Alright, so I finally got my hands on one of those Stingray putters. Been seeing them around, you know? My old putter and I… well, let’s just say we were having some disagreements on the green. Serious ones. So, I figured, why not? Couldn’t hurt, right?
First thing, pulling it out of the plastic. Looked kinda different. Not like my classic blade putter at all. Big old thing on the back. Supposed to help with stability, they say. We’ll see about that. Felt a bit heavier than I expected when I first picked it up. Gave it a few waggles in the living room. Seemed okay, I guess. No magic sparks flew, but didn’t hate it either.
Took it straight to the practice green yesterday afternoon. Didn’t even bother with the range. Putting’s where the money’s lost, after all. Dropped three balls down about six feet from the hole. First putt… whoa. Rolled it way past. The ball comes off the face hotter than my old flatstick, that’s for sure. Took a few putts to get the speed dialed in.
Getting the Feel
Spent a good hour just rolling putts from different distances. Here’s what I noticed:
- Alignment: The lines on top are pretty obvious. Honestly, maybe too obvious? Felt like I was lining up an aircraft carrier at first. But, I gotta admit, it seemed to help get the face pointed where I wanted. Less guesswork.
- Feel: It’s not that soft ‘click’ I’m used to. More of a solid ‘thud’. Not bad, just different. You definitely know when you hit it.
- Stability: This is the big sell, right? On the short ones, inside five feet, it did feel really solid. Like, the putter head didn’t want to twist much, even if my stroke felt a bit shaky. That was kinda nice.
Tried some long lag putts too. Getting the speed right was still tricky. Sent a few more sailing past the hole than I’d like. It feels like you barely tap it and the ball just goes. Maybe that’s good? Less effort? I dunno yet. Need more time with that.
It reminds me of this one time, years ago, I bought this ridiculously oversized driver. Everyone was talking about it. Biggest head allowed by law! Hit it maybe ten yards further on the range, but on the course? Couldn’t find a fairway to save my life. Sometimes these ‘game-improvement’ things just improve your ability to hit it further into the trees. Always chasing the next big thing in golf, aren’t we? Buying gear instead of practicing. Guilty as charged, I guess. Had to go back to my old trusty driver after that experiment.
So, the Stingray. Is it the magic wand? Probably not. Magic wands don’t exist, especially in golf. But it didn’t feel terrible. Those short putts felt more confident, I’ll give it that. The lag putting needs serious work, though. Maybe it’s just me needing to adjust. Maybe the putter just isn’t suited for longer strokes, who knows?
Verdict for now? It’s interesting. Definitely different. I’m not ready to throw my old putter in the lake just yet. Going to give the Stingray a few more practice sessions, maybe even brave taking it out for a casual round. See how it does under a bit more pressure, when the putts actually count for something other than bragging rights on the practice green. Still on the fence, but willing to keep trying for a bit longer.
