Friday Gear – The Putter of the World Number One and Two

Arnold Palmer once said, “I have a tip that can take 5 strokes off anyone’s golf game. It’s called an eraser.” Now, at All Square we don’t advocate cheating, so what’s the second fastest way to shave strokes from your rounds? Be a better putter!

It’s holing more putts. On Friday Gear today we are looking at the putter used by the 1^st and 2^nd best golfers in the world Dustin Johnson and Jason Day, respectively. When the two best in the world are rolling the same short stick then you must take notice!

The Taylormade Itsy Bitsy Spider Putter

This mallet-style putter has, by his own admission, helped transform the game of Dustin Johnson. The complex, multi-component putters have been carefully designed and crafted to help your game.

The Face

One of the key features of the putter is the Pure Roll™ face. This three-part insert increases the topspin imparted on the ball. 45° grooves on the face help vastly reduce the ‘skid-phase’ of the putt, a factor we spoke about in yesterday’s Tech Thursday.

The insert is made of Surlyn, a compound often used on the cover of tour-level golf balls, which creates a soft feel and, importantly, allows the face to deform at impact which helps bring consistency on more poorly struck putts.

Spider Tour Red

This is the model used by Jason Day. He was very involved in the development process and no bigger symbol of this is the colour itself. The red is a tribute to the Australian Redback spider. He also preferred not to have a sightline on the crown of the putter and it is fitted with a black shaft.

Spider Tour Black

 Newly-minted world number one, Dustin Johnson, helped develop the black edition of the Spider. As with Day, Johnson opted for no sightline and he also wanted a slight toe hang. Given Johnson’s straight-back straight-through putting-style, the increased toe hang helps him be more aggressive. This edition also has a different face. It still uses Pure Roll ™ technology but it has a more firm feel than the red.

Spider Tour Platinum

Finally, there is the platinum edition. Unlike the previously mentioned models, this putter has a double-bend neck which some will prefer. This one also has a long sightline to help you with your alignment. The softer insert is in the face of this edition and so it is a bit more forgiving than its black counterpart.

Should I put it in my bag?

“The Spider consistently started the ball on the line that I wanted it to, which is something I struggled with in my other putter. I have never made so many putts over 10 feet than I did at the BMW Championship and I ended up winning the tournament because of the putts I made.” – Dustin Johnson

 It’s a compelling argument from the world’s best golfer. All we can say is that if you’re looking for a new putter then this is one to consider and test! Happy putting!

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