2003 Golf Putter Preview by Buff-Golf.Com

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NikeGolf www.nikegolf.com		Photon Golf www.photongolf.com
	On The Short Grass: New Putters For 2003.
Ben Hogan by Bettinardi www.bettinardi.com/bettinardi.asp?nav=bhbb		Scotty Cameron Futura By Titleist www.scottycameron.com

We are going to talk about four new putters this year. The usual suspects (Louisville, Taylor-Made, Never Compromise, et al.) debuted new lines at the PGA Merchandise show in January. The four that are seen above caused tremendous attention, and garnered our interest and enthusiasm. The traditional mallet has been swiss-cheesed, with holes, curves, slices, and gouges employed to remove weight, add balance, and give a greater sense of accuracy and feel to the clubhead. One anonymous pundit concluded that three of the four putters, if they fail you on the greens, could be used as branding irons for cattle. Buff-Golf.Com does not expect such extreme measures, as the Oz by Nike, the Futura from Scotty Cameron and Titleist, and the BHB7 from Bettinardi and Ben Hogan are sweeter than cotton candy. Add to the mix a brand new company (Photon Golf), and you have the prototypical story of favorites and upstarts. Read on.
NikeGolf www.nikegolf.com A little more than a year after Nike Golf introduced its first golf club, it completed the bag with the debut of the Blue Chip (BC) Putter series. The three Blue Chip Putters -- BC 101, BC 002, and Oz, are designed for optimal balance and feel, and to diminish skidding at impact. The center of gravity in each club is positioned deeper in the club head to diminsh the initial skidding at impact that can force balls off line. Instead, the dual-density weighting of each Blue Chip sends the ball rolling quickly off the face and on a truer line. The common element between the three is the Blue Chip insert on the hitting surface, and for which the line gets its name. This 6061-aluminum insert is 65 percent lighter and 73 percent softer than steel, offering excellent feel and forgiveness, while redistributing weight in the heel and toe. In the case of the BC101 and the BC002, the insert moves 16 grams of weight deeper and evenly between the heel and toe. The unique design of the Oz, featuring lightweight aluminum in front and 66 percent of the club head in a stainless steel, rearward ring, magnifies the reduction in skidding and ensures a smooth, true roll. Words will not serve it properly; the Oz is a must-see.
Photon Golf www.photongolf.com Darin Aldrich, president and founder of Photon Golf, decided to tackle the skidding problem that occurs with most putter designs causing a golf ball to travel off the intended line. Darin’s solution was to use Photon’s patent-pending laser technology to produce a series of ultra fine nanogrooves on the hitting surface of the YAG putters to help grip the golf ball on impact, thereby preventing skidding and producing a dramatically improved roll. Photon’s YAG putters have a very crisp, solid feel due to the reduced contact area between the ball and the nanogrooves when compared with a traditional smooth-faced putter. Photon Golf currently offers two styles, including the popular tour-offset and a classic heel-shafted blade design. Photon will introduce two new styles by early fall.
Ben Hogan by Bettinardi www.bettinardi.com/bettinardi.asp?nav=bhbb Innovation! This putter is what innovation is all about. Milled from a solid block of aluminum, the Big Ben features the exclusive Bee Hive Center Cavity. This incredible design feature allows 38% of the head's total weight to be positioned behind the ball in the back of the putter. The result is easy acceleration through the hitting area, making a six-footer seem like a three-footer. By adding a face-balanced design to the equation, this is perhaps the easiest putter to use ever made. Available in standard lengths right and left hand, and belly and long lengths in right hand.
Scotty Cameron Futura By Titleist www.scottycameron.com The Futura, Scotty’s latest addition to the Cameron franchise has been in the prototype stage for years and has now finally made its way into production. Since working with some of the biggest names in golf, including Phil Mickelson, Scotty has been able to refine the Futura to its current design. The Futura has a unique weight distribution with 75% of the weight being in the stainless “horseshoe” and 25% being in the face and body. This combination of balance allows the Futura to perform like no other putter we have ever tested. The ball rolls immediately off the face of the putter without ever digging into the green. The sole was designed so the putter never closes when setting up to the ball and the topline is shaped for a contoured look. Finally, two plugs have been milled into the back of the face and stainless weights have been applied to create even more stability and give the putter that solid sound and feel. This new putter is a revolution to the game of golf and has been approved by both the R & A and the USGA.
As 2003 progresses, we will add other models from companies such as Taylor Made and PIXL. Our goal is to bring quality equipment previews to western New York and environs. We will update this preview in the summer with our putter REview, indicating our levels of contentment with the aforementioned products.