Gear: TaylorMade Spider EX putter
Price: $349.99 with Super Stroke Pistol GTR 1.0 grip
Specs: Aluminum and carbon-fiber frame with steel and tungsten weights, and grooved face insert. Available in 33-inch, 34-inch and 35-inch versions.
Available: March 12
The first TaylorMade Spider putters were spotted in 2009, and they were big. Tarantula might have been a better name, but there was no denying the Spider was forgiving and extremely stable.
Golfers loved them or hated them, but in 2015, TaylorMade struck gold after Jason Day won the Players Championship using a customized, red Spider Tour Itsy Bitsy. That year Day used the compact mallet to average +1.13 in strokes gained putting for a season. It was the first time a golfer on the PGA Tour finished a season with an average above 1. Many other pros and recreational golfers followed Day’s lead and made compact mallets designed for arced putting strokes trendy.
Since then TaylorMade has refined the Spider putters, and for 2021 its newest offering is the Spider EX, which relies on the same winning recipe.
The Spider EX has steel weights in the heel and toe areas, along with tungsten weights in the back. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The new Spider EX is a variation of the Spider X putter that Rory McIlroy has often used. The frame’s perimeter is made from lightweight aluminum, with the center section made from carbon fiber. Using those materials saved a significant amount of weight and allowed designers to add 28-gram steel weights in the heel and toe areas and tungsten weights in the back heel and toe portions of the head. While custom fitters can change the tungsten weights to modify the club’s swing weight, the extra mass boosts the moment of inertia and makes the Spider EX much more stable.
The face of the Spider EX has an insert that features aluminum grooves. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
To encourage the ball to roll instead of skid as it comes off the face, TaylorMade gave the Spider EX a new Pure Roll² insert. The insert contains thermoplastic polyurethane surrounding eight aluminum grooves that point downward at a 45-degree angle. TaylorMade said the grooves grab the back of the ball at impact and pull it upward to get it rolling, while the TPU portion softens impact and enhances feel.
The white Spider EX contrasts with green, and the alignment lines and dots are designed to improve aim. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The Spider EX is available in three colorways, and each has a large, white alignment aid with three dots extending back from the topline. TaylorMade refers to the system as True Path and said it should make it easier for golfers to align the putter behind the ball and aim the face on the desired target line.
Finally, a new KBS putter shaft comes standard on the Spider EX with a softer tip section to improve feel.
from Golfweek https://ift.tt/3r8zYfv