DQOTD: Top Flite Putters vs Ping, Odyssey etc.

[Midpack]

The operator is undoubtedly the problem, but I've lost faith in my Odyssey heel & toe putter. Face balanced putters feel better in the store***, but I don't want to shell out $150-200 for a Ping or Odyssey to find out - much less Bettinardi or Scotty prices. Top Flite putters come in as many shapes and sizes as the fashionable brands at 1/3rd to 1/4 the price. Are Ping and Odyssey putters really worth 3-4X higher prices, or are we mostly paying for marketing and promotion?

Note: I wouldn't be asking this regarding other "full swing" clubs. Putters are very light duty by comparison.

*** I know about choosing based in arc stroke vs straight back and straight forward putting stroke.

Edited May 12, 2017 by Midpack

[mcanadiens]

I'll be interested in the responses here.

My old putter recently lost it's insert. Mid-stroke on No. 5 at Community Dales, S.O.B. ball flew 10 inches into the air, died on the slope and rolled back down to my feet. I have a backup, but it's pretty crappy.

Budget allows for either a putter or lessons of some kind but not both unless the putter is very cheap. 

[GolfLug]

3 minutes ago, Midpack said:

The operator is undoubtedly the problem, but I've lost faith in my Odyssey heel & toe putter. Face balanced putters feel better in the store***, but I don't want to shell out $150-200 for a Ping or Odyssey to find out - much less Scotty or Bettinardi prices. Top Flite putters come in as many shapes and sizes as the fashionable brands at 1/3rd to 1/4 the price. Are Ping and Odyssey putters really worth 3-4X higher prices, or are we mostly paying for marketing and promotion?

Note: I wouldn't be asking this regarding other "full swing" clubs. Putters are very light duty by comparison.

*** I know about choosing based in arc stroke vs straight back and straight forward putting stroke.

Not sure commenting on worth of putters would be fair based on brand. 

I will say this: Regardless of a brand, the far more effective aspect of putting is how does the construction of ANY particular putter fit your stroke tempo and aim.

In other words, putting is one aspect of this maddening game where unless you have a horrible putting stroke you CAN find a putter with the right weight (hugely important for distance control), length and aiming characteristics which includes shape of putter head, graphics, etc. to fit your existing stroke.

A competent putter fitting can make a surprisingly significant difference. In the least spend some time going through every putter you can at a Golf shop (I don't know GG or Dicks..) going back to it over a few days before buying one whether it be Top Flite or some thing more expensive.

 

[dennyjones]

I've had several putters but settled upon an older Odyssey 2 ball.   It has the right weight for me to judge distances better than the others that I have tried.   It is also easier for me to visually align my putts.    Bead, Read and Speed.... 

[BamaWade]

My dad played in a Champion's Pro-Am a few years ago with Steve Pate (IIRC), and my dad, a 22+ capper, plays an all-Callaway set, except that he has a ~$20 Dunlop putter he bought at Wal-Mart probably 30 years ago.  It'd be a total Zoo-Land model, but is offset with some casting.  Anyway, pulling the putter, he started to joke with Mr. Pate to not give him too much grief for it.  Steve grabs his putter and shows my dad -- almost an identical putter (likely a different brand, but every bit as old and basic) and says it's a fine putter, the Indian not the arrow, etc., etc.

So...find a putter that feels good for you and makes you feel confident when putting with it.

If a high-end brand fits that bill, you should surely be able to find a used one somewhere (E-Bay, second-hand shop, etc.).  No reason at all, IMO, to go paying $150+ for a brand new putter when getting back into the game, and wanting to do so on a smart budget.

I have an original Odyssey 2-ball mallet, and then a Zing 2 (30+ years old) when I want blade-style, and I love 'em both...can't find a new one I roll better than either.

BamaWade

[Buckeyebowman]

Good comments, 'Bama. And Midpack, I hope you have never sold, or given away, an old putter! It's OK to do so with full swing clubs, but never a putter. This is because, at some time or another, your current putter will go sour. That's when you haul the old putters out of the closet and take them to the putting green.

That happened to me a couple of years ago. Right now I am putting with a "Playmaker" putter by Pal Joey! Anybody but me remember that brand? I bought it probably 40 years ago for about 20 bucks! It works wonderfully. Yes, I loved the TM "Daddy Longlegs" putter I tried at the golf shop. But, at $250 per, it was a little rich for my blood!

[Jack Watson]

I always wanted an older Ping Anser and when I got it I realized for me it didn't work.  Gave it to a friend.

i don't care about manufacturer,  the putter has to put putts online at the right speed.  

[Shorty]

15 hours ago, Midpack said:

T Are Ping and Odyssey putters really worth 3-4X higher prices, or are we mostly paying for marketing and promotion?

Note

I have had:

4 Bettinardis

1 Cameron

about 5 Yes! 

3 Odyssey Black

1 Odyssey 2 ball

1 Rife

New Old Stock Ping anser

1 Odyssey ProType (current)

All of them worked to an extent, but it came down to things that are personal:

1) Too light or too heavy (Bettinardis on both counts and the older anser)

2) Too big (Rife and some of the Yes!)

3) Just didn't like the look of it (Cameron)

4) Don't like the copying of others and trying to take ownership of someone else's design or cults i.e. "Newport Style, meaning anser style. (Cameron)

For me, the Odyssey Blacks and Protypes are the best putters money can buy, but that's just me. Beautiful weight and finish - but I like a 340g putter.

A Yes! Sophia and Odyssey Black #8 are awesome but most players are scared of that style. They should try them.

Just find something you like - but I would always advise you avoid putters with inserts. You want to feel and hear the ball coming off the putter face in an authentic manner.

 

 

Edited May 13, 2017 by Shorty

[Midpack]

7 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

I hope you have never sold, or given away, an old putter! It's OK to do so with full swing clubs, but never a putter. This is because, at some time or another, your current putter will go sour. That's when you haul the old putters out of the closet and take them to the putting green.

Interesting comment. I still have a classic Acushnet Bullseye I used MANY years ago. I was thinking about putting it on eBay but it's not worth that much, even though mine is in very good condition. I had it out putting at home and it didn't feel that bad. I'll probably never play with it again, but I'll probably keep it for sentimental reasons.

I don't change putters often. I do buy into the confidence in equipment aspect but I know the operator is the problem when things aren't going well so I try to stick it out with the putter and sort out the operator. But I have a quality Odyssey DF 550 toe balanced. Even though I have an arced putting stroke, face balanced putters feel good in the store so I'll buy a nice face balanced mallet to have an alternative. Something like the Ping Darby, but not at $199.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Midpack

[CarlSpackler]

I think a lot of times, we simply lose focus on what we are doing, and I swapping putters simply makes us refocus. You can save yourself some money by working on your issues.

Edited May 13, 2017 by CarlSpackler

[Buckeyebowman]

Wow, Midpack! I still have my old Acushnet Bullseye, but it's pretty much worthless as a putter these days. Absolutely no heel/toe weighting and a super small head. But, they did look cool at the time!

Another classic was the Wilson 8802. I believe that was the putter that Ben Crenshaw used for years.

And as far as the "issues" I had with my old putter, when I had a long putt that I had to hit hard, the ball would skid and hop all over the place! God only knows what was up with the loft on that thing. When I have to hit a hard putt with my new "old, or old "new", putter, I get a pure roll all the way.

I'm so glad I had it in my closet!

[Ernest Jones]

As others have stated, find out what head shape and alignment aids fit your eye (aim bias) and then figure out what weight profile makes distance control easiest for you. After that, you can buy whatever brand you want because nothing else matters.

[Midpack]

4 hours ago, Ernest Jones said:

As others have stated, find out what head shape and alignment aids fit your eye (aim bias) and then figure out what weight profile makes distance control easiest for you. After that, you can buy whatever brand you want because nothing else matters.

That's a little confusing. My natural putting stroke is a mild arc, but some of the face balanced mallets "feel" the most consistent to me. The putters I "feel" best with are supposed to be for straight back-staight forward stroke. But I'm going to keep working with my old heel & toe Odyssey, maybe buy a cheap (Top Flite or used) face balanced mallet putter to experiment with.

Edited May 15, 2017 by Midpack

[Buckeyebowman]

Sounds like an idea. It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to work!

[iacas]

On 5/12/2017 at 9:46 AM, Midpack said:

*** I know about choosing based in arc stroke vs straight back and straight forward putting stroke.

That's bogus.

I wrote up a post about this within the last two months… You could look for it.

Ah…