NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
Everyone is searching for the right putter. And when a player finds one, it can be a true game-changer.
Lucas Glover has been a prime example of a great ball-striker who is constantly being let down by his putting, especially from short range. Glover entered last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship ranked No. 32 in strokes gained tee-to-green while sitting at No. 166 in strokes gained putting, which is indicative of how his career has gone. In the past four seasons, Glover has not finished better than No. 137 in putting.
Earlier this summer, Glover was ready to try something completely different on the greens. He even contemplated putting left-handed.
“I needed a whole new idea, a whole new brain function,” Glover said. “The other one obviously wasn’t working. I’ve been struggling with short putts for so long. Just thought I needed to teach myself to do something else, and it’s been working.”
What he found was a broomstick-style L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max putter, the same type that Adam Scott uses. Glover has used a standard-length putter throughout his career, but he is now employing a long putter on which he can use a split-grip technique, his left hand hovering a few inches away from his chest while his right hand goes into a claw-style grip.
“Once you learn how to stand there and address it, it pretty much works itself,” Glover said. “It’s been a nice change.”
Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, has revitalized his putting in short order. He gained 1.28 strokes per round against the field in a T4 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic – his first tournament with the broomstick – and one week later gained 0.74 strokes per round on the greens in a T6 at the John Deere Classic. Four weeks later, he picked up 1.19 strokes per round in his win at the Wyndham Championship.
We’ve seen the likes of Wyndham Clark, Keegan Bradley and Rickie Fowler find renewed confidence on the greens after making a recent switch. Now there are others hoping for a similar spark.
Scottie Scheffler – who came into the week ranked No. 1 in strokes gained tee-to-green but No. 140 in strokes gained putting – implemented a TaylorMade Spider Tour X SS Proto last week in Memphis, replacing his Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS tour prototype. The putter has a milled face with screws in each corner, making for an unusual look.
“So the guys at TaylorMade have done a lot of work for me with the putter,” Scheffler said. “I’ve always liked the visual of that Spider putter, but I really just did not like the feel. That's something we discussed, kind of the feel. I’ve always struggled with putters that have a lot of weight in the back side of it, and this one is a bit different than a lot of the Spiders that they’ve made, and the weight is more in the front so it has the feel of a blade putter that I like, but it also has a lot of that visual on the top where it’s easier for me to line up.”
Rory McIlroy also put a new putter in the bag at the FedEx St. Jude. McIlroy had a Scotty Cameron Phantom X T5.5 Tour Prototype mallet, replacing his TaylorMade Spider X. He has also dabbled with a Scotty Cameron Newport GSS blade putter this year.
“I just wanted a different look, just wanted to freshen it up,” McIlroy said.
Everyone is searching for “the one” that will make them the most confident. With the playoffs underway and the Ryder Cup on deck, it would be an awfully nice time to catch fire.
Sean Fairholm