virtuocity
Tour Winner
I was recently introduced to this range of putters by a PGA pro. The range is designed by Frank Thomas who spent 26 years as Technical Director of the United States Golf Association.
Prior to this, he worked for Shakespeare Sporting Goods, where he invented the graphite shaft for golf clubs.
As well as developing a range of putters, South African Frank now runs The Putting PAD at Reunion Resort in Orlando which was created by Frank Thomas and Valerie Melvin as a specialized golf academy where golfers could visit to get the best in putting instruction.
So, he certainly has a credible background in both golf club manufacturing and putting theory and as a poor putter I was understandably excited to try out a couple of putters from the Frankly Frog range.
There are a variety of Frog putters from full original mallet, half mallet to blades with shaft options including centre and heel placement with offset as an added option. You can even elect to have a graphite shaft (which has an alignment white line all the way down the middle) or standard steel shaft.
I tried both the standard mallet (the pink one above) and the half mallet (as per my avatar).
What struck me immediately was that the ball felt very soft off the face which was odd for me having previous used what felt very hard and metallic in my Benross putter. More remarkable however was how true the putts rolled off the face. After holing 7 putts in a row from 7 feet (a first for me) it gave me instant confidence.
With such softness off the face, it took a while to get to grips with long putts as I found it too easy to leave these short of the hole. However, after a while giving the ball a good hit became second nature and 20 foot putts no longer proceeded a further two putts to finish the hole.
The main selling point of this putter is the forgiveness it offers on off-centre strikes. I was (and still am) unable to feel or see a difference in putts even when I fooled around with hitting out the toe or heel.
The looks aren't for everyone, I can appreciate that. However, I think they look quite pretty and quirky- certainly better than the majority of putters offered by small manufacturers.
As for the pricetag- Frankly don't hold a big stock in the UK or Europe and to get the putter you like you may have to order direct from the US. As such prices range from $199 to $225 with $25 shipping fee on top. This is completely eye-watering and some might say unjustifiable.
However, I would have no qualms spending this amount on a driver which gave me extra yards and forgiveness so one should not complain about finding a putter which shaves shots off your round- no matter the price.
Luckily for me, I managed to try out two Frogs which were being sold second hand for a fraction of the price and elected to go with the half mallet.
To conclude, I wouldn't advocate spending big money on ANY club without trying it, but hopefully this review acts as a reminder that if you should come across a Frog on the second hand market, hop along and give it a try.
Prior to this, he worked for Shakespeare Sporting Goods, where he invented the graphite shaft for golf clubs.
As well as developing a range of putters, South African Frank now runs The Putting PAD at Reunion Resort in Orlando which was created by Frank Thomas and Valerie Melvin as a specialized golf academy where golfers could visit to get the best in putting instruction.
So, he certainly has a credible background in both golf club manufacturing and putting theory and as a poor putter I was understandably excited to try out a couple of putters from the Frankly Frog range.
There are a variety of Frog putters from full original mallet, half mallet to blades with shaft options including centre and heel placement with offset as an added option. You can even elect to have a graphite shaft (which has an alignment white line all the way down the middle) or standard steel shaft.
I tried both the standard mallet (the pink one above) and the half mallet (as per my avatar).
What struck me immediately was that the ball felt very soft off the face which was odd for me having previous used what felt very hard and metallic in my Benross putter. More remarkable however was how true the putts rolled off the face. After holing 7 putts in a row from 7 feet (a first for me) it gave me instant confidence.
With such softness off the face, it took a while to get to grips with long putts as I found it too easy to leave these short of the hole. However, after a while giving the ball a good hit became second nature and 20 foot putts no longer proceeded a further two putts to finish the hole.
The main selling point of this putter is the forgiveness it offers on off-centre strikes. I was (and still am) unable to feel or see a difference in putts even when I fooled around with hitting out the toe or heel.
The looks aren't for everyone, I can appreciate that. However, I think they look quite pretty and quirky- certainly better than the majority of putters offered by small manufacturers.
As for the pricetag- Frankly don't hold a big stock in the UK or Europe and to get the putter you like you may have to order direct from the US. As such prices range from $199 to $225 with $25 shipping fee on top. This is completely eye-watering and some might say unjustifiable.
However, I would have no qualms spending this amount on a driver which gave me extra yards and forgiveness so one should not complain about finding a putter which shaves shots off your round- no matter the price.
Luckily for me, I managed to try out two Frogs which were being sold second hand for a fraction of the price and elected to go with the half mallet.
To conclude, I wouldn't advocate spending big money on ANY club without trying it, but hopefully this review acts as a reminder that if you should come across a Frog on the second hand market, hop along and give it a try.
