Okay, so I finally got my hands on a used TaylorMade Spider Tour putter. Been seeing these things around forever, figured I’d give one a shot. My old flatstick just wasn’t cutting it lately, felt like I was fighting it every time I stood over a putt.
Getting Started
Found this one online, looked decent enough in the pictures, price was right. Picked it up yesterday. Felt okay just waggling it in the living room. Seemed a bit heavier than my old Anser style, but maybe that’s good? The big mallet head looks kinda weird after years with a blade, but lots of pros use ’em, so who am I to argue?
First Practice Session
Took it out to the practice green this afternoon. Weather was decent, not too crowded. Dumped my usual bag of practice balls. Started close, like maybe 3-5 footers. Just wanted to get the feel of the ball coming off the face. It’s got that insert, felt pretty soft I guess. Alignment line on top is pretty obvious. Honestly, took a few putts to get used to looking down at that shape.
Rolled those short ones okay. Seemed pretty stable through the stroke, didn’t feel like the face was twisting much, which is my usual problem. Made a good bunch of the short ones, maybe the weight helps there.
Moving Back
Then I stepped back, tried some 10-15 footers. This is where it got interesting. Distance control was… well, it was different. Some flew way past the hole, others ended up short. Took me a while to get a feel for how hard to hit it. The soft feel off the face maybe makes it harder to judge speed? Or maybe I just suck. Probably a bit of both.
- Feel: Soft off the face, definitely different from my old steel-faced putter.
- Stability: Felt pretty good, head didn’t seem to wobble during the stroke.
- Alignment: The line and shape seem to help point it, but gotta trust it.
- Distance Control: This needs work. Really gotta dial that in.
Overall Thoughts So Far
So, after an hour or so, what’s the verdict? It’s… okay. Didn’t magically fix my putting, that’s for sure. But it feels different. Maybe a good different? It feels more forgiving on off-center hits than my blade, the ball still seemed to roll decently straight even if I didn’t hit the dead center.
Bottom line: I need way more time with it. Can’t judge a putter on one practice session. Gonna keep it in the bag for the next few rounds, see how it does on actual greens under actual pressure. Maybe it grows on me, maybe it ends up back on sale online. We’ll see how it goes.
