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Insert Putters - What are your thoughts?

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Jman

Jman

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We have had a few different insert threads but none hitting on exactly what I want to get to, so a new thread is OK here IMO.

Now, I pride myself on knowing a lot about putters from a design perspective as it pertains to balance, roll, sound (feel), materials, production processes, etc...but one area I'm not quite happy with my all around familiarity is with inserts.

Clearly there are TONS of different inserts out there and no two are alike, but talking to JB in Florida at the show the comment came up as we were talking about all kinds of things that people make a large fuss about milled putters here (I'm guilty as a "milled guy") but if we simply look to the PGA Tour the number of insert users DWARFS that of non-insert users. Heck, Odyssey is something like 40+% on the tour, and they don't pay, clearly there is something to it all.

So, why not have a discussion about it all? What are your thoughts? What are your favorites? Why do you lean the way you do on the topic? This one could be a good one for ALL of us to learn something.
 
The old ping scottsdale with the insert is my favorite ever. Not sure why I ever parted ways with it but it was awesome. Soft feel and rolled true just a great putter and insert combo
 
I am currently loving the surlyn insert in the Spider Blade by TaylorMade. It is clicky, which I prefer to the softer insert of say an Odyssey. I also liked the copper insert in the SeeMore PR line. I feel like the harder insert gives me better feel and control over my putts, especially longer lag putts.
 
I am an Insert fan, for sure. Without a doubt, my favorite it the Pure Roll from Taylormade. Fell in love with it initially in the Corza Ghost and am thankful that they continue to work on it on their newer models.

Metal-X from Odyssey was a new style, and I immediately fell in love with that style as well.

For me, the insert is a nice feature to have, as it can really define the putter feel for the golfer, and via inserts, can really help the consumer narrow down their choice.
 
Insert fan here. I love the white ice Odyssey face. The pop off the face and my distance control with it is amazing. I had a milled zebra tear drop before it. I also have a Odyssey white ice 2 Ball and I just ordered the Taylor Made Manta today on eBay with the surylun true roll face and I can't wait to try it out.

-Sent from my S4 Active using taptalk
 
I personally do not know a lot about inserts or the performance characteristics of different ones. For me it purely comes down to a specific feel that is pleasing to me. I can say that I do like the feel of a milled putter. Right now I am playing the original Metal X, which is an insert and I love the feel. Maybe if I had a high tech device that could prove or disprove the performance aspects of each I may view it differently, but until then, what putter I play will always come down to how comfortable I am with it in my hands and how good I believe it feels coming off the face, whether that be with an insert or milled face putter.
 
I'm not a big insert fan, if I am going to use one, I prefer it to be on the firmer side. I like a bit of a click when I hit the ball, I find that I can control the distance better with a firmer face. This was the main reason I had a custom insert made for my Versa, I loved the alignment but did not like the softer feel.
 
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See, for me it all comes back to that feel (SOUND) word when it comes to inserts, I was thinking about this earlier. I have always adored the roll I have gotten off of the various White Hot inserts I've tried, but the marshamallow feeling (lack of sound/click) of them ha always driven me away...but why? I honestly don't know. I will say, I'm becoming a fan more with the WHP insert as they firmed it up a bit and have given me a little more of a dense "click".

The pinnacle for me as a sound guy from an insert though has been the MX insert because it is the combo of the click sound I love backed by the white hot insert...I also think that is the reason it "missed" with some, so many people are a one or the other (insert or not) kind of person.

I also really like the Smart Square insert, solid roll, solid sound.
 
I am new to the whole golf thing, but I've tried gaming both milled and insert putters in the seven or so months I've been playing. I finally settled on the STX ProFIT 6 because the black insert (their softest one) has given me the most control of ball speed/distance on the greens. It also gives a very muted sound off of the face, which I actually prefer.

However, if you told me that I needed to change one aspect of my putter between style (blade/mallet), insert (yes/no), or hosel shape, I'd give up the insert. I prefer to game a center shafted mallet.
 
I love putters in general and really would like to learn more about all aspects of them. Inserts are an area of intrigue for me seeing the way people seem to be so loyal to either a milled face or a specific insert. Definitely curious on others' thoughts on inserts.

I've really liked the Odyssey metal-x and Ping Scottsdale TR inserts, and especially the forgiveness on the TR insert. I've heard the white hot pro inserts are really well liked, but never had the chance to roll one. I'd like to see what that's all about at some point.
 
I personally have not found an insert that I have liked. The last insert putter I had was an old Odyssey Rosie putter about 15 years ago. I have always liked the feel of a solid steel milled face. That said, I probably need to at least explore the more modern insert putters. I shy away from them when testing putters in golf shops due to my long standing disdain for inserts. I opened my mind to mallets with my recent purchase of a mFGP2 so now I guess I should open my mind to trying putters with inserts again.
 
I used to be a milled only person but have become more of an I don't care player regarding inserts. I personally think that inserts (and I will also include face milling patterns) are designed to provide different sound/feel for the player. When I find a putter that fits my stroke, the last thing I think about is whether it has an insert or not. I simply want a putter that allows me to tell where on the face I am making contact.

I think players play more insert putters simply because more manufacturers are making putters with inserts. I think it is a big advantage from an R&D perspective. OEMs can easily remove one insert and replace it with a different one and not have to recreate an entire putter head. Consumers play them because that is what they see on TV and is what the stores keep in stock.
 
Always a fan of Odyssey inserts, especially White Hot variations. I have a TM Spider Blade now and like the Pure Roll. For me it depends on the greens I'm putting. If they're fast, I'll go with a milled putter. If they're slow, I tend to like an insert.
 
I have never been able to roll an insert putter for long with the exception of the Scotty RedX2, but even then the insert was a milled face insert suspended in a more conventional insert material. I may just end up with one in June if that is what is recommended by SeeMore.
 
I have used two insert putters before. Nike Method Drone and the Daddy Long Legs. The Nike was metal and I got a lot of pop from it as compared to the surlyn in the DLL which was too soft for me and I created a lot of short putts. After my experience with the SeeMore, I am going to stay away from inserts and go milled.
 
Definitely a fan of the inserts. Still love my pure roll in my Fontana 770. I just love the soft feel of an insert over milled counterparts. That is, until recent discoveries. Companies like Taylormade isn't making milled putters because they see inserts as superior.
 
I tend to dislike pillowy inserts. The Scotsdale and White Hot (all of them) never appealed to me.

But insert technology can really make a putter face uniform.

Taylormade, Ping, Nike, and Cleveland have gotten it right this year with their inserts.
 
Metal X was my 1st insert and it'll likely be my last. When you know you just know.
 
blugold said:
I tend to dislike pillowy inserts. The Scotsdale and White Hot (all of them) never appealed to me.

But insert technology can really make a putter face uniform.

Taylormade, Ping, Nike, and Cleveland have gotten it right this year with their inserts.
Click to expand...

If you like pillowy. Roll a Bobby Grace.
 
Jman said:
If you like pillowy. Roll a Bobby Grace.
Click to expand...

Isn't that a milled putter though? For whatever reason, really soft inserts feel dead to me. Plus they sound weird. Soft milled putters feel great. I dunno.
 
blugold said:
Isn't that a milled putter though? For whatever reason, really soft inserts feel dead to me. Plus they sound weird. Soft milled putters feel great. I dunno.
Click to expand...

Nah, Grace is a big time insert guy.
 
I prefer an insert putter. I really like the Metal-X from Odyssey
 
I games a Ping Anser2 Scottsdale with an insert last year and loved it.

I recently bought a Cleveland Classic HB10 with a milled face, and like it very much!
More recently, I bought a Seemore FGP and am a man in love! For what it's worth, I also got a Si2 and like that very much too!
I've said that I always prefer an insert,I am not sure I'd prefer either, if the putter puts the little white ball in the cup, I love that particular putter!
 
I'm definitely a guy that doesn't prefer one to the other, but I have had all 3 in different forms along the way. I like the marshmallowy inserts like my white ice for really fast greens. In the putter madness contest, I recieved a TM Maranello with the pure roll and I really like how it feels. It's got good deep click with some cushion to the hit. I'll likely game it most rounds this year.

sent without the boss's knowledge...
 
This is going to sound totally biased, but there's something about putting something inside of a piece of pre-exiting metal that indicates to me that it's there to alter the power-in to power-out ratio. It's there to function either as a resistor or an amplifier. Forgetting about sound or appearance, that's what I think about. Unfortunately, the inserts I've used so far have just not been able to get a good feel for distance from insert putters. If it's all in my head, then I happily accept it, but milled putters that I've used have returned a much more even power-in to power-out ratio in terms of creating 6' of roll from a 6' swing, as it were.
 
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