Yes!, Sophia, you are one purty lady!

[limpalong]

Have promised that this winter I will get to the bottom of my putting woes. I have bounced back and forth, all year, between an Odyssey 2-ball SRT and my BeCu Anser 4. A few others from the basement stock have been in the bag for a round or so. Nothing has seemed to work.

As I have attempted to develop a strategy, I remembered the past good times with an 8813. Yes, the original 8802's were nice but the 8813 with the sound slot seemed to stay in the bag quite a while back in the 80's. This past decade, or so, the buzz word in putters has been MOI. We have seen an increase in the number of mallets... high MOI putters... on tour. And, I've seemed to follow that premise.

Folks have written their praises of the grooved face technology of Yes! and Rife. Perusing the various models, I have been taken by the Sophia. Wow! A real blade style putter... 8802 style... with the groove technology. There was no way, however, I was going to pay retail for an 8802 style putter that wouldn't be worth 50 cents on the dollar if it did not work. What to do.... What to do....

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go to the big city. (Once in a while, us hicks find ourselves envired in metro America!) Now, what would anybody with any golf acumen do in the big city??? Why, visit Golf Galaxy, or course!!! Walked into GG and the putter display is first thing inside the door. And, what jumps out at me from the used putter inventory... Yes, a Yes! Sophia!!!!! 34" Sophia, in very good to excellent condition, sat proudly holding her head above the lowly plethora of Odyssey and Ping and Rife and (some strange sounding brand) Scotty Camerons... Yes, this Yes! was all by herself just asking to be stroked.

After rolling a few putts on the display carpet, I felt Sophia needed to go home with me. Long term relationship or one round stand?? Who knows, but the beauty could not be passed up. As most any old 'ho, I had a hybrid no longer used under the seat in my truck. Traded the hybrid for Sophia and got over 40 dollars credit on a gift card. Wow! From a cast off hybrid to a strokable Sophia... life does not get any better.

After some cleaning and "fluffing" last evening, Sophia and I went for a stroll, together, this morning. Here's how things went...

Looks... I love Sophia's looks. That's what attracted me to her. She sets up beautifully behind the ball The small "dot" on the top line is difficult to distinquish. I will need to enhance that alignment dot ever so slightly. The early morning sun glistened off Sophia's rear flange. A couple of times, the reflection was almost a distraction. I am, seriously, considering re-bluing Sophia so the glare could be diminished a bit. Overall, even with a yellow/white/black grip that is a little "interesting" Sophia's looks are someting all the guys who see me holding her will envy.

Feel... It's almost the first of November. Leaves are everywhere on the course. It's the time of year we use found "rocks" in case you lose them under the blanket of leaves. I started out with a Callaway WarRock and a Top Rock Distance. The first couple of holes, I couldn't figure it out. Sophia wasn't feeling the same in my hands as she did last night on the basement carpet. Then it dawned on my. As I was stroking Sophia last evening, we were rolling ProV's. I pulled a Callaway Tour 56 and a ProV out of the bag and Sophia's feels changed immediately. The feel of this putter into, and through, the ball is succintly different between "rock" balls and premium, soft cover balls. But, that feel needs to be there for a good putter to perform

Distance control... This putter is heavy! Every putter in my basement has a ton of lead tape stuck here and there. Sophia won't need the extra cosmetics. Sophia has enough in the right places to stroke right on through the ball. Sophia's excellent weighting made distance control pretty good. The first couple of greens still had some dew. Then the greens began drying out through the rest of the round. It was difficult to get a real feel for Sophia's ability to provide distance control but her excellent weight characteristics tell me she and I will work through that when we can begin playing on good greens.

Dispersion/Direction... Here's where Sophia shines. Sophia simply knows nothing but "in the hole"! Set Sophia down behind the ball, take one look at the hole, and Sophia will roll the ball on the straightest line imagineable. Time after time, this past season, I have watched 2-foot putts miss. That aggravation has been the primary driving force that has caused me to consider another putter. If this morning is any indication, that problem is solved. Left to right, right to left, straight putts... the roll that Sophia putts on the ball is unbelievable.

So... I really do think I'm in love. I do think this could be the start of something grand. This ain't my first rodeo. I do understand how the rose-colored glasses can make a 2 or 3 into a 10 just about closin' time. I do understand "honeymoon" periods. Yet, all the indicators are there that this will be more than just a short courtship that ends in broken dreams. As we progress into next season, I will post a better review of how Sophia and my relationship grows or blows....

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by limpalong

Long term relationship or one round stand?? Who knows, but the beauty could not be passed up.

I've had a few round girls myself...

Originally Posted by limpalong

Feel... It's almost the first of November.

...and love is in the air.

Originally Posted by limpalong

As we progress into next season, I will post a better review of how Sophia and my relationship grows or blows....

Funny how the two often go together. Only you could make that true with a putter...

Great post, limpalong. Had me laughing.

[limpalong]

Originally Posted by Eracer

Great post, limpalong. Had me laughing.

That's my goal... Without humor, life is much too short!

[SilverUberXeno]

Don't tell Sophia, but I bagged her sister Tracy for a while. She was fine, but things didn't work out.

[lamebums]

Originally Posted by limpalong

- snip -

Golf: More than a game, it is a habitual endeavor that takes precedence over work and friends. A perpetual quest for improvement. A sport for athletes as they get older and realize their limitations. A pleasure beyond definition. Played by yourself, with a partner or in a group. Worse than drugs and better than a first time ****.

Golf (2): A sport where you can be a professional athlete who can bench press 300lbs and do 100 sit-ups and still suck. A sport where power is not needed, but skill and practice. Manages to be the most infuriating game you'll ever play, and a joy to behold all in the course of one round.

Golf (7): "Golf... is truly happiness" - Moe Norman

Good ol' Urban Dictionary...

Edit: Who added language filters?

[warbirdlover]

I can't believe a Ping guy doesn't have a Ping putter....

[limpalong]

Originally Posted by warbirdlover

I can't believe a Ping guy doesn't have a Ping putter....

Well, the basement "stock room" inventory includes an Anser F, Anser 4 SS, Anser 4 BeCu, My Echo, Darby, B60 SS, and a few assorted others. I should do just as I did with the irons and pick one and stay true. Yet, I'm still looking for the Holy Grail of putters.

What in the Sam Heck happened to your signature, WBL??? Someone, somewhere, owes someone a bet payoff. We thought you would at least make it to the first of the year with your two drivers. What happened to the Maltby and the XTour?? A G2? That's "old school"!!! Man, I'm gettin' more and more anxious to win the PowerBall so I can come north and kick your behind with my XTour!!!! Course, by that time, you'll be 10 or 20 or 30 drivers down the line!!

[warbirdlover]

It's been that way for awhile... Here's the deal (if anyone is interested).... The Maltby/regular flex Solutions was a great combo but during our Wisconsin Shot Talk outing I hit ... no I CRUSHED a drive with zaphod's Ping G2 / stiff flex Solutions shaft and I HAD to have one just like it. I got the shaft and G2 head (like new) exactly the same as zaphod's. Actually sssmokin got the G2 head and stiff Solutions shaft because he seriously wanted that Maltby/solutions combo since he hit that so good and had to have it. He traded me even up for the finished (almost) G2/Solutions combo that zaphod is building exactly like his (tip weighted to D7 and 45-3/4" long spined stiff Solutions shaft). So I'm happy and sssmokin's happy and I still have the X460 Tour. The G2 head appears to be much hotter then my G5 I had and maybe as hot as the Rapture. A ho's job is never done. I'm working on my swing (see threads in shottalk forum) so I can hit both good. I've got my swingspeed up to where I definitely am in the stiff flex range now. Wished you'd get your butt up here next summer!!

[IrishGolfer]

You can't write all that stuff without at least showing us your new gal...

[warbirdlover]

I "researched" Ping driver reviews and it appears the G2 had a hotter face then the G5. I know my G5 felt dead. It's being put together by zaphod right now. Won't pick it up until week of Thanksgiving (deer hunting up by sssmokin). If you want to read a review zaphod put one in on the BB Solutions 130 shaft that pretty much describes what it will be. POW!!!

Sorry to highjack your thread limpalong. But you brought it up!!

[mddubya]

Great post Limpalong, you had me laughing and remembering when I met and fell in love with my putter. I tried her out at the store and COULD NOT miss. Bought her and took her home, kissed her goodnight promising to wake her early for a eagerly anticipated round of golf, a new begining so to speak. We arose and had a nice breakfest and coffee and headed to the pracitce green to warm up till our tee time. Again on the practice green, we fit together like 2 peas in a pod, like bisquits and gravy. I was praising my new love and promising her the world. A life of nothing but Srixon's and ProV's. I swore to her I'd never leave her cover off and would protect her for life. On the 1st green the love of my life pulled up a few inches short on a Birdie putt, thats ok dear, I understand, there is still a bit of dew on the ground, and we tapped in for a Par. By the 6th hole the biatch was pushing every thing to the right but I was holding out hope that we'd pull through this with a bit of consuling maybe. But alas, by the end of the round, I'd come to the conclusion that she was just a like all the others, nothing but a money grubbing hoe and was blaming the 92 we had shot solely on her. Whether we can pull through these hard times or not is yet to be seen. We are finally on speaking terms again and I think I saw a wink from her today as I walked by, so who knows? I know ya'll will all back me up in court if things don't work out and we end up getting the big "D", it's never our fault, right? Its always those trashy putters fault when the relationship fails isn't it?

[Eracer]

Limpalong has already kicked his his "beloved" Sophia out the door. Guess she didn't say "Yes!" often enough...

[MCDavis]

There's some guys on this website that really need a date....with a woman...

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by MCDavis

There's some guys on this website that really need a date....with a woman...

That's what Rockford's last date told him...

[limpalong]

Originally Posted by MCDavis

There's some guys on this website that really need a date....with a woman...

The last time I told my wife of 42 years that I really needed a date with a younger woman who plays golf, she said "Go ahead. Once they see your putter, they'll be laughing so hard they'll send you back home!" Why do I stay with this lady?????