When a new product is officially released to the masses, golfers want to know what’s new. It’s natural to want to compare the previous version to what’s coming down the pipeline, and with TaylorMade’s all-new Spider Tour lineup, a myriad of alterations were made to improve one of the most iconic putter designs in the industry.
If you want to focus on one feature that could benefit all golfers — that’s not an exaggeration — take a look at the TSS (TaylorMade Swingweight System) weights positioned in strategic spots on each Spider Tour model. Yes, the weights look different when compared to those found on previous Spider Tour putters, but they’ve actually been around dating back to the Rossa Monza Spider.
What many golfers might not realize is the weight locations can significantly alter performance, increasing everything from the level of face rotation to overall stability.
“Each putter has its own level of stability,” Patrick Baxter, TaylorMade’s product manager for putters and wedges, said on GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast. “So if your stroke type begs for more face rotation, then I’d recommend the [Spider Tour Z and V] models.”
Something else you might not realize is the weights are interchangeable and come in different gram options to create a fully customized putter.
While the standard head weight (6 grams) is designed to fit the widest number of golfers with Spider Tour, heavy (11 grams) and lightweight (1 gram) options are offered as well for specific player preferences, lengths and course conditions through TaylorMade’s custom program.
“One thing that’s really exciting about the weights is that if [a golfer] were to walk into a demo day, you’d notice those weights are commonly found everywhere,” said Baxter. “One thing that’s neat that we’ll be introducing is if you custom order a putter, you’ll be able to down-select a heavy head weight option, standard head weight option or lightweight option.
“What this allows us to do is take a part that is commonly used to optimally swingweight our drivers and use the same weight system to give players what they’re looking for — whether that’s standard, heavy or light. It’s all about getting back to zero face angle at impact.”
Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa doesn’t play a Spider Tour, but he does take advantage of the adjustable heel-toe weights found in the sole of his TP Soto. In preparation for the Masters, Morikawa will throw the heaviest weights possible into the head for Augusta National’s lightning-fast greens, before transitioning to lighter weights later in the summer during the Open Championship, where the greens tend to run on the slower side.
There’s nothing that says golfers can’t follow suit and carry multiple sets of weights to get their putter dialed for the greens, as well as their stroke tendencies.
