A Preview of New Putters for 2008

If you are desperate for a new putter, you might want to wait a few more weeks, as your options are about to greatly expand.

Indeed, as the PGA Fall Expo unfolds today in Las Vegas, many putter companies are already starting to unveil their new putter lineups heading into 2008. The PGA Fall Expo is one of two major annual PGA equipment expositions, the other being the PGA Merchandise Show.

The Sizemore Collection, a boutique putter company led by designer Bruce Sizemore, is introducing its new Sizemore XM-1 Putter in a center-shafted version. The putter features Sizemore’s patented Alignment Insert Management system, or AIM. This system allows players to choose their alignment preference as well as optimize their speed and distance control with a set of interchangeable weighted end caps. According to the company: “As with the entire Sizemore Collection, the Sizemore XM-1 features pure copper inserts that are cross-milled in 27 different directions. It is then finished in a Sizemore signature geometric pattern with exceptionally fine spacing. This patented and state-of-the art IND-X process produces the flattest, most accurate face finish possible.”

Rife Putters is set to release its Two Bar Hybrid, a cross between the company’s traditional Barbados mallet and its more radical Two Bar putters. According to the company, the Two Bar Hybrid has been quietly tested on the Champions and Nationwide tours for the past three months to great reviews. Click here to read PutterZone.com’s exclusive interview with Rife Putters President Matt Molloy.

Mizuno Golf is releasing a new series of putters designed by Robert Bettinardi. Under the banner of Carbon Black, the putters ($249) are crafted from milled carbon steel with a black chrome finish. According to the company: “The new patented Feel Impact Technology (FIT) Face…gives gives the golfer an all new enhanced feel when putting the ball. The FIT Face milled area dramatically reduces the surface area of the where the ball makes contact with the face and, in turn, delivers an extremely solid and soft feel to every putt.” Click here to read PutterZone.com’s exclusive interview with Robert Bettinardi.

SeeMore Putter Company is releasing three new putters: the mFGP Plantinum, as well as belly versions of the m1 and m3 models. The mFGP Platinum is a milled, platinum-finished replica of the putter Zach Johnson win the 2007 Masters. Each of the new putters features SeeMore’s signature RifleScope Technology, through which a blackened shaft visually intersects and hides a red dot on the putter crown. Two parallel white sightlines frame the shaft and serve as an indicator that the golfer is in perfect position to make a consistent and reliable stroke. Click here to read PutterZone.com’s rave review of SeeMore’s m1 putter.

Come October, Boccieri Golf will release several new Heavy Putters, including an Anser-style blade (which has already been put into play by Troy Matteson on the PGA Tour), as well as three aesthetically progressive designs that represent a major departure from the existing Heavy Putter portfolio—a half-moon mallet with a hollowed-out underside; a blade tentatively named the Stealth for its resemblance to the F-117 fighter jet; and a nearly impossible-to-describe putter tentatively called the Camelback, which resembles three connected pipes cut longways in the direction of the putter face. Click here to read more about the next Heavy Putters.