PutterZone – Best Putter Reviews
Established in 2008, Piretti Fine Putters has quietly and quickly emerged as one of the golf world’s leading boutique putter companies.
Now comes a new model from Piretti—the Potenza ($275), which is available in both satin steel and midnight black finishes. Does the Potenza offer something truly different amid the growing crowd of high-end milled putters?
Following is PutterZone.com’s Piretti Potenza putter review.
The Storyline
As with all Piretti putters, the Potenza is precision milled from a solid block of steel. In an earlier interview with PutterZone.com, Piretti founder Mike Johnson said, “We refuse to cut any corners during the manufacturing process, which is why we choose to mill all of our putters out of solid billets of material. Piretti will never offer a cast putter because we feel we get much tighter tolerances by milling them in a CNC machine.”
According to Johnson, “Our guiding principles are to make the best putters possible out of the best materials possible, and to make them appealing enough that people are proud to putt with a Piretti putter and show it off to their friends.”
The Piretti Potenza is similar to Piretti’s original Cottonwood heel-toe weighted blade, but with softer lines, a flow-neck hosel and a deeper toe hang. The loft is 2.5 degrees, in keeping with Piretti’s tradition of lower lofts. “We’ve found that most golfers are playing with too much loft on their putters, which causes the ball to skip at impact,” Johnson says.
At the point of purchase, you can choose from a wide range of length and lie angle options, as well as head weights of 360 and 370 grams. You can also choose from among four grip options and the two finishes, satin steel or midnight black. Finally, you can opt to have either a sightline or sight dot on your Potenza.
The View from PutterZone.com
The Piretti Potenza gets high marks right out of the gate for offering such a wide range of personal fitting options, and for doing so at the relatively affordable price of $275.
I tried the satin steel Potenza at 360 grams and found it to be strikingly elegant in both looks and feel. Despite being a young company, Piretti offers a mature aesthetic in its putters.
On the Potenza, the signature lion logo is tastefully rendered in red on the heel of the face, and echoed in a larger format along the sole. The model name Potenza is stamped in a stately font along the toe end of the sole, while the cavity features the Piretti script logo. The face boasts deep swirling milling lines, and the hosel features subtle vertical milling lines along the front and rear.
I have to say that between the two available finishes, my first choice would be the midnight black finish, which I’ve experienced on Piretti’s Cottonwood II putter. That’s not a knock on the satin finish, but rather a nod to the stunning visual beauty of the other. Unless you really lean toward a stainless steel look in your putter, I highly recommend the midnight black.
The lines of the Potenza are soft and flowing, with rounded rear corners and gentle steps along the flange. The relatively thick topline provides a firm linear counterpoint. The short single bend hosel offers half-shaft offset, and the deep toe hang is designed to match an arcing stroke.
The feel off the face is finely tuned, with a resonant plumpness in the sweet spot that is accompanied by a resonant click in the ears. The sweet spot is narrow, and if you miss slightly to the left or right, the pitch becomes a bit higher. If you miss vertically, you earn a slightly firmer clang. In other words, the Potenza will keep you honest.
I found the Potenza to put a tight roll on the ball, which may have something to do with the low loft combined with the firmer conditions on my local practice green. Based on the specifications of the Potenza, this putter is going to be the best match for golfers who employ an arcing stroke without a pronounced forward press.
Like the Piretti Cottonwood II, the Piretti Potenza doesn’t aim to please everyone—and that’s a good thing. It’s a putter with a unique point of view. The deep toe hang, heavier head and relatively thick topline give the Potenza a sort of hybrid quality, even though the overall look is very classical. This combination of features will appeal to the golfer who wants a putter that is inherently very traditional, but that offers more modern touches that can promote confidence and consistency.
The Bottom Line
Even at $275, the Piretti Potenza manages to pack a lot of bang for the buck, with a range of personal fitting options, precision milled quality and an overall package that competes with many putters in the $300+ price range. The Potenza also offers a unique combination of features, bringing a welcome dose of variety to the high-end milled putter category.
