Sacks Parente Putters - 2023 Forum Review

[GolfSpy_APH]

Testers Announced!

Introduction:
Are you familiar with Sacks Parente Putters? If not, don't worry; you're not alone. I stumbled upon them thanks to a Golfers Digest article discussing the remarkable surge of a putter company's stock on its Wall Street debut, and it piqued my interest.

Why We're Interested:
At MyGolfSpy Forum, we've made it a goal for 2023 to shine a spotlight on emerging and lesser-known brands in the golfing world. We believe it's crucial to give these companies exposure while providing our members with opportunities to test, experience, and review products they might never have considered before. Sacks Parente fits this mission perfectly, and after initial discussions, they enthusiastically agreed to participate.

Meet Sacks Parente:
So, who exactly are Sacks Parente? They're primarily a putter manufacturer renowned for their patented Ultra Low Balance Point technology (ULBP), which they claim can naturally enhance your putting stroke. Founded by golf club design and manufacturing pioneer Steve Sacks and Rich Parente, an original co-founder of Callaway, the concept of their ULBP technology was born in 2011. However, it wasn't until 2018 that Sacks Parente officially came into existence.

Wide Range of Designs:
Sacks Parente offers an extensive array of golf putter designs catering to the preferences of most golfers. Whether you favor mallet or blade putters, there's a design that's bound to catch your eye. What sets Sacks Parente apart is their inclusion of matching Ultra-Low Balance Point putter shafts and grips with their putters. These components work harmoniously to, as they claim, help you sink more putts. With a growing presence on the PGA Tour of Champions, they're steadily gaining recognition – a development that has us at MyGolfSpy Forum excited to introduce to our forum members.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@revkev

@cnosil

@MuniGolfer

@ACalling

@billpierce

[cnosil]

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)


 

Edited January 12 by cnosil

[revkev]

Sacks Parente Putter Official Review

RevKev

Intro

 

As my screen name suggests I am the Senior Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church and School in St. Petersburg, FL. Besides that wonderful vocation I’m a husband, the father of four including a disabled young adult daughter, grandfather of nine, two of whom attend my Day School and former foster parent to a cast of thousands (well 20 or so.) 

 

Now in my mid 60’s I’ve been playing golf since I was young, maintaining a single digit handicap throughout the various stages of life that included children, seminary and moves to several different northern states, and most recently, for the past seventeen years, Florida. 

 

When I was young, I thrived on being able to hit the ball a long way (for persimmon, blades and balata.)  As I moved into my mid 30’s those attributes gave way to consistency and the ability to save strokes with a solid short game.  I still move the ball out there fairly well for my age and since I play an appropriate set of tees scoring comes down to approach shots and short game most rounds.  Over time I’ve lost some of my consistency and so the handicap has risen to the higher single digits 8.8 at my last revision 4 or 5 a side in a nine-hole Tuesday night league.

 

(I'm spoiled to play on great greens almost all year round)

I primarily play two courses.  My home club, the Bayou, is private with fast/firm tiff eagle greens, distinct tiers and then subtle breaks around the cup.  Mangrove, where I play in league, is a Muni but always in great shape.  So, though the greens are slower they still roll true.  Chipping on Bermuda is often treacherous, so putter has become my go to club off the green.  I need my putter to be an effective weapon off the green as well as on it.

 

 

Golf is always in season in Florida. I read a suggestion in our group chat about finding an indoor putting place for the testers who live up North.  That won’t be necessary for me, the only clowns or monsters that I will need to contend with are my playing partners and the wildlife that we occasionally encounter.

(And you expected a gator - ha!)

My league play will be over as our test period starts.  I will play some Friday games at the club to get a feel for how the putter performs under pressure.  Primarily though I will put the putter head to head against my current gamer (see my signature) in some skills challenges, 3 feet, 10 feet, 30 feet and from the practice green fringe. 

Like many I don’t know much about the Sacks Parente company.  I’ve looked at their website and they have lots of exciting putter choices at typical premium costs.  I’m most excited to see which putter gets selected for me.  I’ve been live fit for putter once, had a phone fitting and virtual fitting for the three putters that I’ve gamed over the past 15 years.  In each case though I selected the model myself.  This will be my first ever from scratch putter fitting.

 

Thanks Sacks Parente and My Golf Spy for this great opportunity and for making me part of a remarkable team of testers.  If there is something in particular that a reader would like to know please let us read about it in the comment section below and we will do our best to test it out.  Sacks Parente claims that they have; “The only putter that naturally improves your stroke.”  Let’s go find out……
 

First Impressions

 

Here’s the link to my first impression and also numerous pictures for the aesthetics part of this review:

 

Initial Impressions and Unboxing Post!

 

I’m giving first impressions 18/20

I love the look and feel of the putter.  I took some points off because I just don’t’ like the cover plain and simple.  To me it looks cheap, far too cheap for a $300 plus putter.  I’m also concerned that it will fall off during play (a concern that has been borne out through time - we've had to make a few trips back to recover the putter head during on course play.)

 

Overall, first impressions are great and the putter cover is functional in that it protects the club.

 

Aesthetics

There are numerous pictures of the putter above.  Outside the cover it is a beautiful club.  It has a great feel and sound even on off center hits although it is easy enough to teel where you are making contact with the ball.

 

It’s a great looking and feeling putter.  Others love its look and feel as well.  To me it just looks as if the ball will go wherever I aim it.  The aimpoint on its top is understated but very easy to line up with my desired starting point. All of this means that once I pull putter, I’m able to focus on reading my line or if I’m off the green my line and the terrain that I will be covering.

 

10/10

 

The Numbers

 

 

Because I had cataract surgery on each eye throughout the month of November, I spent a great deal of time on the practice green.  My fitter, Aki, had two contentions: 

 

One was that the Sacks Parente putter design would enable me to lose the slight loop that I had in my stroke – we will examine that result in the good, bad, in-between section below.

 

The other was that a single digit handicapper like me who has a relatively good stroke (Aki praised my stroke during the fitting process) playing consistently on good greens at a private club would be better than 50/50 holing putts from the tour 50/50 range of 8 feet.

 

So, I tried it out.

 

Over the test period I hit 100 8 footers and holed 61 of them.  In that time, I only left one short which is remarkable for me, my normal misses with putter for years have been left and short.  Honestly many of the misses from 8 feet were because the ball hit some sort of imperfection (even “perfect” greens have them). 

 

I had intended to try the same test with my gamer.  However, the overall weight and feel of the Sacks Parente Duke makes it very difficult to switch putters.  My other two putters feel very weird to me at this point, and it would be unfair to test them side by side in this manner.  I do know that for years my 50/50 mark has been between 6 and 7 feet and that I struggle getting the ball to the hole on longer putts.

 

My accuracy with this putter is outstanding.  It’s point and shoot, distance control is great, forgiveness is spot on, I almost always get the ball to the hole even on longer putts. That has not necessarily translated into a lot of made midrange putts, as yet, but it has significantly reduced the number of three putts.  I only had two in the test period of December and January (I didn’t play golf in November due to those eye surgeries.)  Of note those three putts came on a strange course and the greens were running exceptionally fast – they were both downhill putts.  Even the club members playing with me were unable to keep the ball close to the hole on downhill putts that day. 

 

I’m particularly impressed by my ability to get the ball through the fringe and close to the hole from off the green.  We redid our fringes two seasons ago and they still aren’t great.  My past two rounds playing partners have commented on how good my speed is from off the green.

 

10/10

 

On-Course

This one is a bit more difficult to assess.  It is always golf season in Florida for certain.  However, October through January is a shoulder season.  Summer leagues are finished, I played my last league round a couple of weeks before my putter arrived and the in-season tournaments don’t start until the middle/end of January just after this review is being written. 

 

Still, I’ve played a good deal of golf particularly since Christmas and there is always a bit of pressure when playing with other people.  None of these rounds has been as a single and they have been with a variety of different people.  It’s easy enough to quantify that I am holing my short putts and that my speed is great – see above on the lack of three putts – I’ve only 2 over the past 5 rounds.  I also get up and down from off the green right around 70 percent of the time.  To be fair some of those attempts are fairly easy ones but others, not so much having to go across three different surfaces. 

 

18/20

 

I had to dock two points simply because I have yet to putt with my Sacks – Parente under tournament pressure – I’ve made the putts I should have made and even a couple that I should not have when playing for a few dollars.  All signs are promising. 

 

 

The Good, the bad, the in-between

The good:

 

The fitting was great, thorough, fun, the result unexpected which means the process looked at my stroke and my putting needs.

 

Below please see two videos that are after shots from the fitting:

 

The club looks and feels great.

 

It’s moved my 50/50 spot back 18 inches.

 

My distance control has improved.

 

The bad:

 

I’ve already mentioned that I don’t like the cover, so I won’t bang Sacks Parente on that one a second time.

 

It is however necessary to stick with their proprietary components.  They do have a nice selection of grips but the thought of having to go back to them and paying a premium when this one wears out is a negative for me.  This is a putter design where you can’t mess with it once you receive it or you will destroy the ultra-low balance point that is its signature feature.  It cracked me up that in a recent round my playing partner said, “My putter balances where yours does, too.”  He had the cover still on his.

 

The in-between

 

Cost is always an issue, isn’t it.  These putters retail between $300 and $500.  Only you know if that’s in your budget.  I would suggest that if you are spending over $500 probably closer to $700 on driver and over $1,000 for irons that it makes sense to invest that sort of money on putter, too.

18/20

 

Play it or Trade it?

 

It’s in the bag to stay for this upcoming season.  The look of this putter instills confidence for me every time I’m over the ball.

 

20/20

 

 

Conclusion

 

There is much to like about the Sacks Parente putter that I tested.  The fitting process was unique, a pre session questionnaire, virtual process, indoors under the eyes of a skilled and experienced fitter, Aki did a great job of describing his product and the benefits of the ultra-low balance point.  He also clearly identified the type of putter that would fit my stroke and putter usage.  The negative was that you could not touch one of their putters because the fitting was virtual.

 

The product arrived in a reasonable amount of time.  I know that some of our other testers had delays but that wasn’t the case for me.  Certainly, wait times for many products have increased since five years ago, but on the other hand they are nowhere near as long as they were two to three years ago.

 

The putter was well packaged and had a rich appearance right out of the box.  The one exception was the putter cover but some of that is subjective.  What I feared might happen has, it is a loose fit and it does have a tendency to fall off the putter if I’m not very careful with how I put it back on after use. 

 

Regardless the putter itself is good looking, has a great feel and it is very easy to align.  Putts roll smoothly, online and the proper distance. There is very little loss of speed on mishits.  I have no trouble getting the ball to roll across fairway length grass, fringes and even out of light rough.

 

I’m thinking that my Sacks Parente series 91 “The Duke” putter will remain in my bag for a long, long time.

 

Final Score:
94/100

Thanks, one last time to Sacks Parente Golf and My Golf Spy for this testing opportunity and also for any of you who are reading this review.  Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions that weren’t answered. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 17 by revkev
Final review posted

[ACalling]

Intro:

Hello everyone, very excited to be here and to have been selected for the testing group for Sacks Parente putters. 

About Me:

• My name is Austin, 29, currently located in Central Connecticut.
• I have been playing golf since I was a kid, but have truly become a better, more consistent player over the last 3 years. 
• This year, I have probably played the most rounds of golf in a single season (not including 2020). I also have improved my handicap to the lowest in my life at a 6, but at the time of writing I am currently playing at an 8. I like to play at a lot of different courses, and enjoy bouncing around, as many of the courses around me provide different challenges. 
• I tend to prefer courses with some space, as distance off the tee has always been an advantage for me.I have improved a lot on my approach from 120 and in, since I tend to have those distances into most greens. I then tend to struggle on the tighter courses that put a premium on accuracy, leaving me with longer approaches into greens, and therefore generally longer putts.
• Putting has always been a weaker side of my game, and even more so when I play courses with very quick greens with a lot of slope I tend to struggle more as I don't play those types of courses every day. As I have been improving though, I have had some good rounds, but also will have some days where I just, “don't have it”. 

The Test:

• First and foremost, I think the most important thing for my test and probably for anyone reading this review will be on course performance. I would like to get out to as many courses and play as many real rounds as possible.
• I live within a few minutes of some courses, and one that at least says open all year round which will be great to get putting green access when I dont have the time to get a full round of golf in. This will be huge on weekdays as the sun is only setting quicker now up here. 
• I have a putting mat at home where I will be spending a lot of time, getting better feels for the new putter as well as some data around how they compare to my current equipment.
• I also hope to come up with some fun ideas to compare my current putter to the new Sacks Parente, as well as some videos that will show off what I like most about the SP tech. 

The Competition:

• Competitor #1

• Mizuno-Bettinardi A02 circa 2007
• Found this putter for a steal price earlier this year, had a family friend touch it up and give it the custom paint job you see here. 
• This has been in my bag since I got it, really like the mallet shape, has the big alignment sight aid down the middle, and is a 100% aluminum milled block so I really like the soft feel, and feedback it gives you
• Competitor #2

• Cleveland Frontline 8.0
• This putter has helped a lot when I get speed issues, as the blade shape and weight tend to help me not hammer putts past the hole too much
• This putter also uses Tungsten weighting on the face, similar to Sacks Parente, so should give a good comparison to the technology at a much lower price point.

The Star of the Show:

• The reason why we’re all here. The Sacks Parente putter.
• I am a bit of an equipment nerd, so this company has made it on my radar at least, I have seen a few of the models online before, but never in person, and never have hit one.
• I will be going through their virtual fitting process, so I am not sure exactly which model I will land on yet, but as I have done my research I think it will end up being one of the mallets. The Drac, for example, excites me as it is an aluminum milled  mallet putter, with tungsten weights, a good combination of my two putters. 
• The big tech point they make on their site is this "Ultra Low Balance" where the shaft and grip are as light as possible, and the tungsten in the putter head are low and forward which, to borrow from their website, has "patented physics create THE ONLY mallet putters in golf that naturally improve your stroke and tighten your putt dispersion. All Sacks Parente putting instruments have weight forward designs to deliver the right MOI and unmatched stability, to naturally optimize your stroke and give you the best ball roll in golf." A big claim, one I am looking forward to putting to the test
• In another video, from the Club Champion website, had one of their fitters talking about how these putters create more of a "pendulum" style swing, which I will hope to see if thats something that the technology inside creates, or more of a learning curve and a different swing style. 
• To stay in my bag I want this new putter to give me confidence in speed on long putts, and alignment on short ones. If it can beat out my current equipment in those categories it should improve my scores and earn its spot. 

I look forward to updating you more as the process gets going. I should have some updates on the fitting process soon, and can detail what sort of things they ask, and how you can end up with a putter that you’ve not even seen in person before. After that I will probably post as much video as I can of  unboxings, putting and  posting pictures. If they can roll as nicely as they look in the pictures, this is going to be a fun process! 

 

First Impressions (19 out of 20)

 

I have already touched a bit on my first impressions within my Unboxing post, but the experience from the packaging and initial impressions went as well as I could have imagined, and would say better than my expectations. Having never seen, let alone hit a Sacks Parente putter before, knowing the price of the build I was receiving, and putting myself into a customer’s perspective I can see where there would be some room for anxiousness but it was all relieved during the unboxing experience. The build of the club feels solid and looks clean. You can feel the weight distribution immediately, the grip feels premium, the outside headcover leather is soft and the inside is plush. The paint on the putter head is perfect, the red is super bright for the red dot alignment aid on top, and the bottom it just adds to the cool factor with the red fangs. The milling lines are just in the sweet spot of prominent enough to help as an alignment aid, yet subtle enough to not be a distraction. The box it arrived in, and the little additions like the ball marker and the certificate of authenticity card add to the premium feel of the club. After taking the time to get everything out of the box and get used to the feel of the weight at home, I knew that it was a well-built tool. The best compliment I can give it was that doing all of this just makes you want to head straight to the course and get some putts rolling. It does lose the single point due to the fit of the headcover not being perfect, it’s been a couple months now and it has not stretched out enough yet to the point where I would like it to be.

 

Aesthetics (9 out of 10)

 

The looks of the club overall meet a high standard. The fang shape (number seven) look to it is a familiar one and I would assume that would be true for any golfer. At address the black color stands out well against the green of the grass, and the red dot is very bright on top. The size of the face itself is perfect for me, not too big or too small. The black shaft and grip help the overall look of the club come together nicely. The red triangles of paint on the underside of the tines are a great detail added to the overall aesthetic and adds to the Dracula theme nicely. This is echoed on the headcover, with more of the red fang imagery on there. The dark theme does give it an “understated cool” look which I personally really like.

 

The feel of the club is great, from the very first putt I hit you could tell that all the technology jargon that they throw at you is legit. It makes a nice, almost high-pitched “ping” sound with each putt as opposed to more of a “knocking” sound I would describe that most putters have. The sweet spot genuinely feels like the entire width of the face. I am pretty particular with the feeling I like on a putter face, and this is just right for me. Some putters, usually ones with face inserts feel a little too jumpy for me, like when I hit the putt I just can’t keep it from going too fast, too far. And others might not have enough of that, where if you mishit the ball comes out dead and offline.

 

My one-point deduction in this category would be due to the badging, which is just a bit overdone in my opinion. The club head alone has 4 logos, either the name fully spelled out or the SPG logo, the shaft has the logo as well as the “Veni Vedi Vici” slogan and the grip has a big bold Sacks Parente down the front and the SP logo at the bottom. The headcover has 2 SPG’s as well as the written Sacks Parente and another “Veni Vedi Vici”. I give all this a little grace, considering that because all of the components are proprietary this would add more logos than say, a random Odyssey putter with a metal shaft and a Super Stroke grip. But since this company does not have the brand recognition as some of its competitors, I wish it gave more space to letting the look of the club itself shine a bit more.

 

 

The Numbers: 10 out of 10

This is the section where results of accuracy/distance control/stability of stroke/forgiveness are placed, and I am giving the club a perfect score here, as it had met all of these requirements to my highest standards. Although, I would give myself a 2 out of 10 in my ability to document, and capture deep levels of statistics. I know that this forum loves its numbers, but it’s just not me!! And to a point, not how I would make a decision on whether or not to buy a club.

 

The most important statistic I could give you is this: With the Drac, I had fewer putts per round than my old putter.

 

Saving strokes is the name of the game! But I can break it down a bit further:

·       Accuracy- This club is very easy to set a start line and start the putt rolling down it. I would drill this on my putting mat, using the lines as a guide, starting at 4 feet and making my way back, how long can I roll putts on top of a single stripe.

·       Distance Control-You can see from my update posts that I was able to do some drilling on practice greens, specifically focusing on lag-putting from 20ft+. The key number I was looking for from this drill was that the average lag distance would be 10% or under of the original distance, and for that it was perfect. This probably is the biggest contributor to my strokes lowering, having makeable lag putts every time.

·       Stability of Stroke-This is another great feature of the Drac, and I would give a lot of credit to SPG for designing the club as it is. With all the weight so low, and also so forward towards the face, I feel as if I always can keep the club square. One of the things from the fitting that stuck with me was to lose my thoughts of going for the perfect straight-back-straight-through type of stroke. On longer putts its just natural to have an arc to your swing, and thanks to SPG I have achieved that.

·       Forgiveness-As I mentioned already, the sweet spot of this putter is just to hit it on the face. Seriously, just hit it anywhere and it’ll go right where you want it to with the same amount of speed.  A simple way to test was to just to bounce a ball off the face going from heel to toe and watching it come up to the same height every time.

·       Playability- I messed around with this a little bit, but I just don’t use a putter when anywhere past the fringe. The weight of the clubhead is enough to get your ball up a hill through some fairway if you do prefer that option.

 

All in all, this club hit my standards of start line, and lag distance from my drills on mat and on course. Compared to my old putter it performed better or equally in every head-to-head test.

 

On-Course (20 out of 20)

 

Okay, now this is where the juice is for me. I LOVED this club on-course right from the jump. I mean, my very first putt was a 10-footer for birdie, how does it get any better than that? It seems like a long time ago now because I got the most amount of play on course back in November, with a couple warm days in December as well. The biggest adjustment hurdle for me with this putter was that although the feeling of the weight is more exaggerated towards the bottom, that the putter itself isn’t necessarily heavy. In the beginning it felt like you were using a hammer-throw hammer as a putter, so a lot of my putts were short. After that it was all smooth sailing. It felt like I left 3-putts behind. I enjoyed adding pressure for myself by doing Head-to-Head competitions with my old putter, seeing if I can go a full round with no 3-putts etc. I like the putter, and I wanted it to be good, and that in and of itself is a type of pressure built in. Overall, it helped improve my putting simply by lowering scores, out of all the rounds I played I didn’t have a single one where I had more putts than my year-long average.

 

The Good, The Bad, The In-Between: (20 out of 20)

I have nothing major enough here to dock it any points, but just a good place for some general thoughts:

·       Good: I really like the matte black finish and the head shape is easy to look at

·       In-Between: Because the grips are part of the design of the weight distribution, there are limited options and I am unsure what to do when I would need a replacement.

·       Good: The fitting process being included. There is so much that I learned during that time, about the club itself, about my putting stroke, and mental tips for putting approach. Can’t put a dollar value on that.

·       In-Between: The tungsten weights on the toe and heel do not match the paint color of the rest of the club. Doesn’t bother me but I can see it being something that others might bump on.

·       Good: I like that they included a little shelf in between the two fangs. My last putter couldn’t scoop and it’s great to have that ability.

 

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

I’m keeping this thing going for 2024. As Austin Powers might put it, This sort of thing is my bag, baby. It checks all the boxes for me. It has the numbers to back it up as the better performing club, it has the looks and feel where I feel comfortable and confident with each stroke. If you are like me, and struggle with too many 3 putts when facing longer putts on the green then this could be the club for you. A large sweet spot combined with a stable stroke means I am getting the ball closer to the hole more often. I can’t wait for next season to begin!

 

Conclusion:

The quote that has stuck with me from the very beginning was said during my virtual fitting with Aki, he said, “You don’t come to us unless you have a problem that needs fixing”. That was when the light bulb went off for me. At the time, I had been a few weeks deep into checking my local golf stores and even Facebook Marketplace trying to snag some cool Scotty at a decent price when I got selected to do this testing. It provided me with an interesting thought experiment, “who would ever spend their money on something like this instead of a (Fill in the blank of well-known brand here)” And today, I can say with confidence that I feel like my issues have been better addressed and I am more confident in my putting than I would be had I had bought something else just for the brand name.

 

I want to thank MyGolfSpy and Sacks Parente for this amazing opportunity, and for everyone that has followed this thread and read my review. I would love to answer more questions and share more stories as this may be the end of the review, but to me it’s just the beginning…

 

Overall (98 out of 100)

Edited January 12 by ACalling

[MuniGolfer]

The Review 10/18/2023 - 

Sacks Parente 91 aka "The Duke" – Official MGS Forum Review by MuniGolfer

Intro

Personal

Hi everyone. My name is Riley, and I am super excited to be selected as tester for a Sacks Parente putter. This is my second Forum Member test for MyGolfSpy. I recently tested the SwingU app,

and am actually working on an update for that I hope to have up shortly. I am from Utah, I am 39, and have been playing golf since I was around 7. I am married to an amazing wife and have twin boys who I can’t seem to get into golf yet, but that’s ok. They are awesome kids. I work as a QA Automation and analytics engineer for a financial trading software company, so testing things and diving into analytical analysis of products is kind of my jam. I am an 8.7 handicap with decent distance off the tee. 

Putting used to be a strength of my game, but the last few years I have really started to struggle with speed control and 3-putts. I benched my long-time Scotty Cameron Newport 2 Pro Platinum, and felt I needed less loft and more weight in the head to help with some speed control issues. So, I picked up a used Piretti Cottonwood II. However, my strokes gained putting has only seen marginal increases (losing 0.35 strokes to a 5 handicap in 2022, to gaining about 0.2 this season). 

I have gone through the online fitting questionnaire twice, with slight differences to some answers, but got model 66 or 99 both times. We will see if my analysis of my own putting is accurate, or if I get fit into something totally different. I am open to whatever they tell me. The bio of their fitter talks a big game. I am very curious to hear what his, “uncanny ability to analyze somebody’s putting stroke,” says about my stroke and perfect putter. 

Testing

I have multiple plans for testing this putter.

1. The virtual fitting: How accurate do I feel it was? What was the experience like? This is a free service to anyone who buys through them, which is really cool. The forum reviewers had great things to say about LAB’s virtual fitting, so I am interested to see how this compares. 
2. Using my home putting trainer: How does the Sacks Parente perform when working on my stroke? Does their ultra-low balance point actually improve my stroke? I am also hoping to get it on a putting analysis system and compare against my current putters. 
3. Outdoor practice drills: How does the putter perform in the various drills and games I use for practice? 
4. On-course: Do my strokes gained putting and relative putting handicap improve over the course of the test period? (for reference, my strokes gained against scratch is -1.1 and my relative handicap is a 3.)
5. Between the ears. How confident do I feel with this putter? Do I feel that I make most of the putts I should (i.e. 6 feet and in)? 
6. Looks. Do I like looking down at this putter? Does it help with alignment? 

 

For this putter to stay in the bag, it needs to be an improvement over what I have. I feel lost with my putting right now, and am willing to look at anything that will help. If their marketing claims have much weight to them, this could make a strong case for my bag. I am also excited that some of their models have face grooves, a la EvnRoll. I have been considering demoing one to see if it helps with speed consistency, so I am hopeful this could be similar in performance. 

Bias

Finally, I need to ensure you are all aware of my biases, in regards to the Sacks Parente company. The only things I had heard about them, previous to this, was about their stock rise and fall. I was a little wary they were some sort of scam. Now that I have looked into them and am seeing MyGolfSpy run a forum test, I feel like I probably made too many assumptions based on a couple online articles. However, I would be lying if I said that wasn’t still in the back of my mind. I want to know if their putters are for real, and compare in performance to higher end options like Scotty Cameron where they compete on price, or are they more akin to something like the Hammer driver.

Virtual Fitting Review Post

Week 1 Testing

Week 1.5 Round

 

First Impressions (18 out of 20)

 

All I can say is WOW. The presentation and quality of this putter exceeded my expectations. The box is nice and the putter was well protected.

The putter itself looks and feels very well made. Definitely comparable in quality to my Scotty or Piretti.

It has a nicely milled face with the curved machining lines that are so common on other similar putters. 

The finish looks high quality. It has a dull satin-like shine that doesn’t have any glare but looks luxe. The carbon fiber accents on the bottom fit the premium motif. However, it is hard to tell if they are real carbon inlays or just a sticker. They do make it appear like they tried to lighten the flange of the putter, more than just milling out the pockets, to shift weight more forward.

As others have shown before me, Sacks Parente includes a nice, brass ball marker and a certificate of authenticity card.

The whole package makes this feel like a premium offering. I really like the look and feel of the graphite shaft. It has a smooth, matte finish and seems fairly stiff. It’s a cool change from the chrome steel shafts I am used to. The grip has a tacky feel that I like. It reminds me of a Winn or Superstroke. I also really like the softer transition from the side of the grip to the flat top edge. It sits a little more comfortably in my hands than the harder edges of other putter grips, which seems to release tension.

The headcover is very nice faux leather. It is soft with a strong magnet closure. Seems on par with other high-end putters on the market. It doesn't feel quite as nice as the Piretti, but it is still high quality.

Right when I took it out of the box, I did three things that Aki asked me. The first was to check the balance point. It was noticeably lower than either of my other two putters. The shaft has a line of arrows and the acronym “ULBP,” for Ultra Low Balance Point, their principle technology, and I noticed that the balance point on mine seems to be right under that spot. Not sure if that’s on purpose, or if it was a happy coincidence. Either way, it was kind of cool.

The second was to hold the putter by the head and the grip, pointing it straight out in front of me. You could tell immediately how light the shaft and grip are, and why the balance point is so low. I had to compare my current putters, of course, and did notice a difference. Although the Scotty was not as drastic, the Piretti’s shaft is so heavy that the whole thing felt lighter than the SP when held by the grip. Its head is actually 10 grams heavier than the Sacks Parente, so that shaft really comes into play.

 

The third was to just make 30 or so pendulum swings, with a smooth rhythm, without hitting a ball, to get used to the new feel. The SP didn’t feel that different before I tried the others. It just felt pretty natural and familiar. However, When I picked up the Scotty it suddenly felt unwieldy. Like it had no control. The head wanted to go all over the place and I really had to focus. The Piretti felt like work. Like it was difficult to get back and through and seemed to make my stroke feel jerky. When I went back to the 91, it just felt natural again, like I didn’t need to try. This is boding well for the testing to come. 

 

Not all was roses, however. There was a strange smell, kind of citrusy but sickening, to the grip. Maybe it was the solvent from putting it on? I don’t know if anyone else knows this smell, I had hoarder parents, but it smells like really old tape adhesive. It actually makes me a bit nauseous, but should die down. Also, there is a confusing thing with the grip. At first I thought the face was slightly open to the flat. This is something, from my time working as a club tech, that I am a big stickler about. With a round grip, it’s just annoying, but for a pistol with a flat edge, it is mandatory. However, I then putted with it and then it was square. I then messed with it, thinking the grip was loose and rotating on the shaft, but found that it is the outer soft covering that has play around the hard inner core. I haven’t noticed it affecting start line on putts, but it’s something I will stay aware of throughout the test period. Finally, the putter took a while to get here with no status updates. My fitting was on November 2nd, a Friday, and I was told it would most likely ship the following Monday or Tuesday. It didn’t actually ship for 3 ½ weeks. I know this isn’t egregious in the post-COVID shipping world, and happens often with these tests, but by the time it got here it had turned cold and started snowing in Utah. The weather warmed up a bit and Iwas able to test outside some, but it’s dormant, winter grees and I missed about two weeks of good weather I could have got more strokes gained data on. I think I will be mostly forced to test indoors at this point. I am going to dock 2 points. A quarter point for the smell, 1 point for the grip, which may get further docked if it impacts numbers, and ¾ point for the shipping delay.

Aesthetics (9.5 out of 10)

The Sacks Parente 91 aka “The Duke,” is a very beautifully made putter. I have always been an Anser style blade player, but the classic Callaway Rossi style mallet look has really grown on me. My brother had a Rossi when I was a kid, and I used to love it. It has been giving me a lot of nostalgic feels.

The machining is very clean. I really like the look of the lines that run parallel to the leading edge along the back flange. As I mentioned in the first impression, the color is nice. It looks and feels premium without being gaudy. It’s a simple, classic design that has been executed the same. The long sight line on the back flange fits my eye and is the same as what I have preferred on my previous putters. It lines up well using either the line or the leading edge. The shaft looks really well made, and I love the matte black look. The grip is nice and tacky with a premium feel. Also, the colorway matches from the grip through the head. It is a well designed product from an aesthetic standpoint.

My only complaint, and why I knocked off half a point, is the carbon fiber and name badge on the bottom are stickers. It isn’t a huge deal, and why I only deducted one point, but golf clubs are subjected to a variety of temperature changes and moisture. I would be surprised if these stickers stay on long term. I don’t see it affecting performance or the look when putting--since it’s on the bottom--when it does fail, but it just doesn’t measure up to other similar high-priced putters that rely mostly on machining and paint, or even a metal plate with rivets or welds. Otherwise, it’s a very beautiful putter that will develop a nice patina through use, much like my 20 year-old Scotty Cameron.

I mentioned this in my first impressions, but the SP has a very nice feel and sound. The ball has a solid click off the face with good feedback on misses. While you can tell when you miss the middle of the face, putts just seem to keep rolling out more than I expect when I do. The misstrikes just feel a little more hollow. If my Scotty feels like a forged blade, the SP feels more like a forged hollow body iron. Solid, but with a slightly clickier feel and sound, less of that dull, buttery thud. As I said before, this isn’t bad by any means, just a little different. I am pretty sure the super light shaft is what contributes mostly to the difference in feel to the Scotty, which is also machined from soft carbon steel. Overall, this is a really great putter.

The Numbers (9 out of 10)

For me, this has been an extremely accurate putter. I think I can attribute this to the Ultra-low Balance Point design. Sacks Parente claims it, along with the extremely high MOI, will improve your stroke. The thing I noticed often throughout the test period is that my stroke never got noticeably loopy with the SP. With both my Scotty and, to a lesser extent, my Piretti I sometimes take the putter away inside and then redirect it as I come into the ball. This generally causes pulled putts. While I did have an occasional push with the SP it was much more rare and less pronounced than my misses with the other two. In fact it seemed to be caused by the face staying open at impact, just a touch. I noticed when I sat the putter on the ground, it would want to sit open. I had to hold it square as I lined up. This may be a little of what contributed to the occasional open face at impact. In addition to the ULBP tech, I think having the hosel attach a little closer to the center line than the other two, helps with my very slight arc. The putter doesn’t release quite as much as my blades.

As you can see in my MOI test here:

there was roughly a 25% performance increase with heel and toe strikes over my Piretti and probably closer to 50-60% better dispersion than my Scotty. In addition to this test, I noticed much more consistency throughout the test period. My average distance dispersion radius was right about 4.5 feet, vs 7 for the Piretti and 8 for the Scotty. For someone struggling with distance control on lag putts, this was HUGE for me and exactly what I was hoping for with this putter.

In all my normal drills: lag putting ladders, Luke Donald pressure putting from 4-8 feet, and a 10/20/30 lag drill, the SP bested the other two. I expected it to, at best, tie the Piretti in the Luke Donald drills, since that putter is so solid inside 10 feet, but it was better. It averaged a 55% make rate vs my historical tracking with the Piretti at 53%. It’s not much, but any improvement on par saves is very welcome. In ladders, it consistently averaged at least one more putt than the others. In the 10/20/30 lag drill, it blew the other two away. This drill uses an alignment stick 2 feet past the hole, and you hit putts at 10, 20, and 30 feet. You have to either make each putt or leave it between the hole and the stick. If not, you start back at the beginning. The SP only once had to start over, and that was a putt that just barely touched the stick. At most it would have finished 3 feet away. A fairly simple come-backer. The Piretti only tied the SP on that one failure to get through on the first try. Overall, the Piretti averaged two attempts to get through the challenge. The Scotty averaged over 2 1/2. Often taking three attempts to complete the challenge. Both had putts left woefully short, or hard enough to jump the alignment stick.

My winter practice often involves using a little 9 foot long turf strip that is as wide as a cup. At one end it has a full-size cup cut out, and one the size of a ball at the other (see pics below). 

I generally putt with 5 balls spaced out a foot and a half towards the normal hole, and a space of a foot towards the other. I go through from closest to farthest, starting over if I miss one. This works as a de facto gate drill, but also the small hole is really good at grooving in dead weight speed control. You only get the ball to stay if it just dies into the hole. It’s actually something I haven’t pulled out in the last two years, now that I think about it. Maybe that has something to do with my struggles?

I also started doing the MGS putter testing method, tracking made putts from 5, 10, and 20 feet. However, right when I started this, I got sick. I think I need more data to make a conclusion here, but so far, here are the make percentages:

5 feet 

1. Piretti - 75%
2. SP - 62.5%
3. Scotty - 62.5%

10 feet

1. SP - 62.5%
2. Scotty - 62.5%
3. Piretti - 50%

20 feet

1. Scotty - 37.5%
2. SP - 25%
3. Piretti - 25%

I plan to run this test at least 6 more times and see where things fall.

I also never got a chance to get the SP on a putting analysis system, but if I do, I will update the thread.

On-Course (18 out of 20)

This is a hard one. I have harped on this a lot so far in this review, but the shipping delay truly limited my ability to get this putter on the course. While I believe I was still able to give the putter a fair test, my on course opportunities were limited. My strokes gained for the season, previous to the arrival of the SP were -1.7 against scratch, and +0.2 against my target handicap of 5. The strokes gained on the SP over two rounds were -2.1 and -0.1 respectively. I know that doesn’t look that great, but, as I mentioned in my round recaps, these rounds were on bumpy and slow winter greens. It was extremely hard to score on the greens. They were rock hard on approach and then not anywhere close to true when putting. I actually had fantastic speed control, all things considered; and, anecdotally, felt I putted the best I had all season. I felt confident that I would get the speed right. I just had no idea if the putt would roll anywhere near the read, due to the greens. I wasn’t nervy over some of the slippery downhill ones. I didn’t feel myself giving a little boost to uphill putts and then blowing it 5-6 feet by. I was just in an athletic mindset and reacting, and I know the putter contributed to that. I haven’t had that feeling in a few years. I honestly can’t wait to get this thing out on some good greens come spring. I will update this thread with my results. 

For now, I am going to dock a couple points until I can be sure the SP 91 is an improvement over what I have in the bag. I feel confident it will be, but I can update the score, if need be.

The Good, the bad, the inbetween (18 out of 20)

The good:

High quality build. The tech seems to do what they say it does, and the look and feel are great. Also, the fitting experience was fantastic. I think everyone should take some time and get fit by Aki if you can.

The bad:

Mostly the wait. It impacted my testing a bit. I am not sure if my experience will translate to normal customers, but it wasn’t ideal.

The in between:

Mostly the stickers on the bottom and the very slight twisting of the outer grip around the core. The stickers shouldn’t affect performance if/when they fall off, but the grip could. I haven’t noticed a problem yet, unless my issues with occasional slow release are related. Also, the more time I spend with the head cover, it isn’t my favorite. It works fine and the magnet is nice and strong, it just feels a little cheap compared to my Piretti and other aftermarket ones. I think I would prefer more of a blade style cover for this, and may order something for it.

Play it or Trade it? (18 out of 20)

As of now, there is no question this putter is in the bag. I have seen a lot of improvement over my current gamer(s). I just want to give it some more course time, to be sure. If, for some reason, it actually doesn’t work out, I can always pass it on to another member.

Conclusion

The Sacks Parente 91, aka The Duke, is a well made and great performing putter from an up and coming brand. My pre-conceived notions towards the company itself were dispelled as I worked with Aki and got the putter in hand. It’s comparable to other high-end putters in quality and performance. When I started this test, in the back of my mind I thought I would probably not be keeping this putter. I had been leaning towards an Evnroll or LAB, thinking one of those would resonate with me best. What I found was a technological story that seemed tailored to my specific struggles. If you struggle with a jerky stroke, speed control, or accuracy, I think you should give Sacks Parente a try. The fitting alone will improve your putting, even if the putter doesn’t end up being for you. My experience is, the technology does what it says. If you need more forgiveness and help from your putter, Sacks Parente could be a good place to look.

Final Score (90.5 out of 100)

 

Edited January 17 by MuniGolfer
Final review

[billpierce]

 

Hmmm. Back on track for this review:

First, let me say I am thrilled to be selected as a reviewer here on MyGolfSpy!  Long time reader of reviews, and many of the items in my bag (e.g. Ping 425 SFT fairway woods) come direct from reviews provided here and I want to return that "Favor" back to our wonderful community! Let's see how I do.

A nerd and a geezer collide after surgery....

A bit about me: I run technology for my company (nerd alert) and at 61 years old (geezer alert) and after elbow surgery for tennis elbow (from golf) and some pretty severe disc compression issues in my back – let’s say I can’t swing or go at it as hard as I once could! Why did I share all of that? I hope to be a beacon reviewer for all the grumpy old men looking for a reviewer like themselves. Or if you like humour (see my jokes posts on the forum) I am your guy!

My game has gone up and down over the last 15 years… with post-surgery  terrible rounds and scores making me almost want to quit golf. Recently (last week) I just shot 87 and for me lately that is a good score though I hover in that range if I don’t blow up a hole or two. Where is my weakness now: I tend to give up most of my score on wedges and putting and if you look at my posts, you will see the quest for new wedges (I still can’t pick) and putter. 

I am excited to try Sacks Parente and have heard so much good (and some bad) that I hope to really describe the personal experience and compare it very specifically to my current ping putter to give the reader a feel for what I am going through as I learn to use the putter. The technology differences are stark, and that should come out in the review either positive or negative for my style.  A bit about my putting:

 

I two put mostly. And yes, three put and leave the green pissed off. (Particularly when I had a birdie opportunity) The issue is almost ALWAYS due to alignment, not speed. (speed was my old problem) I am right eye dominant and don’t see a clear alignment – and as a result, have explored several putting gripping methods to counter this challenge. I may try this new grip from Japan that people are raving about:

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cv4j1Mig-Ny/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=04f5e893-6782-4c17-9a12-e84d8a0a4ca3

I live and tend to play in the Boston Mass, southern Maine and Down East Maine areas so the greens are usually slow compared to the North Carolina greens that I previously played on. The greens are often in rough condition (due to winter damage/weather). Speaking of weather, fall is here and the weather is turning now, so I hope to get out before it is a problem testing in real conditions and also expect some indoor work may have to dominate my review unfortunately. This year I have tried to go out weekly and many weeks twice weekly – the only challenge is work travel and schedule. An area I don't think I will cover - reading greens and the severity of the break can be a challenge for me as well, but I don’t think this putter will solve that problem – if it does it is in the bag, no further discussion needed.

 

Some ideas I have for testing:

(Asking for feedback)

I plan to do two tests weekly to see progress over time:

1. the circle putting drill with each putter weekly and record the results. This will allow a direct putter to putter comparison and hopefully show progress if I change the grip and of course the new putter results side by side with the old!

 

 

2. I will also do the star putting drill which may be a bit more “straight forward” comparison as green undulations may not come as much into play. Also allowing direct putter to putter results comparison.

 

That said, besides those two tests -- I am working out my testing plan and have an ask to the community: can you all send me drills or tests you would like to see?  Any software I can use that will help the testing?  I welcome your ideas and participation as this community never ceases to amaze me with creativity and ideas.

Some final notes on my approach:

The look, feel and learning curve will all be discussed in my review to ensure in addition to putting success, you can participate in the ‘experience’ I have with the Sacks Parente putter and I feel like it will be a smashing success, so I cannot wait to start.  I have done a few reviews of their fitting chart and the 39, 66 or 99 seem to come up the most often. All beautiful looking putters:

Series 39 is their "True Blade Putter"

Series 66 is Flange Blade Putter:

Series 99 is anser style "Better Feel" putter:

We shall see what the fitting session comes up with and that announcement is coming! I will be sure to share that experience and what we landed on that is the best fit for my game and why.  I have a very open mind to the brand and putter.

What will make it stay in the bag?

You may be wondering, what will make me keep this new putter in the bag? Well, if I start draining those 8-10 footers that I am consistenlty missing right all the time - it's a keeper. It literally is that simple as that will take a good three strokes a round off. We can all relate to that -- I hope!

In conclusion, you are on this journey with me, my humour should come through, even when I am grumpy, and this will be fun. Now let’s start the path to three less strokes…

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The Fitting Process

One of the nice features of purchasing a SPG Putter is that they will have an expert watch your technique, ask some questions and then begin a journey to find and build a putter unique to you and your needs. Full disclosure, I have never been fit for a putter ... so this is all a new journey for me! Join me in the process...

A "twist" in the process:

As it is late in the season here in the northeast, we needed to go fast to allow for a chance to test the putter outdoors on real greens and get a feel for how it will perform on those tough bent grass greens common around here. This means an in-person fitting was not possible.

So, I started with their online sheet and completed a questionnaire that helps inform the fitter about your unique needs from how you miss normally, to the types of courses you play and more. You can find it online:

Custom Fitting Guide – Sacks Parente Golf, Inc.

 

 

As you can see it is a detailed sheet that you can download, which is why I referenced earlier (with pictures) the putters that I "thought" the sheet was recommending for me (more on this later). 

In addition to the sheet, I made a video of my swing to allow Aki (who did my fitting) to form some ideas in his head as to what he thought I might need or areas to deep dive on as we get into the fitting session! (This is all in advance of the session)

IMG_2257.MOV

The other area I needed to focus on for this "virtual fitting" was to ensure I had a realistic place to putt and technology to allow a Zoom call with Aki to "observe" from specific angles and actually see for himself what is happening with my putting. 

***Lucky for me, Golf Spy had recommended a home putting solution and I had already purchased and had it set up in my "man-town":

 

This a. setup and b. my connected scheduled Zoom call means I had almost everything I needed for the session with Aki!  The only thing left was an open mind to explore and learn from a master fitter.  My need for speed to get the putter built and shipped was pressing, so I managed to work with Aki to squeeze me in on HIS personal time. In fact, I ended up imposing on him during a trip to purchase a car that he had already scheduled!  Aki new the need to get this putter to me and he fully accommodated. What company does this?  THIS is the definition of great customer service!  Here is a zoom screenshot picture of Aki IN HIS CAR, working with me to define a putter that best meets my needs:

I love these guys already.  What a can-do attitude.

The actual fitting session with Aki

You need a good amount of time for a session. We took almost an hour and a half.  It starts with going through the "Questions and Answers", and ensuring he has a clear path to understand "what is working for you and what is not working for you"! 

Aki was clear with me; they do personal fittings and have tried software before - but nothing beats personally observing and understanding EACH golfers' unique skills and techniques for success on the greens. After going through some dialogue and specific probing questions, it became time to observe.  He had me place the laptop behind the putting matt so that he can see my technique down the line.  He watched about 8-10 putts and then had me shift the angle. We moved to face on and did another 8-10 putts.  He then zoomed in on my hands and we did some more putts and finally we zoomed in on my shoulders and did some putts.

Then he had me sit back down and we went through a whole series of discussions. All about me and what works and what doesn't work. Some initial observations:

1. It is good that I have an upright style due to my back issues (I mentioned this during my intro).

2. My Armlock like style gives me a good triangle that stays during the entire stroke.

3. Lie angle for me appears to fall in 75-degree range. With my slight downward stroke could contribute to my often right miss.

4. Path of club is straight back and through but a very slight outside to in as I pull the club inward on follow through. This cut like stroke can contribute to my misses as well.

5. Tempo is good and acceleration neutral, BUT the transition is a bit too harsh.

6. I hover behind the ball and we had a long dialogue about that. He liked I take a practice swing and hover (then is fine) - but suggested we work on not hovering to get crisp alignment for the actual putt.

We then went into discussion about my style, what works, what feels right to me and my confidence in numerous aspects of putting process. We talked about the technology in the Sacks Parente Putters that will help address some of MY specific issues:

A. Feel of shaft to head and Ultra Low Balance Point difference.

B. Forgiveness

C. Weight forward

D. Perimeter Weighting

E. Center shaft for my style and specific needs and why

F. Upright needs

G. Grip choices

We landed on a Mallet which surprised me as the fitting guide implied to me it would not be a mallet. This is called reading into the process or jumping the gun! For me a 33" with round grip and 74 degree lie angle appears to be best. We discussed future potential adjustments and how we would work together on those -- they even keep supporting you after the sale!

Final thoughts on the fitting:

For the virtual fitting process, I assumed it would be a dumbed down version of the in-person process. Basically, I expected a 15-to-30-minute Q&A Process followed by a few putts and then some discussion.  Boy, was I wrong. We covered me, my bias, putting technique, technology and so much more than just - here is the data and here is your new putter!  As far as the Actual putter <insert da-da-da music here> I am going to save that for the unboxing.  So, you have to come back for the update

 

See the unveiling here:

 

Beat the weather:

 

 

Edited January 14 by billpierce
final review update

[Parshooter36]

Congrats to the testers. I hope someone is going with the Series 39.

[cksurfdude]

Congrats!! guys - curious to see what your reactions are to these, and how they work .. or not .. for you... Enjoy!

[Willie T]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Testers Announced!

Introduction:
Are you familiar with Sacks Parente Putters? If not, don't worry; you're not alone. I stumbled upon them thanks to a Golfers Digest article discussing the remarkable surge of a putter company's stock on its Wall Street debut, and it piqued my interest.

Why We're Interested:
At MyGolfSpy Forum, we've made it a goal for 2023 to shine a spotlight on emerging and lesser-known brands in the golfing world. We believe it's crucial to give these companies exposure while providing our members with opportunities to test, experience, and review products they might never have considered before. Sacks Parente fits this mission perfectly, and after initial discussions, they enthusiastically agreed to participate.

Meet Sacks Parente:
So, who exactly are Sacks Parente? They're primarily a putter manufacturer renowned for their patented Ultra Low Balance Point technology (ULBP), which they claim can naturally enhance your putting stroke. Founded by golf club design and manufacturing pioneer Steve Sacks and Rich Parente, an original co-founder of Callaway, the concept of their ULBP technology was born in 2011. However, it wasn't until 2018 that Sacks Parente officially came into existence.

Wide Range of Designs:
Sacks Parente offers an extensive array of golf putter designs catering to the preferences of most golfers. Whether you favor mallet or blade putters, there's a design that's bound to catch your eye. What sets Sacks Parente apart is their inclusion of matching Ultra-Low Balance Point putter shafts and grips with their putters. These components work harmoniously to, as they claim, help you sink more putts. With a growing presence on the PGA Tour of Champions, they're steadily gaining recognition – a development that has us at MyGolfSpy Forum excited to introduce to our forum members.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@revkev

@cnosil

@MuniGolfer

@ACalling

@billpierce

Congrats to those picked for testing.  Have not heard of the brand but with the theme of getting the lesser known mfg’s into the testing realm, seeing a lot of great gear getting the spotlight.  Really intrigued to read about how this putter works against their regular gamers.  May your putts roll true! 

[revkev]

So excited about this test. What an incredible group to work with. 
 

Thanks so much to Sacks Parente and MGS for a great opportunity. New eyes (cataract surgery) and a new putter. Wow!!!

[ejgaudette]

Congratulations everyone and looking forward to the test and maybe this will finally put all that putting testing to bed @cnosil

[GolfSpy_BEN]

Congrats to a good group of testers! I have a feeling this is going to be an awesome test and reviews!

[Josh Parker]

Congrats testers!  Looking forward to the reviews on this one.

[Bohnson]

Congratulations enjoy the process ️

[cnosil]

13 minutes ago, ejgaudette said:

Congratulations everyone and looking forward to the test and maybe this will finally put all that putting testing to bed @cnosil

Doubtful.    Do people stop getting new drivers, shafts, irons, eto.?   I like learning about the various putting skills, putters, and what the design characteristics do; this is why his test is so intriguing to me.  There are a lot of claims on the Sack Parente website about their putters and what they will do so that will be one of my focus areas. 
 

That said, thanks to Sack Parente for offering your product for testing and to the forum staff for giving me the opportunity to test this product. 

[Matumbo]

Congrats Testers! Looking forward to the results!

[Shrek74]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Testers Announced!

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@revkev

@cnosil

@MuniGolfer

@ACalling

@billpierce

Congrats to the testers!! Good luck with your testing and I look forward to following along and reading about your findings.

[cnosil]

1 hour ago, Parshooter36 said:

Congrats to the testers. I hope someone is going with the Series 39.

We are going to going through a virtual fitting so it is possible.   

[GolfSpy AFG]

Congrats testers.  Really really solid group here…can’t wait to follow along.

[russtopherb]

Congrats all! Looking forward to seeing these putters in your hands. 

[Dweed]

Congratulations you all. As you know the real work starts now, but I'm interested in reading about your evaluations in the future. Enjoy folks.

[Derek Lusk]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Testers Announced!

Introduction:
Are you familiar with Sacks Parente Putters? If not, don't worry; you're not alone. I stumbled upon them thanks to a Golfers Digest article discussing the remarkable surge of a putter company's stock on its Wall Street debut, and it piqued my interest.

Why We're Interested:
At MyGolfSpy Forum, we've made it a goal for 2023 to shine a spotlight on emerging and lesser-known brands in the golfing world. We believe it's crucial to give these companies exposure while providing our members with opportunities to test, experience, and review products they might never have considered before. Sacks Parente fits this mission perfectly, and after initial discussions, they enthusiastically agreed to participate.

Meet Sacks Parente:
So, who exactly are Sacks Parente? They're primarily a putter manufacturer renowned for their patented Ultra Low Balance Point technology (ULBP), which they claim can naturally enhance your putting stroke. Founded by golf club design and manufacturing pioneer Steve Sacks and Rich Parente, an original co-founder of Callaway, the concept of their ULBP technology was born in 2011. However, it wasn't until 2018 that Sacks Parente officially came into existence.

Wide Range of Designs:
Sacks Parente offers an extensive array of golf putter designs catering to the preferences of most golfers. Whether you favor mallet or blade putters, there's a design that's bound to catch your eye. What sets Sacks Parente apart is their inclusion of matching Ultra-Low Balance Point putter shafts and grips with their putters. These components work harmoniously to, as they claim, help you sink more putts. With a growing presence on the PGA Tour of Champions, they're steadily gaining recognition – a development that has us at MyGolfSpy Forum excited to introduce to our forum members.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@revkev

@cnosil

@MuniGolfer

@ACalling

@billpierce

Congratulations Testers!! This is very exciting. I look forward to reading about your thoughts on these really good looking putters

[Leonvdwesthuizen]

Congrats testers, Looking forward to a Series 99 review.

Make us proud!

[nvizble1]

Congratulations guys. This should be really interesting to follow 

[billpierce]

So thrilled to have the MGS team and Sacks Parente allow me to participate in this great opportunity - it should be fun and I hope all of us here can participate and learn on this journey together - so ask your questions!  I know some of you collect putters for a living  ... so imagine this must be of interest!!

[ACalling]

Very excited to be a part of this testing process. No doubt that Sacks Parente has some great looking equipment, cant wait to see how it looks in-hand and even more importantly, how it can roll that rock! 

Hope to be very involved during the whole testing process, so questions and feedback is encouraged!

[Emag315]

Congratulations Spies! 

[JohnSmalls]

Congrats fellas!!! Big congrats to the first time testers.  Have been curious about these for a while due to their founders pedigree. Excited to see what your testing uncovers!

Edited October 17, 2023 by JohnSmalls

[MadisonGolfbum]

Congrats testers!


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[tdroma98]

Congrats Testers!! Great looking putters!