SGBGolf_Aug08_p18_19 24/7/08 12:26 Page 19
S p h e r i c a l B l a d e
Arrowhead (above) and Emperor (right) impressed in independent tests
straight and true that easy to get your head around? Surely a toed strike will head right by its own weight. How does Spherical Blade allow for that?
and a heel strike left? “It doesn’t allow, and it doesn’t need to,” argues Smith. “For one thing, on today’s
“We are talking a very gentle curve,” counters Smith. “Its radius is 1.5m. You can’t greens I don’t think this is such an issue. Based on the evidence of my own eyes and
even see the horizontal curve unless you put a business card or some other straight other people using the putter, the roll is fine. But moreover, the momentum the putter-
edge against it. head gives the ball is enough to get it rolling. There is hardly any downward impact;
“Secondly, yes, if you are a good player deliberately trying to hit it off the heel and hitting just above midpoint is enough to get it rolling.
toe – say to deaden the strike – you would have to make a little compensation, and we “In fact, I think the problem with many putters is that three degrees or whatever is
don’t deny that. But then our putter is aimed at the vast majority of golfers who are too much loft, too much lifting it out, and that’s when you get the bobble or the spin.”
tying to hit the ball on the sweetspot of the putter; if there is a very slight twitch around The new Spherical Blade range is being distributed through Sigma, who have also
that sweetspot then that’s what the curve will forgive.” provided the components for some of the products. And whether you buy into the curve
A curved face begs two further questions: is the putter easy to square up? And if a story or not, there is no doubt the technology is intriguing. Certainly independent testing
curved face compensates for an open or shut putter, does squaring up actually matter? will help put any charges of gimmickry to bed; Smith is in the process of devising, with
After all, tap a ball forward with the rim of a saucer and it goes in the same direction, Quintic, an accuracy test to sit alongside the roll test and prove the effectiveness of that
however the saucer is ‘aimed’. east-west, flinch-curing curve.
“You’re right, but you’re still trying to line up as best you can,” says Smith. “Our “The pros at Newport Golf Club helped us develop these putters,” Smith sums up,
putter compensates to a degree but can’t correct a poor putter path or for the face “and they said that if they could be sure of the roll of the ball they could put more pace
being too open or closed. In this respect it’s designed like a modern driver; you’re on short putts and take some of the break out. But I believe the real mass market
still trying to hit it straight but the club aims to forgive any misalignment coming attraction is people like me, worried about three-putting; our putters give you the extra
from the operator.” roll to get the ball close from long range… and that’s going to take three of four shots
But Spherical Blade sees the east-west curve as secondary to the putter’s main off your score.”
benefit, that of imparting ground-hugging over-spin on the ball. That’s why they recently To see the full Spherical Blade range click on
www.sphericalblade.com
commissioned independent tests from Paul Hurrion’s Quintic Consultancy in an
attempt to substantiate their claims.
The tests set their Emperor, Silver Swallowtail and Arrowhead models up against six
Case study
putters from other leading manufacturers. A putting robot arm was used to strike 20ft
putts, recorded by video analysis at 250 frames per second. On average, eight frames
PGA Pro and former Jamaican National Team
were digitised prior to impact and a further 15 frames after.
coach Ian Melville (pictured) has become a
In the test, only the S-Blade Emperor got the ball rolling with topspin immediately on
stockist of S-Blade putters at Rutland County Golf
Club, Lincs – as well as using one himself.
impact (frame zero); The Arrowhead, along with two other putters, got the ball rolling
“The ball-roll off the S-Blade Greenstreak is
from frame one while the S-Blade Swallowtail had the ball rolling from frame two. Other
exceptional and I hadn’t experienced anything
models initially suffered from backspin at impact; two brands were still back-spinning
like it before,” he says. “The spherical face
by frames six and seven.
technology sounds complicated but it is in fact
“The results showed that our putters have come out better than most of their rivals,
quite simple; and you can clearly see the
with the Emperor better than anything on the market in terms of getting the ball to true
increased topspin that the S-Blade puts on the
roll faster,” says Smith.
ball. I am a supporter of any technology that helps club golfers get the ball rolling –
The snooker analogy is clear, but then putting greens aren’t billiard tables. Accepted
and I have to say the S-Blade does exactly that.”
wisdom is that a putter needs a little loft to help the ball out of the depression formed
SGB GOLF - AUGUST 2008 19
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