THP TV - Bridgestone True Balance Putters

[Johnny mojo]

Let's talk grip...

There has been a lot of discussion about grip size. Most notably with the SS grips. One of the things I learned on our conference call with Bridgestone was that there are TWO different grip sizes. One that is comparable to a SS 2.0 and one that is smaller like a Ping or a Golf Pride. In going back through my notes, I am now unclear if there are two sizes of the Yellow grip or if the smaller one discussed was only on the steel double bend shaft. I intent to find out though.

This is different than a sS grip in that it is tapered where SS grips are constant from top to bottom. This first picture shows the shape of the grip. The Black medallion is representative of the shape of the grip with the flat portion being the front.

Here is a pic compared to an older SS 1.3 55. Yes, the yellow grip on the Bridgestone is quite a bit longer than the standard SS grip.

At the top of the handle, the Bridgestone grip measures 4.5" and the SS is a constant 4"

The lower portion of the grip tapers to 3 and 7/8"

continued....

 

[Nebgolfer]

Great stuff Mojo. The suspense is killing me with these brief posts and then long waits!

 

[Johnny mojo]

The EVA grip is interesting. Somewhere, somebody referred to is as almost slick. The very dense closed cell material is soft yet firm to the touch and I could see where in cool dry conditions a sort of unstable, slippery feel might be experienced. Especially, with dry hands, so remember to moisturize. At this point, I can't discuss how regular wear may increase or decrease tactile sensitivity and grip though. Needless to say, for those that use these in MB, cool and dry will not be an issue, so no problem there.

The grip at the top of the handle is a little too large for my taste, but because of the taper and the length of the grip, I found that I could grip down to find the Sweet Spot where there was a nice combination of comfort and feel.

The Gate Effect - Bridgestone claims that the putter "Gates" through the stroke more naturally because of the concentration of weight closer to the sole of the putter. I DID feel this, but not consistently at the course. This became a more ingrained when I got home and practiced on my "green" at the house. It is easy to see what they mean, but like any other putter this will take time to ingrain in my stroke and trust.

Stand and Deliver - the whole stand up on its own thing is interesting and illustrates the concentration of weight at the bottom of the club. Does it do anything else? When we talked with Bridgestone, they freely admitted that this was an unplanned consequence of the design, but unique nonetheless. After messing around at home, I found a couple of things that together really benefit from this balance feature.

With Super Stroke grips we have learned that the larger diameter grips help take our wrists out of the stroke and the tension out of our grip. The EVA grip does the same thing. For all of you who are SPI Method students, there is a "thumbs off" drill that promotes a shoulder rock and a tension free grip. When this putter is soled, you can almost ENTIRELY release your grip and the putter stays still virtually 100% aligned to your line unless you want to make an adjustment. This allows you to be confident that nothing will change as you relax your grip. It's pretty confidence inspiring. I hope that made sense.

continued...

 

[Johnny mojo]

Final thoughts...

As I was out on the putting green and the clock was approaching 6, Joe stepped out of the pro shop and gave me the high sign. It was time to go in and pull the trigger or put it back. I got in side and he asked me what I thought. I said something to the effect of "it sure is different" and he said yeah, and started talking about how he liked heavy putters (which I do as well) and that he wasn't sold on the concept.

We chatted for a few minutes and I explained to him the concept behind the putter and what we learned from Bridgestone when we talked. He asked for it and stroked some putts on the carpet and nodded that he could see what I was talking about. I think the wheels were turning in his head at that point. It was then that I decided to pull the trigger on this weapon.

1. I knew and understood more about this putter than he did and when presented with the rationale behind the design, he already started to believe in it more than he had when I walked in the door. 2. After thinking about what I had just said to him, I knew that even though it was foreign to me in the 35 minutes or so I had been messing with it, it WAS a sound concept and I needed to give it a chance. 3. Putters are personal. She will be my sweetheart. I will love her, pet her and talk sweetly to her. By the time we get to Myrtle Beach, she will kill for me!

Thanks for tuning in and let me know if I can answer any questions. I will do what I can to get you what you need. Tomorrow will be a round and Sunday will be a short game and putting session. Sorry for the broken up posts, but I'm on a tablet, and they sometimes drop things and I didn't want to lose a bunch of work and have to start over. Breaking it up is sort of an insurance policy.

JM

 

[kc720]

Thanks for the thoughts JM! It was a great read. I need to go back and play with this putter some more

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[Johnny mojo]

Which one did you go with Johnny?

The blade style TB03.

JM

 

[Johnny mojo]

NOOOOOOICE!

I take it that you approved like I thought you might...

I really think I will, but there will be an adjustment phase. Since writing this have made 37 of 48 from 10 - 12 feet. It's starting to feel natural.

JM

 

[Nebgolfer]

Man, JM, that was 1 hell of a write up. I'm still waiting for my local store to get these in so I can get hands on experience with one. I went out to the putting green this morning and was struggling primarily with pace, and with Bridgestone's claims that this helps with that, it has me quite a bit excited to try it out. Not sure if the wife will let me justify buying one before MB, but that's where my mind is at right now because like you said, it's a very personal thing, and a few months to adjust is much preferred to a few hours.

 

[Johnny mojo]

This putter is the real deal folks. Yes, the grip is different, but I must say, I'm already used to it. Because it is tapered, you can grip up or down as desired to find the sweet spot as far as the size goes.

The first putt on number one for me yesterday was up hill left to right about 30 feet and it just hung on the edge. This putter just putts such a good roll on the ball. It's not a magic stick mind you. You have to put a good stroke on the ball, but to me it helps to do that, and here's how:

As Bridgestone states on their site, the putter "gates" more naturally and allows the face to square through the stroke. This is SO true. The lowering of the weight as close to the sole as possible is a big part of this, I'm sure. These two features combined really showed me some things. After the round, I spent about an hour on the putting green which rolled MUCH better than the one I was at the night before after work. I really found that I had to just trust the line and put a good stroke on the ball. The gating took care of the rest and I didn't have to TRY to make the putter gate.

Im now as comfortable pacing this putter as any other I have had. It did take a little dedicated practice, but I wouldn't say any more than when you get a new flat stick. The hardest ones were the up hill putts from longer than average distance. When I tried to manipulate the putter to hit it harder to cover the distance, the putts were no not nearly as accurate. Smooth is the word of the day with True Balance. If you put a smooth stroke on it, the putter takes care of a lot of the other for you. Tis is a tweet of me Fehertwitting at the course before the round.

For those of you that may have concerns about receiving this the day before play begins in MB, knowing what I know now, I would not worry. This really is an interesting new concept in a putter and one that I think will be proven as time goes along. I got looks from all over the practice green and from guys on the next tee too. I'm sure it was the grip. One guy asked me where I got the Kids Golf putter. Me being a short fella, i guess it was a legit question. After I drained 4 from 15 feet he walks over and says "what is that thing?" I told him.........A balanced approach to putting.

JM

 

[Tadashi70]

I want to get my hands on one of these so bad. None to be found in Orlando, ugh

 

[Johnny mojo]

Thursday 4/10 you can.....

 

[Mmaynard11]

JM, since you've had some serious work put in with the TB, do you think it will take a lot of time to get comfortable with it,

 

[Johnny mojo]

I REALLY don't.

For those of you that may have concerns about receiving this the day before play begins in MB, knowing what I know now, I would not worry. This really is an interesting new concept in a putter and one that I think will be proven as time goes along. I got looks from all over the practice green and from guys on the next tee too. I'm sure it was the grip. One guy asked me where I got the Kids Golf putter. Me being a short fella, i guess it was a legit question. After I drained 4 from 15 feet he walks over and says "what is that thing?" I told him.........A balanced approach to putting.


JM

The two things that I had to adjust for we're the grip and pace on the longer putts. The grip is longer than most standard grips, so it's just a matter of moving your hands up or down to find the most comfortable diameter part for your hands. Pacing of the longer putts was a trust thing for me. I just hand to trust that it would get there and that I didn't necessarily need to hit it harder, but rather with a more focused and smooth effort. I made those adjustments in about an hour of focused effort on a good green.

JM

 

[Mmaynard11]

I REALLY don't.


The two things that I had to adjust for we're the grip and pace on the longer putts. The grip is longer than most standard grips, so it's just a matter of moving your hands up or down to find the most comfortable diameter part for your hands. Pacing of the longer putts was a trust thing for me. I just hand to trust that it would get there and that I didn't necessarily need to hit it harder, but rather with a more focused and smooth effort. I made those adjustments in about an hour of focused effort on a good green.

JM

Didn't even see that post. I figured you would have talked about that, regarding your detailed review.

Thanks for shedding the light!

 

[AMart]

Fantastic thoughts JM. I'm really excited to try out this putter in July. I love the fact that people at the course were skeptical. Just drop those putts and walk away with it standing upright!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[Johnny mojo]

Didn't even see that post. I figured you would have talked about that, regarding your detailed review.

Thanks for shedding the light!

LOL, I have gotten a little verbose with this write up, but its been cool to see the things we talked about with Bridgestone on this putter actually happen in real world, on the green. Oh, and for those of you wondering about the right side miss? There were so many things going on yesterday in my testing that I didn't pay as much attention to that as I should have. The fact that I made a LOT of putts in my session tells me it helped though.

JM

 

[Mmaynard11]

I think this will be my next purchase. Found a steal on the TD-01.

 

[Nebgolfer]

Where at Maynard?? The more you guys keep talking about these the more I want one to try out!

 

[Mmaynard11]

Check out the bay.

 

[kc720]

Yes available on the bay for 166 is cheapest I found

 

[Nebgolfer]

Check out the bay.

Yes available on the bay for 166 is cheapest I found

"She will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine..."

Might wait to try them out to see if I like the blade or mallet better. Any idea if the ones on the bay are the large grip or the standard grip? I don't see a mention of grip size.

 

[kc720]

"She will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine..."

Might wait to try them out to see if I like the blade or mallet better. Any idea if the ones on the bay are the large grip or the standard grip? I don't see a mention of grip size.

From every true balance putter I've seen they are all one size grip so far. Somewhere between SS 2.0 and 3.0

 

[Johnny mojo]

Agree with Kang here. I had written down in my notes from the call that there were two different grip sizes, but I am now thinking that might be a reference to the TD-02 with the double bend steel shaft. The grip on that one is smaller since it is standard.

JM

 

[kc720]

Agree with Kang here. I had written down in my notes from the call that there were two different grip sizes, but I am now thinking that might be a reference to the TD-02 with the double bend steel shaft. The grip on that one is smaller since it is standard.

JM

Yeah that has to be it. I rolled both versions of the true balance again today at PGA store for an hour. Still struggling with the light weight. Gotta be my stroke

 

[Howzat]

Interesting that guys are struggling with the weight for a putter that should be tough to decelerate. I really need to roll one of these for myself.