I stand over a putt. Good putting boils down to feel and the more we try to make it mechanical we loose our sense of feel on the green. Thats why when you miss a putt and you rake it back and hit it again, it nearly always goes in. Its because of FEEL. Thanks again for a great review.
Just bought a YES Sophia putter. I had been putting with a Ray Cook Classic Plus II which looks exactly like Sophia or the classic Wilson blade putter. I wanted a putter that looked the same at address and Sophia was the perfect fit. I liked the effect of the grooves from the Rife Bimini Island putter on a ball as well but I think the C Grooves hold the line better. I am a good putter and after two weeks, Sophia is making me better. Come On 70s golf!!!!!