Berg Ryman goes on a Putter Quest

[Berg Ryman]

Evening everyone!

My name is Berg Ryman. You may know me from well, this forum. My tests of the Mizuno ST-180 Driver, the OG Odyssey Stroke Lab Line, and most recently the Ping G710 iron line. You may also know me from being a commissioner in your favorite fantasy golf or football league. But if you know one think about me is that I love my Nickent Pipe putter. Ah yes, the Nickent Pipe 001. Double bend shaft, face balanced, a firmish insert and a three dimension alignment look that is ball width extending to the back of the putter. It has been in my bag since 2006, literally 15 years this year... but now the time has come for a new putter to come to the forefront. Why? Well, let me tell you a tale of statistics!

You see, thanks to last year's Ping G710 testing I was exposed to the world of Arccos. Thanks to the Strokes Gained update I learned what was the weakest part of my game and it was a stunner. Against a 5 handicap, I lose .9 strokes on drives, gain .3 strokes on Approach play, gain 3.8 strokes scrambling... and LOSE 4.1 STROKES ON PUTTING. If you want a further breakdown, I lose 3.3 strokes from 0-10 feet, lose .6 strokes from 10-25, and lose .2 strokes on putts outside 25 feet. Needless to say, this is destressing. So what is a man to do, especially one who wants to play more this season and get his scoring back to where it was? A focus and return to practice of the swing is up there, but getting a putter that fits and strengthens my weakness is paramount.

As such, I bring you this thread. On Monday I am heading down I-90, or likely down NY-104 because I'm cheap and don't want to pay tolls to Victor, NY near Rochester for a putter fitting at the local Club Champion. Now, this is not my first putter fitting as I underwent one for the Stroke Lab fitting, but this time we're open to all brands, all styles, and I think we've got a better fitter than the guy who I was fit with for the Stroke Lab. I posted initial thoughts about what I think I may need in the "What Equipment are you thinking about" thread, but I'm thinking something with plumber neck toe hang, possibly a mallet or wide body blade. I'm also using this thread and the net few graphs to talk you through my initial thoughts before the fitting by brand of putter available for me that I'm considering.

Odyssey/Toulon: I will admit there may be a bias here that sours me against the #1 brand of putter of golf. The Stroke Lab wasn't for me but it wasn't due to the tech, it was that insert. I know they've firmed it up in the Triple Track Line of Stroke Lab and that Toulon can be an option here as well. The big advantage here, I do believe in the stroke lab shaft tech and it comes at a reasonable price considering the cost of a Stability. Also, if alignment is an issue could Triple Track help in that aspect? Seems like it did in Most Wanted testing.

Scotty Cameron/Bettinardi: I'm combining both of these brands together for thoughts because it would be pretty similar. These putter are pieces of art, made by master craftsmen. If I plan on doing into the wide body blade, the Squareback and Queen B 6 would be awesome choices. There's also some slant neck mallet action which may work as well. Is there enough 'visible tech' to justify the price? Hard to say but if you feel the confidence of having something crafted so well in your hands, does it matter? Strong contenders to make the leap.

PING: It's Ping, you know what you're getting. A wide variety of head styles, a wide variety of toe hang options, and even a choice between the Heppler line and its firm face and the Sigma 2 and softer face with groove tech. Admittedly lacking in being the sexy choice, but if it's functional, I'm not against it.

Taylormade: Maybe a little off the path, but the Spider does intrigue me. The fact that I can custom the OG Spider Tour with a plumbers neck in whatever colors I choose does appeal to me, same if I end up in a blade with the MY TP. Also, people forget about that FCG line they launched, maybe a best of both worlds for someone who sits between Mallet and Blade

Evnroll: I don't want to get my MGS card taken away, so let's discuss Evnroll. Maybe they have demos and fitting stuff for the the new Midlock or the new different neck thing that Rife has teased. I'm not against an Evnroll, hell I have a real soft spot for that weird TS1 blade with the super offset neck, I just don't know if they're the outside brand I'm drawn too the most. Maybe it has to do from that time I had @GolfSpy MPR's ER6. It was ok, but the speed off the face was tricky to get right.

SIK Golf: One of the more interesting tech stories and something that if it appears quantifiable in the fitting may push me in it's direction. Anything that helps getting my putts rolling more consistently is going to be helpful, plus the head shapes of the DW and even the Flo are appealing to the eye, at least online.

PXG: Options, options, options. Multiple Head styles, multiple neck styles, all at a *gasp* reasonable price? Could be a sneaky favorite for top spot.

Seemore: I know it hasn't tested well, but I've always kind of wanted a Seemore putter ever since I saw Payne win at Pinehurst. They have that RST in hosel tech as well, or if I really want to go back to basics, a two way blade putter Bullseye style with the m6 SS.

LAB Golf: Maybe the choice if it outperforms everything from a short distance, either in the DF 2.1 or the Blad. Since those short putts are what's killing me, maybe the putter that almost swings itself can be the call.

So those are initial thoughts on the brands and potential putters going in the bag. For the fitting I think it's going to be about figuring out the toe hang/stroke arc first, then working though styles for aim and feel. Where do I want to end up? That's harder to say. I would very much enjoy repping a smaller brand on a personal level, but I'm open to literally anything to help me make more putts. I need it.

I look forward to updating this with thoughts after the fitting and hopefully telling you why I'm going with the putter I am, then taking you through the delivery and possible customization. Thanks for giving this a read friendos!

[GolfSpy MPR]

Definitely will be following this one.

[bens197]

Yeah buddy.

[Lacassem]

Good luck!

[PMookie]

Add Edel and the fitting for it. So good!!!!!

Best of luck.

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Definitely gonna be following along with this one. I’m super intrigued by the Sik putter tech. 

[Lacassem]

7 minutes ago, blackngold_blood said:

Definitely gonna be following along with this one. I’m super intrigued by the Sik putter tech. 

I am super interested to see these as well

[GolfSpy_BNG]

5 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

I am super interested to see these as well

Yeah none of the head shapes necessarily fit my eye but I love the idea of the Descending Loft Technology creating a consistent roll when hitting up or down on the ball. I tend to forward press on short putts to help lock in my wrists and arms. 

[Berg Ryman]

22 minutes ago, PMookie said:

Add Edel and the fitting for it. So good!!!!!

Best of luck.

Mookie, I will.

[dlow206]

I've gone through a small putter quest, I am currently on arm lock lol.

[Berg Ryman]

20 minutes ago, dlow206 said:

I've gone through a small putter quest, I am currently on arm lock lol.

In all honesty DLow, I'm willing to experiment with strokes too, be they Armlock or even Broomstickimg. It seems unlikely I'm going that route, but I'm willing to experiment if those strokes are more consistent for me.

 

[russtopherb]

This is going to be a good follow. Good luck Berg and have fun on Monday!! Really interested to see your results. 

[Lacassem]

8 hours ago, Berg Ryman said:

In all honesty DLow, I'm willing to experiment with strokes too, be they Armlock or even Broomstickimg. It seems unlikely I'm going that route, but I'm willing to experiment if those strokes are more consistent for me.

 

I mean you could always go happy gilmore....worked for him

[GolfSpy BOS]

I have a feeling this could be an Epic thread.

Good luck at the fitting! When you had your stroke lab fit how in depth were they? Did you discuss loft/lie or anything like that or was it more shape and fit to stroke?

I’m 100% with you though. I tried that line and I hated the insert. I really wanted to like them too.

Any interest in the new Cleveland putters? They certainly seem to have a Evnroll-esque tech story to them at very reasonable cost.

It did take me a few rounds to get used to the ER2B I have... but I can say it fella way better to me than some of the mallet designs. I also got the heavier head which I think helps the feel.

Also, how do you tell us you used the same putter for 15 years and NOT include a pic! I know I’m not familiar with that model.

Here’s to better putting in 2021!

[Bucky CC]

You should see if you can also try out different putter grips.  I switched to the Evnroll Gravity Grip and love how stable it is on shorter putts.  It's on the heavy side but may greatly help with your putts under 10 feet.

[null]

Mizuno putters should be on the list. Feel as good as anything and only $299

[GolfSpy MPR]

This needs a poll, and since I'm a mod, I'm adding it: what brand of putter will @Berg Ryman end up with after his fitting?

[cnosil]

Good luck on your quest.  Hope you find the putter that works for you and your stroke.  Just remember that the putter is only part of the puzzle;  you need to work on the skills to get better 

Look forward to reading all the details.  

[juspoole]

Hope it works out well and you end of with something that you can see results with.  Your write up about what the Arcos has allowed you to discovered makes me want to take that plunge as well.  I feel like I struggle with putting based on my total putts, but would be great to see the addtional breakdown from different distances.

[Berg Ryman]

14 hours ago, B.Boston said:

Also, how do you tell us you used the same putter for 15 years and NOT include a pic! I know I’m not familiar with that model.

Here’s to better putting in 2021!

Boston, you make a solid point! Here are some from my 2019 Stroke Lab Thread.

Interesting note looking at the top picture, apparently I am open at address with the Pipe and not by a little. Maybe a stronger toe-hang needed or something with a smaller alignment setup so I'm more focused on face angle?

11 hours ago, cnosil said:

Good luck on your quest.  Hope you find the putter that works for you and your stroke.  Just remember that the putter is only part of the puzzle;  you need to work on the skills to get better 

Look forward to reading all the details.  

Thanks CNosil, I think I might be getting something from the fiance to work on putting tomorrow for Valentine's. If not, a Puttout is in my future for absolute.

12 hours ago, jlukes said:

Mizuno putters should be on the list. Feel as good as anything and only $299

JLukes,they will be and I someone mentioned Cleveland as well. I'll be honest, outside of what we've read on MGS I have no real formed opinion on these brands like the other ones. They aren't something easily accessible in the big box world or major big disruptor brands like Evnroll or LAB or SIK where we know more about them. Everything is getting a free shake here, all options are open to me and I plan on finding the best putter for me, even if it takes more than this fitting. 

 

14 hours ago, B.Boston said:

I have a feeling this could be an Epic thread.

Good luck at the fitting! When you had your stroke lab fit how in depth were they? Did you discuss loft/lie or anything like that or was it more shape and fit to stroke?
 

Well B. Boston, I can assure you this is a putter thread, so there's no way it can be Epic

But more importantly, and sorry to separate your post into 2 quotes, let's talk about what happened the last time since I think most of us may have never gone through a putter fitting. So what the fitter did was strap the SamLab device to my current gamer and had me hit some 10 footers to get initial readings. After those readings he took the putter, measured loft and lie on it as well as static length. He walked me through the data and told me that we would start with the SL One, which I hit a lot of good putts with, including making 7 putts in a row. We tried a couple of different head shapes, a Slant Neck 7 and the Double Wide, but it wasn't the same. Now, the other thing to realize is that I kinda fell in love with a putter in a closed environment, something that didn't carry over into live play. That is something that does concern me with all fittings, but I think now that I don't have to settle on a single brand might be helpful.

I'm also hoping to get my digital data sent to me to share with you after Monday, that didn't happen with the last one.