As always, each new review post will include links to my previous one's in the "Reference Link" section, as it gets to be more and more crowded with additional review/thought posts those links will obviously go into spoiler tags.
REFERENCE LINKS:
- Initial Thoughts/Process: CLICK HERE
- Pre SPi Putting Breakdown: CLICK HERE
- SeeMore mSeries Fitting PART 1: CLICK HERE
- SeeMore mSeries Fitting PART 2: CLICK HERE
- Stance Evolution and Medicine Ball Aid: CLICK HERE
- Round 1, 2, and 3 General Rundown: CLICK HERE
- Round 4 Rundown and mFGP2 Thoughts: CLICK HERE
ROUND/PUTTING GREEN RUNDOWN:
Date: 7/6/12
Played: 27 Holes
Weather: 101* and 5-10 MPH Winds
Round(s) Rundown:
Total Putts: 17
GIR's: 7/9
Total Putts: 34
GIR's: 15/18
I will only be documenting the putts for the complete 18, I did not record any locations or putts in my notes for my "warm up" nine.
Spoiler
PERFORMANCE THOUGHTS:
First off, the full 18 was my best round EVER!!
I played an initial 9 to warm up as the range was closed and then just went right back to the first tee to play 18 and it was 27 holes of the best golf of my life.
But I had more putts on the full round than your last two, that isn't an improvement! Wrong. I will take 34 putts all day long and twice on Sunday when they come because of having 15 birdie (or better) attempts on the round. The funny thing about putting is its easy for alot of people to have a low putt number if they aren't hitting alot of greens. With my "old ways" I could have a round of 26, 27, 28 putts and be pumped but I'd only hit maybe 7 GIR's on the day. More GIR's equal more putts, they just do.
- 27 Holes:
- 17/34 putts hitting 7/9 and 15/18 GIR's
Now, does that mean I'm satisfied about my day with the mFGP2 and the SPi method? Heck no. Reflecting on it there are still some glaring issues for me:
I'm a finicky OCD teacher (just look at my formatting in my write ups lol) and will always dwell on the needed areas of improvement more, but there really are some good things I'm starting to see:
- Two three-jacks in 27 holes.
- Better, but 3-putts can kill a round. I look at the one in my 18 and realize that meant me BREAKING par.
- Stubbing the putter.
- Only happened a couple times on the round today, better, but I have to work harder at it.
- Toe putts.
- I don't know where these came from, but I knew where I caught them the moment the putter face met the ball.
It was a good day on the course to say the least. As my distance control improves and acclimates I really think its only going to get better as well.
- Stance and posture.
- Practice at home and repetitions are paying dividends here, and surprisingly quick for me. I'm not having to continually close my stance and am addressing the putt with the proper upright posture. Plus, it doesn't feel uncomfortable (Maybe still a tad but NOTHING like at first).
- Line and trusting it.
- Because my stance and posture combined with the RST take so many of the variables out of the equation (like my old open stance and cutting across the putt) the ball actually is tracking on the line I'm picking now. It may not be the right line every time, but it is improved.
- Distance control.
- I've struggled so far trusting the rock of my shoulders for distance and keep the hands and arms out of it. This round was MUCH better, I had some BIG lags and even dropped a bomb on one. Any improvement no matter how small is still improvement and practice with my medicine ball is really helping.
THE mFGP2:
So, I know some are likely thinking with this testing, "What about the actual putters?" and might be taken aback by how much has actually been about the SPi method instead. The obvious answer is the one that I really do believe in, for me to fully appreciate the putter and to talk about it completely the method is a HUGE part of that. Would I have seen putting improvements with the mFGP2 in my old stance and technique? Probably from the RST but I don't believe I would have gotten as much out of it. The SPi method and the SeeMore putter to me really do go hand in hand.
However, that is my personal opinion on it and I'm sure many out there believe in their technique and just want to hear more about the putter, so, I'll indulge everyone a bit.
- Looks
- I still love the finish today as much as the first day I held it in hand, the PVD on the mFGP2 is astounding in look while at the same time I have had ZERO glare issues on the course in the sunny Oklahoma days.
- The overall shape of the mFGP2 is still my favorite putter headshape ever. I love the way that it naturally squares to the ball while at the same time not having the harsh lines that you can see on alot of square style shapes out there. It all just flows.
- Alignment
- RST works, we know this. It absolutely takes things out of the equation and streamlines.
- The alignment lines on the putter are perfect. Yesterdays round simply reaffirmed it for me that the single topline combined with the dual flange sitelines make this a cinch to line up, it all comes down to whether or not you trust the line you picked and not the instrument in your hand.
All in all, the mFGP2 is just a super nice all around flatstick IMO. I have gotten several comments on it already because it is so unique and the fact is there is NO other mid-mallet putter out there like this one. I look forward to reflecting over this more and more down the road.
- "Feel"
- I HATE talking about feel in putters, I do. To me feel is nothing more than vibrational feedback to the hands as well as the sound your ears get from the ball contacting the putter face. So, that's where my focus will be with feel.
- The feedback to the hands so far for me has been very good. With the mFGP2 I know for a fact I can feel where on the face I make contact with the ball. I know when I toe it or heel it because of the vibrations I get back in my hands. I also know when I hit the sweetspot because it feels like NOTHING to my hands, I love that.
- The sound is key for me. Its why I flow towards milled putters rather than inserts, the more sharp the "click" the more I like it. The mFGP2 it is not as crisp of an audible note as I would like, but more than enough for me to get what I want out of it. It is very good, just not the best I've heard.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
In all honesty, just seeing improvements overall and taking note of how things are truly starting to become a natural habit for me is all a pretty big deal. Obviously there is still a long way to go and I'm in no way saying that anything is the best thing ever, but I will openly say that I am becoming a better putter. When some of us see improvements we automatically anoint it the best and that we will never change, its easy to do and golfer nature. I just shot the best round of my life and the mFGP2 and SPi method absolutely had a TON to do with it. However, I fully understand this is a game that comes in ebb's and flows. There will be more good days ahead and there will be some disheartening ones too. I know the mFGP2 is a good one and I know the SPi method has made me better, but I want to take it all the way before I personally declare anything one way or the other. I just want to do my due diligence.
Yep. Actually, before I was selected for the mSeries testing, I was originally going to try and improve my putting by becoming Jack Nicklaus. I'm finding however, that the SeeMore method is
significantly easier to pull off.
You mean like this? LOL
