Cleveland Squares Up a New Putter

Ted Johnson

What often gets in golf is the simple fact that a six-inch putt counts as much as a 300-yard drive. On that foundation rises the simple but oh-so-true tenet that the easiest way for the 20-handicapper to get down to a 12 is more and more short-game work.

At the same time, the best way a 15 can get to single digits is more short game work. And to go from 10 to 5? You got it. For the purposes of this post, the key term here—“short”—refers to putting.

Here’s a story from a long-time friend who played on the PGA Tour in the early 2000s. He ranked something like 146^th in driving distance and 120^th in driving accuracy, yet he finished 102^nd on the PGA Tour’s Money List to retain his card.

In the parlance of the game, he was “short and crooked,” and that usually begets a quick career change. I asked him how he did it.

“I didn’t three-putt from June through October,” he said.

Blow it off the tee into the trees, slop out towards the green, lob it on and make the putt equals 4, just like Hoganesque fairway-green-two-putt precision.

 

Cleveland Golf's Smart Square Putter

Hardly revolutionary in mallet design, but it does have unique graphics atop the head to help align the face towards the target. This concept was first introduced by Callaway Golf’s Two-Ball putter. Cleveland Golf went from circles to squares and the marketing campaign about easy alignment. You can see the putter demonstrated here.

A mallet putter is very good for a straight-back, straight-through putting stroke. With the enhanced alignment features atop the head, this putter will keep the face centered on the target line, and that means more four-footers ending at the bottom the cup.

The SmartSqaure comes out in November and if you know someone who wants to lower their scores it might be a good Christmas present.

 

RELATED LINKS

Follow Cleveland Golf on Twitter

Apex Irons are Back!

Is Non-Conforming a Non-Issue?

 

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.