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Stacy Lewis switches to Happy Putter prototype with adjustable alignment

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For many golfers, tinkering with golf clubs is not always connected to shooting a lower score. Sometimes it’s necessary for them to play their best, though, especially on the greens where the mental game is so important. The latest creation of Happy Putter founder Vikash Sanyal is based on that belief, specifically that a new “look” can help golfers focus better on the greens.

“I call it the lazy eye syndrome,” Sanyal said. “A golfer’s eyes get lazy after a while with the same putter. A new look can refocus their eyes on the line [of the putt].”

Stacy Lewis, a 13-time LPGA Tour winner and the No. 4-ranked women’s golfer in the world, isn’t much of a tinkerer with her putter, but a new Happy Putter changed her tune. It uses adjustable alignment aids, which improved her alignment and results in comprehensive testing Sanyal did with Lewis.

It hasn’t been a seamless change — Lewis has been off and on between the Happy Putter prototype and her old putter this year — although it seems she has settled on a Happy Putter Prototype M. Lewis was spotted with a Happy Putter in the bag by Beth Ann Nichols at the ANA Inspiration, and had it in the bag at last week’s Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. She finished T18 and T27, respectively, and is currently ranked 17th in Putts Per GIR (Green in regulation) on the year averaging 1.77.

Her specs, provided by Sanyal, are listed below:

  • Design: Prototype M
  • Alignment: Shape 2, Line Pattern B
  • Length: 32 inches
  • Weight: “Heavy”
  • Loft: “Low”
  • Lie Angle: “Upright”
  • Offset: “Half”

The new technology from Happy Putter, which Sanyal said is expected to be released to the public in the coming weeks, allows golfers to switch out alignment aids without changing anything else about the putter, such as weight, loft, lie angle, etc. The putter found its way into Lewis’ hands when Sanyal showed Lewis and her swing coach what he was working on at Naples National Golf Club in Florida, where Sanyal put Lewis through his personal testing process. It includes:

  • Using a roll board to find out if the ball is skipping off the face.
  • Lie angle testing to make sure the sole is flat.
  • Trying different alignment aids to discover a visual preference.
  • Performance testing. Lewis hit 6, 12 and 18-foot putts, and well as lag putts from 50 feet in an 18-hole format.

Before they began, Lewis had to pick which of the alignment lines best suited her stroke and preferences. At first she picked a single line, which was similar to her old putter, Sanyal said. She repeatedly lined up left of where she was aiming, however, so they changed to another alignment aid with multiple, alternating-color lines. Sanyal said Lewis didn’t immediately like the look of the alignment aid, but she lined up perfectly to her intended target with it again and again. It outperformed her gamer, and she recorded seriously impressive stats during testing, according to Sanyal’s records.

  • 6 feet: 39/40 (98 percent)
  • 12 feet: 23/40 (58 percent)
  • 18 feet 7/20 (35 percent)

Like the original Happy Putter, which you can read more about here, the new model allows golfers to adjust weights, loft, offset and lie angle, although the new version does not change dexterity.

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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. tlmck

    May 3, 2016 at 1:51 am

    I might actually try this one if it makes it to market. The two they have now are center shafted which is a non-starter for me. It won’t replace my GoLo 5, but it would be cool to add to the collection.

  2. Mark

    May 2, 2016 at 4:21 am

    Sheer desperation. Get and old Ping Anser, Bullseye or TPM and get practicing.

  3. B Clizzle

    May 1, 2016 at 9:56 am

    The idea of equality ruins the game for me
    They have their place and it’s not outside the home

  4. gmoney

    Apr 30, 2016 at 3:54 pm

    Haha the comment sections have been getting heated recently.

  5. Weekend Duffer

    Apr 30, 2016 at 8:55 am

    I don’t understand why so many of these American players can’t putt. Lincicome, Lewis, Wie, Thompson…all atrocious on the green. Need to give up the gimmick putters and practice the old fashioned way.

    • Leon

      Apr 30, 2016 at 10:59 am

      They just spend more time in the locker room for the makeup than putting on the green

    • Ody

      May 1, 2016 at 10:47 am

      They all just need to give in and use an Odyssey mallet type. Look at Lydia, Inbee. The 2-ball They make everything.

      • B Clizzle

        May 1, 2016 at 4:16 pm

        If you think that lpga players need 2 ball
        Tell Recari she can gets hers over here

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.

From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.

Specs/ Additional Details

-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)

-Original Anser Design

-PING PP58 Grip

-Putter is built to standard specs.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes

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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.

The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.

Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.

At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.

“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.

Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.

“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.

“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.” 

In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.

Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.

On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.

According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.

“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.” 

See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here. 

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Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage

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Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.

It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.

When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”

“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”

 

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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.

Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:

“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.

“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.

“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.

“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.

“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”

So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.

His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here

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