PutterZone – Best Putter Reviews
An old Yes! Sophia putter enjoyed a Cinderella story this week after Jim Furyk plucked it out of a putter bin for $39 and promptly used it to claim the $1.35 million winner’s prize at the Tour Championship and the $10 million bonus as the winner of the 2010 FedEx Cup playoffs.
Talk about a good return on investment.
The Yes! Sophia is a classic 8802-style heel-shafted blade that features Yes! Golf’s signature C-Groove face technology, which is designed to impart quicker topspin.
Here’s what Furyk said about the putter after his big day: “It was used. It was a used putter. It’s got a nick on the back flange, it’s got a little ding in the top line. I never loft and lied it which is rare for me because I’ve always got my putters on a loft-lie machine at home, and the way the grip is on it, it might be slightly off center but that’s kind of how I like it anyway. I guess we were meant to be, who knows.”
He added, “They had some that were bigger, more like a mallet head that were heel shafted, kind of like Faldo used to putt with in his heyday, but they had lines on them, and I wanted something without a line. I just wanted it as simple as it could be, heel shafted. It was the only one in the shop of about 300 putters. At the time I didn’t think it was all the that pretty to be honest with you, but it’s getting a lot better looking every day.”
At the center of the story is a golf shop called Joe & Leigh’s Discount Golf Pro Shop in Massachusetts, where Furyk found the putter earlier this month while playing at the Deutsche Bank Championship.
You never know who you’ll meet scrounging around the old putter bins at your local golf shop, eh? We wonder if there’s a Joe & Leigh’s customer out there who heard the news and said, “Hey, wait, that’s my putter!”
I am blown away by this story. Furyk climbed a few notches in my book through the last few weeks. His bag is an ultimate collection of what works best for him and he seems like the kind of guy that would just wander around golf shops instead of calling up manufacturers asking for clubs.
I personally couldn't putt with the Sophia, the balance was strange to me and it didn't seem like I could hit the sweet spot and not have the putter face open. I really liked it's cousin, Nicky, and still own a Valerie.
Sounds like a great putter, the Sophia. I am currently using a Wilson 8882, also purchased cheap, as it was used, though not as cheap as the Yes — unfortunately. :0)
Anyway, sometimes I wonder about the sight line on the 8882 and whether it lines up with the sweet spot. Other times I don't worry about it. If anyone has putted with both the 8882 and the Yes Sophia, can you compare the feel, alignment, etc.?
Thank you — and congrats to Jim Furyk. A great guy — and nice to see him win with that flanged blade.
Great takes! Just more evidence of how personal putting and putters are!
Once again we learn that its not the putter, its the putter 🙂
Love my Yes! Tracy…
And congrats to Furyk, one of the tour's class acts!