NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
Arguably, the most impactful equipment news of 2024 was world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler switching from typical blades to a TaylorMade Spider Tour X (L-neck) mallet putter. We might as well drop the qualifier “arguably.” If winning nine of 16 global starts – including the Masters, Players, Olympic gold medal, FedEx Cup and four elite signature events – after making the switch isn’t enough to convince even the most stubborn contrarian, then we really do live in alternate realities where facts don’t matter.
After more than a year of narrative about how his putting was holding back the tide of Scheffler’s potential dominance – we’re talking about someone who missed a playoff by one shot at the 2023 Memorial despite ranking dead last on the greens losing 8.52 in strokes gained putting – his new flat stick validated the point. It didn’t magically turn Scheffler into the best putter in the world (his 77th in strokes gained putting remains his weakest major statistic by miles) but it did vault him to better-than-average in a category he ranked 162nd in the year before when he won only three times. And with everything else in which he excels, him putting better-than-average is a frightening proposition for everyone else.
It was popular to blame Rory McIlroy for suggesting at Riviera that Scheffler try a mallet before Scottie did just that three weeks later at Bay Hill to trigger his winning spree, but more credit is warranted for putting coach Phil Kenyon and the TaylorMade equipment gurus who began working with the world No. 1 toward the end of 2023. Four strong finishes diminished by weak putting to start 2024 only made Scheffler more susceptible to hearing Rory’s unsolicited advice and giving the mallet a chance in his next start.
Now comes the claw grip that Scheffler unveiled in what he called “an experiment” in the Bahamas en route to a six-stroke romp at the Hero World Challenge last month. If that experiment sticks and prompts another leap forward for Scheffler on the greens in 2025, they might as well start engraving his name on a fourth consecutive Player of the Year trophy – assuming he can avoid broken glass and the Louisville Metro PD.
“I’m always looking for ways to improve and I felt like this was something that we had looked at last year when Phil (Kenyon) and I first started working together, but it was really our first time working together and it’s something that’s different than what I’ve done in the past,” Scheffler said in the Bahamas. “Took a look at it this offseason and figured this is a good week to try stuff just because you can practice and practice and do all the stuff at home, but there’s just something different about being in competition. I really enjoyed the way it felt, I felt like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.”
Scheffler deployed the claw strategically on shorter-length putts – “The closer I get to the hole, kind of that inside 15-foot range, I think that’s where I’m seeing a lot of the benefits of it,” he said – which have been his lingering trouble spot. In 2024, Scheffler excelled at longer-range putts (ranking third from 10-15 feet and 42nd from 15-20 feet) but dropped off significantly inside 10 feet (139th) and even from 4-8 feet (120th).
“Typically, the further I am away from the hole I’d say the more likely I am to use the conventional grip because … I feel like my speed has always been extremely good, especially from long range,” he said. “I think I’ve always been a really, really good lag putter. That’s an area where I don’t think I would see much improvement with the grip.”
Scott Michaux