In the past three decades, there has been some very serious and very innovative technological advancement in wood and iron technology. Acronyms like MOI and COR have become part of the average golfer’s vernacular. Not to mention, there is literally an entire new club type (hybrids) that has not only emerged from these advancements, but has helped launch major players such as Adams Golf.

So it was surprising that the biggest innovation I could find in the field of putters in that time frame was the Odyssey 2-ball. This dearth of innovation is not from a lack of effort, as there is no shortage of training aids that claim to do everything short of turning you into Ben Crenshaw. If you struggle on the greens, the Dead Aim Putter might be a legitimate solution for your woes.

The Dead Aim Putter is sort of a training aid and putter hybrid. It’s not a unique idea, but rather somewhat of a conglomeration and evolution of tried and true concepts. The patented alignment system is similar in concept to the well-known SeeMore Putters, but much more in depth. Where the user of most special alignment putters need only to move the shaft into position after addressing the ball, the user of the Dead Aim Putter needs to properly position their body before manually setting the club shaft to the proper angle. The bigger idea is that once you’ve set yourself properly, your eyes are positioned directly over the ball and the putter is set to achieve the proper roll.

The Dead Aim also comes equipped to handle multiple add-on training aids that are small enough to fit in your bag and easy to remove so the putter is still USGA conforming. Since this is really two products in one, I’ve split this Dead Aim putter review into two parts; the putter and the training aids.

The Dead Aim Putter

I was able to test two models of the Dead Aim; the 38” counter-balanced mid and the 35” standard mallet. What struck me upon first unboxing the putter was the quality. It’s a very legitimate and well-made golf club. The weight is slightly heavy (350g for the standard and 410g for the counter-balanced mid), but the milled face is very nice and alignment lines are good. As you can see pictured above, there is quite a bit going on with the club at address. Although somewhat of a training aid on its own, since the sightline technology is part of the conforming standard putter head, I’ll go ahead and cover it here.

You can see three holes with three dots and three lines that are parallel with the target. When you approach a putt there are three main steps to using the putter. First, you set the putter at address behind the ball. Next, you adjust your body (it didn’t seem to matter if I leaned or moved my stance) so that the center of the three lines is aligned and unbroken while aiming at the target. Lastly, you move your hand position forward and backwards from the hole until the three dots are positioned in the center of the three holes. Once you have done this, your eyes are aligned directly over the ball and your hands are in proper impact position.

I’ll qualify this paragraph by saying that this system works. I consistently found myself reading and striking putts better than I did with the Never Compromise mallet that I was gaming. What bothered me about this setup procedure was that I often found myself focusing too much on using the alignment system and not enough about how firm I needed to strike the putt. This could be due to my ADHD, or it could also be due to the fact that relative to a standard putter, it’s a complicated setup. The counter-balanced mid model (which comes in 36” and 38” lengths) seemed to alleviate some of the distance equation for me due to the smoother stroke, but you do lose some feel with the longer grip and extra weight. I tend to think that it’s a bit of both and that players whose problems putting are less due to focus and more due to mechanics will benefit greatly from the Dead Aim.

All in all, the Dead Aim is a quality product as a standalone putter. I’m not sure I would game it personally, but I’ve played for nearly 20 years (with a cross handed grip, nonetheless) and putting has always been more feel based for me. I did let a handful of people try the putter while I was testing it, and all but one of them said they could see it improving their putting. The standard model comes in 33”, 34” and 35” lengths and retails for $149.95 for just the putter and headcover. The counter-balanced model comes in 36” and 38” lengths and retails for $199.95 for the putter and headcover.

The Dead Aim Accessories

The Dead Aim Putter can be purchased alone, and it’s a fine instrument in that respect. But if you’re sold on the system and plan on buying it, I think it’s worth it to spring for the laser and center strike attachments. It’s these two items, where the Dead Aim really separates itself from other putting trainers. The laser attachment, as you can see above, slips into the alignment holes in the top of the putter, and provides a beam that is exactly 90 degrees perpendicular to the face angle and parallel with your target line. There is an included laser target that will show you if you’re face angle is too far left or right and if you are changing the loft of the putter which causes skipping and poor rolls. It’s an awesome feature that I found really helping the consistency of my stroke.

The other attachment, called the center strike clip, is a small goofy looking thingamajig that fits in the same top holes as the laser (note: it is not available yet for the counter-balanced models). The clip, for all intents and purposes, shrinks the face of the putter by putting two prongs across the face that are slightly farther apart than the diameter of a golf ball. When you have this on the club, if you hit a putt off center on the face, the ball will rocket to the left or right of the target. This provides great feedback on short putts and I found it to be remarkably effective as a tune-up on the practice green before a round.

These two additions make the Dead Aim a truly usable training tool. Both of these snap in and out very easily and are fantastic tools to use whenever. I personally found that the center strike clip was better as a pre-round aid that provided quicker results, while the laser attachment was more of a practice specific tool that can help correct problems rather than just identify them. The package that includes both the putter and the laser retails for $189.95 on the standard models and $239.95 for the counter-balanced model. The complete system which includes the center strike clip and the special laser target (standard model only) is $199.95.

Summary

The Dead Aim Putter is a very nice putter and a very nice putting trainer. It can get a little bit complicated to use at times, especially on the course when you might be under pressure to play quickly. But all in all, the Dead Aim Putter lets you do exactly what the slogan suggests and “Take Dead Aim”. The price point on the unit is in line with other mid-range putters. I’d like to see the laser and clip package a little bit cheaper so that more people will take advantage of them, but they’re still worth the $40 upgrade price. If you’re an experienced low handicapper, the Dead Aim probably won’t offer the feel to knock your current putter from the bag. But if you’ve long struggled with seeing the line, mishitting putts or inconsistent mechanics; the Dead Aim might be right up your alley.

Where to Get it

Although pricing for the Dead Aim putters featured in this review was generally the same across most retailers, we found the best shipping and availability on Amazon.com, InTheHoleGolf.com, and Golfsmith.com. Putters and accessories can also be purchased directly through the Dead Aim Putters website.

[taq_review]

0 0 vote Article Rating