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Specs, story behind Dustin Johnson’s winning Spider putter

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As GolfWRX WITB enthusiasts know, Dustin Johnson has been using a Scotty Cameron Tour Newport 2 GSS Prototype for the past several years and some variety of an Anser-style flatstick since he joined the PGA Tour.

He was 71st in Strokes Gained: Putting last season and 82nd in 2014. Not awful, but barely above average. This season, Johnson has been putting a bit better, ranking 42nd in the category and picking up 0.257 strokes on the field average thanks to his work on the greens.

Still, there’s always room for improvement, and this week the long-hitting South Carolinian made an equipment switch aimed at getting better in the putting department.

Related: See all the clubs Dustin Johnson used to win the BMW Championship.

Spotted by our Tour photographer practicing with a mallet-style Cameron model at Crooked Stick ahead of the BMW Championship, we thought a change might be in the works. And indeed, Dustin Johnson put a different putter in play during Wednesday’s practice round: a TaylorMade Spider Limited. 

Through three rounds, Johnson led the field in Strokes-Gained Putting, picking up more than seven strokes on the field average. He was particularly good during the opening round, when he picked up an impressive 3.944 strokes.

Johnson rolled in six birdies with the Spider on Sunday, and ultimately finished second in strokes gained: putting for the week at 7.307.

Here’s how Johnson ended up with a Spider Limited putter in his hands: According to TaylorMade, DJ liked the look of Jason Day’s similar Spider putter while playing with the Australian during a couple of rounds at the Deutsche Bank Championship last week. He put in a request to TMag’s Tour Truck for something similar, and they got something in his hands during his Wednesday practice round, feeling the Spider improved his alignment and offered him more stability through the stroke.

However, that Spider Limited was the same Limited Red model played by Jason Day. Just before tee off Thursday, though, Johnson decided he didn’t want to use the exact same model as the world No. 1 and decided, if you can believe this, to ask his brother/caddie Austin for his Spider Limited with a charcoal grey crown.

Johnson said after his win:

“I had the same one that Jason [Day] was using, it was the red one. I don’t know, for some reason — well, I was putting with it and I was putting good with it and right before we were about to tee off on Thursday I’m like, ‘AJ, don’t you have the same one in black?’ And he says, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘Go get it.'”

Here are the specs, per TaylorMade:

  • Length: 35.5 inches
  • Loft: 2.5 degrees
  • Lie: 69 degrees
  • Insert: Pure Roll 80/20
  • Swing Weight: E-0
  • Color: Black, No alignment lines

TaylorMade says Johnson is an extremely feel-based player, which is one of the reason’s he’s stuck with a flat-faced milled putter so long in his career. The Spider’s 80/20 Pure Roll insert results in a substantially different feel off the face than a milled putter, which is a lot to overcome, even though the insert does prove superior forward roll with less skidding, as verified by high-speed camera testing. TaylorMade also cites the slight toe hang of the Spider Limited as fitting well with DJ’s more traditional putting stroke.

Based on this limited sample, the Limited fits well, indeed.

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18 Comments

18 Comments

  1. Tommy Tank

    Dec 29, 2016 at 3:41 pm

    TM released DJd putter to the public on 12/23
    I just got mine.
    Only came in 35″ so I sent it in to putterlounge to gave it shortened to 33″
    And put a leather stitch back grip on it

  2. Tommy Tank

    Dec 29, 2016 at 3:38 pm

    TM Just released the spider black … exact putter as DJ …. with slant neck… on 12/23.
    I just got mine
    $299

  3. M Shmizzle

    Sep 13, 2016 at 9:47 am

    Very Nice

  4. DB

    Sep 12, 2016 at 10:00 pm

    Why all this talk about slant necks? Flow necks are where its at!
    Seriously though, I’ve always found TM putters to have such crappy finishes that no matter how good the design is or how well they might work, I don’t even consider them anymore. I do like the look of these new Spider putters, but I wouldn’t pay that much for a putter that the paint will start flaking off of in two weeks.

  5. Zach Mayo

    Sep 12, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    Is DJ superstitious about his winning attire? Looks like the same outfit for his 3 big wins. Is this an accurate observation?

  6. M Wizzle

    Sep 12, 2016 at 4:10 pm

    I like spiders

  7. rich tran

    Sep 12, 2016 at 12:18 pm

    This putter is really amazing and easy to hit. I tried it at the PGA store and was sold…now I want a DJ limited edition in charcoal black..

  8. M-Dizzle

    Sep 12, 2016 at 11:54 am

    Wait…You mean to tell me Cameron was upstaged by a Spider mallet putter?

    SELL ALL THE CAMERONS NOW !!

  9. Michael

    Sep 12, 2016 at 1:05 am

    Is his red one for sale? I’ll pay for shipping if DJ can give me a good deal.

  10. KK

    Sep 11, 2016 at 11:44 pm

    Uh oh, not a tour issued putter. Call the PGA rules committee.

  11. Mr B

    Sep 11, 2016 at 9:39 pm

    Will either taylormade or odyssey please read this and for gods sake make a mallet with slant neck available at a reasonable price to the general public.

  12. snowman

    Sep 11, 2016 at 9:02 pm

    Yes, No Sight Lines! We need stock spec putters with No Sight Lines!

  13. DJ

    Sep 11, 2016 at 7:58 pm

    Jonathan wall just posted it was actually in his brother’s bag. Who’s lying here?

    • Otis

      Sep 11, 2016 at 8:55 pm

      Was the article too much reading for you before accusing someone of lying?

  14. Spy

    Sep 11, 2016 at 7:18 pm

    So, we can buy for $750? haha just joking…………..

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Whats in the Bag

Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)

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Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)

Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)

Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype

Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.

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Equipment

Putter Roundup: 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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We always get some great photos of some phenomenal putters at tour events and love to share them. Here are a few from the 2024 Zurich Classic that caught our eye and seemed interesting. (And as a reminder, you can check out all our photos from New Orleans here)

MJ Daffue’s Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype

MJ is going with the new Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype this week. The putter is a multi-piece mallet that puts an emphasis on stability with the wings on the back. Daffue’s putter does have a design that differs from retail with a monotone finish, which eliminates the black paint on the aluminum parts that we see at retail. He also has a half siteline milled into the top and an L-neck welded on for some additional toe hang. The face features a deeper milling that should offer a softer feel and slightly quieter sound.

Scotty Cameron T-7.5 Prototype

We spotted a few different Scotty Cameron Phantom models with modified rear flanges. It looks like the straight black flange was cut into a half circle for a little softer look at address. On this T-7.5, you can still see the raw aluminum from the back view, so this might have been a last-minute job to get them out on tour. The semi-circle also has a white line on it, maybe to frame the ball differently.

Alex Fitzpatrick’s Bettinardi SS16 DASS

Alex’s SS16 is made from Bettinardi’s famous D.A.S.S., or double-aged stainless steel, for a softer and more responsive feel. The face has a unique diamond pattern milling and features a logo that I feel like I have seen before, but can’t put a name to. The putter is a classic mid-mallet style with a simple, single white siteline on the top. The sole is clean with just the SS16, DASS, and a green triangle logo on it.

Steve Stricker’s Odyssey White Hot No. 2

This putter has made some amazing putts in its long career! Stricker’s White Hot No. 2 might be in the top 10 of most famous putters in golf. When you see all the dents and lead tape, you know the heel will be up and it will be sinking putts! The soft White Hot insert looks to be in good shape and has less wear on it than the rest of the putter. We don’t know how much lead tape is on the sole, but it has to be multiple layers compacted down over the years.

Doug Ghim’s Scotty Cameron T-7 Prototype

This T-7 should win the award for “best color finish” in this list with its deep chromatic bronze. It looks like Scotty added a cherry bomb dot to the heel of the deep-milled face and filled it with a very dark blue paint. The rest of the putter looks pretty stock with its single site line on the topline and twin site lines down the “fangs” of the putter. Twin 5-gram weights are installed in the sole and the putter is finished off with a gloss black double bend shaft with a fill shaft offset.

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Equipment

Spotted: Project X Denali hybrid shaft

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Project X’s Denali wood shafts have been seen in more and more golf bags this year as we start off the season. As a refresher, Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin model while Denali Black is for players seeking lower launch and spin.

Denali combines great feel with stability and increased ball speed. Currently, Project X only offers Denali Blue and Black in wood shafts, but we spotted a hybrid shaft in Daniel Berger’s bag at the 2024 Zurich Classic.

The shaft looks to be a Denali Blue 105G – HY in TX flex. No word on details from Project X yet but we can assume that this is a mid-launching shaft that weighs around 105 grams in Tour X-Stiff flex.

Berger has this shaft in his TaylorMade P770 3-iron, likely for some added launch and spin to hold the green from longer distances.

Hopefully, this means we will see some more shafts coming under the Denali name in the future, as I think many of us would like to try one in a hybrid or utility iron!

 

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