Any chance of making the photos full image and not thumbnails?
Astral Putters Review
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Sorry...will do now.
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- Joined
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A couple of comments I left out of my previous post. First is once I get dialed on I can't wait to play around with some "wild" setups, like 180 degrees from my zero offest. More importantly, with what I have now as my setup, I KNOW that if I put a good stroke on the ball it is going exactly on the line I intend. If I have the right read and speed it's going in from any reasonable distance. I am now making 7' to 15' foot putts with regularity and confidence if (a big if granted) I do have the speed and read.
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Today's round was not as good, but I don't blame the putter at all. This one was all me and my eyes and my struggle to see breaks these days. (Don't have LASIK, kids. Just kidding. It's great everywhere but the greens.)
The course today is a tricky one where the greens are the main defense and there are almost zero flat spots and since it was a tournament I guess they wanted to putt most of the pins on mounds and ridges that were of questionable sanity, but it is what it is. I missed multiple 3-5 footers because I couldn't see the break and didn't give it enough or else those got in my head and I "saw" more break than was actually there and missed high. I would much rather putt from long distance, where I felt much more comfortable and the breakdown by distance shows it. Pretty close to where I want to be (5 HDCP range) with the longer putts, but the <10 ft range was mostly those missed short ones.
38 total putts, but 19 of those were in the first 7 holes, including a 4 putt from around 40 ft where the third putt was dead on line but left it a few inches short... from like 5 feet. Five 3 putt holes overall.
I can truly say only one miss was due to the putter - but only because of my stroke, not the putter itself. Now that I have a putter with so much toe hang, I've got to trust the arc on the backstroke even on the short ones so the toe can close back down to square - if I don't it will be a closed face at impact and I absolutely did that on a short one on one of our last holes. I had put a 41 ft first putt close but then choked on the short clean up, didn't open the face on the backswing and stabbed at it and lipped it out on the left. All me. The putter did exactly what it was supposed to do. I think I could get away with those some on my old putter.
I did roll in a perfect 26 foot Bertie Pot on one hole with about 2 ft of break over the final 6 ft or so. Had a lot of other mid to long putts where I hit my line and had good speed. I just couldn't make the short ones today.
The putter itself still looks and feels great. The way the blue finish changes color depending on the lighting is still kind of wild - everything from a deep marine blue, to a steely blueish almost teal, to a bright blue. It is really unique. Makes it special.
The course today is a tricky one where the greens are the main defense and there are almost zero flat spots and since it was a tournament I guess they wanted to putt most of the pins on mounds and ridges that were of questionable sanity, but it is what it is. I missed multiple 3-5 footers because I couldn't see the break and didn't give it enough or else those got in my head and I "saw" more break than was actually there and missed high. I would much rather putt from long distance, where I felt much more comfortable and the breakdown by distance shows it. Pretty close to where I want to be (5 HDCP range) with the longer putts, but the <10 ft range was mostly those missed short ones.
38 total putts, but 19 of those were in the first 7 holes, including a 4 putt from around 40 ft where the third putt was dead on line but left it a few inches short... from like 5 feet. Five 3 putt holes overall.
I can truly say only one miss was due to the putter - but only because of my stroke, not the putter itself. Now that I have a putter with so much toe hang, I've got to trust the arc on the backstroke even on the short ones so the toe can close back down to square - if I don't it will be a closed face at impact and I absolutely did that on a short one on one of our last holes. I had put a 41 ft first putt close but then choked on the short clean up, didn't open the face on the backswing and stabbed at it and lipped it out on the left. All me. The putter did exactly what it was supposed to do. I think I could get away with those some on my old putter.
I did roll in a perfect 26 foot Bertie Pot on one hole with about 2 ft of break over the final 6 ft or so. Had a lot of other mid to long putts where I hit my line and had good speed. I just couldn't make the short ones today.
The putter itself still looks and feels great. The way the blue finish changes color depending on the lighting is still kind of wild - everything from a deep marine blue, to a steely blueish almost teal, to a bright blue. It is really unique. Makes it special.
Looking at my shot scope stats for my round on Saturday. I’m a 19 HC trying to get to 15. I had 2.3 strokes gained on a 15 HC in the putting category.
Rolled some putts on the mat tonight. Getting to where I trust the putting stroke and let the putter do the work. You still have to make a good stroke. The putter is not gonna do it all for you, but once you get to a setting you like, it just feels natural.
Looking forward to testing cooper and steel inserts. Not sure they will beat out the brass. I love how solid it feels. Ball comes off the insert clean and gets rolling end over end quick.
Rolled some putts on the mat tonight. Getting to where I trust the putting stroke and let the putter do the work. You still have to make a good stroke. The putter is not gonna do it all for you, but once you get to a setting you like, it just feels natural.
Looking forward to testing cooper and steel inserts. Not sure they will beat out the brass. I love how solid it feels. Ball comes off the insert clean and gets rolling end over end quick.
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Sounds like you are heading to the same trust that I have found...awesome! I have been negligent in praising the brass insert as well. The differences are pretty minor IMO and all perform great. It came down to feel to me and copper has the edge personally. With every insert I have noticed the ball rolls much truer and smoother. I attribute this mainly due to the ease and consistency in squaring the face at impact. Would love to hear from other testers, @BC.Astral and @Jman .
Your observation on ball roll is something we see across the board. In fact, we've got the club with a pro golfer that specifically sought us out after trying his friend's putter. According to him, the putter rolls better than anything he's seen, and that includes his personal gold standard of his Yes putters. Hopefully he starts gaming it soon and I can drop an announcement.
I can't go into all the science behind it as it's a trade secret, but what i can share is that we create loft on our putters by using a series of perpendicular step downs or as we call it, our flat face mill pattern. This does two important things. First, the flat face profile exerts more of a perpendicular force as opposed to a lofted force, so I like to think that our 3 degree loft plays closer to 2-2.5 degrees loft. Second, the step-downs create important grooves that impart top spin as you stroke through the ball. The net effect is a ball that pushes forward (as opposed to launching) and starts rolling immediately.
Interesting to see the Toulon Formula Series write up today. Three putters in the series, each with their own toe hang and torque profile to give golfers more options to fit their stroke.
I’m making assumptions here, but based off my tinkering, the Astral can achieve each of the profiles 0, -45, -90 (toe up) by adjusting the hosel, and can probably achieve more positions in between.
I’m making assumptions here, but based off my tinkering, the Astral can achieve each of the profiles 0, -45, -90 (toe up) by adjusting the hosel, and can probably achieve more positions in between.
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Thanks Blake. This is great insight. If it works so well for someone at my level imagine what it will do in the hands of a pro!
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I have been very pleased with the roll the Astral (copper) puts on the ball. I've seen no skipping or bouncing, even on mid-summer Bermuda greens around here.
Thanks for the explanation, something ive been curious about since the initial article came out.
Very interesting - thanks for the insight!
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Heading out soon to play 18 with the steel insert. Then I’ll test the brass before deciding which to keep.
Over the weekend I had the brass insert in for my Saturday morning round. Based on the front 9 the brass might be the front runner. The back 9 everything was starting to fall apart because it was hot, I was walking and I forgot to grab a Gatorade before the round and ran out of things to drink on hole 11 and didn’t pass a water cooler until the 16th tee. I did manage to birdie 18 draining an 8 foot putt.
Back to the brass insert. Overall my speed was better than it has been with the copper or steel. On longer putts I’m trying to die it around the hole. Part of that is the theory that if you don’t hit the hole and make the putt it you should see about half of your putts go past the hole and be short. With the brass I was seeing more putts get past the hole than with the other 2 inserts. My front 9 had a lot of tap in pars.
Back to the brass insert. Overall my speed was better than it has been with the copper or steel. On longer putts I’m trying to die it around the hole. Part of that is the theory that if you don’t hit the hole and make the putt it you should see about half of your putts go past the hole and be short. With the brass I was seeing more putts get past the hole than with the other 2 inserts. My front 9 had a lot of tap in pars.
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I do like the fact that we can swap out the inserts. Basically like having 3 putters in 1 and we are only talking inserts.
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I am still wondering how the inserts react to different temperatures. Is say a 50 degree range (50 to 100 F) enough to make a noticeable different?
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Great point. I didn't think of that. Just like how balls change with temperature.
I was having a similar thought. I could see a potential benefit to switching inserts depending on the weather. Brass when it’s hot & copper when cooler.
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I haven't tested the Brass insert enough to say for sure but it "seems" like the ball comes off the face of the steel insert a little quicker than the Copper and quite possibly the Brass as well. Almost like it jumps off the face....not a lot, but noticeable.
Brass insert going in after my round today (with the steel) and then I will know more.
Don't really have any insights on change in face insert based temperature other than perceived hardening of the ball/feel as it gets cooler. Hadn't really considered it as a separate variable until now.
All metals shrink and expand based on temperature, but they tend to move pretty much in concert. We did learn we had to mill everything in a temperature controlled environment to ensure all the connections work, but that's honestly where my mind stopped chasing the thread. Something to look into for sure!
All metals shrink and expand based on temperature, but they tend to move pretty much in concert. We did learn we had to mill everything in a temperature controlled environment to ensure all the connections work, but that's honestly where my mind stopped chasing the thread. Something to look into for sure!
Same. I've tested the steel and copper mostly as I didn't think I'd love brass at the onset, but I did notice all of them came off the face a little hotter than my odyssey insert putter. I played slow greens yesterday with the copper and had to be pretty firm with it, so I'd like to see if I can figure out a way to accurately test the speed differences for each and know if one will be better for faster/slower greens than the others.
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Every time you post a picture of that beauty, it makes me happyThe copper face is effing gorgeous outside.
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Really satisfying low pitched “tock” sound at impact. (Sounds lower and better outdoors than in my garage.)
I’d call the first round a success. Hit my lines and speed was really good. Left one really long chutt from the fringe about 12” short on 8 but rolled in par from there perfectly. Lipped out a 25” Bertie pot attempt on one hole; left Birdies short in the heart on 17 and 18. Any I missed were wrong reads. Made pretty much everything inside 6 ft.
Before any post round editing the ShotScope app has me just barely below a 5 hdcp SG Putting for the round. I’ll take that any day.
Haven’t felt so comfortable over a putter in a while.
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You should see it IRL. It's a beautiful chameleon.