The Search for Flatstick Nirvana - Part III (9.3.15)

In part III, I wanted to discuss the actual flatstick because this is what The Search for Flatstick Nirvana is about…finding Billy Baroo.

After starting out with your typical beginner blade style putter, I then purchased the old Ping Anser model.

It’s funny how times change with putters. When the Anser first came into popularity, there were a lot of golfers that eschewed the looks of the Anser design as being ‘ugly.’ Now, every putter manufacturer has their own Anser model. That’s probably where Karsten Solheim’s brilliance has gone most underappreciated, he essentially came up with the majority of today’s putter designs. Outside of the mallet style/high MOI putters, there has been very little in the way of new putter designs from what Solheim created decades ago.

I decided to purchase an Anser style design for now. I wanted something ‘neutral’ in terms of alignment and fitting a putting stroke pattern. So, I wanted 1 alignment line in the flange with a plumber’s neck. I wanted a fairly ‘neutral’ weight (not too light, not too heavy) and was looking for something in the 350-355 gram head weight range. I also wanted something that was 35” long. In the end, I settled on the TaylorMade Ghost Daytona Tour Black putter.

I also wanted to go back to the putters I have used over the years and take a look at the design features that seemed to work for me. As part of my failure as a human being, I pretty much remember every putter I have owned:

Ping Anser (original model)

MacGregor Response ZT

Ping B61

Ping My Day

Ping Zing

Wilson 8802

Ram Zebra

Odyssey putter (old, can't remember the model name, first line of Odyssey putters to come out)

Mizuno Scotty Cameron M-200 The Reason

Tad Moore Custom

Dave Pelz 3-Ball

Ping Anser 2.5

Ping Pal 2

Founders Club Tour Tuned Stand Putter

Cleveland Classic (Zing 2 style model)

Mizuno Bettinardi C-06

Yes! Victoria II

Edel Columbia

Edel Columbia Belly Putter

YAR Golf

Bettinardi Kuchar Model 2 ArmLock Putter

I putted best with the Wilson 8802, the Ping B61 and the Tad Moore custom putter (a friend of mine had it for a week and sold it to me. It was a custom design with a hosel that looked more like Ping B61 hosel.

The plan I usually have is to figure out why I performed well at a certain time in the past and why I performed poorly at a certain time in the past. So, I hope to find out why I putted better with the Ping B61, the Tad Moore and Wilson 8802.







3JACK