RUNNER Golf Putters! 2024 Forum Review

[Northern Monkey]

2 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

Great round @Northern Monkey! I can’t think of a much better feeling than the confidence of stepping over a putt and feeling like you know exactly how the ball is going to react.

Thanks Jason, it makes it so much easier when you have total confidence in knowing it’s going where you aim. I can’t over emphasise how good this putter is and how true it is

[Northern Monkey]

1 minute ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I do wonder why this seems to be a winning formula. 

The shaping is nice and the feel is good. Is it their customization options? Does it have to do with the coloring and helping with alignment? The face is also interesting and wondering what sort of effect that has. 

Overall really impressed and keen to get on a LM to see some more of the data- 

Whatever it is it works! 

Ive found that the alignment aid really helps with it being 3D and the fact that the swing is so stable on it. It just feels like the head doesn’t want to move off that straight through line so you always seem to get a true strike on the ball.

I know we haven’t completed the testing yet but so far the only way I’ll be giving this putter up is when you prise it from my cold, dead hand

[Northern Monkey]

So I managed to get another 18 in yesterday. I didn’t play as well as I did on Friday but the Runner continues to perform. Once again it was fantastic and just keeps improving my scores

I have found a negative with the Runner, although it’s not performance related so far. 
The greens at my course were treated last Monday, scarified and dressed with a thin layer of sand. I have now noticed some pitting on the face of the Runner. I’m guessing this could be down to small, hard grains of sand being trapped between the ball and the face on strikes but I’m a little concerned that the face has marked so easily. It has not affected the performance yet but is something I will have to monitor moving forward

[GolfSpy_APH]

6 minutes ago, Northern Monkey said:

So I managed to get another 18 in yesterday. I didn’t play as well as I did on Friday but the Runner continues to perform. Once again it was fantastic and just keeps improving my scores

I have found a negative with the Runner, although it’s not performance related so far. 
The greens at my course were treated last Monday, scarified and dressed with a thin layer of sand. I have now noticed some pitting on the face of the Runner. I’m guessing this could be down to small, hard grains of sand being trapped between the ball and the face on strikes but I’m a little concerned that the face has marked so easily. It has not affected the performance yet but is something I will have to monitor moving forward

Being aluminium I am not too surprised about this. Maybe this is where their cool modular method comes into play and you could replace the face at some point vs the whole putter. 

[Northern Monkey]

Just now, GolfSpy_APH said:

Being aluminium I am not too surprised about this. Maybe this is where their cool modular method comes into play and you could replace the face at some point vs the whole putter. 

That’s a good point actually Jamie

I am not overly concerned about the marks as they haven’t affected the performance so far. They don’t really stand out and you only notice them when you look for them but I intend to monitor the face more now and see if it gets any worse. The marks don’t detract from the fact that this putter is really improving my game 

[GolfSpy_APH]

4 minutes ago, Northern Monkey said:

That’s a good point actually Jamie

I am not overly concerned about the marks as they haven’t affected the performance so far. They don’t really stand out and you only notice them when you look for them but I intend to monitor the face more now and see if it gets any worse. The marks don’t detract from the fact that this putter is really improving my game 

It is definitely worth noting as you did though. 

It may have even brought up a better or more important point about if golfers clear their golf balls before putts, how well they clean the club face and so on. 

[Northern Monkey]

1 minute ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

It is definitely worth noting as you did though. 

It may have even brought up a better or more important point about if golfers clear their golf balls before putts, how well they clean the club face and so on. 

Very true! I have to admit I didn’t always clean my ball after the 1st putt if I was 2 putting so on a personal note this is something I will make sure I do in future

[RTH1]

 Brief update after a few laps around the putting green with the runner blade.

Green conditions; still a bit slow 9-10ish. recently aerated so not as smooth as normal, struck from points on an arc similar distance from the hole.

Balls used; Titleist Velocity, Tour Soft, ProV1.

Velocity; 11 makes, 1 miss (crap stroke) tad louder and didn't roll as smooth as the others.
Tour Soft; 9 makes, 3 misses all just a ball revolution short. Feel and sound definitely softer.
ProV1; 10 makes, 2 misses (both pushes). Feel and sound similar to the Tour Soft.

Take aways' so far for me. 
⦁    Pleased with the smooth roll off the face, Various contact points (nothing to extreme, just a tich off center) still produced a made putt. 
⦁    Nothing abnormal about the sound.
⦁    The weight of the putter head feels lighter than what I am used to, may have a greater effect on longer putts.
⦁    The sun glare off the polished aluminum head is a distraction.

Next episode will feature 10 to 15 foot range.

Disclaimer; your results may/will vary.

[GolfSpy_APH]

27 minutes ago, RTH1 said:

 Brief update after a few laps around the putting green with the runner blade.

Green conditions; still a bit slow 9-10ish. recently aerated so not as smooth as normal, struck from points on an arc similar distance from the hole.

Balls used; Titleist Velocity, Tour Soft, ProV1.

Velocity; 11 makes, 1 miss (crap stroke) tad louder and didn't roll as smooth as the others.
Tour Soft; 9 makes, 3 misses all just a ball revolution short. Feel and sound definitely softer.
ProV1; 10 makes, 2 misses (both pushes). Feel and sound similar to the Tour Soft.

Take aways' so far for me. 
⦁    Pleased with the smooth roll off the face, Various contact points (nothing to extreme, just a tich off center) still produced a made putt. 
⦁    Nothing abnormal about the sound.
⦁    The weight of the putter head feels lighter than what I am used to, may have a greater effect on longer putts.
⦁    The sun glare off the polished aluminum head is a distraction.

Next episode will feature 10 to 15 foot range.

Disclaimer; your results may/will vary.

Be happy you have sun for it to glare off of

[RTH1]

Runner Blade Style Putter Comparison Pictures.

 

 

 

Difference in toe hang, 37 degrees,  Face balanced,   7 degrees,

[Northern Monkey]

Those pictures show how much the alignment aid on the Runner stands out really well

[RTH1]

5 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Be happy you have sun for it to glare off of

 Think its gone till Wednesday around here, but very unpredictable weather forecasting around here.

[RTH1]

2 minutes ago, Northern Monkey said:

Those pictures show how much the alignment aid on the Runner stands out really well

That it does, lots of work left for me to catch up to you guys, Koepka almost always cleans the putter face before addressing the ball, good habit to have I suppose, nothing worse than hitting a squirrely putt, looking down and seeing it was caused by a dirty face.

[Northern Monkey]

Just now, RTH1 said:

That it does, lots of work left for me to catch up to you guys, Koepka almost always cleans the putter face before addressing the ball, good habit to have I suppose, nothing worse than hitting a squirrely putt, looking down and seeing it was caused by a dirty face.

I’m sure you’ll make up for lost time

[bama no 1]

35 minutes ago, RTH1 said:

Runner Blade Style Putter Comparison Pictures.

 

 

 

Difference in toe hang, 37 degrees,  Face balanced,   7 degrees,

Definitely a thicker putter head from sole to top line.

[Northern Monkey]

I managed to get another 18 in after work today. Off the tee I wasn’t good today, only found the fairway 25% of the time, but the rest of my game made up for it. 

The Runner was performing well again, but this was helped by my approach and short game being good today.
I was very pleased by the fact that I didn’t miss a single putt within 12 feet of the hole although to quantify this there were only 2 putts between 6 and 12 feet for the whole round  

This is a picture of the approach to the 8th green. It’s a 371 yard par 4 but from the tee it’s 220 yards all uphill then another 150 over the lake to the green. The green is very tricky as it slopes steeply from back to front so anything past the hole, or off to the side, is a real test. However I really like this hole and think it’s one of the best holes on the course. It certainly tests your putting skills

[GolfSpy SAM]

@RTH1 - This picture is INCREDIBLY informative - thank you for thinking of taking it like this! Such a simple and effective picture showing the differences.  

Great work!

[HikingMike]

16 hours ago, Northern Monkey said:

So I managed to get another 18 in yesterday. I didn’t play as well as I did on Friday but the Runner continues to perform. Once again it was fantastic and just keeps improving my scores

I have found a negative with the Runner, although it’s not performance related so far. 
The greens at my course were treated last Monday, scarified and dressed with a thin layer of sand. I have now noticed some pitting on the face of the Runner. I’m guessing this could be down to small, hard grains of sand being trapped between the ball and the face on strikes but I’m a little concerned that the face has marked so easily. It has not affected the performance yet but is something I will have to monitor moving forward

Damn, 5.6 strokes gained!  And all <12ft putts made next round too. That sounds fantastic. 
 

The sand on the ball/face is interesting. Way back, once I learned how sand can really screw up my putting, I made sure to clear that off. I can’t recall how often I wipe off the ball/putter after the first putt though. Good point there. I’ll have to watch that if I know the ball is picking up sand (especially if it’s damp out).

[Northern Monkey]

8 hours ago, HikingMike said:

Damn, 5.6 strokes gained!  And all <12ft putts made next round too. That sounds fantastic. 
 

The sand on the ball/face is interesting. Way back, once I learned how sand can really screw up my putting, I made sure to clear that off. I can’t recall how often I wipe off the ball/putter after the first putt though. Good point there. I’ll have to watch that if I know the ball is picking up sand (especially if it’s damp out).

Thanks, to be fair there were only 5 putts that were over 3 feet out of all of those within 12 feet so it isn’t quite as impressive as it first sounds. However I was very happy with it. 
I think we are all guilty of not cleaning the ball in between putts but it’s certainly something that I will be more aware of going forward

[bama no 1]

21 hours ago, Northern Monkey said:

I managed to get another 18 in after work today. Off the tee I wasn’t good today, only found the fairway 25% of the time, but the rest of my game made up for it. 

The Runner was performing well again, but this was helped by my approach and short game being good today.
I was very pleased by the fact that I didn’t miss a single putt within 12 feet of the hole although to quantify this there were only 2 putts between 6 and 12 feet for the whole round  

This is a picture of the approach to the 8th green. It’s a 371 yard par 4 but from the tee it’s 220 yards all uphill then another 150 over the lake to the green. The green is very tricky as it slopes steeply from back to front so anything past the hole, or off to the side, is a real test. However I really like this hole and think it’s one of the best holes on the course. It certainly tests your putting skills

I noticed in your profile that you were already using a runner putter (mallet style) prior to testing the blade style.  just a few questions for you.

1) is there any difference in feel between the two putters?

2) what changes if any in weight change setup, shaft bend, shaft lean from this model?

[Northern Monkey]

@bama no 1 I think something has gone wrong there as my previous putter was an Odyssey 2 ball ten and I am now testing the Runner mallet. @RTH1 is testing the Runner blade. 
It may be that I have changed my profile to show I am now gaming the Runner mallet

[bama no 1]

1 hour ago, Northern Monkey said:

@bama no 1 I think something has gone wrong there as my previous putter was an Odyssey 2 ball ten and I am now testing the Runner mallet. @RTH1 is testing the Runner blade. 
It may be that I have changed my profile to show I am now gaming the Runner mallet

I guess,  i went back and looked at a post of yours before the runner putter test started and it said you were using the runner putter.  I guess when an update occurs it updates all your previous post profile information.

[Northern Monkey]

13 minutes ago, bama no 1 said:

I guess,  i went back and looked at a post of yours before the runner putter test started and it said you were using the runner putter.  I guess when an update occurs it updates all your previous post profile information.

Yeh it must do. Sorry for the confusion

[SDunne]

A fair bit of rain here over the weekend which made getting out tricky (my Saturday round was rained out) so I have been doing a fair bit of work on small drills in the house. While I don't have a matt to putt off, my carpet is nice and flat and with a long hall, it gives the feel of a fast green... not the most advanced testing ground but worked well for me doing a ladder drill and a bit of leapfrog work (i.e. putt one ball, next ball has to go past this one, then next past the furthest etc) with 6 balls to get a good feel for the distance control from the putter.

The one thing I've really noticed with the RUNNER putter is that it's very easy to replicate your shot - I personally feel this is a mixture of the large sweet spot in the putter, my current config of the weights out to the edges and the alignment aid making it easy on my eye. Now, this doesn't account for me getting read of the green right but if I can say that I put 4 putts all in the same spot in practice, the rest can come with adjusting what I'm doing. I've been very happy with how it's been responding and itching to use this properly in a round this week. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Would love to hear all the testers thoughts on the shaft and how you feel it performs in the putter?

[Northern Monkey]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Would love to hear all the testers thoughts on the shaft and how you feel it performs in the putter?

For me the KBS shaft seems to fit perfectly with this putter. I seem to have much better distance control than I did with my Odyssey and it is very consistent. You just know that the ball is going where you aim. You get good feedback from the club and can feel the difference in your hands with off centre hits

[Bobbers]

4 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Would love to hear all the testers thoughts on the shaft and how you feel it performs in the putter?

My putter has a KBS putter shaft, 120 grams, looks good and performs even  better.  I get no sense of bend or deflection on even the longest putts.  It's a quality component as are the rest of the elements of the putter.

[Bobbers]

I'd planned to play Sunday.  Temperatures at tee time were 26 degrees, 15 mph winds and the course was closed to play for several hours until the frost was off the greens and we were forced to cancel.

Did play yesterday.  One of those Open Championship rounds where temperatures were in the upper 40's but the winds were a steady 20 mph with gusts to 30+ mph.  A daunting day to say the least.

First things first.  NO THREE PUTTS.

Sixteen putts on the front nine, sixteen putts on the back nine. 

Lag putting:  Best example was a 40 footer that ended up six inches from the hole. 

The course we played has a LOT of undulation on the greens, it's one of the "signatures" of the course.  I've played this course several times and this is equal to the best I've ever  putted it.

Wind velocities were such that while I normally chip from more than 2 feet off the green I used the Runner several times from up to 6 feet off the green just to keep the wind out of the playing equation.

Shot 48 on the front nine and 47 on the back.  Given the weather challenges I couldn't wait to get the ball near or on the green, it was the closest to feeling "normal" that we could get.  Even at that you had to, seriously, take wind direction into consideration when choosing your putting line.

And speaking of "line", the Runner continues to excel at holding the line.  I've acclimated to the weight and feel to the point that yesterday I felt I was being successful on the greens because of the putter.

Our forecast is for rain pretty steadily from this afternoon until next Monday when I hope to get out again.

As always I'm happy to try and answer any questions.

Edited April 23 by Bobbers

[Northern Monkey]

@Bobbers great result with the no 3 putts. They are such a confidence inspiring putter aren’t they 

[Bobbers]

33 minutes ago, Northern Monkey said:

@Bobbers great result with the no 3 putts. They are such a confidence inspiring putter aren’t they 

Yes, the ARE confidence inspiring.  And I can use all the confidence I can get...heh heh.