Equipment
The marvel of modern putters
It truly is a fantastic time to be a golfer
The tech we use on the golf course today makes the clubs at the turn of the millennium look like complete antiques. Think back to the clubs that were in your bag 20 years ago, from driver through to putter, our modern clubs look and feel distinctly different and make the game a lot easier.
Delving further into the past, up to the 19th century, golfers used wooden hickory putting cleeks to knock the ball into the hole. Towards the end of the era, renowned club-makers of the time like Robert Forgan were experimenting with fresh ideas including forging metal putting cleeks, while the legendary Old Tom Morris designed a cylindrical “drain pipe” putter head concept.
As the 20th century got underway, metal clubheads became the norm. By now, metal was a readily accessed material for manufacturers, and when the numbering system for golf irons became standardised in the 1930s, the term “putter” gradually phased out the traditional “putting cleek”.
Come the 1960s, one of golf’s rare visionaries appeared on the scene. PING’s Karsten Solheim had a flash of genius and in January 1966 sketched the design of what was to become the Anser putter on the dust jacket of a 78-rpm record.
The putter was extremely successful and would go on to rack up over 500 tour wins. The model was so lauded that it became the set standard for manufacturers to aim for. Through the Anser and other designs, Solheim had pioneered perimeter weighting, a concept that includes increasing clubhead MOI for more a more forgiving, stable putting stroke, and is still hugely influential for modern clubmakers.
Fast forward to the 90s, club makers were by now introducing revolutionary putter face inserts after they’d found success on tour. Crafted from unique polymers, elastomers, and overall softer materials that absorb shock, these components serve to give the player a softer feel for more control over their strikes.
And that leads us to the present. Today we want to cover the basics of why golf clubs even have grooves as well as the benefits of playing with a putter that has a milled clubface.
Why do golf clubs have grooves?
Golf would be a much more difficult game if golf clubs didn’t have grooves. These ridges crafted into the clubface ensure the surface area gets plenty of friction and connection with the ball as you strike through it. They also improve the spin you generate to help stop the ball quickly when you’re chipping into the green with a wedge and give you greater overall control over where your ball goes.
When you’re striking through the soil and sand, a lot of debris comes with your strike, so clubface grooves also act as a natural means of channelling moisture and grass away from the contact zone to ensure a cleaner, more direct strike with the ball.
It’s clear to see why grooves are needed on wedges and irons, but why do modern golf putters have milled faces if putting is more about pace and accuracy?
Why putter faces are milled
Face milling drastically improves both feel and consistency. A precisely engineered contact surface provides better feedback on impact and helps you better understand how you’ve struck the ball. Milled faces tend to offer a richer, more desirable sound on strikes too, contributing to feel and your overall confidence on the greens.
The raised portion of the milled pattern on the face both reduce the overall contact surface area with the ball and soften the impact of your strike, making it easier to judge delicate shots that require a very fine judgement. Strategic face milling also helps guide off-center strikes back on-line and encourages better strike consistency.
Well-crafted face-milling is essentially beneficial in every way, and not only does it help your putting, it looks rather stylish too. PING’s current range of putters are stunning, and will no doubt help you sink more putts on the green.
PING's latest golf putters
When it comes to seeking the best in the best of face-milled putting performance, you’ll want to walk onto the green with the new PLD milled golf putter in-hand. Featuring a glossy silver finish, this club simply looks amazing from every angle.
As the name implies, each club in the PLD Milled set has undergone PING’s unique face milling process that etches deep AMP grooves onto the face to produce a supremely soft feel. This delicate sense of feel will really help you find the correct distance and pace when you’re a good few dozen feet from the flag. With 8 clubs in the range, from blades to mid-mallets, we’ll find your ideal putter when you visit us in the pro shop.
Another fantastic putter offering from PING is this year’s Scottsdale putter. This club looks very distinctive with a matte black finish and a line of electric blue on the sole and base of the face. With a one-piece Pebax insert sitting behind the face, this club is a real joy to strike. Each clubhead has a high-MOI design that offers excellent accuracy will be invaluable on delicate mid-range putts when you need to get the line just right. This club also comes in a wide variety of models, so you can count on us to get you fitted with the right one.
Putting is a crucial part of the game to get right if you want to score well, so if you’re in need of a short game lesson or you’d like to learn more about which golf putter would best suit your game, we’re ready to help you in the pro shop.
