Putter Review: Kevin Burns / TourStage TYPE-III

Kevin Burns has always been a fascinating putter maker. He told me the story of Craig Stadler's use of one of his putters during a televised tour event. It seems that right at the moment Stadler took the putter back, the network went to a close-up shot of the putter's cavity. When the putt fell, millions of viewers had the name Kevin Burns etched into their minds, at least for a while.

While the exposure was a boon for a while, the popularity of the Kevin Burns line never really took off. Even now, with Burns' putters being sold by Precept under their premium line, TourStage, Kevin Burns continues to labor in relative anonymity.

As savvy as Precept is in the marketing of the balls, they appear to be feeble when it comes to selling the TourStage line of clubs, at least in the US. I had to go through some serious international hoops to get a hold of my sample.

Though my choice in putters always seems to gravitate toward an Anser style head, I wanted to try the TYPE-III because it looked so elegant in pictures. It reminds me of the profile of the classic Odyssey Rossi II. You really have to have a Kevin Burns putter in your hands to get a sense of its quality. Of all the putters that I have seen, A Kevin Burns, more than any other, conveys the sense that it was made by a true master of milling and engineering. Each curve is smooth by design while surfaces like the heel, toe and face are finely textured. The black finish would appear to be a powder coat that should be quite durable.

The TYPE-III, with its matte black head and stark white sight-line is a breeze to align. It looks so essential and natural along side all of the contrived looking "putters of the week" that are designed to aid in creating a line to the hole. The Burns has a tidy look that is matched by its smooth, crisp feel off the ball. The head seems on the lightish side which contributes to its snappy feel. I found that the putter provided a fine ability to smoothly stroke the ball rather than hitting at it.

I don't know if Kevin Burns putters will ever achieve the repute that they deserve. At my age I know that life can be like that more often than not. Still, I doubt that it will bother players who have been wise enough to get their hands on one of his designs. My onoly hope is that Kevin Burns will keep doing what he knows so well. The man makes a superb putter...