Background
Originally started in 1972, Slotline is a company that old school golf purists are likely familiar with, however many of the younger generation golfers today might be more likely to have a familiarity with Scotty Cameron, Ping, or Odyssey when it comes to premier putters. In the 1980’s Slotline was a putter powerhouse selling over one million of their original Inertial putters, today the new Slotline (under a new parent company) is looking to reinvent themselves with a whole new line of putters. In 2008 Dynamic Brands reintroduced the Slotline brand with 14 new designs featuring the signature SLOT and LINE alignment aid as well as an emphasis on high MOI properties. With three separate models (SL-700, SL-500, SS-300), Slotline offers a wide variety of putters to suit the unique preferences of today’s golfers.
Slotline SS-385
The Slotline SS-385 putter carries a price of $99.95 and features 30 gram Tungsten sole, heel and toe inserts for optimum weighting and a significant increase in MOI. Immediately after opening the package I was impressed with the sleek, stylish look of the 385, a classic blade putter with a premium head cover and great looking Winn grip. I have always been attracted to the looks of the blade style putter but felt my game was best suited to a mallet putter head. Was this Slotline going to break me out of that mindset and open my eyes to a whole new world of putters?
Immediately I was attracted to the putter; the proprietary mid-sized Winn pistol grip made the putter seem to rest in my hands perfectly and this was before I even stroked my first putt with the thing! Cast from 431 stainless steel and featuring a tri-milled face to reduce contact surface area providing true loft and a flat face, getting the ball rolling faster to keep your putts on line. You can immediately feel the difference the milled face offers. The sound, the feel, and the roll this putter produces are a thing of beauty. After rolling several putts across my carpet for a number of days I was eager to get this thing in action to see how it held up on the greens. Typically in a review situation like this I would prefer to use the club on the practice green or during some casual rounds to really get a better feel for the thing before throwing it into the fire of a competitive match, but because of the positive connection we had from the outset I felt it was safe to jump right in and use this beauty at the venerable BustaBall Classic.
New putter in bag, I set out for three rounds of match play to try to help my team bring home the captain’s cup in the 2009 edition of the BustaBall Classic. What I was originally impressed by on the course was my ability to properly gauge the distance control of longer putts with the Slotline, something that has always been a thorn in my side when it comes to putting. Maybe it was the blade design, or the perfectly balanced weighting system, but whatever it was it continued to allow me to roll long putts to within gimme range throughout BustaBall. While the distance control helped me cut down on the annoying three putts, I also found the short range putts were dropping with more and more consistency as the weekend wore on, all the while increasing confidence with the slot and line method of alignment. It sure is nice to know that you’re lined up exactly how you need to be and as long as your read is right, you’ll sink that putt! This is especially helpful when under the pressure of a match play event and your opponent, knowing you’re using a different putter, decides not to concede very many putts.
Slotline SL-581F
The Slotline 581 carries a price tag of around $159.95. Forged first and milled to final shape from 6061 aircraft grade alluminum. The SLOT and LINE alignment system guarantees the proper position on every stroke. The hosels are forged and milled separately to provide strength and consistency and the Tri-milled face reduces contact surface area providing true loft and flat face, getting the ball rolling faster to keep your putts on line. The look and feel of this putter was different from the last model and I was a bit nervous. This putter is almost a full inch longer (3/4) than a traditional Anser style putter.
Once armed with this one we set out to the practice green for some practice and playing. The feel coming off the face of this putter was extremely soft and you could tell the difference when putting. The alignment (Slot and Line) works tremendously and I found myself sinking putts. At first the putter seemed a little bulky, but once on the green, it worked like a charm. It has the same mid-sized grip that I really liked previously and once again I found myself after a few putts really settling down and making more and more. The putter felt as though it started rolling the ball for me. It was a great feeling and so far both putters that they sent, I really liked. One thing I have learned with all putters is that results are what matter, and the results with the 581 were astonishing. Both rounds that I used this for had my putts lower than they have been in a while. Could be many factors, but for this comparison, we will say it was the putter. Putter looks are subjective, but these looked fairly normal on the course at setup with the exception of the extra length. Because of that, there was no time for adjustment really. They worked well.
Slotline SL-784 Raider
This putter carries a price tag of about $199.99. It has a 100% CNC milled 6061 aircraft grade aluminum for incredibly solid feel and uncompromised quality and consistency. Aluminum body provides soft feel at impact and tungsten weights significantly increase MOI. The SLOT and LINE alignment system guarantees proper position on every stroke and the Tri-milled face reduces contact surface area providing true loft and flat face, getting the ball rolling faster to keep your putts on line. Being their “cream of the crop” putter I was extremely excited about trying this one out. Like the 500 series that we tested, this putter is quite large as well with the same oversized length as the last putter we took out.
Off to the course I went and found myself on the putting green and I could not help but compare the 3 putters. The 700 series putter worked quite well and was soft as can be coming off the face. But I found myself making the more putts with the 300 and 500 series than with this one. The Slotline Raider’s head weighs 340 grams, because of two 83-gram pods inserted into the heel and toe. The perfect weighting worked quite well, especially when I mishit a putt. The Raider did not give me the best results on the course, but it did feel the best out of all of them. However the entire line from Slotline worked extremely well. Going in I had no idea what to expect, but coming out, I am sold on this complete line from Slotline.
Conclusion
At the end of the weekend there was another team celebrating their BustaBall Classic triumph unfortunately, however I have no regrets for throwing a new putter in the bag just before the event. While I had my struggles throughout the weekend one area of my game that wasn’t struggling was my putting. Before this review I felt that I would always be a mallet style putter guy, but with the Slotline there certainly was an immediate love connection and as the weekend progressed it only gained strength. I can’t even remember what it was that initially sent me toward the non-traditional mallet putter, but I certainly know beyond a doubt what it was that brought be back! They have a putter for just about anybody in their new line and at every price point. If you’re in the market for a great putter, I highly recommend the new line of Slotline Putters; this is not your father’s Inertial! For more information on any of the putters reviewed, check out their website at Slotline Golf.
Here’s to keeping it in the short grass,
Jason K.
Great review, Jason!
Great review Jason. I really like the look of these.
I concur. Great review. Thorough and informative. Looks like a sweet putter. I’m guessing here, but looking at the slot and line in the pictures from above, is the theory that if you make sure you see the line within the slot, you can have confidence that the putter face is square to the indicated line, and I suppose also that your head is properly positioned to give it good alignment? (Sort of similar to the SeeMore red dot in some sense.) Regardless, I’m intrigued by these putters. I like the look of the face milling a lot.
Sweet looking putters! Saw one on the course the other day. Where are they sold?
That is correct WSE.
Kaluski,
They are sold at many golf shops and many online retailers.
Great review Mr. Kunze. I look forward to your next adventure. Hopefully you can use your experience with this putter to win BustaBall next year.
Great Review!
It speaks well, not only to the reviewer, but to the putter as well, to be debuted at such an event as the BustaBall. As a former Captain of BustaBall Championship Team (2007) I understand the significance of bringing a new club into the mix.
Congratulations to the putter and it’s owner as well 🙂 on a fine display at the BustaBall!
Great review, I would definitely take a look at one of these when it is time for another putter. Love the milling on the face.
Great thing to see “Dukie’s” (Duke Duclos) great invention of the 80’s and 90’s come back to life after so many years! I used to work with this company for a few months, where they taught me all you need to know about clubmaking. Guess who else worked there and who wanted to copy PING anser style putters and Duke said “you have to come up with original idea’s of your own!” That’s wright, Scotty Cameron. Slotline became world famous with the slogan “how to putt 2.5 times better!”, I still remember the hundreds of letters they received back then in their mailbox of happy golfers thanking the owner of the company for the great putters they made!”It’s great to see this name back on the market again! Hans Lemmens – The Netherlands
Hey everyone, thanks for the positive feedback on the review. When I started here at THP JB asked me to write reviews with 100% honesty and that is what I did- you have to try these putters, you’ll love them!
Hans, that is a very interesting story about Scotty Cameron- can’t say that he hasn’t done well for himself since, but imagine how much the landscape of putters might be different had he remained at Slotline all this time?!
no offense, very unprofessional photographs… time to step up the game guys
Dave, thank you very much for the feedback, it is nice to read what people are really truly thinking even if it’s not just a “great job” kind of comment.
First, I will say that I do like supplying my own pics with reviews because to me it gives the reader a more realistic view of the piece of equipment. How many times have you seen a burger on the BK menu that looks amazing only to be disappointed when you get something that pales in comparison? Just an example.
I do actually agree with you Dave, I personally will step it up next review I do to try to offer better quality pics of the items that I’m reviewing. Now that winter is over here in South Dakota I’ll be able to get some good on course pics for the rest of the season.
Thanks again Dave, keep reading the reviews and I appreciate the feedback!
Jason
Ok. So why did not I visualize that?