About Golf "Best of 2003": Putters
The Bobby Grace Putters company was purchased this year by MacGregor. The "manufacturers site" link will take you to the MacGregor Web site, but you can get more info at BobbyGracePutters.com. These oversized mallets were drawing notice on the pro tours even before the MacGregor branding came along, but with a major company's marketing behind them, they are really starting to show up in pro bags. Company calls it the "most forgiving putter ever made." Great feel and control.
The "Bettinardi" in the name is one of the master craftsmen of putter design, Bob Bettinardi, who created this oversized mallet for Ben Hogan Golf. It first drew notice when Jim Furyk used a smaller version to win the U.S. Open. The large size and bulky appearance are hurdles for some golfers to overcome before trying it, but the Big Ben's performance will quickly eliminate any such qualms. Face-balanced, smooth-stroking, strong alignment aids, easy-feeling putter.
Get the feeling that our testers really liked oversized mallets in 2003? You're right. The Nike Oz is another, and it's one of our favorite putters in appearance - unusual and memorable. The Oz is part of Nike's Blue Chip line of putters, so-named for the color of the soft face insert. The weight bar around the back of the clubhead moves 66 percent of the weight rearward. A pure rolling putter with a great feel.
Finally, a putter that isn't an oversized mallet. Or is it? No, Odyssey's White Hot 2-Ball Blade is called a blade because it's categorized as a blade. It still features the two alignment disks, however, but it should be much more to the liking of golfers who generally stay away from mallets. We liked the blade more than we liked the original 2-Ball, which continues to be the "it" putter in golf.
The G2i series takes Ping's most popular putters and adds a soft face insert and increased perimeter weighting. The feel and sound are both top-rated, as is the classic appearance (well, "classic" if you discount the blue face insert). The G2i putters are those types of putter that give you confidence merely from how they feel in your hands and how they appear at setup. Great choice for any golfer seeking something a bit more traditional than all the newfangled mallets.
