Unofficial Review: PXG Putter fitting - Spitfire Armlock configuration

[RDel90]

So I've been interested in armlock putting as I've ventured down the single plane swing path and the armlock style putting with forward press is very similar to my swing style. Current putter setup is 34" TaylorMade Spider Tour Black double bend (standard 3 deg loft and 70 deg lie). I feel very comfortable with a full locked lead arm/more upright setup in putting so figured lets take a look at Armlocks. I have a pretty straight back straight through stroke.

I was originally looking into the Odyssey Doublewide and the Bettinardi Studio 28/Kuchar style. I didn't like the fact Odyssey putters had a counterbalanced grip, so if a grip change was needed or wanted, it would comprise the balance of the putter (not really a fan of the SS counterbore). No go for me. I wasn't a fan of the appearance of the Bettinardis. Also, biggest factor was that I wasn't really sure on what shaft length I actually needed (I'm short only 5'6") and most off the shelf arm locks were only 40" or 42".

I saw PXG had their Putters (both Gen2 and Battle Ready) on sale currently. I'm also currently gaming Gen 2 0211s and love the way those feel. Seeing as there is a PXG fitter pretty close, I decided to go check them out. Biggest downside PXG charges $50 to schedule the fitting. Seems like the fitter is regularly at this location anyways.

Going in, I was eyeing either the Gen2 Mustang or the Spitfire. Both similar in head weight to my current STB, but closer to blade type profile. The Mustang has 2 configurable sole weights while the Spitfire (similar to Scotty Phantom X) has 4 and seems to offer a little more flexibility. The Armlock shaft creates a setup of 7 deg loft and 73 degree lie. The armlock hosel set sets up a face balanced putter. Weight adjustments can be made to accommodate stroke for more toe or heel balanced.

The PXG fitting was outdoor and on actual practice putting green which I really liked to get the feel on actual grass. So there was no SAM or electronic measuring equipment. So where we setup on the practice green, the first flag was about a 10 footer and the far flag was about 25ft. 

Dove right into the Spitfire first and started at a shorter shaft length (for armlock style that is) of 37.5". Putting towards the close flag. Visually, I really liked the smaller head vs my gamer STB. The weight and balance of the club felt very nice and similar to what I was used to. At address I loved how the converging "wings" of the Spitfire guided my focus to the center of club face. It took the thought about the center of face out of my head and I could just stroke it. I noticed immediately the difference in feel of a full milled putter face vs insert putter. The ball came off the face very crisp with little stroke effort and a nice succinct almost "ping" sound at impact. I felt like a barely had to hit it for a nice smooth roll. The fitter did notice from face on, the lie needed to be adjusted to bring the toe down. So 1 deg flat at 37.5". Stroke was smooth. Holed a few of the putts and those that didn't were  tap ins.

Next I played with length. I went up to 39" which brought be more upright at address and more fitting to the natural club lie. The top end of the grip was right about the 1.5" below my elbow. It was a little uncomfortable as I felt so upright and too restricted against my arm. So we continued decreasing length in 0.5" increments until I felt most comfortable. I wound up right back where I started at a length of 37.5" so more like more mid-forearm for the top of the grip. 

Now that length was settled in, I swapped over to the Mustang. PXG says the Mustang stock headweight is only about 10g lighter than the Spitfire, but it felt a lot lighter. Regardless, the weight change threw me off and I just couldn't find a stroke and felt like I was struggling with center face impacts. I didn't hole any putts at 10ft. I also didn't hear the same sound at impact. The Mustang was much more muted. So we then went for the 25ft pin so I could swing away and not think as much about a delicate stroke. Needless to say not much changed. I just couldn't stroke with the Mustang. 

Then swapped back to the Spitfire still keeping the 37.5" shaft and went for the 25ft pin. Distance control was great! Ranging from a few tap ins to mostly within 2ft from the cup. I really loved the feel and sound. For comparison, I went back to my TM STB. My STB felt soft and almost dull. I left majority of putts maybe more in the 3-5ft range from 25ft out. Definietly had to put a little more into the stroke with my gamer STB. 

Result: Placed my order for the 37.5" Spitfire. PXG did charge $25 upcharge for the SuperStroke 17" grip (flatso 3.0) for the Armlock setup plus a rediculous $30 for shipping. They said it should ship in about a week. I will update here once I play my first round with the Spitfire and then again after a few more rounds. I also just got the Arccos sensors so I should have some good data.

Summary: So I read on a few forums, a bunch of people trying the armlock style of putting but then immediately say they don't like it. From my fitting experience, I wonder how many of those people just grabbed an off the shelf length to try it? The wrong length can immediately ruin the whole experience and the stability benefits of "locking" against the lead arm. I know for sure if I would have just picked up a stock 40" club from a big box store or ebay to try, I would have tossed it aside immediately. If you are looking to dabble in Armlock putting, identifying the proper shaft length first is key.

 

 

[cnosil]

Enjoyed your writeup on the armlock fitting.  I would agree that most people just walk into the store, pick up the putter and struggle to use an armlock.    Eager to hear how it works out for you.  

[RDel90]

Thanks. I’m pretty excited to see how it goes and looking forward to posting updates.

[RDel90]

Putter is built and shipped. Should be here this weekend! More updates to come.

[RDel90]

So I received my putter on Monday and played my 1st round yesterday. 

So far the only negatives would be the $50 PXG fitting fee (since it seems like their demo guy was regularly scheduled to be at the course anyways) and the $30 for 6 day ground shipping. The PXG headcover that came with has a magnetic enclosure, very well padded, and very nice!

On to the club. Monday when I received it I broke out my VariSpeed putting mat and hit about 60. ranging from 4' to 10' on the mat. I couldn't believe how much more of a straight roll I was getting vs my STB. I was able to literally hit and stop the ball touching the ball previously shot (looked like the Newtons Cradle Balance Balls) - 4 balls in line. There is definitely something to this stabilized stroke for me, that's for sure. Really built up some confidence with the practice putts.

So I played a course with a 71.8/134 rating/slope. Greens were in decent shape, my guess probably about a 10-10.5 stimp. Pretty big greens, not really crazy breaks but some decent elevation changes.  Felt just as crisp as when I fitted on the course. I felt so confident under 6' like I couldn't miss. I had four 1 putts compared to only one per round for the last 2 rounds prior (I know this isn't the greatest metric as that is more dependent on approach to pin). My only 3 putt for the day was when I started about 40' from the hole. Overall, I finished with 31 putts for the round with the ArmLock Spitfire vs 35 and 36 for the prior 2 rounds with the STB (both rounds played on a different course with a 69.6/123 rating/slope and greens a little slower maybe 9-9.5). 

The longer putts >10' will take a little more getting used to. The ball really comes off the milled face nicely and with what feels like much less effort vs the STB with insert. No jump, really nice roll. With that being said, I left a good share of longer putts short as I didn't want to sail the ball past the hole, but the 2nd putts were 5' or less and like I said above, I felt lethal in that short range!

So in summary, if you're interested in the arm lock putting style, get fit to find the right and comfortable length. The stability I find extremely valuable to confidently finish those shorter putts. I'm in love with milled face PXG Spitfire!