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TESTF'D:21

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"The SeeingEyedog of putters-it justguides you along."-AndySimon

WE TESTED: 34" and 35" in True Tempersteel shaftCOMPANYLII\E: "The deep face (DF) and'humpback'design raise the CG to encourageconsistent sweet-spot contact. This optimaltransfer of energy results in better rolland more consistent distance control. TheD3-DF is roughly double the weight 0f aconventional outter"

Oun Trsr PeNr,L Savs:PRoss Extreme head weight preventstwisting and face manipulation, a goodoption for those with jumpy nerves; moreoften than not, it's easy to control distancegiven its heaviness;smoothsoutawa) /vardstroke;there are times this putter seems toputt itself; allows you to use the entire face.CoNS: Mis-hits feel too much like centercontact; difficult to make delicate strokes,momentum kicks in and you fightthe putter;once in awhilq putts can getawaydistance-wise; uninsplring flat battleship gray finish.

Boccieri HeawD3-DF'

$ 169, steel ; h e avyputter. c om

"I intentionally hitsome short puttsout on the heel.They still went in."-PeterKraus

WETESTED:34" and 35" in steel shaftCOMPANY LINE: "This 1 Oo-oercent mil ledone-oiece carbon steel outter delivers ultra-consistency. lts'Feel ImpactTechnology' (FIT)face dramatically reduces the surface areawhere the bal l makes contact wi th theface, and this in turn delivers an extremelysolid and soft feel."

Oun Tr,sr Peunl Savs:PRos: The surprisingly soft feel, as thoughit's padded, won't diminish the satisfyingclickyou'll hearwhen you catch the sweetspot, heaw enough to maintain a pendulummotion without being too heavy to affectspeed control; like its compactness;strikingjet-black head and sharp white sightlineencourage precise alignment.coNs: Notthe bestfor lag putting-needsmore oomoh to roll putts as far as othermallets; a little lacking in distance forgiveness,misses go shorter than others; some find thesmall grip makes their stroke too handsy.

Mizuno BlackCarbon BC3

$249, steel ; mizu nousa.com

"It truly is a'marksman'givenits feel, touch anddirectional help."-JimEsther

OdvssevWhite HotXGMa"rxmanMini

$ 169 ; o dJt s s eltgo lf. com

WETESTED:34" and 35" in steel shaftCoMPAI\IY LINE: "Our multi-layer insertcombines a soft, highly resilient elastomercore lwhich creates great feel and helps toBet the ball rolling quicklyl with a thin, firmouter striking surface that's fine-tuned forresponsiveness."

Oun Tosr Pexnl Sevs:PROS: Fans praise its clean feel-there's anoticeable cushioned effect at imDact;twobold, shortened alignment bars are effectiveataddress;you can usethe alignment barsto mentallytrace yourswing path;it shineswith speed control on trlckydownhill putts;offset hosel and toe hang encourage anatural arc stroke.coNs: Dissenters say that feel is oftenheard more than felt; i t can be a l itt lechallengingto achieve proper pace on longputts due to the extreme softness of theface; unconvent ional shape has i tsdetractors; "feel" players may want more.

166 MLF MAGAZINE MAY 2OO8 GOLF,COM

Clu6lbsffiss:SHO\MWEDIDITWe assigned each of ourClubTesters a putting lane on thepractice green.Testers struck 12putts per putter from three to 40

feet. They ihen followed up withon-course testlng. (We providedthem with 34- and 35-inch putters.)Panelists took note offeel, look andcontrol, and also shared their

overall impressions. Our exclusiveresearch partner, Hot Stix coltmeasured roll on center hits andheel-toe forgiveness using amechanical putting device.

WHEREWEDIDITThe Hot stix Performance centerat LegendTrail GC in Scottsdale,AZ

"Feel,look,performance.This is the totalpackage."-ChrisKlamkin

Rife Tivo BarHybrid

$ 199, steel ; rifeputters. c om

WETDS|TED:34" and 35" in steel shaftCOMPAI{YI.,II\IB "lt features our patented'Rol lcroove' technology (horizontal facegrooves that produce a no-skid roll), two-baralignment system, adjustable rear weightingthat provides maximum stability and takesvarious green speeds into account, plus averiical alignment notch for conslstent setup."

Oun Tpst P,q,Nu, Savs:PRoS: Offers terrific control; heavy head,with t\,^/o weighted bars, keeps the facesquare during the stroke even if contact isoff-center; face insert is remarkably soft;multiple alignment aids are tough to matchand make proper setup a cinch; the softfeel, tight roll and good speed control lettesters putt assertively in birdie range, ballseems to roll immediately off the face.coNs: Heavy-ish head feel may causesome to struggle with distance control;quirky appearance could turn off purists;impact feel may be too light for some.

"Given allthealignment lines, itmight make sense tobe fit for lie angle."-JeffBones

Sizemore

$349, ste el ; sizemoregolf. c o m

WET.ESTEIL34" and 35" in steel shaftCoMPANY LII\IEr "The triangularshapedalumlnum head has pronounced copper railsightlines.Aset of center aliSnment inserts canbe customized to accommodate a player'salignment preferences, while interchangeableend caps let you optimize your speed anddistance control."

Oun TBsr PauEL Sevs:PROS: There are alignment aids galore,and the large head and broad siShtlinesmake lining up your putt a snap; provldesa distinct, firm feel on contact; head-heavysensation and stability ofthe face contributeto a smooth stroke; no need to worry aboutgetting it to the hole-putts roll out fartherthan tne rest.coNs3 Visually speaking, there's way toomuch going on with this copper- and silver-colored triangular head; liable to blow puttspast the hole; would like more help whenoutts strav from their line,

"Noticeablymore impact feelthanmanyothers tested."-MarkHaberstroh

Ping KarstenSeries 860

$ 89, st eel ; p inggolf, com

WETESTED: 34" and 35" in steel shaftCOMPAI|IY LINE:'An elastomer insert inthe cavity enhances feel while maintainingthe solid response ofa steel-faced putter.Theweight savings from the cavity is redistributedto the perlmeter. The multi-level alisnmentdevice aids in alignment."

Oun Trsr PeNu, Sevs:PROS:A good upgrade for 860 devotees;the club respects its roots with a nod toevol ution; provides pred ictably consistentresults; gives you feedback from both thecrisp, clicky sound and the sense of instantfeel coming up the shaft; get dialed in andsaygoodbye to three-putts; the 860 shapelooks like an old friend; fans of old Ping steelheads should step into this one like an oldpair of shoes.CoNS: A group of testers are not blownaway by the 860's directional forgiveness;a few panelists find the textured grip to betoo slippery

GOLRCOM MAY 2OO8 C.OLF MAGAZINE 167

Tnn Ralxc SvsrBuHou/ it works: Testers vote on Look,Feel and Control.The winning model(the one that receives the most polnts)is awarded GOLF Magaz'1e/Clubrests-star status.

RATINGS

***** EXCELLENT

****VERYGooD***c00D

** AVERAGE

* PooR

PRICES LISTEDAREWHATYOU SHOULD EXPECTTO

PAYAT RflAIL

"Valerie whispersfeedback rather thanshouting it out."-Dar.teLucarelli

Yes! C-GrooveValerie

$149, steel ; yesgolf. con

WETESTED:34" and 35" in steel shaftCOMPANYLINFI "IhiS face-balanced, cavity-back head is made from 3O4-stainless steel.The C-croove's concentric edges have a 20-degree upward slant. On contact, these edgesgripthe ball and lift it out of its resting positionand impart an over-the{op rolling motion."

Oun Tnsr PaNnl Sevs:PRoS: Gets the ball rolling quick; it takesthe fear out of putting; count on sniffingsomewhere around the hole on center orslightly off-center contact;soft impact feel,even on longer, more forceful strokes;heavier head mass, ball starts rolling quicklyso distance control takes little effort; idealfor square-to-square strokes; weightingencourages a smooth rhythmic stroke;consistent distance across the face.coN$ Feedbackto the hands is too muted;some testers question the two-tone loot(and usefulness of the thin, white sight aid;misses feel too similar t0 center hits.

"Impact is as smoothas silk-sweet, with lno aftertaste."

Titleist ScotryCameron Red X3

$299, stee I ; t i tle i st. c o m

WETESTED:34" and 35" in steel shaftsCOMPANYLINB "The precision-milled head,made from 3o3-stainless steel, has a glare-resistant'charcoal mist' finish. lt features asinele bend shaft with '1l4-shaft of offset foride;l toe-flow through the stroke. The steplesssteel shaft enhances feel."

Oun Tnsr Perqpl Sevs:PROS: Putts don't jump off the face, you'realways in control of the ball; extremelyresponsive, it offers light feedback on off-center putts, testers love its smooth, trueroll; grip it lightly and allow overal I weightingto generate an easy, repeatable pendulumstroke;this simple, classy, winsome malletis an aesthetic favorite; longwhite aliSnmentstrioe oroves useful.CONS: A player's malleu inconsistentstrikers may want to look elsewhere formore 'game-improvement' help on toemisses; it won't be willing to save you onany blatant mis-hits.

:i:"+'r

168 GOLF MAGAZINE MAY 2OO8 GOLECOM

PutterMojoEight midsize mallets that keep your puttinS game on-track

Wner Wn DrnWe anchored each one of the 3S-inch putters to amechanical put t ing device. Clubs made the sameconsistent backswing to hit a lS-foot putt (approx.)and we measured results for center hits, 3/4-inch missestoward the he el,andll4'-inch misses toward the toe. Forthe purpose of this test, we used standard-size grips oneach model. Here's how the clubs fared:

Clu6lest:{F*hi

Wnan Wp LnennpnDISTANCE: The Sizemore, Ping and Rife roll it the farthest oncenterhits. Byconkast,the Mizunohitsittheshortest. Neitherwayisbetterorworse; it'swhetheryouprefertomake alongerorslighflyshorter stroke to reach the hole. Thedifference on center contact betweenlongest andshoftestmodelistwo feet.

FORGIVEI\IESS:AIIofthese arehelpfuLStill, the Yes! Valerie C-Groove is mostforgiving; the total difference betweencenter and off-centerhits isjust sixindres.

Hot Stix Golf collected data usins amechanical putting device.

r Learn the best ways todrop strokes today

wtNNERSCIRCIfTo see all the winners,go to page 1 71.

PIJTTERS TSSTEDChecl(out other puttersthat we've clubTested inthe pasiyear atgolf.com/equipment

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THE BESTINSTRUCIION

oHundreds of photos

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Copyright 2007 Time Inc Home Entertainment

Model HeadweightGrams)

MOIiglcm

Centercontac{(feet)

31A-incfheel(feet)

3/4-inchtoe

(feet)

Boccieri Heavy D3-DF 471 4,836 15.4 14.7 14.3

Mlzuno Black Cart oJ}, 329 3,03i 14.3, 13-4

Odysseywhite Hot xGMarxman Mini

1Aa 3.407 15.6 15.0 13.8

PinE Karsten series 860 332 3.486 16,4 14.6 ,

Rife'n^ro Bar Hybrid AAE 4,417 16.3 16.O 14.9

Sizernore XM-2 aAO I 3,411 1 6.! 15.5

Titleist Scotty CameronREd X3

331 3,344 15.2 14.2 13.9

3bu : 3,619 l 14.7 144 1411

Available Wherever Books Are Sold