Readers of The Hackers Paradise are no strangers to SeeMore putters. Over the last year we have reviewed a variety of their products and each one left us grinning and asking for more. Last year we had the opportunity to review the new SeeMore SB1 Mallet and came away with a new understanding of how a putter can help your game. Earlier this year we got a chance to have our testers try out the Stainless FGP & FGP2 and it became the 1st and only putter we have ever reviewed that got 100% approval from our testing panel. A few months back we had our Huge Putter Shoot Out with 27 different putters tested by an unbiased panel of judges and the SeeMore M2 finished number one in performance. From there we had our Bi-Annual THP Reader Awards in which SeeMore Putters swept both the blade and mallet categories with the SB1 and the M1. SeeMore finished up last month with having THP review the mFGP and mFGP2 to rave reviews and setting the bar even higher for them to reach for.
However with the exception of the rave reviews they have received on sites all across the internet, we wanted our readers to be able to learn a little more about this small company that has a truly unique passion for this game and the equipment used. The pictures accompanying this piece are all pictures of a putter that is available right from SeeMore. By clicking on each image, you will get them to enlarge and really showcase the fine details that go into these works of art. The putter is from the Private Reserve Collection and readers can get much more information on this collection by joining the SeeMore Players Club. You can read all about this club on their personal blog. We wanted to showcase something incredibly unique and special and we think that this one does just that.
THP has been fortunate enough to spend some time with “team SeeMore” and learn all about this great company and we asked some of the members of that team to put something together to describe SeeMore as a whole rather than us trying to relay those messages.
From SeeMore:
As we all try to deal with a difficult economy, here are some thoughts on how and why SeeMore is experiencing some real growth and positive momentum in 2009.
In tougher times, consumers of any enthusiast category, and certainly golf, will still seek out new and improved products that offer authentic game improvement benefits. However they may be more discriminating than ever in demanding true innovation and game improvement, and may search harder in trying to find something that is truly special, truly different, truly impactful to their game. They will seek out product that is validated not by flashy marketing but instead by word of mouth recommendations from friends or respected colleagues, teachers, and equipment specialists. Any new expenditure is more likely to be viewed as an investment, and the golfer is seeking the greatest return on investment. There is a growing group of golfers who would rather a product offer them a means to improve their game for the long term in a classic sense, one where their own effort combined with the product will produce optimal long term gains. They are becoming more and more wary of products that simply offer a short term masking of a problem but do not help fix the problem in any way. Last but not least, golfers will gravitate toward owning a product which offers psychological and emotional value as well as intrinsic functional value. Product needs to work, but the experience of trying it and buying it needs to be incredible as well, including the quality of the craftsmanship and materials, and the customer service experience behind the product.
On each of these fronts SeeMore fares very well. So it is really no surprise that SeeMore has been gaining momentum and market share this year and is a brand being talked about a lot by industry insiders as we head into 2010.
First and foremost the putter category is one where many consumers are realizing that an investment may offer the greatest return, in that the easiest way to drop 3-5 strokes off one’s score is to shave them on the greens, and shave them for good. SeeMore’s patented and proven RifleScope Technology is visibly different, and once a golfer takes a few minutes to understand the concept behind the technology (consistently square set up at address, controlled loft and roll, and eliminating variables that lead to inconsistent putting), the SeeMore system seems like the only common sense way to putt. SeeMore is very fortunate to be leading the field in modern putting instruction by having Pat O’Brien on board as an avid SeeMore advocate. Pat has been a friend and putting instructor to Master’s Champion Zach Johnson for 8 years, and has worked with Zach over the years to help him groove one of the finest putting strokes in history. Zach has won every one of his 6 PGA tour events with a SeeMore putter while under the coaching of Pat O’Brien, and has set the all time record on tour for best putting average over the course of a season. Pat is at the forefront of putting instruction, has been featured in many national golf publications as one of the brightest young minds in the industry. Pat believes 100% in the benefits of a SeeMore putter for anyone wanting to improve their putting.
SeeMore is very fortunate to have a very strong base of believers in the product, from the PGA tour level to the PGA teaching level to just plain avid golfers who love the technology and tell everyone they know about it. So SeeMore’s word of mouth momentum is growing every day. Online golf sites have played a very meaningful role to a small brand like SeeMore, because the incredible information that they publish (And THP is rising right to the top of that list) levels the playing field and allows newer and smaller companies like SeeMore to compete with a better product against companies that are far more entrenched on the distribution and advertising front. The more we sell, the more golfers will tell their friends about it, and the more we sell again. It is classic word of mouth.
And this cycle for us has been happening in many countries, which has helped to buffer us against any one market setback. With 2 Major Championships and some incredible visibility from week to week this year by one of the tour’s most popular players who has won twice already and been in the top 5 of the FedEx Cup rankings all year, SeeMore has been validated at the highest levels. When it comes to game improvement SeeMore is widely recognized by opinion leaders as a technology that helps golfers with the greatest challenge in the game, improved alignment and a consistent putting stroke.
Also, in a world where many golfers are tiring of over-designed and over-engineered putters offering massive moment of inertia for forgiveness on off center hits (they actually fight against a golfer trying to improve their stroke to a subtle natural arc favored by 95% of the world’s best putters), SeeMore’s classic designs are a breath of fresh air. SeeMore’s built in alignment aid but simple and clean designs will help a golfer most by allowing him or her to simply set up correct, relax, and make a confident and technically sound putting stroke each and every time. The accountability for improved putting rests on the shoulders of the golfer, with SeeMore’s technology simply being a logical guide offering a simple system for meaningful and lasting improvement.
Finally, in terms of the quality of the product, and the experience of buying the product, SeeMore stands alone. Whether a golfer buys a putter from one of our authorized partners, or orders it directly from SeeMore, we will custom build the putter any way they want it, and we treat every customer the same as a PGA tour player. We encourage ongoing relationships, want to know about your progress, and will offer our resident teaching pros as a resource to make sure that your SeeMore ownership experience is the best you have ever had. SeeMore is a brand that is focused 100% on helping our valued customers improve their golf games through better putting.
We hope you enjoyed what they came up with and realize what they stand for and the passion that they bring to this game and share with us. Below you will find a complete time line showing some of the major points in time during the life of SeeMore Putters as a company. While reading this, we are sure that the true definition of dedication shines through. THP is the site for consumers by consumers, and we have yet to come across another company that cares as much about their customers as SeeMore does.
1998 – SeeMore introduced to market and the tour
July 1999 – First major win (Payne Stewart – US Open-Pinehurst)…
24 Putts final round, longest putt to win US Open on last hole,
holding off Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods
September 1999 – Payne Stewart leads tour in fewest putts per round, has 2 victories…winning Ryder Cup Team, tragically dies the following month
2000-2005 – SeeMore brand tries to recover from the loss of momentum after terrible loss of great Payne Stewart.., essentially winds down market operations
Players continue to Win on all tours using SeeMore putters
2003 – Zach Johnson leads Nationwide Tour in putting average, all time full season tour best 1.699 Putts per GIR…finishes #1 on Nationwide Tour Money list…2 wins
2004 – Zach Johnson wins in First season on PGA Tour, first of 6 so far using SeeMore putters
2006 – Former Odyssey Executives Jim Grundberg and Jason Pouliot purchase SeeMore name and technology, re-launch the brand in the market
2007 – SeeMore launches new 100% USA milled mSeries putters, the finest putters in the industry, using patented and proven RifleScope Technology alignment system
2007 – Second Major Victory, Zach Johnson Wins Masters using SeeMore putter, 27 putts final round, to hold off Tiger Woods
2007 -2009 – SeeMore continues to expand new product offering, garnering rave reviews from serious and avid golfers around the world
2009 – The “new” SeeMore ships putters to over 40 countries, growing sales and proving that great products will always be desired by golfers everywhere….
2009 – Wins 2 THP Readers Choice Awards
2009 – Zach Johnson becomes first player in PGA Tour History to record 2 career scores of 60 or better on the PGA Tour (2007 East Lake Tour Championship 3d round, 2009 Texas Open 3d round)
Make sure you check out their website at www.seemore.com and of course their blog that gets updated quite a bit at SeeMore Putters Blog. You will be glad that you did.
Till Next Time
Josh B.
I love hearing the history of companies. This was a great write up and a fantastic start to Putter Week.
Love reading things like this. I had not heard of this group until finding your site and since that time I have been using a fgp putter that I got from Edwin Watts. Absolutely love it. Thanks guys.
This was fun and entertaining. To think that a company had a major win with Payne and that bascially sat dormant for 5 years is crazy. Hats off to the new guys for bringing this line back to life. Great article. I love history.
Great start to putter week. You’ve got a tough act to follow the rest of the week but somehow I think you’ll manage! Great company and great story.
I agree with the above poster. This is a solid start to putter week. However with all of their accolades they have received, I would have made them last. Just my thoughts. I really enjoy reading profiles like this and the companie’s words come to life on the page.
One last thing, I need that putter badly. thank you for the biown up pictures.
Just stumbled across this via twitter and like what I see. Good article and even better pictures. Seems this love can get lost on the large OEMs and its nice to see it still exists.
That first picture is what putter pictures should look like. Perfect blades of grass and all. Thanks.
This is solid stuff. I have used a Seemore putter for about 2 years now and love it. Mine is not as cool as the one in the pictures though.
I must resist temptation and this putter. That thing is redonkulous looking and just beautiful. I want one now. I hope the best is first, because I am not sure I can take more days of this.
If this is just opening day of these articles, I cannot wait for the rest. Curious as to how you went about the choosing process to narrow it down to just 5 companies.
Mike,
It was very hard to pick only five because there are so many great companies out there. We based it on three things though.
1. Reader emails
2. Opinions from THP staff
3. Look and performance of the putters.
I only live 60 miles from their lab..
I should save up a few bucks and go get fitted….
Lord knows anything could help my game…
I know I have left comments on other discussions of SeeMore putters…but I can’t resist.
I have had many putters in the last few years (Camerons, Ping, Odyssey, Nike). I won the SeeMore in the Charity Raffle. The first time I played with it, I putted better than in years…without any practice. My alignment has never been better.
For those of you who are considering buying one or going and getting fitted, stop thinking and pull the trigger…you will not regret it.
I agree with the above commenter. I got my Seemore after reading about them on this site. Since the first round with it, I will never replace it. Great stuff.
I have never seen these before. I knew seemore, but not this version. very lovely.
You would have to kill me to take my Seemore bronze fgp
I have never tried these but noticed my local Edwin Watts now carries them. I will have to check them out. Very entertaining stuff in here.
Very cool. Great looking pictures and a good story.
I have been using a Seemore since 1996 and it has brought so much joy to my golf game! 1 month after getting it I had 21 putts with no chip ins. Ever since then i have helped many people have similar results!
Great read JB. Clean, simple no-nonsense putters. I like that RifleScope technology – makes perfect sense and obviously has had great results. Payne Stewart is my all-time favorite tour player, and I really like Zach Johnson. Both are great spokesmen for SeeMore – men with a lot of integrity and great core values.
Great article. I love my Seemore so its great to read about the company. The putter has helped my putting a lot and hopefully it will keep improving.
I have been surfing online more than 2 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours.
It’s pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.