It’s an age-old query that we will argue about for days.
Is it the particular person holding the putter? Or the putter itself that issues?
I’ve discovered it borderline humorous that, of the individuals who will swear placing is all concerning the particular person holding the putter, various recreation one thing that prices north of $200. Just a few extra recreation a putter north of $300. And lots of extra will sport a Scotty, a Betty or a PING PLD that sells for over $400.
In the event you firmly imagine an individual who putts properly can putt properly with something, why are you placing with what you’re placing?
Like I mentioned, we will argue about this for days.
MyGolfSpy has proven through the years that you simply don’t should promote a kidney to purchase putter. You may however you don’t should. Relative bargains from Tommy Armour, Wilson and Cleveland have been stellar performers in our annual testing.
Ram Golf hopes to affix that group. Our early experiences recommend the FX $99 putter line simply may have the ability to try this.
Ram FX: A $99 putter doesn’t imply “low cost”
For $99, you’re not getting a 100-percent milled, hand-crafted piece of jewellery with modern face know-how and a high-end headcover. It simply doesn’t work that manner.
However you will get a reasonably good flatstick that does its job.
“If there was a class for the very best membership beneath a sure worth, I’d be gutted if we didn’t win each time,” says Ram Golf proprietor Simon Millington. “By way of what we do and what we put into it, I’d be completely gutted.”
Ram has a adorned historical past with putters. The unique firm was began in Chicago in 1948 by Lyle Hansberger and brothers Bob, Al and Jim. It was often known as Sportsman’s Golf and made reasonably priced golf gear.
Within the late Nineteen Fifties, the corporate contracted with George Low to fabricate Low’s legendary Wizard 600 putter, forerunner of the Wilson 8802. Jack Nicklaus had a George Low in his bag for 15 of his 18 majors. Within the mid-’70s, Ram got here out with the enduring Zebra which Ray Floyd used to set the 72-hole scoring report on the Masters in 1976.
Beneath Millington, Ram has returned to its Sportsman’s Golf roots as a worth direct-to-consumer model. Ram presents what you’d name “open mildew” merchandise together with golf equipment designed by Millington and former Odyssey designer Larry Tang, one of many fathers of the Two-Ball putter.
The Ram FX putter line is an instance of a regular design tweaked by Tang to provide it a novel taste. You gained’t discover technological breakthroughs right here however, for $99 would you like originality or do you need to get the ball within the rattling gap?
We tried the Ram FX-01 and FX-03
The Ram FX putter line was launched after this yr’s MyGolfSpy testing wrapped up so we don’t have information to share. We will, nonetheless, share on-course impressions from a few late-season rounds with the FX-01 and FX-03.
What we discovered was fairly encouraging.
The Ram FX line incorporates a wide-body blade (the FX-01) and 4 mallets together with the fang-toothed FX-03. The whole line is blacked out from grip to toe with a black shaft and a modestly outsized black Ram-branded grip. Every mannequin options very tremendous rotational face milling and a single alignment line (the FX-02 mallet has three strains).
In complete, they’re the epitome of “not busy.” The black-on-black Ram lettering within the cavity is oh-so-subtle. The one factor which may qualify as garish is the white Ram emblem heel-side on the face which provides the putter a Dodge pickup vibe.
The FX-01 is a double-wide Anser type with a plumber’s neck and slight toe cling. Usually, I’m not a giant plumber’s neck man which is ironic as a result of I’m keen to wager everything of Dave Wolfe’s putter assortment and half of mine that I’m the one licensed plumber working within the golf media right now. Regardless, the FX-01 is the heavier of the 2 heads, coming in at 384 grams. That weight is useful because it makes the FX-01 really feel very steady.
The Ram FX-03 is an Odyssey Seven-style fang-toothed mallet. It incorporates a brief slant neck which provides it a modest toe cling for slight arc strokes.
What about efficiency?
We golfers choose putters in one among two methods. We’re both within the “I gotta just like the seems and really feel” camp or the “let’s do the total Monty putter becoming” camp. My favourite metric is “three-jack avoidance.” Whereas I really like sinking bombs, not three-putting is a extra sustainable state of bliss.
The important thing to avoiding three-putting is distance management and that’s the place the Ram FX-03 stood out for me. It’s the lighter of the 2 at solely 360 grams and whereas I did sink a few 15 to twenty footers, most of my first putts wound up inside tap-in/gimme vary. In the event you’re aware of my on-again/off-again romance with my growing old however nonetheless pretty Rife 2-Bar Hybrid, you know the way essential dependable distance management might be.
I additionally discovered the FX-03 simpler to purpose. Each putters have a single alignment line however the brief slant-neck hosel transition has all the time been simpler for me to line up persistently. Every of us is totally different and that transition is only one ingredient to constant purpose, together with head form, size and lie.
As for sound, each Ram putters had, let’s say, distinctive auditory suggestions. Excessive-end milled putters like a Scotty or Bettinardi have a delicate, muted sound and really feel. For a $99 putter, the Ram FX line isn’t delicate. That’s to not say they sound like Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. They don’t however there’s a muted metallic clink to them. It’s not off-putting however it’s totally different.
Nevertheless, as I saved selecting up putts inside the Circle of Love, I grew to understand it as “The Sound of Distance Management.”
They do look a bit acquainted, don’t they?
In the event you haven’t seen already, we’ll prevent a while. There’s a putting resemblance between the Ram FX putter line and Wilson’s present Infinite putter line. As talked about, the Ram line is a primary mannequin tweaked by Ram consulting designer Larry Tang. It’s common for firms similar to Ram to work with its Asian suppliers to fine-tune shaping, weighting and milling to create one thing quasi-unique.
Face it, gang. With a $99 putter, you’re getting an off-the-shelf design. And should you’re going to go together with off-the-shelf design, it is a fairly good one. The Wilson Infinite variations have historically examined very properly for MyGolfSpy. Whereas the pinnacle shapes are comparable, there are slight and delicate variations, primarily in milling, hosel transitions and different small particulars. You’d should be searching for them however they’re there.
It is going to be attention-grabbing to see if any of these tweaks make a distinction in testing subsequent yr.
Ram FX putters: Remaining ideas
Let’s return to our authentic query.
Is the particular person holding the putter or the putter itself that issues?
Permit me, mates, to posit the next: It’s each. The precise stick within the fallacious fingers is nugatory. The fallacious stick within the fallacious fingers is lower than nugatory. The fallacious stick in the precise fingers is irritating. The precise stick in the precise fingers is the place the magic occurs.
The surest option to get the precise stick in the precise fingers is with a putter becoming. In the event you’ve had one and you understand your specs, that’s the place the enjoyable begins. That’s when a direct-to-consumer model similar to Ram can supply worth.
If you understand what sort of head form, hosel transition, size, loft and lie you want in a putter, you can also make a bit of $99 magic.
In the event you’re a type of people who firmly imagine putter can putt with something, then why aren’t you placing with a $99 putter?
Asking for a buddy.
The publish Would You Recreation a $99 Putter? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
