Spider FCG Putter #3, Small Slant

This is a great looking putter and one that feels good in the hands. I have not yet used it extensively, so my review is based on only a few hours on the practice green. Since I have a slight arc to my swing, I ordered the L-Neck putter. The L-Neck is supposedly designed for golfers with a swing like mine. This is a good looking club. Not that looks improve the game, but it does not hurt when the club looks impressive. The included cover also looks good, fits well, and is soft. When using the club, the first thing that I noticed was the grip. It felt comfortable in my hands, and since the grip was new, it felt very solid (sticky), with no tendency to slip either with or without a glove. Up until now, I have only used a blade putter, so this mallet putter is a first for me. Wilson advertises this putter as one that looks like a mallet but that feels like a blade. Since I have not used a mallet, I cannot compare this club’s feel to a mallet’s feel, but compared to my blade, it does seem somewhat similar. This may be because of the putter’s “FCG," or Forward Center of Gravity, design. There is a bit more weight to the club head than I am used to, but not so different that I will need a large learning curve to become comfortable using it. With the contrasting colors on the club head, the sight line is very noticeable and easy to use to line up my puts. I found the swing to have a comfortable feel to it, and not much different from my current putter. The ball comes off the club stronger, and with a longer roll than usual with similar swing effort, which I will need to get used to. The ball seems to be better aimed than with my other club. As for whether that is because the aiming line is allowing me to line up better, or because the club design is correcting some of my defects, only more practice will give me that answer. My initial impressions of the putter are very favorable. I am looking forward to getting more practice with it, and hopefully I will see an improvement in putting strokes.

Putter arrived in good condition. Removed plastic from putter head with no problem. Removed plastic from grip and the Taylormade letters just peeled off with the plastic. Somehow the plastic had adhesive that was too strong. I had to call Amazon cust service to get in touch with seller who did return my call the next day and he sent me a replacement grip through the mail.

If you're having trouble shedding number off your golf game, being able to sink putts is a good way to do it. This putter will level the playing field and give you the added confidence to improve your game. My favorite part about this putter is the "True Path" sight lines on the top of the putter. It is a combination of a big "T" and a black line through the middle. The big white "T" allows you to easily see your aim direction and get a feel for how square your putter surface is to your ball. The thin black line allows you to dial it in a little more. I don't know the science behind copper being a better putting surface to strike from, but you can't ignore the fact that it looks and sounds amazing. The entire putting surface and three additional accent pieces are made from 100% Copper! The superstroke grip, combined with a no step shaft take out some of the variables that affect a smooth, consistent swing. The standard grip that comes on this club is a 1.0 Pistol Grip. The neck comes in different styles customized for your putting shape. The "Single Bend" is for golfers with minimal face rotation, the "Small Slant" is for significant face rotation and the "L-Neck" if for somewhere in between. Overall a putter that will help drop you putts and drop your score. Try it out and see for yourself.

So far I'm really impressed with my Spider FCG Putter. I have the L-Neck but I doubt that it offers any special advantage over the other two models. I have been using an early John Reuter Bulls Eye putter for many years, so something this fancy makes me feel like Al Czervik playing at Bushwood CC. Yet the transition has been surprisingly easy. The Bulls Eye was so popular in part because it was more forgiving than other putters. The positioning of the shaft gave it more MOI (moment of inertia) which meant it had more resistance to twisting. The shaft of the Spider is further back but the blade has so much more mass that twisting is also minimal. The laws of physics mean that it will continue in the same direction and will do so with less swing effort. That keeps club twisting at a minimum for most people. Couple all that with the three inch center siting line and I think most golfers will find their putts going straighter and with a better line toward the hole. Of course the Spider does not read the green contours for you or determine how fast it is, skills that take both aptitude and effort. Fortunately the Spider comes with a nice velcro cover because with a head this big it gets a lot more knocking around in my golf bag than the old Bulls Eye.

This is a fantastic putter. I'm no professional golfer, but I really appreciate the blade-like feel and the copper putter itself. I absolutely love the weight and the swing, as well as the putting guide built into the putter itself. This is an absolutely fantastic product and likely to be a staple in many golfers' bags for years to come.