Is it a coincidence that GEL is exploring territory originally staked out by Yes? Well, no. Because the Groove Equipment Limited founder is Alec Pettigrew, who was formerly CEO of Yes Golf Asia Pacific.
GEL's putters use horizontal grooves that are CNC-milled onto an aluminum face insert. The company says that provides the benefits of grooved-face technology but with a softer feel.
And what are the benefits of grooves on a putter face? According to Groove Equipment Limited, a putter with a grooved face will produce a truer roll because the ball will skid less coming off the face - it will start rolling more quickly. The company says this results in fewer putts getting offline; if a ball isn't skipping or hopping as it comes off the clubface, the theory goes, it'll stay on its intended line more often.
"In general, a putt is more susceptible to stray off-target during the skid, while a rolling putt will hold its intended line and improve the chances of going in the hole," Pettigrew says in a company news release.
The original six models of GEL putters are called Jade, Diamond, Sapphire, Ruby, Opal and Emerald, and range from traditional heel-toe design of the Jade to more exotic designs such as the center-shafted, half-mallet Opal, with several interesting configurations in-between.
All feature brightly colored accents, including the face insert, and with specially designed matching Winn grips. MSRP of the first six GEL putter models is $165 each.
Also on the company Web site is a .pdf document detailing tests conducted by Quintic Consultancy Ltd. comparing skid and roll performance of the GEL putters against that of putters from some other top companies such as Titleist and Ping and Pettigrew's old company Yes.
