What difference does an insert make?

[Deke]

Hi forum,I have owned more putters than any other type of club,but I have never really understood the difference an insert makes.I have used soft feeling putters with no insert,and hard feeling putters with one,what do you think the difference is? Cheers!

 

[DelB]

Hi Deke.

I've only had two putters in the four years I've been playing. Started with an Odyssey Sabertooth which has an elastomer insert. I found shorter putts relatively easy to pace, but on slower greens it was really hard to judge pace and distance. Last winter, for example, I felt like I was really hammering putts, but everything came up short. I switched to my current Mizuno Line 90 Krakatoa in February. It's a very similar shape to the Sabertooth, but has a milled face and I find this much easier to judge pace and distance.

 

[Foxholer]

Very much sound/feel/in the head to me.

Played with no insert, copper, gold plated copper, different steel, AGSI, Surylin and others too numerous to remember. As long as the sound/feel/weight is 'balanced', then I'm happy with whatever the designer provides. Not happy when a mallet feels too soft or a blade feels too springy.

 

[Deke]

Hi Deke.

I've only had two putters in the four years I've been playing. Started with an Odyssey Sabertooth which has an elastomer insert. I found shorter putts relatively easy to pace, but on slower greens it was really hard to judge pace and distance. Last winter, for example, I felt like I was really hammering putts, but everything came up short. I switched to my current Mizuno Line 90 Krakatoa in February. It's a very similar shape to the Sabertooth, but has a milled face and I find this much easier to judge pace and distance.

Very interesting Del,I have the opposite experience! I used to use an Odyssey Black no 2 milled putter that I was dead accurate with suffered with distance control but when I changed to the i series no 1 with the insert I was still accurate but had better distance control!

 

[Deke]

Very much sound/feel/in the head to me.

Played with no insert, copper, gold plated copper, different steel, AGSI, Surylin and others too numerous to remember. As long as the sound/feel/weight is 'balanced', then I'm happy with whatever the designer provides. Not happy when a mallet feels too soft or a blade feels too springy.

Thanks for the input mate,I am inclined to agree it is not the face but the putter!

 

[USER1999]

Don't like inserts, I like a milled face. Inserts just feel dead to me.

 

[kev_off_the_tee]

I've always struggled with inserts (odyssey white ice1, sabretooth, marksman, TM Rossa Daytona) and always come back to my connemara. I've been trying with the Yes Sandy with a degree of success but finding the weight difficult to adapt to. Perseverance me thinks

 

[Deke]

I've always struggled with inserts (odyssey white ice1, sabretooth, marksman, TM Rossa Daytona) and always come back to my connemara. I've been trying with the Yes Sandy with a degree of success but finding the weight difficult to adapt to. Perseverance me thinks

Glad to hear it mate,I have found success with both types of putter.

 

[RGDave]

Don't like inserts, I like a milled face. Inserts just feel dead to me.

Yes. I gave away one of my Odysseys on the 14th hole of a serious regional game. It was either into someone else's bag or the lake.

Milled or plain, chocolate or vanilla. No banana squashed raspberry smoothie flavour for me. Yuk.

 

[Deke]

Yes. I gave away one of my Odysseys on the 14th hole of a serious regional game. It was either into someone else's bag or the lake.

Milled or plain, chocolate or vanilla. No banana squashed raspberry smoothie flavour for me. Yuk.

I used to have the same opinion until I tried my Odyssey Black i series,I have never holed more putts with anything else!

 

[SGC001]

I've used one for a long time, find it hard to use a putter without one; I like the feel and roll I get. Another benefit I found was if I played foursomes or greensomes I didn't mind worrying about what ball I was putting with.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Inserts take away all feel for me, I don't like them at all. Give me a milled face putter any day.

 

[MashieNiblick]

I would say that I get a bit more "feel" with my Scotty compared to my Odyssey Rossie (which has quite a firm insert). However when I first got the Odyssey many moons ago I definately felt I was getting a really good roll and that it was more consistent than the non-insert putters (e.g. Ping Anser) I had been using before, especially on fast greens.

 

[Deke]

I would say that I get a bit more "feel" with my Scotty compared to my Odyssey Rossie (which has quite a firm insert). However when I first got the Odyssey many moons ago I definately felt I was getting a really good roll and that it was more consistent than the non-insert putters (e.g. Ping Anser) I had been using before, especially on fast greens.

I wonder how much the shaft affects feel? I have had great feeling putters both with and without inserts!

 

[MashieNiblick]

Now you mention it not just shaft but grip too I think. The Scotty has quite a firm grip but the Odyssey has a soft Winn type.

 

[Deke]

Now you mention it not just shaft but grip too I think. The Scotty has quite a firm grip but the Odyssey has a soft Winn type.

Good point the grip makes a massive difference!

 

[Imurg]

An insert gives you something else to blame when the putts don't drop.....

Don't forget that the ball plays a huge part too...

 

[Linda]

In 9 years of playing golf I have had 4 putters. This is very topical because I purchased new putter just last week. I am totally impressed with my new Odyssey Metal X no.9. For me it is about the sound and the weight. I went in with an open mind and tried everything in the shop and actually envisaged buying a blade so I was really surprised to walk out with a half mallet - it just felt right. Defo' one of the most important clubs in the bag. Drive for show, putt for dough

 

[splashtryagain]

Couldn't stand inserts - used milled faces for many a year. Currently using WH XG#7 soft insert - works great - any type of putt feels like it's going close, you know when you have miss hit and how. All in all the noise is different but not a lot else. You can use cheaper balls too!
How much can a ball hit at that pace compress anyway??

 

[One Planer]

Don't like inserts, I like a milled face. Inserts just feel dead to me.

Pretty much the same as Murph for me. I find them more consistant.