Equipment

Q&A with Vikash Sanyal of Happy Putter: How has the putter industry changed?

Published

6 years ago

Sep 22, 2017

Vikash Sanyal, now the President of Brainstorm Golf and inventor of the Happy Putters — possibly the most aesthetically differentiable putters on the market — got his start as a founding member of the Odyssey Golf Team where he helped the company launch industry-changing product after industry-changing product. He was there when Odyssey flipped the putter industry on its head, and he developed the skills to later build the Never Compromise company, where he shook up the industry again. After a hiatus from the industry since selling Never Compromise, Sanyal has reemerged by developing Brainstorm Golf. He’s attempting to make a splash in the waters of the putter market once again, highlighted by his lie-angle, loft-, offset- and head-weight-adjustable putters launched in 2015.

This time around, however, Sanyal has noticed things have changed; from buying habits of golfers to the equipment market in general. He’s also used feedback from GolfWRX members to help shape his newest products, the Eye Align Series that will sell for significantly less than his original release; that’s because he’s listened to the market, consumer, and GolfWRXers.

Check out the Q&A with Sanyal conducted via email by our Andrew Tursky below for more information, and see more photos and discussion of the new Happy Putter Eye Align Series putters here.

Andrew Tursky: How has the putter industry changed from when you first started working with Odyssey until now?

Vikash Sanyal: Wow, that’s a broad question! It’s changed in many ways. From a manufacturer’s perspective, there has been more consolidation. When we started Odyssey, the market was dominated by Ping, but there were quite a few smaller companies that were emerging. Now the market is dominated by the larger manufacturers who own their own putter brands. One result of this consolidation is that it is much more difficult to gain traction on the professional golf tours. In the old days, almost all the tour players were open to work with, but now most of them are getting paid to use putters through their equipment companies. That being said, one thing that hasn’t changed is that a new technology that can help performance will always have an opportunity to make an impact with tour players. That is why we are excited to bring our new Eye Align Series with adjustable alignment and adjustable weight to the tour, as it addresses the main weaknesses that most golfers have, poor alignment and inconsistent distance control.

Another change that is noteworthy is the shift in the retail environment and consumer purchasing habits. In today’s market, the consumer is so much more educated because of their access to information through the internet. When we started Odyssey, most of our business was through green grass locations, and we relied heavily on the PGA professionals to share our story. Now the majority of the business is generated through off-course shops, and the consumers are coming in looking for the product they want. Another byproduct of consumers being more informed is that direct online sales are much more prominent.

The last change that I want to comment on is that the pricing in the putter category has gone through the roof and it makes us feel badly for the consumers. At Brainstorm Golf, we are challenging ourselves to not only be the most innovative putter company, but also to offer those innovations at a price that all golfers can afford. Consumers shouldn’t have to pay $300 plus to get an innovative putter. We believe our putters are the most innovative on the market at any price point, they just happen to sell for $129.99. This doesn’t diminish the fact that our adjustable technologies are the most unique and impactful technologies offered in the last decade.

AT: How do the increasing prices of putters in the current market affect how golfers purchase putters? Is this a positive or a negative?

VS: The main effect has been that many golfers have stopped buying new putters. The market size has shrunk by over 50 percent in the last decade. It isn’t a coincidence that the average selling price for putters has increased by over $100 during this time frame. Golfers are smart, they look at the putter technologies that have been offered to them over the past decade and they see many recycled technologies. It isn’t that these putters haven’t been great, but the technologies that they offer have been seen before, and even if they are slightly better, the problem is, they are only slightly better, and golfers ask themselves, “is it really worth $350 for something that is only a little better than what I already have?” The challenge for manufacturers is developing meaningful technologies at affordable prices that are unique.

Is it positive or negative? Well that depends on your perspective. From a manufacturer and retailer perspective, it’s a negative because they are selling much less than before. However, I think it is a positive for consumers for them to make a stand and basically challenge manufacturers to be more innovative. At Brainstorm Golf, we were forced to listen, our first products were innovative, but they were also in the $300 range. As we studied the market information and listened to the customer feedback, we knew we had to develop a product unlike anything else, make sure the technology was real, and also make sure the putter was affordable. While it wasn’t easy, we did it, and while it’s only been a couple of months, we have already sold more of our new Eye Align Series with adjustable alignment and adjustable weight than we did all last year. The fact that the putters sell for $129.99 is a large factor in our initial success.

AT: You say the market has shrunk for putters by over 50 percent in the last decade. Is this particular to putters, or is the market shrinking for golf clubs in general?

VS: According to Golf Datatech, the industry’s measuring stick when it comes to research, the majority of categories in the golf market have reduced in size over the past decade, but putters have experienced the most dramatic reduction. Again, we think this is a statement being made by consumers that are demanding more innovation at a reasonable price.

AT: What was the specific feedback you were hearing from customers or Tour players about previous Happy Putters, and what have you changed other than the price point?

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The main message was simplification. For the tech crazies, they loved the Happy Putter with all the adjustable features. However, many tour players, retailers, and consumers asked us to clean up the look of the putter and simplify the technology. We actually need to thank your readers that posted reviews in your equipment forums because their comments influenced our product development. People often ask me what the breakthrough moment at Odyssey was, and it’s easy to say when Nick Faldo won the Masters, but I actually think the breakthrough moment occurred a couple of years earlier when we found a way to get our technology, “better feel,” into more traditional shapes. Odyssey really started to gain momentum on tour and the market place when we launched the original Dual Force series that were traditional shapes with the Stronomic insert. It’s the same thing we are experiencing with the early momentum of the Eye Align Series, new and innovative technology, that is much different than anything else being offered, contained within traditional shapes. If a golfer can take a shape they already like and make it easier to align and easier to control distance, why wouldn’t they?

AT: How did the GolfWRX community specifically influence product development in the new Eye Align Series?

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VS: We have a lot of respect for your audience, mostly because of their passion for equipment. One of the best things about your audience is that they are brutally honest, but that is a good thing. As a new company, one of the challenges is being open minded to constructive criticism without being so sensitive that you are always jumping around and overreacting to every negative opinion you receive. We read every review and comment that appeared on your website, and there was some very specific feedback regarding design and function that directly influenced our Eye Align Series. For example, many of your readers felt the technology was “too complicated,” this led us to simplify and focus our efforts on alignment and distance control, the two most important aspects of putting. We also recall comments that your readers didn’t like the way the putter looked at address, so we decided to offer our adjustable technologies within more traditional shapes taking away another barrier.

Another thing I love about your readers is that they are not afraid to mix it up within themselves. For every criticism we received, there were readers who defended the product, which we really appreciated. Ultimately, your readers are very well informed and have great input. In fact, the changes they suggested, were very much in line with the feedback we have received from tour players.

AT: So tell me about the new product(s) and technology, and how you think it will help golfers play better.

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The best technologies are the simple ones that have the most impact. When you think about putting, it’s pretty simple. If you align accurately and you control your distance well, you are going to be a good putter. The Happy Putter is the only putter on the market that allows golfers to dial in those two features. The most common problem on the greens is poor alignment, if you can’t see the line properly, your mind knows this subconsciously, and you don’t commit to the stroke, causing deceleration, and ultimately resulting in poor, inconsistent putting. The reason we believe the Eye Align Series is the best alignment putter ever made is that every golfer can adjust the alignment to fit their individual visual tendencies. I’ve personally witnessed numerous tour players improve their alignment by simply changing their alignment guide, some see lines better, others shapes, colors vs. black and white also matters. Even the width of the alignment lines can have an impact. The bottom line is that for the first time ever, golfers don’t have to guess what they see best, they can try the different guides, and through our visual diagnostic test, which can be found on our website, they can know what they see most accurately. Just think how much better golfers will putt if they know they are lined up accurately. They would only have to focus on their distance control, and we all know, the less you think on the greens the better.

We also firmly believe that “Lazy Eye Syndrome” is real, if it wasn’t, putters wouldn’t go stale. Over time, golfers get tired of looking at the same alignment features, they focus less, and they don’t putt as well. Our alignment system allows golfers to “reboot” their eyes. Before that meant golfers would buy a new putter or pull an old one out of the garage. Now they just need to change their alignment guide, so the feel of the putter stays the same even though the look is new.

Likewise with the adjustable weights. Every golfer has a swing tempo for their putter, and with the Happy Putter you can adjust the weights to find the best weight for your individual swing tempo and be much more consistent with your distance control.

It’s simple, but it works.

AT: I also understand you have a new “multi-alignment guide” system. Can you explain how this system works, and what benefit it may have for golfers?

New alignment aids will be available, including different designs and colors

It’s really quite simple. Every golfer, for that matter, every person has personal visual tendencies. Colors vs. black and white, lines vs. shapes. Digging even deeper, there is a difference between thick lines and thin lines, and also between what types of shapes are preferred. We have developed a system that allows golfers to “diagnose” their individual visual preferences. The cool thing is that no matter what your preference, we have a guide that will help you line up more accurately than ever before. Our putter comes with three guides, but starting this fall, we will be offering an additional 12 guides to choose from, and we expect that number to grow. It’s also a great way to fight Lazy Eye Syndrome, rather than buying a new putter, just buy a new set of alignment guides at a fraction of the price. We’ve started sharing this technology with the tour players and the response has been great. First there was curiosity because we are offering something that no other putter has, but that curiosity quickly shifts into excitement as for the first time, these tour players understand their natural visual tendencies. The technology is real, and we’ve witnessed that the results are immediate. Just imagine how much better a player can putt if they only need to think about distance control because they know they are lined up accurately.

AT: What does the future hold for Happy Putter as the putter industry continues to evolve?

Our goal has always remained the same, to help as many golfers as possible by offering the most innovative technologies in the putter category. There is a reason that the putter market has experienced a massive reduction in size. Golfers are smart, and they motivate our team to make putters that offer impactful technologies that have never been seen before. Not incremental advances or recycled technologies, but rather major steps forward that will make golfers take notice. Having done this a couple of times before, we realize there is no room for ego in building a market leader. The breakthrough ideas may come from tour players, our retail partners, consumers, and yes, GolfWRX forum posters. But we don’t care who gets the credit, we just want to make the best putters in the industry.

Discussion: See more photos of the Happy Putter Eye Align Series

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Equipment

7 takeaways from an AWESOME equipment talk with Padraig Harrington

Published

2 hours ago

Mar 30, 2023

Andrew Tursky

Fans of golf equipment have long known that Padraig Harrington is one of us. Throughout his career, Harrington has been willing to test new products, make changes from week to week, and play with a bag of mixed equipment brands.

What equipment fans may not know, however, is just how brilliant of an equipment mind Harrington truly has.

Ahead of the 2023 Valero Texas Open, I caught up with Harrington to pick his brain about what clubs are currently in his bag, and why. The conversation turned into Harrington discussing topics such as the broader equipment landscape, brand deals in 2023, his driver testing process, why he still uses a TaylorMade ZTP wedge from 2008, square grooves vs. V-grooves, and using a knockoff set of Ping Eye 1 irons as a junior.

Padraig Harrington’s 2023 WITB

Below are my 7 major takeaways from the extensive gear talk with Harrington.

1) Padraig’s stance on equipment contracts, and why he prefers Wilson

Harrington is a longtime Wilson staffer, and although he supports the brand and uses their equipment, he doesn’t use a full bag of Wilson clubs. He finds Wilson’s understanding of a player’s need for flexibility to be beneficial to the player, and it’s attracting more and more professional players to the company (such as Kevin Kisner and Trey Mullinax).

“Wilson wants me to play whatever I’m comfortable with. It’s very important. They’re not a manufacturer that says, ‘We want you to play 14 clubs.’ There’s always a club you don’t like. That’s just the way it is. So Wilson is like, ‘We want you playing well and playing the best clubs for you.’

“I am very comfortable with their irons. I’m very comfortable with their wedges, as you can see. They have an old hybrid 4 iron that I love. They have a new hybrid 4-iron that is too powerful. I put it in the bag last week and I had to take it out. The thing is, I use a 4-iron and a 5-wood. My 4-iron has to go somewhat relative to my 5-iron, and then I have to bridge that gap between 4-iron and 5-wood, so it has to do both. The new 4-iron was going 230 yards. My 4-iron goes about 215-235, maybe 240 on a warm day. And my 5-wood is like a warm-day 265 in the air, but I have no problem hitting it 235, so I can cross it over. But this 4-iron, the new version, it just went. I couldn’t hit the 215 shot with it; it’s just too powerful. That’s why I have the old 4-iron in the bag, but it does the job to bridge the gap…

“As players get more money, they’re less dependent on manufacturers. They need the service of a manufacturer – because, like I need to be on that truck and get things checked. But you’re seeing more players see Wilson as an attractive option because you don’t have to use 14 clubs. If you’re not happy this week with the putter; you know, Wilson has the putters, they have everything, but if you want to chase something else for a moment…remember, there’s two things you’re chasing. If you’re a free agent, it’s not good to be changing a lot. That is a distraction. But it’s nice to have the option that if somebody…like I feel Titleist has come out with a great driver. And I’m able to work my way straight into Titleist and say, ‘Hey, gimmie a go with that. Oh, this is a great driver, I’m going to use this.’ Wilson is aware of that. They want their players to be happy and playing well. Like it’s still 10 clubs, but it’s just not 14 and the ball.

“The irons are great, there’s no doubt about that. They’ve won the most majors. They make a gambit of irons. If you want to use a blade, they have the blade. If you want to use my iron, which is just a good tour composite, it has a bit of a cavity-back, you can do that. If you want to use the D irons that have rockets going off there, you can have them. Like the 4 iron, the one they gave me, it was a rocket! And guys are happy to carry driving irons like that, but mine has to match in with the 5-iron. It was just too high and too fast.

“So yeah, I think you’re going to see manufacturers go more of that way. Our players want to be independent, but the problem is that full independence is not great. You don’t want a situation where you’re turning up – as you see kids who make it into their first tournament, and the manufacturers start giving them stuff, and they’re changing. You don’t want to be the guy changing too much.”

2) The dangers of a 64-degree wedge

Although Harrington himself uses a Wilson Staff High Toe 64-degree wedge, he seldom practices with it. Here’s why he warns against it:

“The big key with a 64 wedge is DO NOT use it. No, seriously, do not use it. It’s a terrible wedge for your technique. That club is in the bag and it gets used on the golf course, and it gets used when it’s needed, but you don’t practice with it, because it’s awful. So much loft will get you leading too much, and you’re going to deloft it. Hit one or two shots with it, then put it away. You’re better off practicing with a pitching wedge and adding loft to be a good chipper instead of practicing with a lob wedge and taking loft off. A 64-degree wedge is accentuating that problem. It’s a dangerous club. It does a great job at times, but it certainly can do harm.

“It’s not bad having it in the bag for a certain shot, but it’s a terrible club to practice with. I literally hit one or two full shots with it, a couple chips with it, and that’s it. I know if I spend too long with it, I’ll start de-lofting.”

3) The interchangeable faces on TaylorMade’s ZTP wedges from 2008 were Padraig’s idea?!

I couldn’t believe it myself, but Harrington says that the idea for TaylorMade to offer interchangeable face technology on its ZTP wedges in 2008 was originally his idea…

“The TaylorMade is obviously attracting a lot of attention, but that was my idea! Myself and a consultant for Wilson, I got him to build changeable faces and he sold that to TaylorMade…that’s fully my idea. He sold that then to TaylorMade, and TaylorMade produced them, which I was happy about. But TaylorMade couldn’t sell them. You can’t get people to clean the grooves, so they weren’t going to buy a new face. Why have 400 faces at home? So I went out and bought these faces to make sure I had them for life. And I was home chipping a while ago, and I have a nice 58. I like the grind on that wedge, and the fact I can just replace the face and have a fresh face every three weeks, it’s just easy, so that’s why that’s in there.”

4) Driver testing isn’t all about speed

“The driver companies know I’m a free agent when it comes to drivers, so every time a new driver comes out, they’ll come to me and say, ‘Hey, would you have a look at this?’

“I will test everything, yeah, but it has to beat what I have in the bag. And Wilson’s new driver is the same. They brought out a new driver and it’s great, but I love the driver I’m using. So I say, ‘Look, guys, not only do you have to be as good as the incumbent, you have to be better, because I already know this and I’m familiar with it.’

“Wilson has built a very, very good driver. There’s know doubt about it. But I love the driver I’m using. And none of these manufacturers can build me a driver that’s better.

“Ball speed gets a driver into the conversation, and then you bring it to the golf course. So the driver has to be going as good as my current driver, and then I bring it to the course and see if I can hit the thing straight. I have gone down the road [of prioritizing speed]…I used a driver in 2014, and it never worked weekends. But it was fast. I used it for about six weeks I’d say – six tournaments – and I missed six straight cuts. It never worked the weekend. It was really fast on the range, but it just wasn’t good on the course.”

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5) Playing with knockoff irons as a junior

“I played as a junior for Ireland, under 18’s, and I owned half a set of golf clubs, and they were imitation Ping Eye 1’s. I borrowed the other half set off my brother. We had a half set each. I had the evens, he had the odds. In that tournament, there was a guy playing with Ping Berylliums with graphite shafts. They cost 1,900 pounds. Mine cost 100 pounds, and they were knockoffs. So I played, for my country, with a set of knockoffs. Before I used those knockoff clubs, I used a mixed bag of clubs. As in, I picked up whatever club they had. The 6-iron might go farther than the 5-iron. The 5-iron might go with a fade and the 7-iron might go with a hook, but I knew what my clubs did. Each club had a purpose.”

6) Using square grooves and V-grooves simultaneously

Square grooves – or “box grooves” – were outlawed by the USGA in 2010 because they were said to help golfers spin the ball too much. V grooves are said to provide less of an advantage because they restrict the sharp edges of the grooves, thus reducing the amount of friction imparted on the golf ball. Prior to the rule change, however, Harrington actually used both V grooves and box grooves, and he’d adjust his setup depending on the golf course.

“What’s interesting is, when the box grooves were around – very few people know this – I carried two sets of clubs at all times. I carried a V groove and a box groove.

“Yeah, see, the box grooves were unbelievable out of the rough, spin wise, but if the rough got to a certain level, the ball would come out so low and with spin that it wouldn’t go very far. Your 7-iron coming out of this rough would only go like 140 yards and it wouldn’t get over any trees because it would come out so low. What I was doing was, if I got to a golf course with this sort of a rough, I’d put in a box groove 7-iron and a V-groove 8-iron. If I got in the rough and I had 170 yards, I’d hit an 8 iron and get a flyer, because the 7 iron wouldn’t get there depending on the lie. And I couldn’t get it over things. So if there were trees, you needed the V groove to get over the trees. A box groove wouldn’t get up in the air.

“No one else was doing it. I played with the box groove for a couple years before I realized that in certain rough, you need the V groove to get there. Hale Irwin played a U.S. Open seemingly with no grooves. Off the fairway it’s meant to make no difference. I would disagree, but that’s what the officials would say. But out of the rough you needed the flyers to get to the green. The V grooves were doing that for me. You get your flyer to get of the rough to get the ball there, but then if it was the first cut of rough, or light rough, or Bermuda rough, or chip shots, it would come out so low and spinny that you’d have no problem.

“I can’t believe that people didn’t realize that I was doing this two-groove thing all the time. I swear to you, you could stand here, you would not launch a 7-iron over that fence there if it was box grooves out of light rough, and V groove would launch over it. The launch characteristics were massively different.”

7) Blame the person, not the putter

Interestingly, Harrington, for all his tinkering, has only used a handful of putters. It turns out, there’s a good reason for that — although he’d like his current model to be a few millimeters taller.

“I used a 2-ball when it came out. Then I used a 2-ball blade, which I won my majors with. I always had a hook in my putts, so not long after I won my majors, I went to face-balanced putter because it helps reduce the left-to-right spin. I started putting really badly in 2013 and 2014 – I had some issues. And then come 2016-2017, I just said, look, I putted well with this putter. If I use this putter, I can’t go back and say it’s the putter’s problem. It’s gotta be me. So I went back to the face-balanced 2-ball blade because I’ve had good times with it. I may have only used 5 or 6 putters in my career.

“I’m really happy that I’ve got a putter that I know I’ve putted well with, and I don’t blame the putter. I can’t say that anymore. I don’t blame my tools, I blame myself if I miss a putt. So it comes down to…I know the putter works, then it’s me. Me, me, me.

“You know, I’ve toyed with using other shafts in the putter, and I will look at other putters, but things are askew to me when I look down. So I can’t have a putter with a line on it. It doesn’t look square to the face. I’ve never putted with a putter that has a line on it for that reason. I line up by feel. I know that putter works, I know it suits me, so that’s why I go with that…

“I prefer a deeper putter (a taller face). The one issue I have is I hit the ball too high on the face, but they won’t remodel the whole system to make me a deeper putter. I’ve tried some optical illusions to try and get it where I hit the ball more in the center, but I hit it high. It seems to be going in the hole so I’m not going to worry about it too much. But in an ideal world, if someone came along and said they could make the putter 3-4 millimeters higher, I’d be happy with that.”

See more photos of Padraig Harrington’s 2023 WITB here

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Equipment

TaylorMade survey on ball rollback finds everyday golfers massively against introduction of Model Local Rule

Published

7 hours ago

Mar 30, 2023

Gianni Magliocco

In response to the USGA and R&A’s recent announcement that they plan on rolling back the golf ball for the professional game, TaylorMade Golf issued a survey asking everyday golfers to voice their opinion regarding the topic of golf ball bifurcation. Today, they are sharing the results.

Almost 45,000 golfers across more than 100 countries spanning a variety of ages, abilities and participation levels took the time to complete the survey and have their voice heard, with some of the major findings shown below:

To the best of your knowledge, do you agree with the proposed golf ball rule?
- 81% No
- 19% Yes

Do you think average hitting distances in professional golf need to be reduced?
- 77% No
- 23% Yes

Are you for or against bifurcation in the game of golf (i.e., different rule(s) for professional golfers versus amateurs)?
- 81% Against
- 19% For

How important is it for you to play with the same equipment professional golfers use?
- 48% Extremely important
- 35% Moderately important
- 17% Not important

If the proposed golf ball rule were to go into effect, would it have an impact on your interest in professional golf?
- 45% Less interested
- 49% No impact
- 6% More Interested

The results also show that 57 percent of golfers aged 18-34 years old would be less interested in the pro game should the rule come into effect, while five percent said they would be more interested.

“The goal of our survey was to give golfers the opportunity to voice their opinion on this proposed ruling as we absorb the MLR and its potential effects on the everyday golfer. We are grateful that nearly 45,000 golfers across the world felt the need for their voice to be heard. The overwhelming amount of responses show the passion, knowledge and care for the game our audience possesses. Each response and data point is being reviewed as we will utilize this feedback in our preparation to provide a response to the USGA and R&A.” – David Abeles, TaylorMade Golf President & CEO

You can check out the survey results in full here.

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Equipment

Spotted: Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Three “anti-right” prototype putter

Published

1 day ago

Mar 29, 2023

Brian Knudson

Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K putters have really taken off on tour, and we have seen a handful of models in tour player’s bags. The latest version we spotted out on tour is a very unique design.

Odyssey makes this putter head with a standard flow neck that offers plenty of toe hang for golfers who prefer or need that weighting. This prototype has a long slant neck installed more near the center of the putter head that lets the toe sit slightly up in the air when held horizontally. This is pretty different since most putters sit with the toe hanging down towards the ground or are face balanced (face sits parallel to the ground). A full shaft offset looks to be achieved with the slant neck and the look at address is definitely different.

We spoke to Callaway PGA Tour manager Joe Toulon about the putter and he had the following to say

“On course [we had a player who] had a little push bias that didn’t necessarily show up in practice but it is something that he felt on course. So we wanted to build something that was a little easier to release and maybe not necessarily open the toe as much in the back stroke and not have to work as hard to release it in the through stroke. That was kind of designed to give a little offset and when you rested it on your finger it would rest toe up a little bit. We thought for that player it would help him square the putter face at impact rather than leave it open a little bit.

“It was more of a concept we had and will continue to work on it. When we had it on the truck and we were hitting some putts with it we noticed that you had to work really hard to push this putter. We wanted to make an anti-right putter. Just a fun little concept that we have an idea and work with our tour department to test things out.

“It isn’t something that ended up in a player’s bag but we learned some things in that process and will keep in mind for future builds and projects.”

The finish also looks to be a little different than the standard Tri-Hot 5K putter’s black and silver motif. The face and neck are finished in silver and the rear done in more of a blueish-gray tone. The White Hot insert looks to be standard and the sole still contains two interchangeable weights.

The shaft looks to be painted in the same metallic red as their standard Stroke Lab shaft, but we don’t see a steel tip section. Not sure if this putter has a full graphite shaft or painted steel.