Dear David,
Sorry for the delay. I've been out of town, plus -- that specific question always occupies me so I have a difficult time sorting out my thoughts about it.
Basically, I like a center-shafted plain-jane putter without a lot going on in it's shape and visual appearance. I tend to like face-balanced but want more experience with "reality" balanced or "toe balanced." The face-balanced, center-shafted putter is generally seen as better suited to a straight shoulder stroke than a heel-toe weighted "flange" putter with heel-shafting. It's interesting to me that Ping has now come out with a center-shafted, face-balanced putter, and it is a very nice one at that. Since Ping is the signature company for heel-toe weighted flange putters, this indicates a good industry-wide trend toward the center-shafted putter.
In my case, since I am constantly testing and experimenting and learning, I use a variety of putters. This creates a competition among the putters in my trunk to get into my hands on the green. I used a cut-down Matzie for a long time, and then the Taylormade Rossa putter proved itself a good one, so the Matzie went into the trunk, Then Ed Opie's B'Confident putter (heel-shafted, high-COG, milled face) won the day over the Rossa. Then an old Plop putter (center-shafted, 14 degrees upright lie, face-balanced) worked its way into my hands. Then Chuck Todds' American Putter showed up -- milled face, nice weight, center-shafted, face-balanced -- an altogether top-notch tool recently bought up by the SeeMore putter company and now its star model. In the last few weeks, I have been working with a Q-Roll putter called Mr Two (center-shafted, face-balanced, low COG). This putter appears to be very much in the mold of the Norman Lindsay All TS putter, although I have not handled this putter yet. These putters I consider fine, very fine. In a similar vein is the Taylormade TPi 25, a nondescript little putter - a center-shafted, face-balanced mallet that sits demurely in the corner of retail shops at $99. I think this is a very good putter, and it seems Odyssey and Carbite and others have been copying this formula for their own line.
I've worked periodically with the more exotic putters like the Scotty Cameron Futura and the Two-ball putters, but don't find them very congenial. For big-head putters, the Bobby Grace MOI, the Railgun, and the Mitchell Golf new model swing very nice and true without much need for the golfer to pay loads of attention. I will be experimenting with the Aserta big-head model (high COG), and hope to learn something from Michael Bonneau's design as well.
I try not to endorse sepcific putters so I can remain objective and credible, but by the same token, I believe if I can make fair and honest statements, there is no reason to hold back. In the future, I am thinking about doing formal putter tests and reviews for the website, but that is part of a larger, more comprehensive expansion of what I am doing.
Thanks for the question.
Cheers!
Geoff Mangum
Putting Theorist and Instructor
Geoff Mangum's PuttingZone
http://puttingzone.com
Golf's most advanced and comprehensive putting instruction.
Over 570,000 visits and growing strong ...
518 Woodlawn Ave
Greensboro NC 27401
336.230.0612 home
336.402.1602 cell