Putters

TaylorMade expands its TP Collection of putters with the introduction of TP Red putter. Comprised of six performance mallet models, the new collection has been designed for the discerning player who seeks the performance of TaylorMade’s renowned Pure Roll technology in an aesthetically appealing Tour Red colorway that the company became the first to roll out in 2016. Since then, the Tour Red colorway has seen its demand grow exponentially on global tours following the success of TaylorMade staffers Jason Day, Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia.

The TP Red Collection is comprised of five new variations of the Ardmore and Chaska models. Each model features milled 304 stainless steel heads with Tour Red finish for a premium look and feel with high-contrast coloring and a variety of sightline options to promote improved alignment.

Ardmore: A face-balanced mallet designed with dual sightlines for a linear stroke and easy alignment.

Ardmore CTR: A center-shafted, face-balanced mallet designed to emphasize perfectly centered alignment.

Ardmore 2 (“L” Neck): A progressive mallet designed with single top, double cavity sightlines and 27 degree toe hang for a flowing stroke and enhanced alignment.

Ardmore 2 (double bend): A progressive, face-balanced mallet featuring single top, double cavity sightlines for a straight back, straight through stroke and enhanced alignment.

Ardmore 3: A progressive mid-size mallet incorporating 40 degree toe hang for a flowing stroke and simple alignment.

Chaska: A larger, face-balanced, semi-rounded mallet with a three top sightlines to encourage a confident stroke.

World number 13 Justin Rose, who first saw the putter at a company photoshoot earlier this month, put the Chaska into play the following week at the BMW Championship, where he finished T2 and recorded a remarkable strokes gained: putting of 2.393.

Each putter in the TP Red Putter Collection has a head weight of 355g, a 3.5 degree loft, 70 degrees of lie angle and comes available in 34- and 35-inch lengths. Each model in the collection also features interchangeable sole weights to enable the adjustment of mass for optimal performance.

Similar to the original TP Collection, each new model utilizes a new milling process along with TaylorMade’s proprietary Pure Roll insert to deliver optimal forward roll with a desired firm feel.

The 6061 aluminum Pure Roll insert combines 45 degree grooves with a softer polymer between the grooves to promote better forward roll and reduce skidding across varying surfaces. The composition and construction of the Pure Roll insert is specially engineered to bring the grooves into direct and active contact with the ball during impact, even on short putts. The grooves in the face also serve in part to strategically soften the insert’s structure. Together, these factors make the insert perform at a very high level.

Currently, TaylorMade Tour staffers Jon Rahm, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose all play putters incorporating Pure Roll technology.

$219 | www.taylormadegolf.com

The putter is the most important club in the bag, the only one that’s used on every hole absent the occasional chip-in or hole-out. It’s also the most personal of golf clubs, more dependent on feel and that certain “X” factor than any other stick. But in today’s technology-driven world, what separates just any putter from the perfect putter are the heady combo of craftsmanship and science. That’s what the CMBD Putter brings to the table.

In 2016, avid golfer and engineer Charles Martin-Basset was frustrated that he was unable to find a putter that fit perfectly to his golf style and size. Understanding that the putter is the most important club in a golfer’s bag, he embarked on a mission to design and create the perfect putter which led to the creation of CMBD Custom Putters.

CMBD Customer Putter creates and designs putters that are constructed specifically for a golfer’s natural putting strokes, customized to their style, tailored to their feel, and engineered to roll. All of CMBD Custom Putters are designed with the highest-quality materials, standards and tolerances using only the finest materials. Manufactured by Star Rapid, a low-volume manufacturing and rapid prototyping company, each putter is created with Japanese D2 tool steel, which is a specialty grade of air-hardened, high-carbon steel noted for exceptional toughness. The end result? A perfectly customized putter that’s crafted to improve a golfer’s short game.

CMBD Custom Putters was established by British engineer Charles Martin-Bassett, to create putters which are fit to golfer’s natural putting strokes, customized to their style, tailored to their feel and engineered to roll. Each is unique but all are designed and built to the highest manufacturing standards and tolerances using only the finest materials.

ABOUT THE CMBD PUTTER

The team at CMBD uses stainless and high-carbon steel to suit the unique requirements of each design. For the club head they decided to use Japanese D2 tool steel. D2 tool steel is a specialty grade of air-hardened, high-carbon steel noted for exceptional toughness, hardness, dimensional stability and abrasion resistance.

A LOOK AT THE DESIGN

Because they’re professional product designers and engineers, CMBD carefully prepared CAD files ready to go straight into production without the need for a design for manufacturing review. They were after a one-off customized golf putter so using Star Rapid prototyping service matched their needs well.

Although it may seem simple, the ideal putter is a careful orchestration of features calibrated to control mass distribution to achieve the perfect feel.

Every feature of the club head performs an essential function to its overall performance. The hosel is the place where the club shaft will later be mounted. Its location and angle relative to the face defines the center of gravity and how the club feels in the hand. The ultimate goal of this design is to create the perfect “sweet spot” for striking the ball cleanly.

Star Rapid milled excess mass out of the cavity behind the face. This area also provides a large targeting zone for aligning the club head along the line of the putt while striking the ball precisely at the center point – the sweet spot. Rounding the sole helps the head to ride on the surface of the grass during a stroke.

The sole was designed with a complex, compound curve that is rounded slightly in all directions. It was carefully designed to help prevent the head from digging into the turf during a miss hit. Notice also additional weight was strategically removed from the cutouts in the sole.

MAKING THE PART

It’s critical that the center point is precisely located. Star Rapid used precision multi-axis CNC machining to fabricate the entire club head from a single block of D2 steel. CNC machining is fast, accurate, doesn’t require any fixed tooling and is ideal for shaping the complex geometry of the part. Star Rapid used a specialty endmill to make a bullseye point at the exact center along the top line of the head.

The “CMBD” name was engraved on the face of the putter with another endmill. Note that we’ve switched off the flow of cutting fluid in this image for clarity. Since D2 steel is very hard, all milling work was done slowly, with carbide cutters and lots of lubrication.

Star Rapid made custom holding fixtures which accurately conform to the complex curvature of the body so it’s held firmly during machining. This ensures careful machining as well as safety. These fixtures will sustain incidental tool marks in the course of making the part shape.

The hole for the club shaft must be drilled into the hosel to a precise depth. The hosel angle was calibrated by the designer for the particular stance of the golfer, so that in a relaxed position relative to the ball the club will naturally rest flat on the ground. A good putt is a relaxed putt.

After Star Rapid milled and measured all features, the entire club head was sandblasted to a soft sheen which reduces glare. It can be left in this state or coated with an Armor coating for even more protection and a choice of finish colors.

ORDERING PERFECTION

Buying a CMBD Putter is, says Martin-Bassett, “a process akin to that of buying a Savile Row suit. It starts with a fitting and ends with the manufacture of your perfect putter.”

To get the maximum from your custom putter you must first complete a fitting session through one of the company’s approved fitters so they can analyze your natural putting stroke. Once they have the data from the fitting session they can create a setup that complements your natural putting stroke in order to consistently create ideal impact conditions. Then through discussion begin to get an idea of exactly what you want out of your new custom putter.

Once all the information required has been collected we will then design your putter. We do this using the latest 3D computer aided design software and produce high quality drawings to show you exactly what your completed putter will look like.

Once you have signed off the design manufacturing, from this point it typically takes 4-8 weeks for your putter to be delivered. You can follow the CMBD putter Instagram and Twitter feeds for updates.

cmbd.co.uk

An Argolf putter helped Kenny Perry take the 2017 U.S. Senior Open trophy. He used an Argolf Pendragon model to secure his two-shot victory July 2 at Salem Country Club in Peabody, Mass. It was the 56-year-old player’s fourth major championship title on PGA Tour Champions and his second U.S. Senior Open win – and the first bogey-free final round by a U.S. Senior Open winner since Bernard Langer in 2010.

“We extend our sincere congratulations to the winner of this year’s U.S. Senior Open,” said Olivier Colas, founder and CEO of Argolf. “An ever-increasing number of tour players and avid amateurs are discovering the extraordinary merits of Argolf putters.”

Perry was the only player to shoot under par in all four rounds at the Donald Ross-designed golf course. This championship title gets him into the 2018 U.S. Open, to be played June 14-17 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, in Southampton, N.Y.

Born of a shared passion for golf among two French aeronautical industrialists and a golf professional, Argolf presents an exclusive line of custom putters made from the finest materials and featuring precision design to enhance the games of golfers around the world. Tested and used by tour players worldwide, Argolf putters have beautiful sight lines and engineering lines. The putters have a consistent weight and feel, with no inserts. Featuring exceptional engineering, quality, accuracy and look, each Argolf putter is made from a single block of the highest-quality metal, milled to the type of head that fits an individual golfer’s stroke. To honor the origins of the Argolf story, the putters are named after Camelot legends. Every golfer who selects an Argolf putter is choosing a legend.

An increasing number of tour players and skilled amateurs are turning to Argolf putters for their superior feel, accuracy, consistency and visual appeal. 

Argolf putters are designed for accuracy with a high MOI as well as visual appeal, and are manufactured to the highest standards. Argolf’s precisely-engineered putters are in use by professionals and amateurs in Europe, the U.S. and around the world. The Argolf putter collection includes: Arthur, Avalon, Lancelot, Merlin and Perceval models in stainless steel; the Morgane, Uther and Pendragon models in aluminum; and the Graal model in titanium.

Argolf USA recently opened the Argolf Putting Lab, in Jupiter, Fla., where golfers will experience a custom fitting in consultation with an expert fitter who will recommend the precise Argolf putter model for each player’s needs.

www.argolfusa.com

It was quite the coming out part for the new Bloodline R1-J Blade putter: the U.S. Open at Erin Hills this past week, where one player put the distinctive red want into his bag. It’s been that kind of year for the upstart company: though the Bloodline brand only launched earlier this year, both their putter models have now been played on the PGA Tour by players who have multiple major championship wins.

The game-changing R1-J Blade allows a player to clearly see where the putter is aligned because they can walk behind it while it stands alone on the green. From behind the face, it’s possible to see the club, ball, target line, and hole without having to tilt your head or use your peripheral vision. Bloodline’s putter technology conforms to the Rules of Golf.

“We’ve been working on the R1-J Blade since we started the company,” said Bloodline Co-Founder Brad Adams. “After the successful release of the RG-1 mallet, we’ve received feedback from tour players and have made refinements to the blade that can meet the many demands of tour players. We are pleased to offer premium putters that golfers of all skill levels are excited to put into play.”

“Our goal was to design a putter that tour players would choose to play regardless of whether it stands up on its own or not,” added Adams. “The R1-J Blade is surprising in how stable and solid it feels at impact as well as how well it stands on its own despite a relatively compact footprint.”

In designing its putters, Bloodline removed as much weight as possible from the shaft and grip. According to Bloodline Co-Founder, Larry Bischmann, “Designing a putter shaft that is unlike anything that’s been played before makes an important difference. We created an ultralight shaft that does not compromise on performance and incorporates an oversized gripping section.”

This pioneering construction enables Bloodline putters to have an extremely low balance point that helps give more feel and release during the stroke. The Bloodline R1-J Blade putter construction features a CNC milled aluminum face, body, and hosel that are bonded to a stainless steel sole plate. Additionally, a unique sole design was developed to help the putter stand-alone without interfering with the ground during the swing.

Bloodline draws on a rich tradition of golf industry success to bring a breakthrough technology to the premium putter market. Brad Adams has been in the golf industry for 30 years. In 1991 he became Senior VP at Odyssey Golf and was a key member of the team that built the brand that continues to dominate the putter category. Brad is credited with developing and co-authoring the Odyssey polymer insert patent. During his tenure managing the PGA, SPGA, LPGA and EPGA tours, Odyssey saw hundreds of players use the product and win over 100 events. Brad also was a founder of Never Compromise, which had more victories on the major golf tours in its first year than any other putter company.

Larry Bischmann has over 15 years of experience in the golf industry. Larry received his engineering degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign, IL. In 2000, he was the Tour Engineer and part of TaylorMade adidas Golf’s Global Sports Marketing team that re-claimed the #1 driver count on the PGA TOUR. Starting in 2003, Larry built the team and strategy that launched the super-premium driver shaft named Diamana, which became the winningest driver shaft on the PGA Tour.

The Bloodline name pays tribute to the legacy of success in golf that started with, Vale Adams, an extremely well-respected club professional from McHenry, Illinois. Vale’s son, Gary Adams, is responsible for founding Taylor Made Golf which created and dominated the metalwood industry. Finally, Gary’s son, Bradley Vale Adams, is an accomplished player and was one of the founding members of Odyssey Golf at the age of 25.

The new Bloodline RJ-1 putter is currently only available for purchase at www.bloodline.golf. As more product becomes available, Bloodline will have demos and/or stock at select retail locations in the USA and in international markets.