Sacks Parente Putters - 2023 Forum Review

[Rob Person]

2 hours ago, cnosil said:

 

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/61616-sacks-parente-putters-2023-forum-review/?do=findComment&comment=976435

Great review!  I had to look 3 times at the photo to count how many putters I was seeing.

 

Edited January 12 by Rob Person

[rkj427]

A well written review with enough data provided to support your findings/comments Chris, @cnosil, and an interesting fact that both models tested have a chance to remain firmly in your bag.

That alone would speak volumes to the technology and the potential to improve any players putting, provided they put in the practice as well.

[billpierce]

Final Review

 

First Impressions (500 Words) (19 out of 20)

 

First, let me say the Sacks Parente fitting was an amazing experience and perhaps for me one of the most valuable experiences I have had regarding putting and really understanding my own style and needs versus what is out there on the market.  As a technologist, the human side of the fitting was first-class, and it may sound counter intuitive, but I think better than some AI driven grid analysis because it was interactive and not mechanical at all!

As someone who hit a mallet previously, and had moved to a blade – my first reaction to being fit to a mallet was a bit of a disappointment. Why? Well a bit juvenile but it stems purely from a ‘sexiness’ point of view; as I think some of the Sacks Parente blades are gorgeous.  

TRUST THE PROCESS - Yet the trust that I had built with Aki during the fitting, made me excited to go on this journey and keep an open mind.  If you go back to the original impressions, you will see that I had also heard some negatives about Ultra-Low Balance Point (ULBP) putters and stated I would keep an open mind.  Boy am I glad that I kept an open mind!

I was fit into the  54MC Three stripe with center shaft, round grip, 33" length and 74 degree Lie

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2023_11/Image(6).jpg.82df61497d2fe6fe6d3faf83ecae32bd.jpg

Before getting into their designs ( I will finish with this), its necessary to be clear on what Ultra Low Balance Point is. During the fitting as Aki teaches you about it, during the uboxing he recommends everyone feel the putting instrument by the head and feel virtually nothing. ULBP is proven. It works, and their designs have taken it a step further due to the components that make up the entire package from grip to shaft to weighting to head shape to alignment visuals.

Looking at my fist swings where I describe the stroke as "self squaring" and a pendulum - ULBP creates a natural release without the need to steer the head back towards your intended line. Think of anchoring a putter, but without any anchor at all. A pendulum with a natural flow of movement that improved my accuracy and roll.

Speaking of sexy earlier, the technology in these putters IS SEXY and for me that was a major part of the impetus to sign up for the testing. I remain honored and grateful to the MyGolfSpy team for selecting me and allowing me to experience this journey of “what do I not know about putting and putters?” and how can the Sacks Parente knowledge and intellectual property apply to my game and help me enjoy this wonderful game of golf! 

From the grip (more on this is a bit) to the lightweight shaft, to the weighting and stability engineering to help square the club face to the ULBP design and ability to really roll the ball to the hole – I can absolutely say in head to head comparisons with my ping putter it made a positive impact on both dispersion/accuracy and even confidence.

 

Aesthetics (9 out of 10)

Continuing on my theme of sexiness, if you followed my journey with me you will see that I did have quite a few adjustments from my ping. The shorter SP Putter made it so I could not create my arm bar (lock grip against arm), and that for me was a security blanket for controlling speed.  I had to adjust to a very light feeling putter with this large mallet head and brightly colored stripes and to be honest, I didn’t like the way it looked at first, and was skeptical on the feel as well.

The three prominent stripes and general putter lines may not look the way I would personally desire from an aesthetics (more on this at the end), but boy does it seem to help me stop my usual mis-aligned miss to the right.  The center shaft was also a first for me and to carry the theme, I did not like it at first but had such good feel and success in my initial usage – I HAD to keep an open mind.

The ‘technology’ introduced a lighter black shaft (I was agnostic to this, and part of me loves all blacked out technology, so it was appealing even though different than my Ping or previous putters).  Also introduced is a series of perimeter and weight forward design features where the ‘inserts’ or weighting is actually visible from inspecting the putter – which surprised me a bit.  Truth be told, it didn’t make me like the look any more or less. (I could see someone very pure with color not enjoying that design element).

The grip is proprietary technology and matched for the putter and the ULBP design.  I can say that I prefer a less rubber type look, but the size and feel makes up for the difference in visual.  I also don’t enjoy the way the putter and shaft intersect from a purely aesthetic perspective, maybe that’s the Porsche design purist in me coming through. The grip is a technology that SP prides itself on - NANO CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY - signature nano cellular technology grips are specifically designed and engineered as an essential component of ULBP technology.  < Trust the design.

 

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2023_11/Image(12).jpg.d673bfd93792514891dc995a2f6c6a22.jpg

All in all, the look is sleek, modern and high tech in design and there are enough differences from more traditional putters, you may have to get used to them as I did. The technology is where it shines and an open mind to experience that technology is needed:

1. Ultra Low Balance Point – it WILL feel different.
2. Weight Forward CG – It does help MOI and Roll
3. Ultra High Physics Based MOI – Stop leaving it short
4. Unsurpassed Ball Roll – hole more putts
5. Naturally Improves Your Stroke – stop your pulls and mishits

One area I might nitpick, but the jury remains out is the magnetic cover.  I love the way it looks, how it works and think it is better than Velcro – but it is very snug and almost feels under-sized.

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2023_11/Image(5).jpg.73be6bb1c897ba8c02d6258f1d0b2b23.jpg

Sound and feel perspective is where it shines:

Going back to my unboxing, you will see my first trial swings I was amazed how the club literally flows in the swing, feels lighter than the ping, and squares itself!  What a pleasant experience that I would put up against any putter. (and I have let several buddies try it against their current gamer)

As stated in my introduction, the ‘stroke’ and grip changed for me with this new putter. My “security blanket arm bar” against the grip to keep the triangle was gone with this design. I had to feel the handle move through the putting stroke and I was worried about a negative impact with this change. Experience wise versus fear (and self talk), was very positive; I can say the feel is almost as the putter is doing the pace work. 

During the fitting, I did have AKI call out my need to work on my ‘jerking’ of the stroke during transition and I can honestly say, it feels as if this putter smooths my stroke out without me conscientiously trying.

Even when I tried to align off a bit the putter seemed to square itself:

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2023_11/Image(7).jpg.b5b576ee80866cd8d45f2039d180800c.jpg

I rarely (or a lot less) was short, and my normal miss of right all seemed to immediately go away – literally - upon the first usage. I felt very comfortable in that 6 foot or less range and just let the putter go.

Huge for me: On the 15 plus foot range, I was not short as usual, and it offers me a chance to really stop a lot of those three putts.

When testing you can immediately "feel and hear" a softness to this mallet putter and I think this is a hallmark for all of their putters.  With a clean stroke, nice and square and on center, you barely feel the ball.  Off center the feel is firmer, but even those strikes feel much softer than my ping.

A miss is characterized with a bit more sharp audio which helped me.  From a simple ting type miss (harder for me to hear) for that near center hit to the louder clunk of a larger miss – feedback is built into the putter. All in all - the sound of the ball off the face is a very muted click and was very pleasant to me as it complimented the feel and generates confidence. ***Note: I don’t have the best hearing from my military days

 

Scoring is where it counts! …. The Numbers (10 out of 10)

My largest regret is that I tested this putter right as the season ended for me.  So, most of my testing was on a matt or within very controlled parameters, as the ability to play a round was pretty much gone with the arrival of the cold weather patterns those of us in the northeast experience every year.

From a feel perspective you can tell that I was confident in the putter.  This translated into scoring as the number of short putts, right putts and variability of the patterns (dispersion) all improved.  During controlled drills, like my star drill the dispersion advantage of the Sacks Parente Putter stood out in a massively visible way and for those of you across the pond you may call it ‘brilliant’.  Compared to my old gamer the results cannot be ignored.

The Net Results:

 The putts made and dispersion were both slightly better with Sachs Parente Putter vs Ping:

Initial rounds with controlled tests

1. 59% putts made with Ping versus 61% with Sachs Parente

2. The eye opener was about 17% less dispersion with Sachs Parente versus Ping

 

Follow on rounds as I extended the length out to 15 plus foot lag putts showed similar results:

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2024_01/MicrosoftTeams-image(11).png.98325365db45ab19ac9fa2a3e726d8aa.png

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2024_01/Image(20).jpg.656e6e1e5b6b1b4197da2f1f9e41085f.jpg

Truth be told, again all very controlled tests (I had added the use of ‘gates’ made from tees to help control line and keep the human impact on the tests minimal).  So, these are NOT my live round results but show up to 22% less dispersion over-all.

Dispersion was not the only big win…  from a miss perspective, my normal miss right or miss short seemed to evaporate!  Yes, it did get better and continue to improve the more I used the putter and that is to be expected. The biggest surprise for me was just how fast my usual misses went away as my stroke improved and the ball really started to roll.  The EvenRoll putter is the closest I have had in ‘feel to roll’ experience if I was to try and relate the technology elsewhere.

 

On-Course (20 out of 20)

 

As stated previously, my largest regret was the inability to get rounds in during normal course conditions.  I did use a simulator and simulate a few rounds, and I also did some open and random chipping and putting combination tests to better simulate the areas I often struggle with around the greens. As with every putter I have owned, the more I used them the more confident I got since the SP mallet putter and the technology applied make them easy to square and easy to roll; the technology is an enable from the grip to the Ultra Low Balance Point (ULBP), to the perimeter weights and high MOI face.

A nitpick for those like me who find it harder to bend over - is you cant pick up your ball with this mallet putter and for an old guy with a bad back – that is no fun. 

Aiming is proprietary and keep an open mind - The three stripe aiming, was very effective and Aki asked me to actually ground my putter and aim with the stripes, and though this surprised me during my fitting (hint get one with Aki) it proved to be precious advice.

I hope to get some early spring rounds in, and perhaps sneak a trip south and these on the course experiences, I do expect to remain consistent with my current limited evaluation:

1.       Easy to Aim

2.       Easy to square

3.       Easy to keep stroke consistent

4.       Less dispersion

5.       Less Short

6.       Less three putts

7.       Less Misses right for me

8.       Good feel and confidence

 

 

The Good, the bad, the in between (20 out of 20)

 

Good:

1.       The Human Fitting process – The Sacks Parente team does a great job with fitting and even though it looks basic, I promise you from misses, to transition, to alignment there is something you will learn about yourself or best practice during the fitting process.  Spend the few hours and go see them@

 

2.       The technology works!  Get over any pre-conceptions, some of the aesthetics, and even your worries about putter length or ULBP – trust the fitting and design and I think the technology applied to your game will be impactful. For me:

a.       My normal miss right was addressed

b.       My miss short was addressed

c.       My jerky transition was addressed

d.       My lack of square face was addressed

e.       My alignment cues were improved

f.        My dispersion issues were immensely improved

On the point of feel, what has stood out about the Sacks Parente experience is that the ULBP feels both novel (a bit scary) and comfortable.  It’s clearly different than my gamer Ping putter, eve better ---> I didn’t have the need for a long transition period – I had to TRUST the technology.  This feels like a very un-scientific statement, but the number’s will not lie. Would you sign up for A thru F?  Going in, I had no clue the impact and results would be so positive.

 

The Potentially Bad:

There really is not a lot to consider negative.  For me it was mostly design cues and aesthetics like: the grip material look, the putter cover fit, the transition from grip to putter, the size of the head, the three lines – it was a big change for me.  

The ULBP and weight forward initially was novel for me but I am now used to the putter and when I go back to my Ping it feels heavy and slow.  If you are a tall putter / stand up Putter type player, not sure if SP has something for you but the switch for me was a large change in style and move over the putter / less upright was well.

 

The In Between:

The move from bracing against my arm on the actual grip, the changed grip, the change in stance, the grounding of club, the change in transition – if you are NOT open minded and ready to change, the technology may not work for you.  Also the longer that I used the new SP Mallet versus my Ping Blade, the harder of a time I had going back to Ping – so bridging putters is not an easy task here due to the amount of differences and change necessary to have a good clean stroke. (and feel)

 

Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20)

Easy to answer - Play it!!

We started this journey with a simple, open mind. I had made a simple statement from day 1:

“I have a very open mind to the brand and putter and what will make me keep this in the bag is if I start draining those 8-10 footers I am missing right all the time today. It literally is that simple as that will take a good three strokes a round off. We can all relate to that -- I hope!”...

Well, with the right miss gone, short misses mostly gone and up to 22% less dispersion – I think my "can I make more 8-10 footers" question was answered.  The data shows that it will cut 1-3 strokes per round for me and that is all you can ask.  OF course that is never a static number

I had to learn to overlook some of my visual nuances and aesthetics challenges and let the fitting and the putter do its job to help my game.  That was both fun and hard. But improving is never easy and the ‘feel’ versus real is always a challenge.

Conclusion

Though I run technology for a company, I often don’t lead with technology in golf.  I am actually hard to get to change equipment – so this journey was a challenge from the start to ‘stay in the bag’.

With a final score of 98 out of 100, I think we can say this putter is staying unless another comes along that can displace those numbers.   I had to change my grip, stance, aim and stroke to gain the benefits but with that said,  the journey towards lower scores and improvement continues. 

I learned a ton from the fitting and cannot recommend that enough, even if you do not buy one of their putters – I PROMISE you will learn something.

I can also guarantee the changes will not come free – you will need to look at those three stripes to align, use that new grip style, change your tempo and transition speed… but when technology and the human come together to address a weakness – AIM, Misses, Speed, Tempo, Transition, accuracy etc  -- good things will happen.

My journey continues, from this new grip to trying to make the new aiming processes a habit but the initial results are motivating. Reduced dispersion and stopping those mishits right or continuous 3 putts is enough to excite me to get back out there and keep improving. As I said at the start, isn’t that what we all want? 

To get the benefits you have to trust and adopt the technology. The vision of Sacks Parente is to deliver the most scientifically perfect putters to help golfers make more putts. It’s as simple as that. “Our goal in designing the SPG putters was to use proven, science-based methodology to deliver real innovation,” said Sacks. “We feel that we have succeeded in developing a line of putters that defy convention and actually improve a player’s game.”

All designs feature the company’s patented Ultra-Low Balance Point (ULBP) technology, which is defined as a balance point five inches or less from the sole of the putter. This balance point creates a natural putter release, squaring the head at impact, even in high stress situations. In addition, all SPG putters maximize MOI by combining the use of ultra-light weight alloys and high-density tungsten, to significantly move more weight from the center of the putter to the heel and toe.

Tying it all together...

I trusted the technology and actually experienced better aim, squaring, roll and less dispersion.  Isn’t that pretty much what SP said they designed the putter to do?

Don’t like the three strips and colors from an Aesthetic – perhaps you don’t know WHY they look the way they do! The Series 54 Mallet in order to aid alignment, the putter is available with either a Striped Crown (SC) or a Vernier Acuity (VA) crown to help the eyes follow to the target. The SC is designed to help the eyes follow the ramped shape towards the intended target, enabling golfers to line up putts more consistently and make more putts. The VA model was designed for golfers who don’t find the striped crown beneficial. Vernier Acuity is defined as the ability to see dis-alignment between two lines. This is enhanced when the outside lines are of a different color from the inside line and having outside lines slightly thinner than the inside line.  Wow.

Grips look different? They are engineered to be integrated into the ULBP technology. At an average weight of 30 grams Sacks Parente grips are less than half the weight of typical grips found in today’s market — designed and engineered to enable the ULBP technology, and to also meet specific requirements for feel and comfort. They come in three variations, to meet every golfer’s unique grip style.  Keep an open mind.

Black shaft look different? Sacks Parente shafts have been engineered from the ground up. Weighing between 30-35 grams to enable the ULBP technology — one-third the weight of a regular steel shaft — they transmit a feel not achievable with steel.

(All of my Aesthetic complaints look sillier after all of this analysis don't they?)

I feel as if I am a poster child for why the Sacks Parente Putters were designed the way they are, I am also the person who doesn’t change equipment easily.  Guess what?  After a great fitting process, a lot of learning and a bit of adapting and we have a new putter in the bag that will shave 1-3 strokes. 

Edited January 15 by billpierce
Corrected links to image with a physical image insert

[Josh Parker]

1 hour ago, billpierce said:

Final Review

 

First Impressions (500 Words) (19 out of 20)

 

First, let me say the Sacks Parente fitting was an amazing experience and perhaps for me one of the most valuable experiences I have had regarding putting and really understanding my own style and needs versus what is out there on the market.  As a technologist, the human side of the fitting was first-class, and it may sound counter intuitive, but I think better than some AI driven grid analysis because it was interactive and not mechanical at all!

As someone who hit a mallet previously, and had moved to a blade – my first reaction to being fit to a mallet was a bit of a disappointment. Why? Well a bit juvenile but it stems purely from a ‘sexiness’ point of view; as I think some of the Sacks Parente blades are gorgeous.  

TRUST THE PROCESS - Yet the trust that I had built with Aki during the fitting, made me excited to go on this journey and keep an open mind.  If you go back to the original impressions, you will see that I had also heard some negatives about Ultra-Low Balance Point (ULBP) putters and stated I would keep an open mind.  Boy am I glad that I kept an open mind!

I was fit into the  54MC Three stripe with center shaft, round grip, 33" length and 74 degree Lie

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2023_11/Image(6).jpg.82df61497d2fe6fe6d3faf83ecae32bd.jpgFetching info...

 

Before getting into their designs ( I will finish with this), its necessary to be clear on what Ultra Low Balance Point is. During the fitting as Aki teaches you about it, during the uboxing he recommends everyone feel the putting instrument by the head and feel virtually nothing. ULBP is proven. It works, and their designs have taken it a step further due to the components that make up the entire package from grip to shaft to weighting to head shape to alignment visuals.

Looking at my fist swings where I describe the stroke as "self squaring" and a pendulum - ULBP creates a natural release without the need to steer the head back towards your intended line. Think of anchoring a putter, but without any anchor at all. A pendulum with a natural flow of movement that improved my accuracy and roll.

Speaking of sexy earlier, the technology in these putters IS SEXY and for me that was a major part of the impetus to sign up for the testing. I remain honored and grateful to the MyGolfSpy team for selecting me and allowing me to experience this journey of “what do I not know about putting and putters?” and how can the Sacks Parente knowledge and intellectual property apply to my game and help me enjoy this wonderful game of golf! 

From the grip (more on this is a bit) to the lightweight shaft, to the weighting and stability engineering to help square the club face to the ULBP design and ability to really roll the ball to the hole – I can absolutely say in head to head comparisons with my ping putter it made a positive impact on both dispersion/accuracy and even confidence.

 

Aesthetics (9 out of 10)

Continuing on my theme of sexiness, if you followed my journey with me you will see that I did have quite a few adjustments from my ping. The shorter SP Putter made it so I could not create my arm bar (lock grip against arm), and that for me was a security blanket for controlling speed.  I had to adjust to a very light feeling putter with this large mallet head and brightly colored stripes and to be honest, I didn’t like the way it looked at first, and was skeptical on the feel as well.

The three prominent stripes and general putter lines may not look the way I would personally desire from an aesthetics (more on this at the end), but boy does it seem to help me stop my usual mis-aligned miss to the right.  The center shaft was also a first for me and to carry the theme, I did not like it at first but had such good feel and success in my initial usage – I HAD to keep an open mind.

The ‘technology’ introduced a lighter black shaft (I was agnostic to this, and part of me loves all blacked out technology, so it was appealing even though different than my Ping or previous putters).  Also introduced is a series of perimeter and weight forward design features where the ‘inserts’ or weighting is actually visible from inspecting the putter – which surprised me a bit.  Truth be told, it didn’t make me like the look any more or less. (I could see someone very pure with color not enjoying that design element).

The grip is proprietary technology and matched for the putter and the ULBP design.  I can say that I prefer a less rubber type look, but the size and feel makes up for the difference in visual.  I also don’t enjoy the way the putter and shaft intersect from a purely aesthetic perspective, maybe that’s the Porsche design purist in me coming through. The grip is a technology that SP prides itself on - NANO CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY - signature nano cellular technology grips are specifically designed and engineered as an essential component of ULBP technology.  < Trust the design.

 

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2023_11/Image(12).jpg.d673bfd93792514891dc995a2f6c6a22.jpgFetching info...

 

All in all, the look is sleek, modern and high tech in design and there are enough differences from more traditional putters, you may have to get used to them as I did. The technology is where it shines and an open mind to experience that technology is needed:

1. Ultra Low Balance Point – it WILL feel different.
2. Weight Forward CG – It does help MOI and Roll
3. Ultra High Physics Based MOI – Stop leaving it short
4. Unsurpassed Ball Roll – hole more putts
5. Naturally Improves Your Stroke – stop your pulls and mishits

One area I might nitpick, but the jury remains out is the magnetic cover.  I love the way it looks, how it works and think it is better than Velcro – but it is very snug and almost feels under-sized.

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2023_11/Image(5).jpg.73be6bb1c897ba8c02d6258f1d0b2b23.jpgFetching info...

 

Sound and feel perspective is where it shines:

Going back to my unboxing, you will see my first trial swings I was amazed how the club literally flows in the swing, feels lighter than the ping, and squares itself!  What a pleasant experience that I would put up against any putter. (and I have let several buddies try it against their current gamer)

As stated in my introduction, the ‘stroke’ and grip changed for me with this new putter. My “security blanket arm bar” against the grip to keep the triangle was gone with this design. I had to feel the handle move through the putting stroke and I was worried about a negative impact with this change. Experience wise versus fear (and self talk), was very positive; I can say the feel is almost as the putter is doing the pace work. 

During the fitting, I did have AKI call out my need to work on my ‘jerking’ of the stroke during transition and I can honestly say, it feels as if this putter smooths my stroke out without me conscientiously trying.

Even when I tried to align off a bit the putter seemed to square itself:

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2023_11/Image(7).jpg.b5b576ee80866cd8d45f2039d180800c.jpgFetching info...

I rarely (or a lot less) was short, and my normal miss of right all seemed to immediately go away – literally - upon the first usage. I felt very comfortable in that 6 foot or less range and just let the putter go.

Huge for me: On the 15 plus foot range, I was not short as usual, and it offers me a chance to really stop a lot of those three putts.

When testing you can immediately "feel and hear" a softness to this mallet putter and I think this is a hallmark for all of their putters.  With a clean stroke, nice and square and on center, you barely feel the ball.  Off center the feel is firmer, but even those strikes feel much softer than my ping.

A miss is characterized with a bit more sharp audio which helped me.  From a simple ting type miss (harder for me to hear) for that near center hit to the louder clunk of a larger miss – feedback is built into the putter. All in all - the sound of the ball off the face is a very muted click and was very pleasant to me as it complimented the feel and generates confidence. ***Note: I don’t have the best hearing from my military days

 

Scoring is where it counts! …. The Numbers (10 out of 10)

My largest regret is that I tested this putter right as the season ended for me.  So, most of my testing was on a matt or within very controlled parameters, as the ability to play a round was pretty much gone with the arrival of the cold weather patterns those of us in the northeast experience every year.

From a feel perspective you can tell that I was confident in the putter.  This translated into scoring as the number of short putts, right putts and variability of the patterns (dispersion) all improved.  During controlled drills, like my star drill the dispersion advantage of the Sacks Parente Putter stood out in a massively visible way and for those of you across the pond you may call it ‘brilliant’.  Compared to my old gamer the results cannot be ignored.

The Net Results:

 The putts made and dispersion were both slightly better with Sachs Parente Putter vs Ping:

Initial rounds with controlled tests

1. 59% putts made with Ping versus 61% with Sachs Parente

2. The eye opener was about 17% less dispersion with Sachs Parente versus Ping

 

Follow on rounds as I extended the length out to 15 plus foot lag putts showed similar results:

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2024_01/MicrosoftTeams-image(11).png.98325365db45ab19ac9fa2a3e726d8aa.pngFetching info...

 

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/uploads/monthly_2024_01/Image(20).jpg.656e6e1e5b6b1b4197da2f1f9e41085f.jpgFetching info...

 

Truth be told, again all very controlled tests (I had added the use of ‘gates’ made from tees to help control line and keep the human impact on the tests minimal).  So, these are NOT my live round results but show up to 22% less dispersion over-all.

Dispersion was not the only big win…  from a miss perspective, my normal miss right or miss short seemed to evaporate!  Yes, it did get better and continue to improve the more I used the putter and that is to be expected. The biggest surprise for me was just how fast my usual misses went away as my stroke improved and the ball really started to roll.  The EvenRoll putter is the closest I have had in ‘feel to roll’ experience if I was to try and relate the technology elsewhere.

 

On-Course (20 out of 20)

 

As stated previously, my largest regret was the inability to get rounds in during normal course conditions.  I did use a simulator and simulate a few rounds, and I also did some open and random chipping and putting combination tests to better simulate the areas I often struggle with around the greens. As with every putter I have owned, the more I used them the more confident I got since the SP mallet putter and the technology applied make them easy to square and easy to roll; the technology is an enable from the grip to the Ultra Low Balance Point (ULBP), to the perimeter weights and high MOI face.

A nitpick for those like me who find it harder to bend over - is you cant pick up your ball with this mallet putter and for an old guy with a bad back – that is no fun. 

Aiming is proprietary and keep an open mind - The three stripe aiming, was very effective and Aki asked me to actually ground my putter and aim with the stripes, and though this surprised me during my fitting (hint get one with Aki) it proved to be precious advice.

I hope to get some early spring rounds in, and perhaps sneak a trip south and these on the course experiences, I do expect to remain consistent with my current limited evaluation:

1.       Easy to Aim

2.       Easy to square

3.       Easy to keep stroke consistent

4.       Less dispersion

5.       Less Short

6.       Less three putts

7.       Less Misses right for me

8.       Good feel and confidence

 

 

The Good, the bad, the in between (20 out of 20)

 

Good:

1.       The Human Fitting process – The Sacks Parente team does a great job with fitting and even though it looks basic, I promise you from misses, to transition, to alignment there is something you will learn about yourself or best practice during the fitting process.  Spend the few hours and go see them@

 

2.       The technology works!  Get over any pre-conceptions, some of the aesthetics, and even your worries about putter length or ULBP – trust the fitting and design and I think the technology applied to your game will be impactful. For me:

a.       My normal miss right was addressed

b.       My miss short was addressed

c.       My jerky transition was addressed

d.       My lack of square face was addressed

e.       My alignment cues were improved

f.        My dispersion issues were immensely improved

On the point of feel, what has stood out about the Sacks Parente experience is that the ULBP feels both novel (a bit scary) and comfortable.  It’s clearly different than my gamer Ping putter, eve better ---> I didn’t have the need for a long transition period – I had to TRUST the technology.  This feels like a very un-scientific statement, but the number’s will not lie. Would you sign up for A thru F?  Going in, I had no clue the impact and results would be so positive.

 

The Potentially Bad:

There really is not a lot to consider negative.  For me it was mostly design cues and aesthetics like: the grip material look, the putter cover fit, the transition from grip to putter, the size of the head, the three lines – it was a big change for me.  

The ULBP and weight forward initially was novel for me but I am now used to the putter and when I go back to my Ping it feels heavy and slow.  If you are a tall putter / stand up Putter type player, not sure if SP has something for you but the switch for me was a large change in style and move over the putter / less upright was well.

 

The In Between:

The move from bracing against my arm on the actual grip, the changed grip, the change in stance, the grounding of club, the change in transition – if you are NOT open minded and ready to change, the technology may not work for you.  Also the longer that I used the new SP Mallet versus my Ping Blade, the harder of a time I had going back to Ping – so bridging putters is not an easy task here due to the amount of differences and change necessary to have a good clean stroke. (and feel)

 

Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20)

Easy to answer - Play it!!

We started this journey with a simple, open mind. I had made a simple statement from day 1:

“I have a very open mind to the brand and putter and what will make me keep this in the bag is if I start draining those 8-10 footers I am missing right all the time today. It literally is that simple as that will take a good three strokes a round off. We can all relate to that -- I hope!”...

Well, with the right miss gone, short misses mostly gone and up to 22% less dispersion – I think my "can I make more 8-10 footers" question was answered.  The data shows that it will cut 1-3 strokes per round for me and that is all you can ask.  OF course that is never a static number

I had to learn to overlook some of my visual nuances and aesthetics challenges and let the fitting and the putter do its job to help my game.  That was both fun and hard. But improving is never easy and the ‘feel’ versus real is always a challenge.

Conclusion

Though I run technology for a company, I often don’t lead with technology in golf.  I am actually hard to get to change equipment – so this journey was a challenge from the start to ‘stay in the bag’.

With a final score of 98 out of 100, I think we can say this putter is staying unless another comes along that can displace those numbers.   I had to change my grip, stance, aim and stroke to gain the benefits but with that said,  the journey towards lower scores and improvement continues. 

I learned a ton from the fitting and cannot recommend that enough, even if you do not buy one of their putters – I PROMISE you will learn something.

I can also guarantee the changes will not come free – you will need to look at those three stripes to align, use that new grip style, change your tempo and transition speed… but when technology and the human come together to address a weakness – AIM, Misses, Speed, Tempo, Transition, accuracy etc  -- good things will happen.

My journey continues, from this new grip to trying to make the new aiming processes a habit but the initial results are motivating. Reduced dispersion and stopping those mishits right or continuous 3 putts is enough to excite me to get back out there and keep improving. As I said at the start, isn’t that what we all want? 

To get the benefits you have to trust and adopt the technology. The vision of Sacks Parente is to deliver the most scientifically perfect putters to help golfers make more putts. It’s as simple as that. “Our goal in designing the SPG putters was to use proven, science-based methodology to deliver real innovation,” said Sacks. “We feel that we have succeeded in developing a line of putters that defy convention and actually improve a player’s game.”

All designs feature the company’s patented Ultra-Low Balance Point (ULBP) technology, which is defined as a balance point five inches or less from the sole of the putter. This balance point creates a natural putter release, squaring the head at impact, even in high stress situations. In addition, all SPG putters maximize MOI by combining the use of ultra-light weight alloys and high-density tungsten, to significantly move more weight from the center of the putter to the heel and toe.

Tying it all together...

I trusted the technology and actually experienced better aim, squaring, roll and less dispersion.  Isn’t that pretty much what SP said they designed the putter to do?

Don’t like the three strips and colors from an Aesthetic – perhaps you don’t know WHY they look the way they do! The Series 54 Mallet in order to aid alignment, the putter is available with either a Striped Crown (SC) or a Vernier Acuity (VA) crown to help the eyes follow to the target. The SC is designed to help the eyes follow the ramped shape towards the intended target, enabling golfers to line up putts more consistently and make more putts. The VA model was designed for golfers who don’t find the striped crown beneficial. Vernier Acuity is defined as the ability to see dis-alignment between two lines. This is enhanced when the outside lines are of a different color from the inside line and having outside lines slightly thinner than the inside line.  Wow.

Grips look different? They are engineered to be integrated into the ULBP technology. At an average weight of 30 grams Sacks Parente grips are less than half the weight of typical grips found in today’s market — designed and engineered to enable the ULBP technology, and to also meet specific requirements for feel and comfort. They come in three variations, to meet every golfer’s unique grip style.  Keep an open mind.

Black shaft look different? Sacks Parente shafts have been engineered from the ground up. Weighing between 30-35 grams to enable the ULBP technology — one-third the weight of a regular steel shaft — they transmit a feel not achievable with steel.

(All of my Aesthetic complaints look sillier after all of this analysis don't they?)

I feel as if I am a poster child for why the Sacks Parente Putters were designed the way they are, I am also the person who doesn’t change equipment easily.  Guess what?  After a great fitting process, a lot of learning and a bit of adapting and we have a new putter in the bag that will shave 1-3 strokes. 

Nice job!

[billpierce]

Funny how most of my initial issues with the putter from a look or feel question were addressed via performance.  I can still say the visual alignment is not my favorite, but it works!  Getting used to the feel of the more pendulum type swing the ULBP creates is a bit odd as well, but the results speak for themselves.

Live round play is not such a dramatic difference accuracy wise - as these star drills or gates leveraged tests were very controlled to have a clean line - but that proved to me the technology works and is trustworthy.  Once you trust the alignment, pace, squaring and stroke all you have to do is follow the process and get used to the putter just like any other new club.

[billpierce]

As I re-read the reviews, the fitting process really stands out.  Curious if others noticed how much the session and results were referenced consistently across all reviews?

Could be my bias.

[revkev]

21 hours ago, billpierce said:

As I re-read the reviews, the fitting process really stands out.  Curious if others noticed how much the session and results were referenced consistently across all reviews?

Could be my bias.

The fitting process was unique.  Further I believe that none of us ended up where we thought we would be when we applied.  In fact, I think we each ended up with close to the opposite style of putter to what we thought we would like.  I wonder if that would have been the same had we been fit live?  Had I been handed a blade type putter to try at a fitting I don't know how I would have done.  I had a couple of weeks to get used to the idea waiting for its arrival.  Just a thought.  

[billpierce]

2 minutes ago, revkev said:

The fitting process was unique.  Further I believe that none of us ended up where we thought we would be when we applied.  In fact, I think we each ended up with close to the opposite style of putter to what we thought we would like.  I wonder if that would have been the same had we been fit live?  Had I been handed a blade type putter to try at a fitting I don't know how I would have done.  I had a couple of weeks to get used to the idea waiting for its arrival.  Just a thought.  

Good point - had I walked in, I would have started trying a blade.  Would I have ended with the mallet?  It does appear from researching their site and discussing with Aki each putter has unique alignment, weighting and other tech - so I am sure that is what he takes into consideration.

[MuniGolfer]

Final review is up. Sorry for the delay. I did not start writing early enough, then sickness in my house gave me too many excuses to procrastinate.

Twitter/X review summary: Sacks Parente's technology works! Don't believe me? Schedule a fitting with Aki yourself and see.

[MuniGolfer]

14 hours ago, billpierce said:

Good point - had I walked in, I would have started trying a blade.  Would I have ended with the mallet?  It does appear from researching their site and discussing with Aki each putter has unique alignment, weighting and other tech - so I am sure that is what he takes into consideration.

He definitely did with me. He ended up on the 91 because I generally use the sight line to line up my putts. He had narrowed it down to that ond one other, but that became the deciding factor.

[revkev]

I know it’s off season for most but wondering if my fellow tes group has been out with their putters at all? I’ve been incredibly busy at work. This Christmas season, New Year to early Lent start has been crazy for me. I get a short little respite here between now and Ash Weds. My hope for the next 3 weeks is 2 nines plus a range and short game session - should be able to pull that off so long as the weather holds. 
 

I did play a couple of weeks ago and putted very well on foreign greens. 

[cnosil]

17 minutes ago, revkev said:

I know it’s off season for most but wondering if my fellow tes group has been out with their putters at all? I’ve been incredibly busy at work. This Christmas season, New Year to early Lent start has been crazy for me. I get a short little respite here between now and Ash Weds. My hope for the next 3 weeks is 2 nines plus a range and short game session - should be able to pull that off so long as the weather holds. 
 

I did play a couple of weeks ago and putted very well on foreign greens. 

Weather hasn't cooperated here so I haven't played in a few weeks.  Hoping to get out tomorrow but rain is in the forecast. 

[cnosil]

Last round for a while and my putting was very mediocre.  Today I used the MC 3 stripe.   Back of my mind is wondering if it is the subtle breaks and quicker greens that is impacting my putting.   With this putter I tend to aim pretty well and it could be that my reads are a bit off.  

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

I'll be excited to see what putter is in your bag come May for the outing @cnosil

[MuniGolfer]

On 1/27/2024 at 8:55 AM, revkev said:

I know it’s off season for most but wondering if my fellow tes group has been out with their putters at all? I’ve been incredibly busy at work. This Christmas season, New Year to early Lent start has been crazy for me. I get a short little respite here between now and Ash Weds. My hope for the next 3 weeks is 2 nines plus a range and short game session - should be able to pull that off so long as the weather holds. 
 

I did play a couple of weeks ago and putted very well on foreign greens. 

I haven't been outside, but I have been working at home with my putting traininer and have noticed something interesting. The Sacks Parente is about a quarter to a half inch shorter than my Scotty Cameron, which is 34 inches. The SP was supposed to be 34. I am sure this is because SP measures to the center of the sweet spot where my Scotty was measured with the ruler behind the shaft. I will get some pics here soon. Regardless, the big problem I have noticed is I tend to putt on my target line much better with a slightly longer putter. I am seeing some slight pushes and pulls with the SP, but better distance control than others. I am tempted to extend it about an inch--I am noticing the best performance for me seems to be 34.5" measured from behind the shaft--or send it back to Sacks Parente to do so. I am loving the natural dead weight putting feel, I just want to make sure I am still hitting my lines.

[revkev]

16 hours ago, MuniGolfer said:

I haven't been outside, but I have been working at home with my putting traininer and have noticed something interesting. The Sacks Parente is about a quarter to a half inch shorter than my Scotty Cameron, which is 34 inches. The SP was supposed to be 34. I am sure this is because SP measures to the center of the sweet spot where my Scotty was measured with the ruler behind the shaft. I will get some pics here soon. Regardless, the big problem I have noticed is I tend to putt on my target line much better with a slightly longer putter. I am seeing some slight pushes and pulls with the SP, but better distance control than others. I am tempted to extend it about an inch--I am noticing the best performance for me seems to be 34.5" measured from behind the shaft--or send it back to Sacks Parente to do so. I am loving the natural dead weight putting feel, I just want to make sure I am still hitting my lines.

Nice response

If you decide to lengthen I would recommend sending it back to them in order to maintain that balance point.  I'm sure that's the reason for your consistent distance.  I've been putting the past couple of days and will again on my way into work today.  We are finally in our normal winter weather pattern which is spectacular.  

[cnosil]

16 hours ago, MuniGolfer said:

I haven't been outside, but I have been working at home with my putting traininer and have noticed something interesting. The Sacks Parente is about a quarter to a half inch shorter than my Scotty Cameron, which is 34 inches. The SP was supposed to be 34. I am sure this is because SP measures to the center of the sweet spot where my Scotty was measured with the ruler behind the shaft. I will get some pics here soon. Regardless, the big problem I have noticed is I tend to putt on my target line much better with a slightly longer putter. I am seeing some slight pushes and pulls with the SP, but better distance control than others. I am tempted to extend it about an inch--I am noticing the best performance for me seems to be 34.5" measured from behind the shaft--or send it back to Sacks Parente to do so. I am loving the natural dead weight putting feel, I just want to make sure I am still hitting my lines.

Shaft length measurement is another golf industry non standard thing.  Most seem to measure through to the bottom center of the putter so the 34" would be what most would measure.    

 

I agree with @revkev, I would send back since you will mess up the balance point if you extend the shaft.   

[MuniGolfer]

1 hour ago, revkev said:

Nice response

If you decide to lengthen I would recommend sending it back to them in order to maintain that balance point.  I'm sure that's the reason for your consistent distance.  I've been putting the past couple of days and will again on my way into work today.  We are finally in our normal winter weather pattern which is spectacular.  

I agree on the consistent distance being down to the balance point. All my testing thus far confirms that. Also I agree with both you and @cnosil on sending it back. I may reach out to them and do so. I get much more consistent lines when I grip the putter with my left pinky right at the end of the grip, see photo below. 

Here are my measurements with the ruler behind the shaft to the sole, sitting flat. It appears that I was wrong and caused the issue. I could have sworn my Scotty was 34". That's what I told Aki the length was, but that must have been the length without the grip. As you can see, the SP is exactly 34" with the grip. The Scotty is 34 1/4" and the Piretti is 34 3/4". I think I will ask them to get it to the 34 3/4" length. I still really love the putter. My distance control has been significantly better. If I can get the lines to match, this could be an absolute weapon for me. The issue with the line stability has also been evident when I am doing the MGS 5', 10' and 20' make rate test. The SP is the best lag putter, but the Piretti makes the most because of hitting the line. 

Edited February 10 by MuniGolfer

[Willie T]

1 hour ago, MuniGolfer said:

I agree on the consistent distance being down to the balance point. All my testing thus far confirms that. Also I agree with both you and @cnosil on sending it back. I may reach out to them and do so. I get much more consistent lines when I grip the putter with my left pinky right at the end of the grip, see photo below. 

Here are my measurements with the ruler behind the shaft to the sole, sitting flat. It appears that I was wrong and caused the issue. I could have sworn my Scotty was 34". That's what I told Aki the length was, but that must have been the length without the grip. As you can see, the SP is exactly 34" with the grip. The Scotty is 34 1/4" and the Piretti is 34 3/4". I think I will ask them to get it to the 34 3/4" length. I still really love the putter. My distance control has been significantly better. If I can get the lines to match, this could be an absolute weapon for me. The issue with the line stability has also been evident when I am doing the MGS 5', 10' and 20' make rate test. The SP is the best lag putter, but the Piretti makes the most because of hitting the line. 

Interesting read on such a subtle variance in OAL.  Agree with the others about sending it back - as SP can make sure it’s properly balanced.  Love the discussion. 

[Donn lost in San Diego]

On 10/17/2023 at 4:00 AM, cnosil said:

Introduction:

Who am I?

Wanted to say upfront thanks to the mod team for selecting me to test this product and to Sacks Parente for providing the putters for us to test.    I’m  Chris and live in Newport News, VA; which is about 20 minutes from MGS headquarters.   I have been playing golf on and off since I was a teenager (I am now 57) and prior to actually getting out on a course I remember getting my hands on some clubs as a preteen with my neighborhood friends and hitting balls in a cemetery near the house where I grew up.  I started playing on a regular basis in about 2000 when a friend invited me to play in his weekly group.   The group has shrunk in size since then but I still play with a few from that group and play in my company’s golf league.   My game has gone up and down through the years with my handicap getting as low as a 4 and is now about a 7.   I am basically a huge golf junkie and love learning about products and all things golf which is why I volunteer my time to be one of HQ’s most wanted testers.  Being a most wanted tester lets me hit a wide variety of clubs on the market but also lets me get access to see and touch lots of unique products in the golf world.  

 

 

My enjoyment of putters and all things related to putting:

I am a regular reader of the forum and see that some people that like irons, some drivers, some shafts, and some wedges but for me it is all about putters and putting.  I love to try different putters to see how their designs influence the stroke; even going as far as trying a stroke lab shaft in my current gamer just to see how it worked.  I’ve had my putting stroke measured on Puttlab several times, have done a few fittings, have taken numerous putting specific lessons to include a course in vector green reading (similar to aimpoint), and consumed lots of putting related material.  I can’t begin to list all the putters I have personally gamed; most of my putter trials in recent years is to try new “technology” like EvnRoll, LAB, and Seemore.  My love of putters and trying something difference is what led me to apply for this opportunity.  Most manufacturers seem to go the counterbalance route (heavy grips, butt weights) so it will be interesting to see how the ultra low balance point (ULBP) design works. 

 

Planned Testing Approach:

As of the writing of this intro, I have spent some time on the Sacks Parente site and have read their claims and watch their videos which has helped formulate my plan for testing.  Testing will leverage some data analytics and focused around 3 of the 4 putting skills: Aiming, Stroke, and Touch.  Green Reading is a bit outside the scope of a putter.   Testing will be performed using my current gamer a TaylorMade TM-180.   I was fit for this putter in 2010 and have since installed a Stroke Lab shaft.

Evaluation of the fitting process to include both the online and virtual fitting process.

• Evaluate ability aim the putter.  (Aiming skill)
• Leveraging my ExPutt to evaluate path, face angle, and ball speed.  (stroke and touch skills)
• Getting out to the practice putting green to check dispersion patterns. (touch skill)
• And of course some on course strokes gained/make percentage numbers to see if their claims measure up.

I’ll do my best to communicate some of the feel aspects of the putter but I lean more toward the mechanical/analytical side of the scale.      

Below are some captures from a Puttlab session I did in 2018 with the TaylorMade putter.

 

What will it take for the putter to remain in the bag:

• Improvement in 5-12’ make percentages (ShotScope shows this as my weak area)
• More one putts
• Fewer 3 putts (of course)
• Improved dispersion (since 56% of my putts are short, try and push the dispersion to be a little more biased to the long side.

The below images are statistics from ShotScope.  The Make% is a comparison against a scratch golfer since comparison against a tour pro didn't provided the above/below percentages.   The strokes gained number is against a tour pro.  

 

Intro Wrap-up:

As I go through my review, I’ll be posting more details about my current putters performance and how the Sack Parente measures up.  The current plan is to do a few posts about each of the testing items I listed above along with my thoughts on expectations.  For example I believe consistent path is better than a perfect zeroed out path.

That wraps up a quick intro about me and what I am hoping to learn and accomplish, but these reviews are done for you the MGS readers.   Leave comments and ask questions about me, my thoughts about putters and putting, and what interests you with this product and if possible, I’ll give it a try and get you the information you need to make your own purchase decision.  

 

The Fitting Process

I've include a detailed writeup discussing the fitting in the thread:  https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/61616-sacks-parente-putters-2023-forum-review/?do=findComment&comment=979899

Unboxing Video

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/61616-sacks-parente-putters-2023-forum-review/?do=findComment&comment=987584

Initial Impressions

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/61616-sacks-parente-putters-2023-forum-review/?do=findComment&comment=987670

Aim and 10' Putt Testing

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/61616-sacks-parente-putters-2023-forum-review/?do=findComment&comment=988289

Random 5' - 50' Putt Testing

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/61616-sacks-parente-putters-2023-forum-review/?do=findComment&comment=989374

20'  Heel/Center/Toe strikes

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/61616-sacks-parente-putters-2023-forum-review/?do=findComment&comment=991181

 

 

Final Review

First Impressions (500 Words) (19 out of 20)

I posted my initial impressions earlier and you can read them using the link above, but never published a score since I felt initial impressions need to be more than my thoughts after taking it out of the box.  Also, since I have been testing 2 putters, the scores will reflect my combined feelings about each and I will include specific feedback about each putter.     The only knock/ding I can make about these putters is the epoxy residue that was on the shaft of the Drac putter and that I feel like the covers are a little bit small.  Note: I removed most of the epoxy residue using a look goof off cleaner.   Other than those couple of nitpicks each component: packaging, the included ball marker, and the actual putter are all top tier from a quality perspective.
 

Aesthetics (10 out of 10)

As someone coming from blades and mid mallet putters, going to a mallet was a big adjustment and provided a big visual change.   The Drac is a bit of a “puffy” seven/fang style with no obvious alignment aids.  The MC 3 stripe is a round mallet with three long alignment lines running from front to back.  Sacks Parente does put their name/logo on all the components but is a subtle golden color that isn’t overwhelming to look at.   Each putter had very visible milling lines which; in my opinion, are designed to help the player align the putter. 

 

 

The Drac mill lines generally run heel to toe which would be good for someone that likes to align their putter buy using the face and making a T with the target line. 

 

 

 

 

 

The MC 3 stripes milling lines all run from front to back which is good for someone that likes to using lines that are parallel to the target line.  

 

 

 

 

 

There are also silver weights inserted into the heel and toe of these putters to move the weight forward.  While you don’t see the weights at address some might criticize that the weights don’t match the head color.  

 

Sound and feel perspective:

• As I hit the ball at different locations on the face, I was able to discern where the ball impacted the face, impact was solid, and ball speed seemed very consistent across the face. 
• the putters move well through the stroke and the weight forward designs seem to produce a little more ball speed and forward roll. 
• I found it easy to get putts to the hole. 

When reading putter reviews people always comment about picking up the ball from off the green.  The answer with the MC 3 stripe is simple…you can’t.   The Drac does have a flange that you can use to pick up the ball.  That said, the flange is a little thick and I occasionally struggled a little trying to pick up the ball, but I am guessing that with practice it becomes easier. 

 

The Numbers (10 out of 10)

As reported in the links above, I leveraged my ExPutt to capture club and ball data to see how the Sacks Parente putters impacted my stroke.   Sacks Parente makes claims about number improvements based on data capture during a Golf Lab study ( https://sacksparente.com/pages/golf-lab-study ). 

Like the study, I captured the Sacks Parente numbers with very little practice/testing time.  While my putting was done on a simulator at 10 feet versus 8 feet, I observed the following:

Taylor Made TM-180 gamer:

 

MC 3 Stripe:

 

Drac:

 

Aim Evaluation

 

I am not going to do the math to get percentages but I did see better make percentages with the Sacks Parente putters, a little worse impact angle (but more consistent), a little less consistent ball speed, and better aim.  Looking at the various rounds I played I did have a bad round by averaged -1.88 strokes gained putting against a PGA professional which is about a stroke better than I was averaging with my gamer.  Overall I feel their claims are supported and that these putters can improve aspects of your stroke.

When I got the putters to the practice green, I found that they performed exceptionally well.  I was able to start the ball on my intended line, had good speed control, and the ball seemed to want to keep rolling toward the hole even on putts that I felt I miss hit.   There seemed to be almost no loss of distance in miss hits and the dispersion pattern was close to center strikes.

Like many things, the more play and practice time I spent with the Sacks Parente putters I found that I became more comfortable with the putters and that my performance continued to improve. 

 

On-Course (20 out of 20)

Out on the course I felt very comfortable with these putters. The more I used them the more confident I got since these putters are very stable and move well through the stroke; I am confident in saying this stability and flow comes from the Ultra Low Balance Point (ULBP).   The finish on these putters didn’t cause any issue in sun or shade and shows no signs of wear.   A nitpick would be that the milled triangle shape on the flange of the Drac; which could potentially be used as an aid with alignment, but it did get obscured when the sun created a shadow over that area.  The heel shafted version of the Drac has a red sight dot but the center shafted version has no alignment aids so some red (to stay with the Dracula theme) lines down the fangs might be a good addition to provide another alignment option.

From a performance perspective with only a few exceptions I found my putts were always around the hole and the ball was going where I was aimed.  I don’t have an overall strokes gained number from each round but I believe I am close to or better than my gamer. 

Overall, I found setup and speed control to be easy and consistent with these putters.   No complaints and I can’t find anything related to on course performance that would cause me to deduct points.   

 

The Good, the bad, the in between (20 out of 20)

Good:

I don’t think I can say this any better than a statement from the Sacks Parente website:

Unlike other putter manufacturers, we engineer our putters ‘wholistically.’ The shaft, grip, and head are all designed to work together to deliver performance you can’t find anywhere else.

 

These putters are designed as a complete package from top to bottom which I believe is unique to this company.  I can’t think of another company that designs the head, shaft, and grip to all work together as a complete package.   Maybe you could make an argument for the Odyssey Stroke Lab.   No one has the ULBP technology and I think that is key to helping the player maintain a consistent stroke rhythm which translates directly to speed control.

Bad:

If I had to identify something bad about the putter it might be how extremely lightweight the putter is and extended usage makes it a little difficult to go back to a “normal” putter.   Initially, I didn’t feel like the weight was that much different but now if I go back to one of my older putters it does feel awkwardly heavy.  While not a bad about these putters, it might be a bad if you like to switch putters or decide not to use the Sacks Parente putter anymore.

In Between:

Grips are the connection point to the club and therefore pretty important. For other clubs they use OEM grips and you can in most cases go to a golf store and feel them for firmness and size.   Since Sacks Parente grips are proprietary you have to kind of blindly pick the grip you will be using.  Additionally, if you were to put a non-Sacks Parente grip on the putter you would defeat the ULBP tech. 

 

Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20)

This section is really easy to write.  Quite simply, the putter is staying in the bag.  The only problem is figuring out which one….

I have tried mallet putters in the past and never really got along with them but I think with the weight forward design of these putters it makes them play more like a blade.   The weight forward approach also seems to help me get the ball to the hole a little better which improves short/long dispersion.   

It is a tough decision; I have always been intrigued by the fang style putter since so many people seem to find success with them and the long alignment aids on the MC 3 stripe make setup easy.  

 

Conclusion

With a final score of 99 out of 100, it should be obvious that I really liked these putters.   That said, no putter is a magic bullet that will transform your putting with doing some amount of practice. Like any club test,  I spent considerable time putting and working on my putting skills so I would expect to see some improvements.   To putt better the putter has some influence buy we; as players, still need to focus on consistent aim, stroke quality, and distance control.  With all that said about practice and working on your skills, the ULBP technology and sightlines (MC 3 stripe) do make it a little easier to be consistent. 

My evaluation showed that I became a little better with speed (distance control) and impact angle which are keys to better putting.  While these putters are extremely light, the transition from a normal putter to the Sacks Parente putter was easy.   

This company is one of the few that offers a live in depth fitting option to help determine which putter will best fit your stroke.  I would advocate anyone considering these putters to do the fitting and get some input that should help your golf game.

With prices ranging from $350-$450 for the various models it isn’t the cheapest putter available but is comparable to other high end milled putters from a price and quality perspective. 

I am currently leaning toward the MC 3 stripe putter to remain in the bag but will continue to do a little more evaluation before I make that final decision. 

Final Score (99 out of 100)


 

It look like Sacks Parente was a winner for all 4 testers.  Big winner.  Are you still using it?

[cnosil]

6 hours ago, Donn lost in San Diego said:

It look like Sacks Parente was a winner for all 4 testers.  Big winner.  Are you still using it?

I haven’t been able to play golf since the review was posted due to limitations from surgery.   When I start again next week it will be in my bag.  The main reason is because of how easy it is to aim and start the ball where aimed.   

[Donn lost in San Diego]

2 hours ago, cnosil said:

I haven’t been able to play golf since the review was posted due to limitations from surgery.   When I start again next week it will be in my bag.  The main reason is because of how easy it is to aim and start the ball where aimed.   

what surgery?  I just had big toe joint fusion surgery, see my foot in a Aircast boot boot, in the "reasons / excuses" thread.  2 more weeks to go.  3rd surgery in 3 years.  what fun.  the ball scavengers at my local course have noticed I haven't been playing again.

[Donn lost in San Diego]

On 2/10/2024 at 8:43 AM, MuniGolfer said:

I agree on the consistent distance being down to the balance point. All my testing thus far confirms that. Also I agree with both you and @cnosil on sending it back. I may reach out to them and do so. I get much more consistent lines when I grip the putter with my left pinky right at the end of the grip, see photo below. 

Here are my measurements with the ruler behind the shaft to the sole, sitting flat. It appears that I was wrong and caused the issue. I could have sworn my Scotty was 34". That's what I told Aki the length was, but that must have been the length without the grip. As you can see, the SP is exactly 34" with the grip. The Scotty is 34 1/4" and the Piretti is 34 3/4". I think I will ask them to get it to the 34 3/4" length. I still really love the putter. My distance control has been significantly better. If I can get the lines to match, this could be an absolute weapon for me. The issue with the line stability has also been evident when I am doing the MGS 5', 10' and 20' make rate test. The SP is the best lag putter, but the Piretti makes the most because of hitting the line. 

did you swap for a longer shaft?  still in love with the putter?  I am probably going to either do a tryout or a fitting with them after my latest surgery heals.

[cnosil]

16 minutes ago, Donn lost in San Diego said:

what surgery?  I just had big toe joint fusion surgery, see my foot in a Aircast boot boot, in the "reasons / excuses" thread.  2 more weeks to go.  3rd surgery in 3 years.  what fun.  the ball scavengers at my local course have noticed I haven't been playing again.

Had a hemangioma removed from my liver in January.  Was supposed to be 3 months no golf but after my post surgery visit the surgeon reduced it to 2 so I can try to play again April 1.   Based on current recovery, I think playing golf will be a challenge physically.  

[billpierce]

9 hours ago, Donn lost in San Diego said:

It look like Sacks Parente was a winner for all 4 testers.  Big winner.  Are you still using it?

My season hasnt started yet but I plan to be using it

[Donn lost in San Diego]

17 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Had a hemangioma removed from my liver in January.  Was supposed to be 3 months no golf but after my post surgery visit the surgeon reduced it to 2 so I can try to play again April 1.   Based on current recovery, I think playing golf will be a challenge physically.  

Oh my, you have my best wishes.  I knw your name is Chris but I am still making guesses what the nosil stands for.  Also, now reading more I learn you are a putter "ho" .  You chastised me a few yrs ago talking about hw I grip putter crosshanded, put my index finger of left hand on the front of the shaft.  I recently traded in a Scotty Futura X (2015), double wing counter balance type.  I found a used Odyssey "R" ball, micro hinge.  Love it, after maybe 8 hours practicing.  I noticed at the Valspar even the tv guys were surprised that not just Brian Harman, but about 4 others who were on the leaderboard now putt crosshanded.  And Matt Fitzpatrick even chips cross sometimes.  I experimented with that too, but for now, I use reg grip using my old old Don Martin Up-n-In bronze or copper 25 deg no-groove chipper.  Regards,    

[cnosil]

33 minutes ago, Donn lost in San Diego said:

  I noticed at the Valspar even the tv guys were surprised that not just Brian Harman, but about 4 others who were on the leaderboard now putt crosshanded.  

Nothing wrong with crosshanded putting and surprised that someone would be surprised by pros doing that.  Most coaches don’t like fingers down the shaft when putting; probably becuase it could promote a flip motion.  I putter left hand low for about 8 years; just decided to switch back to conventional.   I am still left side dominant when I move the putter.  

[MuniGolfer]

5 hours ago, Donn lost in San Diego said:

did you swap for a longer shaft?  still in love with the putter?  I am probably going to either do a tryout or a fitting with them after my latest surgery heals.

I haven’t yet. I have just been gripping it at the end. I need to reach out to them though. I have only played once outside since the weather has turned. I am excited to get more strokes gained data on it.

i did get some of the putter features working on the uneekor system at my hitting facility I found that my average left to right putter delivery was straighter with the Sacks Parente, but it had a wider distribution than my other two. The Piretti had a very right tendency, and the Scotty was just slightly right. The Sacks tended to be just a little right and a little left, but it is making far more putts indoors. I should be able to start getting some outdoor strokes gained stats next week. 
 
All that said, it’s definitely still in the bag from what I have seen so far. Thanks for the reminder on the shaft. I should do that asap.

[cnosil]

I wanted to provide an ongoing update to the review.   I am back to being able to play golf after my surgery in January.    I have played 2 league matches since starting back and the MC 3 stripe is in the bag.    The greens had been recently aerated during my first match so I didn’t track strokes gained but felt like I putted pretty well.   I did track during my second match and had 15 putts and gained 0.10 strokes against a PGA professional level.  I really didn’t hit a bad putt and the missed putts were starting online and burning the edges.   The putter definitely fits my stroke and the alignment lines help me aim where I want to start the ball.  Dedicated practice has also been a benefit to my putting since that was one of the only things I could do in February and March.   
 

[MuniGolfer]

I got to play on my first good greens with the SP 91, aka “The Duke”, and below are the results.

I have putting well, period, with this putter, especially distance control, but on good greens it was nice to see the results. The one three putt was due to a really bad read. Speed was good, which has been my biggest problem. 
I still need to reach out to Sacks Parente about getting my putter lengthened, but I am putting quite well holding it at the very end of the grip right now.