Death of the milled putter?

[tsped83]

If you're at all interested in putters, or, if you're slightly obsessed like me, then the article below certainly merits your attention...

http://www.mygolfspy.com/is-the-milled-putter-going-extinct

Cheers

 

[G1BB0]

good spot, enjoyed reading that.

 

[Blue in Munich]

good spot, enjoyed reading that.

I'll second that, some very good points in there.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I love the feel of my milled putter. Came from a Ping Anser 2 originally and so maybe growing up with that kind of solid feel is what I'm use to. Had inserts (odyssey white ice etc) but always go back a metal face

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Lets hope not, inserts are horrible things. Long live the milled putter :thup:

 

[palindromicbob]

I love the feel of my milled putter. Came from a Ping Anser 2 originally and so maybe growing up with that kind of solid feel is what I'm use to. Had inserts (odyssey white ice etc) but always go back a metal face

It's forge-milled like my Mizuno T102. We don't count Homer

 

[Foxholer]

Exactly how a lump of metal on the end of a stick is formed isn't hugely important to me, as long as it feels fine.

After all, 303 Stainless isn't used because it's a 'magic' metal. It's used because it's easy to mill! It's what most nuts and bolts are made of!

Cast can make sense for many designs and there's probably room for a hybrid as well. I don't believe the construction is really that important.

There is a possibility that 3D Printing machines will move into the milled area, but they are currently ultra expensive and only currently justified where super-accuracy is required - not the case for putters, where 'truly flat' isn't even actually important!

As for cost? I think that's greatly exaggerated. I believe the cost of actually making the working bit of the product is very little when compared to the overall cost to the consumer!

 

[SocketRocket]

So you take a piece of raw material(Forged or cast) and put it on a milling machine. The Mill runs a face milling bit over the surface a few times and leaves some crude tool overlap marks.

How does this get the ball in the hole?

 

[Sweep]

Good find, but in contrast to others I thought it was a daft article by a journalist who seemingly couldn't think of anything better to write about. Yes milled are more expensive. Yes, when times are hard people will find it harder to justify the cost of a milled putter over an insert. But no, that doesn't mean milled putters are suddenly useless and that "milled is dead". It took about half the article for the writer to even mention Cameron, surely a major player at the top end of the market? and his argument that Titleist aren't into milled because they don't advertise it as the number one in golf like they do the Pro V1 is weak.
As a side issue I like my milled putter face, I love the feel, but if an insert got it into the hole better I would use that any day. Now, I am sure I read somewhere only last week that inserts felt "dead"... or was that another writer desperately waiting for the Masters to come around?

 

[Maninblack4612]

The harder you have to strike the putt the more innacuracy you introduce into the stroke. Inserts deaden the impact and make you hit the ball harder, making distance control more difficult. Stan Utley, who holds the record low for putts over 9 holes on the PGA tour, says to use a milled putter & recommends the Anser or Scotty. I love my milled Anser, my control on long putts has never been better. I previously had an Odyssey wit an insert. Couldn't putt well wit it, sold it to a mate & neither he nor his wife could use it.

 

[drawboy]

Odyssey have just brought out a new range of their most popular putters in milled format, not only are they flipping lovely they are expensive too at around £250 rrp, that means in 6 month they will be available at around £170. When they do come down to a reasonable price I'll look at one.
http://uk.odysseygolf.com/putters/family/metal-x-milled/

 

[harpo_72]

Good find, but in contrast to others I thought it was a daft article by a journalist who seemingly couldn't think of anything better to write about. Yes milled are more expensive. Yes, when times are hard people will find it harder to justify the cost of a milled putter over an insert. But no, that doesn't mean milled putters are suddenly useless and that "milled is dead". It took about half the article for the writer to even mention Cameron, surely a major player at the top end of the market? and his argument that Titleist aren't into milled because they don't advertise it as the number one in golf like they do the Pro V1 is weak.
As a side issue I like my milled putter face, I love the feel, but if an insert got it into the hole better I would use that any day. Now, I am sure I read somewhere only last week that inserts felt "dead"... or was that another writer desperately waiting for the Masters to come around?

That's what I thought ...

 

[Dave B]

I've had a couple of milled putters, one of which was a forged milled Japanese spec. They were both very good however neither gave the feel, accuracy or control of my Odyssey No 7 which is possibly one of the most common putters on tour.

The Odyssey cost me £59 on offer which is a good price giving value and performance for money. Personally it works for me and when I replace it, it will very likely be replaced by another insert faced putter of the same design.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Odyssey have just brought out a new range of their most popular putters in milled format, not only are they flipping lovely they are expensive too at around £250 rrp, that means in 6 month they will be available at around £170. When they do come down to a reasonable price I'll look at one.
http://uk.odysseygolf.com/putters/family/metal-x-milled/

I bought a #9 in this series but strangely they don't appear to do it anymore. RRP at the time was £200 but I got it for £160 in Silvermere http://uk.odysseygolf.com/putters/family/protype-tour-series/

Love the feel and now I've installed a pro-core insert (http://procoregolf.com/) I am getting better results, especially on off centre hits. It's a staying put now.

 

[Birchy]

Flat piece of metal on the end of a stick.

 

[tsped83]

The harder you have to strike the putt the more innacuracy you introduce into the stroke. Inserts deaden the impact and make you hit the ball harder, making distance control more difficult.

Ah ha, now whilst I understand the point you make here, I have to disagree. Speaking only from personal experience and my putting style, I putt better with a firmer stroke, more positive if you will. I agree an insert putter requires this perhaps more than a milled putter but it is exactly that which makes me make a more determined stroke, leading to better results.

I still really like the look (and feel) of milled putters but in contrast to inserts, I'm more timid with them whn making a putt, leading to indecision over the ball and a putt that never gets to the hole.

Horses for courses.

 

[One Planer]

Good read for sure, but there are a few things I don't agree with om there.

Mainly:

Take a look at the big players in the market first.

They then go on to name:

Evidence you say? OK, how about we start with the biggest golf player, TaylorMade?

What about Never Compromise

And also Cleveland.

Now, forgive me for saying this, but when I look on tour (European and PGA) I see far more Ping, Odyssey and Scotty Cameron putters than I do of the above. Yes there are a lot of TM putters on tour, for sure but I see more of the OEM's I mentioned than them.

Scotty Cameron, as they state in the article, predominantly offer milled face putters and Odyssey have a few lines of milled putter. Ping also affer a milled mine in the Anser model.

The fact that TM and Odyssey plough alot of captial into the insert market is neither here nor there. If there is demand for something, they will not stop producing.

Otherwise it's a pretty good read.

 

[Foxholer]

The harder you have to strike the putt the more innacuracy you introduce into the stroke. Inserts deaden the impact and make you hit the ball harder, making distance control more difficult.

A couple of serious, and not necessarily correct imo, generalisations!

I've had a couple of putters (milled of course) where the ball has sprung off the face too fast - for me - so there's a balance that's probably slightly different for every player.

And some (metal) inserts actually don't deaden the impact! Though others, that's their entire purpose!

 

[Maninblack4612]

I putt better with a firmer stroke,

Yes, I can understand that. My long distance putting was crap wit a putter with a soft insert. It was transformed with a milled putter.

 

[Maninblack4612]

And some (metal) inserts actually don't deaden the impact! Though others, that's their entire purpose!

I should have made clear I was talking about the soft kind of insert, don't think they're a good idea at all, except for, possibly, short putts where a firm stroke is needed.