Our TaylorMade Spider X putter review was conducted during rounds at TPC Sawgrass in Florida and Sandburn Hall in York.
TaylorMade Spider X putter review: First impressions
TaylorMade’s Spider putters have been phenomenally successful over the past few years, not least the versions used by Jason Day and Dustin Johnson.
Rory McIlroy has been toting the Spider X with some success on the PGA Tour this year and the copper version, which I tested, is certainly striking to look at.
It’s a very balanced weight on first pick up and the Super Stroke Pistol GTR 1.0 grip promotes an even, rather than wrist-led, putt.
I tried the Spider X out on faster greens, on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, and also on the slower surfaces you’d expect to find in a UK winter at my home club at Sandburn Hall.
TaylorMade Spider X putter review: The technology
Can you believe this is the 10th generation of the Spider putter? TaylorMade say the tech trick that makes this version stand out is a sightline that features the ‘True Path Alignment System’.
What is this? The company looked at more than 10,000 putts from 12 feet and found out golfers strike the ball towards the toe of the putter two thirds of the time.
From my own experience, that sounds like a believable figure. When I look down after a putt that’s gone awry, I often find the ball mark floating towards the front rather than the back of the face.
So what they’ve tried to do is re-engineer the mass while adding a new alignment system – called True Path – to make it easier to focus and, consequently, easier to hit the centre of the face.
Although you might not notice an immediate difference in the looks of the Spider X, compared with their wildly successful previous model, there has been some tinkering with the design.
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TaylorMade says it’s more streamlined, with more weight on the outside of the frame, and a deeper centre of gravity. That frame also has three new weights – aluminium, steel and tungsten – of increasing size to ‘allow for optimised weight preference’.
The head design is slightly smaller, by 5% in fact. The insert is thicker and the 12-groove Putt Roll aims to improve sound, feel and roll characteristics.
That’s the tech sorted, but how does it perform? Find out on the next page…
TaylorMade Spider X putter review: The results
I’ve generally avoided insert putters, largely because I have a tendency to leave putts short when hitting something that’s softer than a milled face.
But this was firm from the first strike, which would tally with TaylorMade’s assertion that the insert is thicker than previous models.
Feel is often important with putters, and an underrated element when making a decision in the face of all this technology, but I really liked the weight of the Spider X and the way it moved through the stroke.
I don’t have much of an arc – hence why I use this kind of putter – and it was very easy to feel like the face was pointing in a straight line at conclusion.
That, combined with the shape of the head and the way it lines up behind the ball, gave me a lot of confidence and especially on those four to eight footers that are so crucial to making a good score off my handicap.
I actually one-putted the first three holes I played with the Spider X and all from distance (there’s video evidence to prove it!). I think it will work well for me in competition play as the greens get quicker.
So is this the putter for you? Check out Steve’s final verdict on the next page…
TaylorMade Spider X putter review: NCG verdict
There’s a lot to like about the TaylorMade Spider X and I’ll definitely be putting it into my bag for the competition season. Weight, balance and feel are all very important to me and this putter performs strongly on all counts.
It felt quite easy to produce an end-over-end stroke and while the True Path alignment system didn’t help me as much as it will others – mainly because of the way I line up a putt – I saw the evidence that more strikes were coming out of the centre of the face following impact.
Aesthetically, it’s an attractive looking design – particularly the navy and white version – and we’ll come back to you later in the year to reveal how it performed in the heat of battle.
TaylorMade Spider X putter details
Lengths: 33”, 34”, 35”
The copper & white model is available in a short slant or single bend (right-hand only) hosel option, while the navy & white model is only available as a short slant.
SRP: £299
On sale: Now
More information can be found on the TaylorMade website.
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