Will it be True love for TaylorMade’s new Spider X putter?
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.
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…
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
