A Truly Elite Putter: The Dead On...

Like any red blooded golfer, I am always on the prowl for a putter that will help me find the bottom of the cup a tad more often. More than any other aspect of the game, putting is a sometimes elusive combination of optics, technique and confidence (in that order): If you cannot see the line your technique will not accomplish anything and any confidence you have will be totally misplaced.

Elite Sports Products has enjoyed great deal of success on all of the professional tours this season. Over the last few weeks alone, Dead On putters have been seen in the hands of many players high up on the leaderboard.

Elite’s Dead On putter is designed to help the player optically with the use of accelerating arrows that enhance alignment and encourage a proper follow through. The Dead On also employs a high center of gravity coupled with 4 degrees of loft in an effort to get the ball rolling, and not hopping, as quickly as possible.

A Dean On putter has been built for me and is currently en route. Of course, you’ll read my take about what the putter is like as soon as I have had a chance to check it out.

In the meantime, I have asked Elite’s head-honcho, Phil Vinton (BSME University of Michigan), to sit down with me and answer a few questions about his company and his putters:

Kog Blog: How long has Elite been making putters?

Elite: We started manufacturing our first prototypes in the summer of 2004. We got surprisingly close to what we were looking for after the first three, and started working on the overall balance and feel of the club that we were after. Our first production club, the Dead On Series I, was declared to conform to USGA rules the following year and we went into our first production run of product shortly after that. In 2006 we introduced our Dead On Series II and Series III Putters and have been at it ever since.

Kog Blog: What manufacturing challenges did you face while you were getting started?

Elite: There were a number of challenges that we faced along the way. Once we finalized the overall design we looked at the most accurate and cost effective manufacturing techniques that were available, including multi-axis CNC machining, wire EDM, abrasive blast waterjet cutting, and product finishing.

Because we machine each component our of a solid block of material, holding close tolerances while machining intricate shapes on virtually all of the surfaces proved a challenge. We found that by using a 5 axis CNC machining center we didn’t have to re-locate the part as often and were able to hold our tolerances well within the tight envelope.

Kog Blog: What advantages do you enjoy by building your putters in the US?

Elite:There are several. A great advantage is the quality control of the product due to the competence and knowledge of the machinists and assemblers that manufacture the product. We have such high quality control of our processes that I can’t remember scrapping a part. Another advantage is in the communications between design, manufacturing, quality control, and assembly.

There are no language barriers here, and all of the workers have all been in the industry for a number of years. Any potential problems in the line are easily and quickly solved so the manufacturing cost impact is minimized. One other major advantage is in time to market and quick turnaround. In going overseas one many times faces a long product production and development process.

We are able to quickly react to our market, run a more lean shop, keep only the necessary inventory on hand, and be able to react to quickly changing market trends in an efficient manner.

Kog Blog: How, specifically, do the design elements of your Dead On putter help players make more putts?

Elite: This is really the key to our success. There are many features of our product that combine to produce the best feeling club on the market including the materials, a high MOI, a superior alignment system, the balance of the club, and our putting surface.

The materials are important because we chose solid blocks of a stainless steel grade that can be heat treated and hardened, as well as aircraft grade aluminum for our main putter head components. All castings contain interstitials or small air pockets in the metal that cause less overall strength and a softened feel in putters. Our Dead On Putters have a unique very solid feel. The high MOI (moment of inertia) reduces the error on off center hits. There is a large cavity that we machine out of our putter head that provides an enhanced sweet spot and greatly improves our MOI.

When one intentionally hits a ball off center, the result is amazingly predictable. The superior alignment system of the Dead On Putter is immediately apparent the first time you set the club down. The accelerating arrows alignment system seems to air the putter automatically toward your intended target.

We believe that this is the most accurate method of aligning a putter head on the market. The balance of our club speaks for itself; it provides an easy and effortless swing regardless of what style of swing you currently use. And, the True Grip putting surface, which resembles smooth sandpaper when viewed through a microscope, grips the ball for a fraction of a second upon impact without sending it off-course.

Kog Blog: Have you found that players have to make adjustments in their set-up or stroke to get the most out of your putters?

Elite:This really depends on the golfer. We use a set up dot on our putter head which assists in proper set up of your putt. There are many amateurs that hold the club out too far from their body, or position the ball in a location in which is difficult to complete a proper putting stroke. For these individuals, it would be advantageous to change their swing regardless. Tour pros and low handicap avid golfers who have developed the proper putting stroke don’t need to change a thing.

Kog Blog: How do the tour players you work with putt differently than amateurs?

Elite: I could write a book on this topic. But basically the PGA Tour Professionals have worked countless hours developing a pure putting stroke that allows them to consistently hit the ball toward their designated path. They continually work each and every day on proper technique, they use putting aids and training tools to promote and fortify the proper stroke, they have instructors on the practice greens to reinforce their technique, and they have help from their caddies and other players when things seem to go off course.

Most amateurs are concerned more about hitting the driving range before their tee time, and may only putt on the practice green if they have extra time. Very seldom does one see a country club player spend any real practice time on the putting green. For the amateurs, I mostly assist in the basics of a good putting stroke to get them started. The Tour pros don’t need my help.

Kog Blog: What can amateurs learn from tour pros when it comes to putting?

Elite: One of the best resources all golfers have is the practice days before a PGA event. The Monday through Wednesday (or Thursday for the Champions Tour) before a PGA Tournament are for the most part free to the public, and they can not only watch the Tour players practice on the putting greens, but they can also see the tools they use, the putting drills they have developed,, the amount of time and concentration they spend on their technique, and the methods they go through to learn the specific course conditions they will be playing. It’s also a good time to obtain an autograph of your favorite golfer.

Kog Blog: Which other putter makers do you respect & which other putter designs (either modern or classic) do you enjoy the most?

Elite: I respect the designers that strive mostly to produce a putter that in actuality provides a better tool for job at hand. Scotty Cameron I feel has done the best job with traditional style putters to date (and his head covers for Vegas were outstanding). I like a lot of the features that Ray Cook brought to the table a number of years ago with his mallets. I also like the balance and feel of a couple of the Heavy Putters, and the craftsmanship of the Kramski line, and some of the older Odysseys. I don’t like any knock offs.

Kog Blog: Are you working on anything new right now?

Elite: We have three new designs that we will introduce before the end of the year. Our newest line is another mallet design that incorporates the same overall features of the Dead On Series, but has a new and distinctive look to it. This putter already conforms to USGA Rules and we are starting production this week. The second prototype, almost complete, is another mallet style that will include adjustable weights. The third prototype we are currently working on will be a long handled mallet style that has been requested by a number of individuals.

Kog Blog: Phil, I’d like to thank you for taking the time for this interview and I really look forward to rolling some putts with the Dead On.

The Way Back for Michelle Wie

I must admit that it took me a long time to fully discern B.J. Wie's mindset regarding the management of his would-be prodigy daughter, Michelle. At first, I believed that he was simply a greedy guy in a hurry, to borrow a phrase from one of my favorite colleagues. But now I can see the tortured yet failed logic of his actions.

B.J. saw and knew that others could readily see Michelle's seemingly limitless potential. She was a marketeer's dream. At the same time, there was something at his core that didn't quite let him believe the press clipping that he himself was helping to pen. He really didn't buy that Michelle could dominate the amateur and college ranks in a way that he wanted the world to believe she would, so he kept her away from it as much as possible. B.J. either saw the competition and feared how Michelle would measure up or he simply wasn't prepared to confront the possibilty that there really might be legitimate competitors out there who could beat Michelle on any given day.

This is where B.J. and Michelle are so different from Tiger and Earl Woods. The Woods team sought out the best of the competition at every level but Team Wie has proven to be hesitant to engage her peers beyond a point. It is very much as if B.J. doesn't want to see Michelle fail to win when he should be interested in making sure that she is battle tested and improving as a player. While she has wasted herself playing against the men and accepting dubious sponsor's exemptions, her competition has grown even further into their potentials. While their games have flourished her game has been robbed of its joy and rhythm.

B.J.'s path has taken Michelle directly to her current position in the game. She has become the very image of a self-entitled pariah. In my view, there is only one way back for Michelle Wie, and I very much doubt that she has the courage to that road.

Quite simply, Wie should regain her amateur standing and play whatever USGA and college events that she can. Were she to walk away from the cash, for now, she just may find herself in the process.

Here's hoping that she does the first genuinely remarkable thing she's done in a very long time.

The Tour's Big Shell Game

Forgive me for noticing that the PGA Tour Championship is the only sports championship that takes place prior to the end of the season. The FedEx Cup merely culminates the PGA Tour's big shell game. The real end of the PGA Tour season remains a meaningless cash grab for second and third tier players. So much for ending with a bang. The final events of 2007 are barely a whimper.

My guess is that the tour is purposefully moving towards a shorter season, and will eventually have a Tour Championship that actually marks the end of the season. There are lots of reasons. A big one is the admission that it is simply impossible to motivate the top tier players to play in events that don't appear on their radar (think of any event that has the name Walmart in it).

I also believe that the tour's powers that be are wise enough to see toward a day when Tiger Woods will have his 19 majors. When that days comes, the tour will experience a compression effect that will be unmistakable. The men's tour is not like the LPGA, where the tour's success is largely the result of a solid ensemble cast supporting a diverse group of leading players.

The PGA tour starts and stops with Tiger Woods. Now, more than a decade into his career, he is still the only true draw on tour, especially when it comes to the almighty television dollar. It is astounding that no other player has emerged to add standalone appeal to the tour. As Woods' draws closer to his lofty goals the tour moves towards a time sans Tiger and I believe that scares them to death.