Opinion & Analysis
A True Story About Putters (Part 2)
In my previous article, I told the true story of when I encountered a “genius IQ” and his putter design. In our conversation, I pointed out a major flaw, whereupon he decided that the flaw was me and our relationship was short lived.
Let’s change the outcome for the purposes of looking at putters as a product. For my standard fee of a dozen golf balls, I’ve agreed to offer advice to help this inventor and his backers. Starting with the putter itself, our final head design ended as technically perfect as modern science could produce. And let me be clear here, I’m NOT going into detail about the putter — that really isn’t the point of the story.
I could describe the optimal dwell time on the face supplied by grooved inserts, the inertial factors as described by weight distribution, available lofts, custom fitting options, a variety of grips — the best of the best — and test data to show why. Someone will probably comment that I didn’t include X, and my answer is, “Yes we did.” I repeat, it’s the perfectly designed putter.
I want to emphasize what I’ve written. There are dozens if not hundreds of putter designers who honestly believe they have a better product. I’m saying, “Fine, I agree.” We are starting this with the best.
The term “the best” is a very narrow window. There are putters used on Tour that are more than 20 years old (more than 70 years old if you count the Bulls Eye). Are they technically inferior? Let’s match the confidence someone has using his 20-year-old putter under pressure versus something ultra modern that doesn’t deliver the same reassurance. I’m not anti-technology. I’m pointing out that the final environment is both inconsistent (because of the green surfaces) and highly psychological. Since we’re dealing with humans, it’s unavoidable.
Now what? My genius friend and his backers are not dreamers. They desire a commercial success. That means one thing, get the putter used on Tour. It’s very simple in the mind of the consumer. If the folks making a living use it then there must be value, and if not it’s just another putter.
There is a Plan B: Millions of dollars spent on advertising in an attempt to convince consumers that the putter is superior regardless of Tour usage. The track record for this approach would have to be upgraded to unsuccessful. Taking my advice, it’s a non-strategy.
So it’s the Tour. How do we start? Tour players on a putting green are in their office and as such do not care to be interrupted. That said, there is a Tuesday window for experimentation, but access is the challenge. We are non-entities wandering around with putters — no credentials, thus no access. If we knew who, we could look for a tour rep and find one who would give us reasonable access, so let’s assume that is the case.
This rep has the job of convincing Tour players to try the putter while telling them about its superior technical merits. This is very difficult. There are several independent putter reps all with the same objective, and the companies that make the brands the players use have reps out there making sure they don’t switch. With putters, the players are interested in the look at address, feel and how the ball rolls. The overwhelming majority could care less about the technical story involving the design. They are the ultimate lab and if they say the putter looks funny or feels bad, it’s branded. Game over!
But we are on a roll (sorry couldn’t help myself), our rep gets the putter in the hands of a couple of guys who have been struggling on the greens and they use it in the Wednesday Pro-Am. Let’s say they make a couple of bombs, don’t miss any short ones and the putter goes in their bag.
Isn’t this exactly what we wanted? The answer is partially. You see, getting the putter on Tour isn’t enough. It’s Step 1, but success means several players using our putter and the reason is television. One or two players have low odds of TV time, but several means we have a chance.
In our perfect scenario, these two guys have to putt so well that other players notice and pretty soon we have a dozen, maybe even 20 even players using our putter, and our phone is ringing with their agents asking about playing contracts. Now we have arrived!
Not exactly.
The design of the putter must be such that when used on TV it is so unique that viewers instantly recognize it in their favorite golf store. Want a perfect example? Odyssey putters were not only uniquely identifiable, but told a visual story, alignment. Their overwhelming success completely disrupted the putter market.
My genius friend has a unique design, but it’s not visual enough to jump off the TV screens. This is a critical juncture. The product is good, it has some tour success now the consumer must be “educated.” Two words, BIG Money. And remember that it takes at least two or three years for the message to fully penetrate the minds (and wallets) of the consumer.
At this juncture, I’d advise my friend and his backers not to jump into the putter business, but approach the big companies and shoot for a royalty deal.
The “big guys” have seen this movie, and they are busy dissecting the design and patent to see where they could compete if they choose. They have staffs of engineers to assign to the project and not just the design in hand, but a succession of variations. They want to make money and will make a deal; you have to be able to define what is acceptable.
This exact scenario is the major reason why nearly all independent putter companies that have tried to compete directly with the major equipment companies have gone broke or sold for a value less than the original investment.
I would strongly advise the genius and his group to have an excellent website, tell of the Tour success (and be prepared to pay tour contracts for continued usage) and try and build a consumer groundswell. In the world of introducing a new putter that’s a win, and the big guys are aware.
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The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.
Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.
However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.
Past Winners at TPC Louisiana
- 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
- 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
- 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
- 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
- 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
- 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)
Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.
This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.
McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.
Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)
Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.
Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.
Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)
Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.
NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.
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After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.
For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.
The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.
The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.
*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*
Past Winners at LIV Adelaide
- 2023: Talor Gooch (-19)
Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami
Green in Regulation
- Richard Bland
- Jon Rahm
- Paul Casey
Fairways Hit
- Abraham Ancer
- Graeme McDowell
- Henrik Stenson
Driving Distance
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Joaquin Niemann
- Dean Burmester
Putting
- Cameron Smith
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Matt Jones
2024 LIV Adelaide Picks
Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)
When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.
At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.
The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.
Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)
Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.
In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.
For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.
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Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.
Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.
But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.
To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.
Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.
If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.
In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.
Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.
While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.
So, what about grooves and face texture?
Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.
Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.
But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?
The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.
So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.
And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.
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Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
John Daly stuns fans into silence with brutal opening tee shot on PGA Tour Champions
Things got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
Tiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
Neal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
Sam Burns WITB 2024 (April)
Sam Burns’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (9 degrees...
Will Zalatoris WITB 2024 (April)
Will Zalatoris’ what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)...
Scottie Scheffler’s winning WITB: 2024 RBC Heritage
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (8 degrees @8.25) Buy here. Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X (45 inches) 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Buy...
Nelly Korda’s winning WITB: 2024 Chevron Championship
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 Max (10.5 degrees) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana GT 60 S 3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)...
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19th Hole2 weeks agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
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19th Hole17 hours ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
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19th Hole3 weeks agoReport: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole1 week agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
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19th Hole7 days agoReport: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
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19th Hole1 week agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
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19th Hole6 days agoBrandel Chamblee has ‘no doubt’ who started the McIlroy/LIV rumor and why
Walter Pendleton
Jun 24, 2015 at 1:33 pm
Mr. Adams…you made an excellent point in this article when you said, Odessey CHANGED THE WORLD when they acknowledged alignment was the cornerstone of putting. You are so right Mr. Adams! However, I would like to add or comment that the USGA & R&A restrictions on “putter design” have stifled putting improvement by the average golfer and secondly has been counter productive to growing the game. Bear with me please as I defend my position on the subject. Image for a minute there were no restrictions on putter design, the average player’s handicap fell by 10 strokes and PGA players could score 58 or 59 regularly on tour? Wouldn’t more people enjoy the game, play more golf and buy more putters? I’m almost through…if the objective is to preserve the game, as it was founded some 500 years ago, then lets bring back the 12 original rules of golf and through away the dogma or bible called “The Rules of Golf.” My point is, we ALL know putting is 43% of every shot hit by the average player! If we don’t make putting more fun and golf easier, we risk the game of golf becoming a driving range sport due to its cost, like Japan, here in the United States. No one wants golf to return to its elitist status as a sport. That’s the elephant in the room no one wants to print or talk about in today’s world of golf. In fact, we all know its heading in that direction today! In closing I’ll just say, “Change is the only absolute in this world we know is going to happen…why not look at easing up on the poor golfer that three putts every fourth hole and never makes a fifteen footer! Good design, is just good business!
Regis
Feb 4, 2015 at 1:20 pm
So true Barney. Best putter story ever of course is the Nicklaus Response putter. He used it on somewhat of a lark to win the 1986 Masters. Had a very unique look given the time period involved. MacGregor had forecasted selling 6,000 units total But, Nicklaus’ victory was enough to turn a company forecast of 6,000 putters into sales of 350,000 units by the end of the 1987. In fact, the company received 5,000 orders before noon the day after the Masters. ,
Waqar
Jan 26, 2015 at 9:53 am
The picture above is the Borcerri Golf putter. It has the deepest face of any putter, as high as agolf ball.
I got impact tape and put on the face of my Scottie and putted for 10 mins. To my surprise I noticed that I was stroking my putts in the center but high on the face, at times at the top edge. I putt with ball in the middle of my stance because it helps me with alignment and I tend to pull if I move forward and push if it move it back. The sweet spot is in the middle of the putter face vertically and horizontally. For me to strike the ball in the middle of the face vertically I have to move the ball at least two balls forward and this will result in pulls.
I was an accomplished snooker and pool player. I tend to look at putting as a queue striking a ball. In pool to put topspin one needs to strike the ball above the equator or the queue tip has to be above the the butt end, which it not possible to do. With almost all putters made today one has to strike the ball just below the equator with positive loft and on the sweet spot. The amount of top spin also significantly depends on the softness of the ball cover, friction available on the putter face, and softness of putter face.
For the few gifted individuals, and professionals who spend hours upon hours grooving in a stroke to achieve to stroke the ball on the putter’s sweet spot with positive loft at or just below the equator with the putter face square to the intended line, 90% of the putters are simply not suitable.
Another thing that perplexes me is, is forward role really that important. I feel excessive top role causes distance control issues and lessens the break a players sees. On fast downhill putts it can cause serious anxiety.
No matter with what kind of spin the ball leaves the putter face it will always role eventually. In my opinion the ball must leave the putter face with pure forward momentum with no spin at all. In fact for short putts back spin should be more desirable but it is not probably practical.
I feel the genius is a really a genius is on to something.
Steve zastrow
Jan 19, 2015 at 9:02 pm
Barney..I want one..If it’s that superior tell me about it And I will get Byron to make it…
Ignorant savage
Jan 17, 2015 at 9:06 pm
Does this mean the “Shark Tank” investment might be in trouble? 😉
Barney,
Have really liked your articles and insights but agree with some here. The reason I like your stuff is because it offers a “new” and unseen glimpse through a keyhole into your world. In this case, almost anyone could have written these two pieces and the keyhole was an entire door that most of us had already been opened in one form or another.
Let’s see/hear the stuff you tell your favorite “in-law” after you’ve snuck out of Thanksgivung dinner cleanup and are enjoying bourbon and cigars on the back deck….
Barney Adams
Jan 18, 2015 at 10:44 pm
From my emails a lot of readers have invested time and money in product ideas and I feel an obligation to explain the reality of the business. I understand your comment but in my experience the conversations were about the business. We harbor end some jealousy towards the companies owned by ” big brother” but that’s about as far as things went.
Matthew Bacon
Jan 16, 2015 at 4:55 pm
Let me tell you about the time I met Tiger Woods. Ok, I’m not going to tell you that but here is an interesting story how I once shaved a dog
Preston
Jan 15, 2015 at 2:40 pm
I was hoping for a Paul Harvey like story….
Mr Free Golf
Jan 15, 2015 at 9:58 am
Having been a rep on tour for a major independent putter brand for over ten years, I’ll tell you your scenarios are spot on. Eventually, the brand went into bankruptcy, was purchased for next to nothing, and now the patent is expired with no hopes of being picked up. The putter industry as well as the golf industry has gotten to the point where contracts are made with players including putters. There’s only about 8% of the players, on a weekly basis, that I had a shot at. And, they were bottom feeders. The likelihood of gaining any kind of traction became impossible. Therefore, bankruptcy and an endangered species. For anyone hoping to gain a foothold in this exclusive society, create a website, sell a few out of your garage and at smaller trade shows and sleep well at night.
Andy W
Jan 15, 2015 at 8:13 am
Whoa, am saying I concur & APPRECIATE every word written in your articles. Just pointing out that Pinehurst’s Payne Stewart statue has a Seemore putter, Zack Johnson uses a Seemore to this day, and as far as I know, neither got paid to use that putter. So to me, Seemore has had some “divine timing” as they seem to be flourishing. But as always, I could be wrong. But there was absolutely ZERO trashing on my part.
Golf
Jan 15, 2015 at 7:11 am
Barney, I agree with you 100%. I don’t understand why such extreme bashing and hate attitudes? I see this sort of thing on most articles pertaining to golf anymore. I’ve gotten to where I take a quick look at the comments and if it’s just a bunch of trash, I just simply stop reading the comments. And, please don’t stop writing your articles. I enjoy reading them and learning from people like you that are very knowledgeable about golf equipment and the industry.
katbird
Jan 15, 2015 at 4:23 am
Putters:
Some like ’em hot off the face
Some like ’em soft
Some like ’em loud
Some like ’em muted
Some like ’em long
Some like ’em short
Some like ’em chiseled, like blades
Some like ’em crescent shaped half moon
Some like ’em high MOI
Some like ’em low MOI
Some like ’em aligned with a line towards the hole
Some like ’em designed perpendicular to the target line
Some like fat grips
Some like thin grips
Some like softies…some don’t
…and some just can’t decide….
and like them all at one time or another….
RG
Jan 14, 2015 at 11:23 pm
One of the first things I learned on the way to my degree in Psychology is that half the population has an IQ of 100 or less. Conversely the vast majority of golfers struggle to break 100. The problem with both of these specimens is that they are entitled to opinions.
Thank you for your contributions Barney. Your articles provide insight into the industry that most of us would never know, and your club designs made some of the most dynamic sticks I’ve ever hit.
Sean
Jan 14, 2015 at 9:45 pm
Nice article Barney. It definitely explains the challenges one most be able to overcome and which hurdles are the important ones, and in what order they should be prioritized. Each business has it’s element of success and failure’s based upon unique demand factor’s. I believe golf to probably be the most difficult to break into as a startup.
Slim
Jan 14, 2015 at 8:06 pm
The story/article would have been more interesting if he named names …
Wendell
Jan 14, 2015 at 3:10 pm
How successful was Adams putting line? exactly… just sayin
Chuck
Jan 14, 2015 at 8:56 pm
YES! Putters were extremely successful!
Ted
Jan 14, 2015 at 2:40 pm
Article was to long didn’t read it. I’ll tell you a true story about putting. I got drunk last night and tried to use my pelz putting tutor and got frustrated then went to bed
Eric
Jan 14, 2015 at 2:53 pm
Incredible and relatable.
Johnny
Jan 14, 2015 at 12:26 pm
I really don’t know what it is I’m supposed to get from this story. But then again no one has ever confused me with the guy in the first article with the genius IQ.
Jeffrey Trigger
Jan 14, 2015 at 12:22 pm
only* increase the price tag
Jeffrey Trigger
Jan 14, 2015 at 12:22 pm
I think Charlie is spot on. These gimmicks and bells and whistles on increase the price tag. I have yet to see anybody make a better crafted putter than a Ping, and a lot of good Ping putters are a third of the cost of a Betti or Cameron. If you find a putter that feels good in your hand, all the technology in the world isn’t going to be confidence on the green.
Jeffrey Trigger
Jan 14, 2015 at 12:23 pm
isn’t going to beat* confidence. Wow I should drink some coffee.
Cynic123
Jan 14, 2015 at 11:35 am
I guess Mr. Adams has not heard of Bobby Grace
Scott
Jan 14, 2015 at 10:46 am
I thought that we were going to get a follow up on the mad genius high IQ putter person. I thought that we were going to get – to steal a line from Paul Harvey – “the rest of the story”. A bit of a let down.
bradford
Jan 14, 2015 at 11:38 am
I have to agree, I had my hopes up from episode one…this didn’t add anything. We all already know that tour rep is the only way to sell.
DeeDub
Jan 14, 2015 at 12:08 pm
I agree. The first part had me hooked on what seemed to be based on facts. The second part was a made-up story. Waste of time reading this.
Barney Adams
Jan 16, 2015 at 12:09 am
The “mad genius” ended very badly and I chose to skip that and talk about the industry. As for Bobby Grace and Seemor I’m very familiar with both including their respective market share
tony
Jan 18, 2015 at 2:26 am
She would’ve probably preferred you spoken of her in the female tense.
Andy W
Jan 14, 2015 at 9:02 am
My wife has always been about “divine timing” plays a huge part in all of life’s projects. Thanks Barney for this incredible insight; and be prepared to “Pay to Play” has always been in my mind. Seems there is always an exception, and Seemore seems to be it in the PtoP world.
Shanks for Nothing
Jan 14, 2015 at 8:49 am
Make pay for play illegal. Then we’ll see this pseudo technology that is really marketing slowly be killed off. Only real R&D can survive when pros aren’t making choices based on contract size.
Charlie
Jan 14, 2015 at 8:32 am
Actually, I could care less about the technical story involving the design, because I do care about it.
Ok, really, I got nothing. It really is about branding. Betti, Cameron, etc… There is no way I am paying that money when I could get a $75 Cleveland that was manufactured just as well.
Shanks for Nothing
Jan 14, 2015 at 8:50 am
Je suis Charlie