PutterZone – Best Putter Reviews
With their boisterous enthusiasm and distinctive accents, the boys from Piranha Golf were hard to miss at the recent PGA Fall Expo in Las Vegas. This Australian company makes a full range of clubs, and is most known for its irons. Now they are rolling out their first flatstick, the Piranha Proto-10 putter, which was a hit with PutterZone.com at the PGA Fall Expo. The Proto-10 boasts a hefty head weight of 450 grams to assist with stroke stability and confidence; a “friction-less” sole shaping to prevent stubbing and catching; and a topline alignment dot similar to SeeMore’s RifleScope system. PutterZone.com recently caught up with Piranha Golf’s owner and chairman, Antonio Gelonesi, to get the scoop on the Proto-10. Following is our exclusive interview:
What is the core mission of Piranha Golf?
We are an alternative to the major golf brands. Our motto is that when your timing is right, Piranha is ready provide you with an excellent product for an excellent price, so that you can “unleash the player within.”
As a niche golf OEM (editor’s note: original equipment manufacturer), we can continue to push hard on new innovation quickly. We just basically love golf and want the OEM-to-player experience to be as enjoyable as possible. The culture of Piranha Golf sees everyone involved in the company loving golf and wanting to provide first-class equipment that will resonate with our players. So we have spent lots of research and development on trying to be best of class in drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, wedges and now putters. This builds on the reputation we have for making high-level irons, which feature key paradigm shifts in technology and materials.
What are the features and benefits of your new Proto-10 putter?
The soft, bronze-coated CNC-milled head has a special base arc that achieves friction-less action on the green. This, coupled with a subtle grooved face that imparts immediate roll, makes this new putter a true weapon.
The heavy weight helps create a truer arc and offers other bio-dynamic benefits, and the simple scoping tool gives some legal alignment benefits if needed.
Can you describe the process of creating the putter?
The Proto-10 putter is a manifestation of a lot of Piranha players’ input. Over two seasons we have investigated the bio-mechanical aspects and physics of putting, and the players have given input on feel, roll and touch. This lead to the early prototypes, The new Proto-10 is the only putter we have, as it represents the sum total of all Piranha fans’ desires. It’s their wish list in a putter.
The 450 gram head is heavier than most by about 100 grams on average. Why did you decide on that weight?
The weight is a key part of using the putter in a variety of situations on the golf course. The stability on and off the green of this heavier weight has already received critical acclaim. In the right situation, you can now approach the green and putt onto it, thus preventing player stress in a clutch situation. Working in tandem with the friction-less base arc, the putter has the weight to get the ball close to the pin from well off the green. The weight helps a lot on the fringe and slight rough near the green, and provides confidence in the stroke. We listened to our players and we believe that we have addressed many important problems that they have raised about putters.
What are your plans for the U.S. market? When and where can someone buy the putter?
Since introducing the putter at the PGA Fall Expo, we have been busy addressing which retailers will carry the Piranha Golf lineup, please contact us directly via our web site and we will put you in touch the closest retailer where you can see and purchase all the Piranha equipment. As we have been around for 14 years. Piranha Golf will slowly build its reputation and presence in the USA, and that follows its growth in Australia, the U.K. and Europe.
Thank you, Antonio! Stay tuned for PutterZone.com’s Piranha putter review.
Their website has absolutely no information about this putter. I want to try this out… sound like a Heavy Putter with better aesthetics.
Good point. Hopefully they'll get info up soon, this putter hot off the presses, so to speak.
The major difference between the Piranha putter and the Heavy Putter is that, unlike the HP, the Piranha doesn't have a counterweight in the shaft.
Here's a note from Piranha's Steve Collins from PutterZone.com's Facebook Page:
G'day Sean…thanks for including your article here on Facebook. To your fan who commented about the absence of the putter on our web page, it's actually in train for completion now. If he would like to e-mail me at steve@piranhagolf.com, I'll be happy to provide him some info.
Kind regards, Steve Collins, President, Piranha Golf USA.
G'day Ben…
our web page is constantly evolving, and as Sean rightly points out, the Piranha Putter is literally "hot off the press". Nevertheless, the web page is in the course of being amended. If you want to e-mail me at steve@piranhagolf.com, I will be happy to send you some images and information. We sold out immediately an order of 50 of the putters in Sydney in just over a week, and as much as we love the putter, that level of demand surprised even us! Thanks for your interest, Steve Collins, President, Piranha Golf USA.