Hi all. Many of you may know me from TCC or RCF. This is my maiden post on Putter Talk and I am glad to be here.
Specs
34" / 345g
71 lie
4.5 loft
Dog Will Hunt grip
I have been a Cameron loyalist for the past 6 years playing primarily Newport styles putters and most recently I switched from my 009 to the Laguna 2.5 or Faxday style. I had been gaming a IBBF and another member here twisted my arm into acquiring this BB5 and promised me that it would not disappoint. Well, he was correct. The majority of my opinions are based on the comparison to my Camerons, primarily the IBBF.
I gamed this beauty for the first time yesterday at Montour Heights CC just outside of Pittsburgh. A tough Pete Dye course that is only second to Oakmont is one of the toughest courses in PA according to Golf Digest.
My initial impression of the putter was exception milling and finish. The black finish seems very durable compared to many other black oxide finishes that I have seen. I especially like the matte finish on the sole because it will not show wear the same way a polished finish would.
The set up of the putter was pleasing to my eye. I like the neck being offset from the face of the putter. Cameron had done this with early Faxday's but thought that the lines looked too messy and he moved the neck to align with the topline and face. I disagree with this change and feel that by not offsetting the neck, that the putter sets up looking much too toe heavy.
The overall feels on balls strikes was very soft and solid. A great sound to my ears. I have never been a fan of sound slots and certain insert designs because the feel/ sound is that the ball is coming off way too "hot". This causes me to be tentative and sometimes decelerate through the ball. The soft "dead" feel is ideal for me and allows me to put a solid stroke on the putt. The grip melted into my hands and the subtle texture was a good reminder about maintaining a consistent grip pressure throughout my round.
As for alignment. The jury is still out on the flange line. I would be curious to try this putter with a line on the topline verses the flange or no alignment marks at all on the head.
Once I got a feel for the greens and how to best set up on my putts, I made some critical 10 footers to save par on several holes. The swing weight was perfect for me and was not much of a change from what I am uses to.
Overall, I really fell in love with this putter over the course of 18 holes and can say it will definitely knock the Cameron's out of my bag for now. The putter is a beautiful work of art and performs spectacularly. In my hands, the BB5 kept saying the same thing over and over ...."high quality". This new dog definitely can hunt the hole with the best of them.
One last note about the sole stamping...."Betts" is a long time nickname for Bob B.
Best,
Kuch
