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TaylorMade Spider Blade Putter - Forum Review

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tpluff said:
Yeah those were my questions, do not know what happened. You answered both right on though.
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Glad to hear it. Someones shinannagens I guess, but oh well. I've become so accustomed to a mid mallet putter that playing the blade feels really odd, but this is really early in the testing and I hope things come around for it quickly.
 
KellyBo said:
Duey - It's interesting that you're finding the putter to be hot on short putts. Our greens are slower than usual lately because they were punched and sanded about 3 weeks ago. They're starting to speed up so I will get a true test of this putter on super fast greens very soon. It performed pretty well for me in Orlando last week but there was a big adjustment period from front to back.
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I really was surprised by it after reading your thoughts going in. I will say that two days in a row we started on slow wet greens that changed to blazing fast by 1 PM as the wind and sun dried things out. But, switching back to my old putter seemed to confirm to me that I just couldn't put as strong of a stroke on the ball.
 
I practiced putting for about 15-20 minutes before my round today. It didn't help. Wish I could report I had a wonderful round but honestly I had a great ball striking round but my putting was not there. I burned the edges all day. I just couldn't get the read or speed right. I still feel I'm rolling the putter well and the ball is going where I aim it but I just struggled getting the ball in the hole. I only managed to sink one birdie that was about 5' but had several more opportunities and couldn't make them.

My stats from today were:

putts = 37
one putts = 2
two putts = 13
three putts = 3

I was putting aggressively all day and it cost me. Several putts went past the hole by 3-4' and I was unable to make the come back putt. We had some wicked breaks today too. I must say that this is something I have seen over and over again at our course. The defense of our course is its greens and I've putted worse before. I also used a new ball today so the feel might have been a little off. Just disappointed because I shot an 83 and it should have been much better but my putting was just off.
 
Sorry to hear the putting was a bit off yesterday, Kelly, it happens to us all at some point. I've had those days pretty often lately and started changing my pre-putt routine when it does and its made quite a bit of difference.
 
Putting stats from today's round

I had 9 GIR's and shot an 83

1 putts = 2
2 putts = 14
3 putts =2
Total putts = 36
Average per hole = 2

I still had 36 putts today but I feel I putted much better today than I did yesterday. My problem today was that my approach shots were too far away from the hole. I am playing a different ball and the distance and trajectory is very different so I haven't quite zeroed in on how far they travel. My two three putts were just plain stupid. One was about 2' away and we were rushing so I took it for granted and hurried resulting in a lip out. The other was just a slight misread of a break that barely missed.

I had a lot of long putts today. I was extremely pleased with how close I was getting on most of my first attempts. Most were tap ins and I had nine pars today. That is more than I would normally get with so many long putts. The farthest that I left one from over 30' out was about 3.5' and that is the one I lipped out. Most were within 1 foot which was REALLY good if you could see the breaks and distances I was dealing with on many holes.

We had our LGA play day today. We always bet on who has the least number of 3 putts. I tied to win it with only two which is respectable at our course. I am never happy about having any 3 putts though.
 
KellyBo said:
Putting stats from today's round

I had 9 GIR's and shot an 83

1 putts = 2
2 putts = 14
3 putts =2
Total putts = 36
Average per hole = 2

I still had 36 putts today but I feel I putted much better today than I did yesterday. My problem today was that my approach shots were too far away from the hole. I am playing a different ball and the distance and trajectory is very different so I haven't quite zeroed in on how far they travel. My two three putts were just plain stupid. One was about 2' away and we were rushing so I took it for granted and hurried resulting in a lip out. The other was just a slight misread of a break that barely missed.

I had a lot of long putts today. I was extremely pleased with how close I was getting on most of my first attempts. Most were tap ins and I had nine pars today. That is more than I would normally get with so many long putts. The farthest that I left one from over 30' out was about 3.5' and that is the one I lipped out. Most were within 1 foot which was REALLY good if you could see the breaks and distances I was dealing with on many holes.

We had our LGA play day today. We always bet on who has the least number of 3 putts. I tied to win it with only two which is respectable at our course. I am never happy about having any 3 putts though.
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Keep working KB, it'll get there! You're capable of mid-70s every time out! I noticed your putter lookeD longer than normal, but not all the way to the belly. Was that on purpose?
 
Some great write ups so far everybody!

I'm not shocked to see some say the face feels "hot" on short putts, since I was seeing and feeling the same thing with DLL.
 
Miller Time said:
Keep working KB, it'll get there! You're capable of mid-70s every time out! I noticed your putter lookeD longer than normal, but not all the way to the belly. Was that on purpose?
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Thanks Josh! Yes, the putter is designed to play 2-3 inches longer because the grip is longer and heavier to counterbalance the weight of the putter. The idea is to choke up on the putter by 2-3 inches to make it work as designed. It really feels great and stabilizes your stroke. They only sell two lengths, the 35" and the 38". You would obviously need the 38" to make it work properly for you. It has really taken the "wobble" out of my stroke.
 
KellyBo said:
Thanks Josh! Yes, the putter is designed to play 2-3 inches longer because the grip is longer and heavier to counterbalance the weight of the putter. The idea is to choke up on the putter by 2-3 inches to make it more work as designed. It really feels great and stabilizes your stroke. They only sell two lengths, the 35" and the 38". You would obviously need the 38" to make it work properly for you. It has really taken the "wobble" out of my stroke.
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Have you ever tried a belly? And would you game one even though its getting outlawed? No judging here!
 
Yes I have and this is the next best thing to a belly. I loved it up close but had a little problem with distance. You would have been proud of my lag putts today! Of course, I had some of the same putts today that I had yesterday so I was a bit wiser. :)
 
Well yesterday I got out and played my home course. Greens are getting much better. The ball is rolling better, but the greens are still a tad slow. I shot a 83.

Front 9 - 15 Putts
Back 9 - 17 Putts
Total - 32 Putts

1 Putts - 6
2 Putts - 10
3 Putts - 2

I had one 3 putt bogey that really really irritated me. Completely my fault. I was confident in my line so I tried to bang it home and blew it by about 4 feet and missed it coming back.

I have noticed that when I made myself choke up an extra half inch more than what I thought was 3 inches, I started rolling the ball much, much better. I feel with the extra choke up the putter is extremely stable. I line all of my putts up with the logo on the side of the ball and I can say that with this putter where you line up is where you putt it. Also I should note that the extra choking up seemed to help me with the longer putts and touch with them. The more I get used to it the more I enjoy this putter.
 
Well done Six. I was wondering just how much others were choking up, I really don't think I'm choking down far enough.

32 putts is solid, great job!
 
thedue said:
Well done Six. I was wondering just how much others were choking up, I really don't think I'm choking down far enough.

32 putts is solid, great job!
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Thanks bud! Shoulda been at least 31 maybe 30. Tomorrow I'm going to take a few pictures of my grip on where it was and where I'm choking up too even more now.
 
Great putting round Six. I would love to have six one putts. I am also finding that choking way down helps me putt better. I'm choking down about 3".
 
KellyBo said:
Thanks Josh! Yes, the putter is designed to play 2-3 inches longer because the grip is longer and heavier to counterbalance the weight of the putter. The idea is to choke up on the putter by 2-3 inches to make it work as designed. It really feels great and stabilizes your stroke. They only sell two lengths, the 35" and the 38". You would obviously need the 38" to make it work properly for you. It has really taken the "wobble" out of my stroke.
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At the big box stores, you will only find the two lengths, as Kelly said. But, on their web site, you can special order any length. So, you can be fitted for length and then order the exact length required.
 
lopsta5 said:
Some very nice thoughts already. I think the putter and cover look awesome, with the black, white and red theme.
The putter itself looks heavy, is it heavy or just looks heavy with the weights? Also are the screws on the back just screws to put the putter together or can they be changed as weights like the new taylormade drivers. Thanks
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Can anyone help out. :)
 
lopsta5 said:
Can anyone help out. :)
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Lopsta, the Spider Blade is on the heavy side at 355g and then you add the grip at another 160g and yes this thing is pretty hefty. However, through the method of gripping down about 3" you find a very comfortable swing weight. I honestly do not know about the weights, I doubt they can be changed out lighter without sacrificing control, but thats possible. The putter has like 11 parts including 2 different grades of steel, tungsten and 3M foam, I'm not too sure I'd want to take this thing apart even if I could, lol. Hope that helps.
 
Well it's not raining! I'm headed out for a round with this little beauty! Will report back later.
 
Ill start by saying that I've not got to play much lately so my putting isn't up to par.
I got out for a quick little 9 holes at Hawthorn Ridge in Aledo. It's the closest course to me and its actually fairly nice. Anyway, the look and feel to this putter is very good. It took me a little while on the range to get used to choking down on it but it wasn't a big deal.

I had terrible speed control today, the greens were extremely wet from all the rain we have had. I'm sure me not playing in a while didn't help either. I left some 5 feet short and blew some 5 ft. by. I think the sound of the putter had a little to do with leaving them short.(more on that later)

My putter stroke today felt a bit wobbly. This is something I deal with on a regular basis,however after some of the other reviews I was hopeing that wouldnt be the case. Probably just need more time with it.

Now onto the sound of the putter. I couldn't get over the TING sound that it makes. No matter if I needed to roll it 3ft. Or 30 ft. that ting sound was still there. After hearing it the first few times I'm sure it caused me to leave a few short because it sounded like I was really pounding the ball. Maybe ill get used to it.
All in all it's a good looking putter that I'm sure I just need more time with. However it hasn't knocked the seemore out of the bag just yet. (Pics to follow)
 
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Jacob - I'm curious as to how much you were choking down on the grip. Also, I haven't noticed a TING sound. I'll have to pay more attention to the sound next time I'm out with it.
 
I would say I was chocking down probably 3 1/2 inches. Mine is the 35.
 
Gamed this one tonight in league play, and putted decently well with it for a total of 15 putts. I missed a few make-able birdie putts, but it was all on me, not the flatstick.

I will have a full writeup tomorrow on this, but wanted to drop in a full thoughts.

Ever since I first got the Spider Blade in it, I have been trying to put my finger on the concept of this putter, but haven't been able to. Today, during my round, it dawned on me. As I am a golfer who prefers the stability of a mallet or mid-mallet type putter, I have often shied away from blades as I don't feel they give me a stable putting stroke. While I love the look of a blade type putter, I often just figured they would not "work" with me due to twisting the face during my stroke. With this blade, TaylorMade has engineered a blade style putter for those golfers who prefer the feel and stability of a mallet style putter.

The feel, stroke, and results, all give me the feel of rolling a mallet type putter, even though it's basically a true blade style putter. The backweighting and counterbalance, paired with the heavier head give the golfer a stable stroke to put the ball on their intended line with a true roll.

Genius, TaylorMade, genius.
 
thedue said:
Lopsta, the Spider Blade is on the heavy side at 355g and then you add the grip at another 160g and yes this thing is pretty hefty. However, through the method of gripping down about 3" you find a very comfortable swing weight. I honestly do not know about the weights, I doubt they can be changed out lighter without sacrificing control, but thats possible. The putter has like 11 parts including 2 different grades of steel, tungsten and 3M foam, I'm not too sure I'd want to take this thing apart even if I could, lol. Hope that helps.
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Ok thank you for the info. I might have to look at these at the shop, that's if they are on the market already.
 
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