Sub 70 AL-6 Armlock Putter Unofficial Member Review

[jbern]

Introduction:

I did a little introduction for the Clicgear 4.0 Official Review, so if you’re interested in my golf intro overall, you can check it out there. As it relates to putting, 18Birdies tells me that statistically putting has been the worst part of my game (by far) since picking up golf again at the tail end of 2021. I have been wanting to try an armlock putter because I figured eliminating the potential wrist movement in my putting stroke couldn’t hurt and since my normal putter putting stroke is pretty straight back and straight through, I thought it would be fairly easy to switch to an armlock style of putting.

Since I didn’t know if armlock was going to work for me, I started scouring Facebook marketplace looking for something local for under $150, but I wasn’t able to find anything legitimate (just normal putters that had been DIY’d to armlock, which I wasn’t interested in).

As you can probably tell by my WITB signature, I’m a fan of Sub 70. I get emails about products and sales and this sale was for 20% off pre-owned products. I was looking through the pre-owned irons because a friend asked me to notify him if I find any good deals on their 699v2 irons and I eventually moseyed my way over to the preowned putters section. My eyes immediately noticed they had two preowned 42” AL-6 armlock putters available for $150 before the sale, so I bought one. This is where my review begins.

Pre-arrival experience(5/5):

The only two AL-6 putters available were both 42 inches long. My traditional putter is 33 inches and the general online consensus is that armlock putters are usually 6 inches longer than your traditional putter. Immediately after I purchased the putter, I emailed customer service about shortening the putter. They got back to me within half an hour saying that they could, but it would need a new grip and the cost was an additional $34. I decided to save my money and if I ever want it shortened, I could do that later. It is awesome that Sub 70 will allow some fitting customizations to pre-owned clubs with an email.

Unboxing experience(15/15):

Eight days after ordering, the putter arrived at my doorstep in a black Sub 70 box, which was very exciting to see at the door.

The unboxing experience is pretty neat because of the personalized feel. There was, what appeared to be, a handwritten note from Jason (the Sub 70 owner) thanking me for the purchase and to enjoy the putter. There were also some stickers, pamphlets and a trade-in program flyer.

The putter itself was marked on the website as “Excellent” condition and that was definitely accurate. It could have been marked new and I wouldn’t have been able to tell. There was still plastic around the putter head and there were no signs of use. The grip, which is enormous compared to my previous pistol grips, also showed no signs of use. The putter cover is velcro and has nice sycamore leaves stitched around the cover along with the logo. It is a premium feeling and looking cover and was in equally “Excellent” condition, just like everything else.

Aesthetics (18/20):

I should probably start the aesthetics section by saying that I’ve always preferred the look of black putter heads. The bottom of the putter is very cool looking with the sycamore leaves, Sub70 logo and Sycamore script machined and painted on the bottom of the putter. I’ve had kids through sr. citizens compliment the bottom of the putter.

From address, I wasn’t sure that I would like the triple white alignment lines. It has grown on me a little bit over time, but I think I would prefer something a little more subtle. I deducted two points for the alignment lines because it's my least favorite visual part of the putter. The overall circular shape of the putter is very appealing to my eye. Much more appealing to me than other solid mallet putters or wing style mallet putters.

The 100% milled head looks impressive, especially the black milled face with the white Sub70 logo on the heel.

The putter grip is a Super Stroke Flatso 17” grip in red/white/blue. It looks nice, but I would prefer something more simple, like all black or black/silver. If buying new, you can specify which grip you want, but since I bought used, I didn’t have the choice and I don’t mind using the Flatso for my first armlock experience.

Feel (17/20):

This is a weird start for the feel section, but it feels so strange to pull out a 42” putter with an enormous grip out of the bag when headed to the green. The first time I pulled it out it was getting stuck on the dividers of the bag and I was wondering what my playing partners were thinking of me pulling out a driver sized club for putting. It turns out no one cares .

The grip feels very nice in the hand. I am used to undersized putter grips, so the change was drastic, but since changing to armlock also, it all feels pretty natural. I did test out the Super Stroke Flatso and a Jumbo Max Flat in store and I liked the Jumbo Max better off the shelf, so I might try that for my next grip or if I decide to shorten the putter. The weighting between the grip and the clubhead feels very natural. Nothing feels too heavy or light.

My previous two putters were both face-balanced and this putter has a slight toe hang (15 degrees according to the website). This threw me off when I first held the putter, but during the armlock stroke, it seems to help the clubhead move naturally with my fairly straight back/straight through putting stroke.

The sound of this putter is something that I’ve dreamed about :D! The sound when hit properly is fantastic and I like that the sound changes when I don’t have the proper shaft lean or I hit it off center. I think this will help me improve my putting and be able to get better putting strikes over time.

In order to keep the grip under my elbow, I need to stand much more upright than I did with my 33 inch standard putter. I am still getting used to being so upright and getting the putter shortened is definitely on my mind, so I’m more comfortable. However, as you’ll see in the on-course performance section, my putts per 18 holes have improved dramatically, so I’m not sure I want to change things.

I deducted one point for my anxieties in the first sentence and two more points for being uncomfortable over the ball.

Performance (19/20):

Since my putting stance changed drastically, and I went from left arm low to right arm low, and working on keeping the grip against my forearm, my expectations for performance were low.

I practiced a couple of times in my living room and two times on a putting green before my first round. I didn’t change anything with my routine (I take two practice strokes to try to feel out speed, I pick out an object (an old pitch mark or a funky blade of grass) a couple feet in front of the ball to aim at, I line the putter up to hit that object, then I go). The very first round I noticed an improvement in putting performance. Thanks to the armlock putting method, my putts were almost always starting right at the mark I was picking to aim at and, thanks to the AL-6, it seemed like poor strikes were ending up closer to the hole than my previous putter.

The data also showed sharp improvement. According to 18Birdies, before using the AL-6 my putts per 18 holes was 38.7 putts or 2.15 putts per hole (56 rounds). In the 10 rounds since I’ve been using the AL-6, my putts per 18 holes is 33.3 putts or 1.85 putts per hole. I think some of this improvement stems from an increase in confidence that the wrists aren’t going to impact the stroke. I feel more confidence and I think that translates to making more putts. I did deduct a point because putting can always get better!

Play it or Trade it?(20/20):

Based on the statistics and confidence boost armlock putting has provided, I’m certainly keeping it in the bag. I love the look of the putter and enjoy supporting and sporting the Sub 70 brand. It’s also a great talking point when I meet someone new on the course or the putting green. I can’t give this section a perfect score because I am having an internal debate about shortening the putter.

Conclusion (TL;DR) Final Score 94/100:

The Sub70 AL-6 armlock putter (from their pre-owned clubs website) was a great option for getting into armlock putting. I was hoping removing the wrists from my putting stroke would improve my putting and sure enough, my putting performance has improved from 38.7 putts per 18 holes to 33.3 putts per 18 holes. The milled head looks great and feel is good. The weight balance is good. The sound is great. It’s staying in the bag for the foreseeable future! I scored the AL-6 armlock putter a 94/100! There just wasn't much not to like.

Anyone have comments on whether I should get the length adjusted? I don’t want my performance to decline just because I feel a little uncomfortable and I’d hate to waste an almost brand new grip. I'm sure a putter fitting would probably solve my little dilemma, but I really don't know where to go for one in my area.

Edited August 31, 2023 by jbern
typos

[Bret Hobbs]

Did you notice a bigger difference in holing shorter putts or distance control on lag putts?

[jbern]

8 hours ago, Bret Hobbs said:

Did you notice a bigger difference in holing shorter putts or distance control on lag putts?

I would say it’s the putts under 20 ft that have improved the most. The number of 3 putts from 20 ft and in have decrease and the number of one putts from 20 ft and in have increased. Long lag putts still allude me from time to time and I find the longer putting armlock stroke to be a bit more unnatural feeling. 

[jbern]

This morning I ended up cutting the Sub 70 AL-6 putter down from 42" to 39.25" and putting on the JumboMax JumboFlat 17" armlock putter grip. I was fit at my local golf shop for a 33.25" traditional length putter and the general consensus online is that armlock putters should be 6" longer that your traditional putter. Just from putting on my carpet, I feel more connected to the putt and the stroke feels more natural. I'll keep this thread open to document improvement (if any haha!). I also forgot to take photos this morning, so I'll add some of those eventually as well. 

[jbern]

My putts per round has been steadily dropping since getting this AL-6. HOWEVER, I recently increased my average putts per round with a little bit of a lost feeling when it came to putting. I had two rounds of 9 holes with over 18 putts (23 putts and 20 putts). My playing partner said I didn't look as smooth as past rounds, so I'm going to try slowing down a little bit and see how that goes. It also might point blame at the Titleist White Box ball test because I could not get a good feel for that ball and was BLASTING putts by the hole. That being said, I am actively looking for things to blame! haha

Edited November 22, 2023 by jbern

[jbern]

On 10/12/2023 at 10:03 AM, jbern said:

This morning I ended up cutting the Sub 70 AL-6 putter down from 42" to 39.25" and putting on the JumboMax JumboFlat 17" armlock putter grip. I was fit at my local golf shop for a 33.25" traditional length putter and the general consensus online is that armlock putters should be 6" longer that your traditional putter. Just from putting on my carpet, I feel more connected to the putt and the stroke feels more natural. I'll keep this thread open to document improvement (if any haha!). I also forgot to take photos this morning, so I'll add some of those eventually as well. 

I never added a photo of the new grip on the club, so here it is:

I think it looks nice with the black and white putter head vs. the red, white and blue grip. 

I don't have any insight into whether the change in length and grip has helped my putting because I haven't played too many legit rounds since making the change. I have been actively working this winter on getting a more comfortable and consistent stroke. We'll see how things all work out this spring when I get back on the course regularly.

[BobBC78]

Just read through your review...impressive results! The putter looks great too. I've toyed with armlock a few times in the past and am thinking about working on it again during the offseason.

I have an Odyssey V-Line which I had cut down to 39" and had the same JumboMax grip installed. Nice putter, but I'm not wild about the feel of the insert and would prefer the milled face that the Sub 70 has (I have a 005 Wide Blade which is really nice).  However, I just checked their website and unfortunately it doesn't look like they make the armlock version anymore, but I plan to connect with the Company and double check. 

[jbern]

33 minutes ago, BobBC78 said:

Just read through your review...impressive results! The putter looks great too. I've toyed with armlock a few times in the past and am thinking about working on it again during the offseason.

I have an Odyssey V-Line which I had cut down to 39" and had the same JumboMax grip installed. Nice putter, but I'm not wild about the feel of the insert and would prefer the milled face that the Sub 70 has (I have a 005 Wide Blade which is really nice).  However, I just checked their website and unfortunately it doesn't look like they make the armlock version anymore, but I plan to connect with the Company and double check. 

Thanks for reading through the review!

This putter is the first fully milled faced putter that I've used, so I can't compare it to any other brands that are available, but I do know that it feels and sounds absolutely incredible!

They used to have a 005 wide blade armlock version available in addition to the 003 mallet armlock version that I have. That's a bummer that they've stopped selling the armlock versions. Maybe @GolfSub70 has some insight into why they stopped selling them or they're currently unavailable?

Let me know what you find out if you end up reaching out to them.

[BobBC78]

1 hour ago, jbern said:

Thanks for reading through the review!

This putter is the first fully milled faced putter that I've used, so I can't compare it to any other brands that are available, but I do know that it feels and sounds absolutely incredible!

They used to have a 005 wide blade armlock version available in addition to the 003 mallet armlock version that I have. That's a bummer that they've stopped selling the armlock versions. Maybe @GolfSub70 has some insight into why they stopped selling them or they're currently unavailable?

Let me know what you find out if you end up reaching out to them.

 

I just heard back from Cody at Sub70, who let me know that they are out of stock on both the 003 and 005 and suggested that I follow-up in the latter part of February.  I'll circle back on this thread with an update when I learn something. 

[jbern]

Since cutting down the AL-6 to 39.25” I think the weighting being off has a little to do with my distance inconsistencies. So I added 12g of lead tape to the bottom of the putter. Not a lot percentage wise with a 400g putter head weight. I’m a little bummed that I ruined the aesthetic bottom of the putter, but I think it’ll help my tempo. May add more in the future. 
 

[BobBC78]

@jbern Is the lie angle of your AL-6 more upright than the standard Sub 70 putter? It appears to me from your picture above that it might be.

[jbern]

1 hour ago, BobBC78 said:

@jbern Is the lie angle of your AL-6 more upright than the standard Sub 70 putter? It appears to me from your picture above that it might be.

As far as I know it's standard lie angle for the AL-6. I'll see if I can measure the angle and get back with you!

[jbern]

1 hour ago, BobBC78 said:

@jbern Is the lie angle of your AL-6 more upright than the standard Sub 70 putter? It appears to me from your picture above that it might be.

I was able to measure it and it's very close to 72 degrees, which is the standard lie angle for the AL-6. It might be 72.5 degrees.

[jbern]

I’ve been experimenting a lot this offseason with lead tape on the AL-6. As shown in a previous post, I started at 12g of lead tape and I have been adding and removing tape quite often and I think I’ve landed on a spot that feels best. It’s just over 30g of lead tape covering most of the bottom of the putter. I don’t mind the tape being on the bottom of the putter, but I did not like when I put it in a spot that I could see. 
I ended up using a smooth stone to smooth out the edges so grass doesn’t get caught on the tape. 

[BreakfastBall15]

Great writeup! Seems like it's helped you quite a bit. I built a DIY one and it needs lead tape on the club head because right now it's way too light. I'm really interested in how your new DF3 compares.  

[jbern]

9 minutes ago, BreakfastBall15 said:

Great writeup! Seems like it's helped you quite a bit. I built a DIY one and it needs lead tape on the club head because right now it's way too light. I'm really interested in how your new DF3 compares.  

Thanks! I'd highly recommend toying with some lead tape. It feels much more smooth now that I've got it weighted the way I like it. My speed control inside 18ft has never been better. I had as much as 60g of lead tape on the bottom at one point and then took some off and settled at around 30g.

This thread could take quite a turn depending on how the DF3 testing goes! I'm extremely excited to give the L.A.B. putters a go!