2021 Official Review-Tommy Armour Impact No. 3 Putters

[PeterHenric]

Here is my official review. Let me know what you all think.

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

On Tuesday my putting was my only positive SG. Mostly due to distance control and finishing second putts at a high rate. Almost made these two bombs. 

[xOldBenKenobiX]

5 minutes ago, rbsiedsc said:

On Tuesday my putting was my only positive SG. Mostly due to distance control and finishing second putts at a high rate. Almost made these two bombs. 

It looked really nice out there.

[knightsofnii]

Review posted!  Check link or page 1 of this forum

 

 

[goaliewales14]

I know a few of you mentioned it in your final review, but how is all of your paint jobs holding up?  I remember the first gen of these, that was a major concern.

[knightsofnii]

Paint is definitely scuffed and scratched.  But nothing major.  To be expected.  I did just order a headcover

 

Just shot my best round for this course.  Birdie right out of the gate, and was able to hold level par into the 8th hole then fell apart momentarily.  Then later on had a 4 par streak, when the wheels fell off. Lol.   Putting was really good too.  Lots of putts off green or fringe,  so the 3 putts were kept at bay mostly.   Another + SG (compared to 14 hcp, which was my low about this time last yr).  Currently 16.6 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

2 hours ago, goaliewales14 said:

I know a few of you mentioned it in your final review, but how is all of your paint jobs holding up?  I remember the first gen of these, that was a major concern.

No issues yet but I have had a headcover on since the beginning 

[golfingbrock]

Alright, my review is up too.  Looks like we had a pretty wide variance of scores on this!

[xOldBenKenobiX]

On 5/25/2021 at 10:40 AM, golfingbrock said:

Tommy Armour Impact No. 2 Putter Review

Hey guys, @Golfingbrock here! You can call me Brock, Brocksy, or whatever. As weird as 2020 was, 2021 has been just as weird. There were some delays with getting this putter in, but also while waiting for the putter, we had a hailstorm that wrecked my car and my roof.  And earlier this year we had a rare multi-day freeze that severely affected the Bermuda greens here in Texas. Last year I tested a sweet Honma TR20 440 driver which is still in the bag, and this year I got to test the Tommy Armour Impact No. 2 Putter. I was really excited to test this putter, especially since it rocked the MGS Most wanted testing!

About me:

I am a scratch golfer despite my putting. For the last 9 years I have been using an Odyssey Sabertooth putter. I had a Superstroke Slim 3.0 for years with varying results. Late last year with an effort to improve, I tried claw and cross-hand grips in addition to my traditional grip. I had some relative success with the claw stroke, and since my grip was getting worn out, I decided to get a Superstroke Claw grip (wide pistol handle). 

For whatever reason, this new grip never felt quite right, and my putting woes continued. When my putter was not behaving, I’d put it in timeout and bring in my Wilson Blue Ridge Sam Snead Blade putter.  My grandmother got this for $5 from a garage sale over 20 years ago. In 2019 I played 27 holes at Sweeten’s Cove. After making no birdies the first 9 holes, I switched to the Sam Sneed and made 7 birdies the last 18 including the last 3 holes. Also, my low round this year of 71 occurred while using the Sam Snead.  But normally the Snead hangs in my son’s room as decoration, and I have never really considered it as a gamer.

I also re-acquired my old Scotty Cameron Newport 2 this year. I used this putter in junior and college golf and for years after before loaning It to my dad in 2012.  I played a few rounds with it this year and expected for this to be my gamer again pending the TA2 review.

Scotty, Sabertooth, and Tommy:

Slammin' Sammy:

During this test I played almost every Saturday, at various courses with an array of putting surfaces. I was able to get out during my lunch break a few times to test on real greens, but I did most of my practice and testing indoors on my office carpet and on my perfect practice putting mat. 

Speaking of the TA2, on to the review:

Looks:

Compared to the Scotty’s, Toulon’s, Evnrolls and other premium putters, this one looks cheaper by comparison (hey it IS a $150 putter). Mostly because it’s painted instead of a metal finish. But I love the classic wide blade shape and the simple yet useful alignment aids. And the color scheme is simple enough that it isn’t too distracting (8/10)

Sound/Feel:

When I first tested this putter, it felt much softer than my other putters, so I felt like I really had to hit it to get it to the hole. The milled aluminum face has a clicky sound, and feels like a tin can on off-center hits, but feels nice on centered strikes.  (7/10)

Basic Characteristics:

This putter feels very stable and has a nice heft to it. Whether you have a slight arc or straight back/straight through stroke, this putter has a nice weight in the hands. This putter tested very highly, especially in the short to mid range putting, and I would have to confirm that this feels great on those putts. On the putting mat, I can get in a groove and the stroke is very repeatable. For long range putts I had a hard time getting the feel and speed control, and this one performed worse than my other putters (15/20)

In practice this putter was on par with my other putters. Here’s a video comparing  my old Scotty to the TA2.  (I tried more videos in practice but had a few where my phone over-heated and shut down thus deleting the videos)

 

 

On Course Performance:

I said earlier that this has been a weird year, but the variety of courses I played during this test really ran this putter through the gauntlet.  My primary course, Rockwood has Bermuda greens that run around 10 on the stimp, up to 12 in tournament conditions.  My first few rounds were decent on short to mid-range putts but distance controls struggled. This putter felt really bad into the grain and I left a few woefully short.

I also played Stevens Park and Keeton Park in Dallas. Both of those courses had very slow greens at the time (due to growing out to heal from the freeze). I used the TA2 at Stevens and I left putts short all day and could never get a feel for the speed.  I used my old Scotty at Keeton, and though they were slow, my feel and speed control was much better than it had been with the TA2.

I also played medium speed bent grass greens in Tulsa with the TA2, and this putter rolled great. This was probably the most confident I felt with this putter, and despite my worst ball-striking of the year (LITERALLY A FULL-BLOWN SHANK-FEST ), I made multiple 15-20 footers and a few from 5-10 to salvage an otherwise terrible round.

Despite my solid putting on Bent, most of my rounds are on Bermuda and this putter had underperformed. I was ready to give this a 15/30 for on the course performance, but on a whim this past Friday, I decided to go to the PGA Store and get a Superstroke Slim 3.0 grip on this thing. I hit a few putts in the store after it was installed, and it felt promising.

With the new grip, the putter felt more stable, the mishits didn’t ring as much, and I made some really great putts with it. I still had two 3-putts in each of my rounds with the new big grip, but those were all from 50-80 ft (including a couple first putts I left 20 ft short). Other than a mis-read and slight push on a 5-footer, I made some really good putts, though I averaged 33 putts a round in those 2 rounds. 

 The new grip!

Overall I averaged 34 putts per round during this trial, up from the 32 I averaged before. (23/30)

 

Miscellaneous:

I mentioned earlier that this putter may not be as sexy as some of the bigger names.  I was one of the fortunate few that got my putter with a putter cover.  Compared to most leather putter covers, this feels solid and nice as a fabric cover with corduroy interior.  But after a month this putter cover already has some wear, and I’m not sure how durable it will be. Also, we talked about the painted metal on the putter earlier. After a month, there’s already some paint coming off the bottom of the putter (probably due to my dew sweeping morning rounds).  Still from the top line view, the putter looks nice. And the painted black shaft is still holding up for now. (7/10)

Wear 1 month in: 

Play it or Trade it:

I have the Fort Worth City Mid-am Championship coming up in 2 weeks, and I was already thinking about which putter I wanted to focus on the next few weeks to play in tournament play. My handicap went up and my putting hasn’t been great at times during the test. But with the grip change, this feels like a totally different instrument that I just need more time with. Over the next 2 weeks I will ramp up my practice and it will likely be a game time decision between the TA2 and the Scotty. Right now, it’s a Toss-up, and worst-case scenario it ends up as a solid backup. (16/20)

 

Conclusion:

This is a solid putter, especially for the price of $150. This is a great putter for the weekend warrior, and should perform adequately compared to any $400+ off-the-rack non-fitted putter. The TA2 underperformed compared to my gamer until I made a grip change, and now it is in the running for a spot in the bag. The look is simple and clean, it’s easy to line up and the alignment aids aren’t distracting,

The paint finish, sounds, and feel of the TA2 aren’t as good as a premium putter. But I will continue to use it if it performs! (Though I’d also consider putting with a rock tied to a stick if it made me putt better).

 

FINAL SCORE:  76/100

Great review, and awesome video edition skills, I really like how everything came out.

[golfingbrock]

5 minutes ago, xOldBenKenobiX said:

Great review, and awesome video edition skills, I really like how everything came out.

Thank you! I thought under 2 minutes of video was better than a 4 minute video, so had to speed it up.  

I will say I probably rated it a bit harsh compared to all putters.  But when weighted for value/price, this putter would jump to a solid B around 85/100

[xOldBenKenobiX]

2 hours ago, golfingbrock said:

Thank you! I thought under 2 minutes of video was better than a 4 minute video, so had to speed it up.  

I will say I probably rated it a bit harsh compared to all putters.  But when weighted for value/price, this putter would jump to a solid B around 85/100

It is definitely a solid putter for the price point, we all want to have the LAB or Scotty Cameron on our bags, but for someone on a budget, that is a very decent putter.

As I mentioned on my review, maybe the option to customize it, as long as the prices still under 200 bucks, I think would do wonders, now that the official testing is complete, I am going to get the lie adjusted a little bit on mine, if I can get a fitter that can adjust it, and see how that affects the playability.

 

[knightsofnii]

Glad I decided to "play it."  Putter was key in keeping my 9 holes decent today.   4 pars in a row may be a PR for me, not sure.  3 doubles sucks, but even then I had good lag putts or a nice 18-20 footer to keep away a triple.  No 3 putts.  From here on out, if I don't 3 putt, I'm considering it a "bogey free round"

 

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Personal best round yesterday. Putter didn’t disappoint. Most missed were on me. I almost holed three putts of over 40 ft. 
 

 

[golfingbrock]

I played Saturday and shot a solid 74 with a penalty and 2 bad 3 putts and bogey on the last 3 holes. My speed control was okay but hit a few really bad short putts. 

 

I played 9 with my dad Sunday and tried cross-hand grip, and putted better than the day before. But the as my family sat behind the 18th green waiting for the fireworks I went out with my TA and a couple of balls and tried a pencil grip. All of a sudden this putter felt great! 

 

So I went out and played this morning, committed to the new grip. The front 9 I didn't hit the ball well but my putting was decent(1 three putt from long range on a bumpy green). On the back 9, I decided to switch to a new ball, and for the most part hit the ball much better. But most importantly, the putter caught fire and I made 5 birdies! Also had a couple really good lag putts to limit the damage elsewhere. 

This will for sure be going in the bag next week in the Fort Worth Mid am. Will report back

[knightsofnii]

Got a headcover

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

On 6/27/2021 at 6:54 PM, goaliewales14 said:

I know a few of you mentioned it in your final review, but how is all of your paint jobs holding up?  I remember the first gen of these, that was a major concern.

So another follow up. Noticed some wear today on the sole near the contents. Top still great. 
 

As well, rolled it compared to the SIK today. I think the TA is gonna win. I want one more round with the SIK then maybe one with the TA to confirm. 

[goaliewales14]

1 hour ago, rbsiedsc said:

So another follow up. Noticed some wear today on the sole near the contents. Top still great. 
 

As well, rolled it compared to the SIK today. I think the TA is gonna win. I want one more round with the SIK then maybe one with the TA to confirm. 

It definitely looks like they stepped up their game from the prior generation!  Really good to see!

[PeterHenric]

As a follow up from my review and my play lately, I had realized with the TA3 and also my PXG Blackjack that where I thought I was lined up was not where I was actually aiming. That is not the case (at least not as much) with my KS1. I found myself having to consciously aim farther left than where I thought I needed to actually aim to get the ball in the right direction, even on short 3-5’ putts.

Because of this, I retired both the mallet style putters and put the KS1 back in the bag. This is not a shortcoming of the putter, but more that the style of putter doesn’t work with my swing.

[knightsofnii]

This putter continues to deliver.  I can count on one hand how many 3 putts I've had since submitting my review.  Personal best 39 today.  Missed an 8 footer for 38.  Not upset in the least

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Just now, knightsofnii said:

This putter continues to deliver.  I can count on one hand how many 3 putts I've had since submitting my review.  Personal best 39 today.  Missed an 8 footer for 38.  Not upset in the least

 

Totally agree! It is kicking the SIK out that I traded my Las Vegas for. It was a life saver today.