Equipment

London design firm introduces PuttOut training aid

Published

7 years ago

Jan 24, 2017

In the pantheon of indoor putting aids, you’ve basically got the glass laying on its side and this thing.

Not requiring electricity and a heckuva lot more aesthetically pleasing than our old green friend above is PuttOut. Developed in-house by London-based design firm Therefore, PuttOut is a simple, inexpensive (primarily) indoor putting solution.

I spoke with Cam Slaughter from Therefore about the training aid and its development.

BA: First of all, tell me how this thing works.

CS: Essentially, there is a silicon disc at the base of a slope that is “the hole,” however, the real aim of the product is to get the ball to stay within the micro-target half way up the slope. To do this, the ball must go in at an exact pace (only a putt close to what would be 18-inches past the silicone disc/the hole) and exact line will suffice. Because this is a difficult achievement, on a missed putt to the micro-target the ball rolls back down the slope and returns back to you, saving bending and reaching to draw back the ball every time.

The ingenious part of PuttOut is that although the goal is to get the ball to stick in the micro-target, whenever the ball is rolled into the opening of the slope this would indeed be a made putt on a regulation hole, so the user is practising twice as hard without realising it!

So who at Therefore came up with the initial idea?

CS: The inventor of the product is one of the four key founders of Therefore, Martin Riddiford. A keen player himself, playing off four, and has a bit of a history with golf. In fact his grandfather, Cecil Hayward, made it to the 1926 English Amateur Championship at Walton Heath G.C, and his mother, Pru Riddiford, was twice crowned British Senior Ladies’ Open champion. Now 90-year-old and still walks the course daily at Royal Ashdown G.C!

What was the basic concept?

CS: Originally Martin was just going to create a better putt returner; the ball would simply go up the ramp and return, similar to the electric version that still sells 20k+ units a year, but more aesthetically pleasing, easier to carry and didn’t have those strange whirring and pinging noises.

The creation of the product which we now know as PuttOut originally came about as Martin was only playing very sporadically and not having a chance to get to the course to practice putting at all (not great in any case but certainly more stressful the night before a foursomes match, which is more of a thing over here in the UK). After fiddling around at home with different objects to aim at, he decided he could do better than the existing training aids on the market, which largely lacked either desirability, convenience, a chance to actually get get better or even all of the above.

I understand Martin also wanted to go a step further?

CS: Upon deciding it could already be a good product (simply by creating a better version of what was already available), Martin believed that he could go a step further. Here is where the idea for the “micro-target” came about. Having a repetitive putting stroke is what we all strive for, however, there’s very little use for it if you’re not aiming with a very particular purpose and not practicing toward a very specific aim point. Introducing a smaller target meant the opportunity to do this, but it also meant PuttOut could now include a game element to the practice (i.e. how many putts would it take to get three balls to stay in place on PuttOut), and hence the first edition of PuttOut was complete.

PuttOut will be at the PGA Show (booth 2176) and is taking orders currently.

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27 Comments

Gollie

Apr 30, 2017 at 5:28 am

I have a 14’x5′ piece of synlawn pro putt in a high traffic area at home (no hole). Before this I used to hit 14 balls in several different drills (speed drills and putt at a quarter). With Puttout I use one ball and because it’s coming back to me I get many more reps per time invested. This is so simple it’s brilliant.

Reply Report comment
J.R.

Jan 30, 2017 at 2:12 pm

I got mine in last week so far so good. the Micro target is pretty cool. Can’t wait to see the results on the course.

Reply Report comment
Tony P

Jan 26, 2017 at 2:09 pm

Shank

Reply Report comment
Dill Pickleson

Jan 25, 2017 at 2:29 am

nice product.

Reply Report comment
S Hitter

Jan 24, 2017 at 10:04 pm

If you’ve ever putted on Stimp of 13 or 14, it ain’t 18″, I can tell ya.
And who wants to look at this human-tongue looking thing spit the ball back at you as it mocks you when you don’t get it up and into the small hole.
Really horrible idea, looks terrible, you really don’t want the visual of a ball being spat back you etched into your brain. Seriously. We all want to see it go in the hole. Go buy a conventional putting mat with a rise and a proper hole, which are so much better.
Nobody is going to carry this in their bag

Reply Report comment
- the Sheriff
  
  Jan 25, 2017 at 9:05 am
  
  S Hitter, you are a moron. 18 inches past the hole is 18 inches past the hole regardless of green speed. also this is mainly for home use. why don’t you just go and and try and break 120 at a mini putt course, it would be a challenge for you I’m sure.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - S Hitter
    
    Jan 26, 2017 at 2:30 am
    
    Nah. I’ll continue to play scratch golf from the back tee and watch you miss 2 footers on deadly 14 stamp greens that run poor putts past the hole 6 feet as you try to hit it past 18 inches and I will enjoy saying buh-bye to you
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Rano
      
      Jan 30, 2017 at 4:21 am
      
      cringe…
      
      Reply Report comment
Bert

Jan 24, 2017 at 7:23 pm

Poor roll back – bad eye training.

Reply Report comment
- S Hitter
  
  Jan 26, 2017 at 2:30 am
  
  Precisely
  
  Reply Report comment
Perry

Jan 24, 2017 at 5:19 pm

18″ past is Pelz logic. Aim point is 6″. Too bad they don’t have a 6″ past version.

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Mfj the great

Jan 24, 2017 at 3:27 pm

I have one of these and use it regularly. Highly recommended!

Reply Report comment
Seb

Jan 24, 2017 at 1:27 pm

I can’t buy it in Canada…This would have been awesome especially during the winter storms.

Reply Report comment
- Smith
  
  Jan 24, 2017 at 2:30 pm
  
  I tried as well. WHYYYY?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Cam
    
    Jan 24, 2017 at 3:02 pm
    
    Hey Seb and Smith,
    
    How about you message us on twitter @puttoutgolf and we’ll see what we can do to help.
    
    Reply Report comment
Frank

Jan 24, 2017 at 1:00 pm

Mine will arrive by 4pm today. Been looking at this for months.

Reply Report comment
Mike

Jan 24, 2017 at 12:44 pm

Looks pretty cool to me. I doubt you’d be hitting the micro-target too often or you wouldn’t be using a training aid. So it wouldn’t be too big a deal to walk down and grab your ball every 10 putts.

Reply Report comment
Steve

Jan 24, 2017 at 12:08 pm

Mark Crossfield loves this thing and it’s only $24 on Amazon.

Reply Report comment
Ann Matthew

Jan 24, 2017 at 11:32 am

This is a lovely invention and I cannot wait to purchase one. Thank you for a fine product that will be so much fun to use and does incorperate that spirit
of competition against yourself for the game later. It is also lovely to look at.

Reply Report comment
Eddie

Jan 24, 2017 at 11:17 am

Similar to the boomerang.

Reply Report comment
Kevin

Jan 24, 2017 at 9:54 am

They don’t even sell in the US. Shank!

Reply Report comment
- Cam
  
  Jan 24, 2017 at 10:36 am
  
  Hey Kevin, at the moment we’re only selling in the US through Amazon, but they will be there with a more permanent link soon! https://www.amazon.com/PuttOut-Pressure-Putt-Trainer-Perfect/dp/B01N9BXYW3
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Smith
    
    Jan 24, 2017 at 2:33 pm
    
    What about Canada?
    
    Reply Report comment
  - SEGA69
    
    Jan 26, 2017 at 12:14 pm
    
    Says out of stock FYI
    
    Reply Report comment
- Rano
  
  Jan 30, 2017 at 4:23 am
  
  Email them and ask for shipping estimate. Then you can pay them the amount in paypal and they’ll send it off.
  
  Reply Report comment
DB

Jan 24, 2017 at 9:51 am

So if you hit into the micro-target, then the ball is stuck and doesn’t roll back?

Reply Report comment
Large chris

Jan 24, 2017 at 8:03 am

I know some ladies who would love this ????

Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

3 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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