foosp

I have been using a Sakamoto 52* for more than a year, I live in Singapore so I managed to get to the clubmaker and try the club before I got one made. It is a very good wedge although it is not as soft and buttery as my 56* Muira. It has a bit of the clicky sound and feels a bit harder than the Miura. However, it makes the Vokeys and Clevelands I have (and I have a bunch of them) feel really hard. The thing still cuts up the ball after a year of use. This and my Miura have been in my bag since I got them. They displaced about 15 different wedges from Vokeys to Clevelands and I am considering getting another pair. The grind is just right me me especially when the courses here in Singapore get a bit soggy. From 60-70m out it is an automatic choice. For me it is also a good chipping wedge if I need to run the ball up a little more than I can with the 56* Muira. Being a high handicapper I cannot get the ball to check (even after 20 years playing) but the wedge works for me. In my humble opinion, if you are interested, get one and try it. I think you may like it.

Got 2 bags I play with depending on the course: Bag 1: Sakamoto 52 Miura 56 Bag 2: Callaway X-Forged 54 Vokey 60 V Others on standby: Cleveland CG12 50 Cleveland CG14 52 Cleveland 588 DSG 56

Sasaya-san has been pushing this on his blog for a couple of weeks. The oil is supposed to penetrate into the metal and inhibit rust. Seems like something for my GF putter and also my Muira irons & Wedges. Does anyone know where to get the stuff? T, Chris any chance TSG will carry this? Regards Foo

Hi gbs Yes I am in Singapore. I have it done at Jimmy Aw's shop at Tanjong Pagar in Singapore. The name of the shop is Golf Master Works. If you need the telephone and address, let me know and I will pm that to you. Jimmy is an excellent clubfitter but if you expect friendly service, forget it. He is straight & to the point and does not waste much on small talk. The putter fitting was excellent if not for anything but to let you know what you are doing with the putter. Regards Foo

Hi T I am not really that tall (about 5 foot 11). I tend to stand a bit more upright on my putts. This was a habit acquired a long time ago (to compensate for a bad back). For the last 15 years I have tended to putt upright. My other putters (an Odyssey Trihot, a Kirk Currie, an Odyssey Black) have all been 35 inches. I have had to put lead tape on them to get any feeling (even the Kirk Currie with the heavy weight). With the Gold's adjusted, it is now beautiful. For my next putter, I would probably keep 2 tungsten weights on the sole but forgo the 2 weights on the face. Maybe... With the GF setup now, I am going to play with it for a couple of months and then decide the best weight. Actually, the balance is so good the only time I feel the weight is if I bring it horizontal. Other than that I just don't even feel the weight at all.

Have you tried a club fitter using the Tomi putting system? I am not in any way affliated with Tomi (although I am considering buying their consumer version). My club fitter and I have worked with the Pro version of the system the last couple of weeks on 3 putters including my latest GF. For me at least, if the lie angle is too upright, I somehow compensate on my forward stroke and hit it towards the heel of the putter. If the lie angle is too flat, I tend to hit it on the toe. Here is my experience with my GF I got last Saturday: The putter was too head heavy so I had it first adjsusted for balance by adding weight to the butt. Then I went to test the putter on the Tomi Pro system. As it came, I was hitting it a bit on the toe. It was about 3-4mm towards the toe and I was doing this 3 out of 5 tries (the Tomi measures 5 putts). My club fitter adjusted the lie angle one degree upright. On the Tomi, I started hitting it on the heel 3-4mm 3 out of 5 times. The next adjustment was half a degree flatter. Lo and behold, the Tomi system measured (and displayed this on a PC screen) that I hit the sweet spot once. 2 out of 5 were on the heel about 1-2mm off from center). 2 out of 5 were on the toe (again 1-2mm towards the toe). So I ended up with the putter half a degree upright from stock. I have no idea if this works for everyone but for me it seems to give me the confidence I need. My golf Buddy went 2 weeks ago and adjusted his putter for the lie angle (one degree upright). That was all my club fitter did for him and he did not do any practice putts. We went down to play 2 days ago and he was draining his 8 foot putts. This is a guy who is dependable to miss everything right from anywhere more than 4 feet. I did screw my club fitter for adjusting my buddy's putter too well. My 2 cents worth... Regards foosp

I agree with iDrive. I actually like the heavier head putter. However, with a 35 inch shaft, it got a little too heavy for me to handle consistently. I made a visit to my club fitter and we spent about 2 hours balancing the putter. In the end we ended up with 100grams on the butt of the putter. Viola. the balance just locked into place for me. Now the putts are sweet and the putter swings like a greased pendulum. The head feels even sweeter (softer but with more feedback) than before. If I hit the toe or heel, I know immediately without even having to look at the ball. I did have to align the toe up about 0.5 degrees but everything else fell into place. My club fitter used the Tomi putting system (the Pro version) to check everything out and it just came out right. Then I went down to my club's putter green and drained almost everything. What a feeling. Money well spent I would say (although my wife would disagree if she found out). Has anyone used Tomi before? There is a consumer version for USD299. It seems a great putting trainer. Thanks again T, now looking forward to maybe another one. Regards foosp

Well, after 18 holes, all I can say is WOW.. The feel is excellent and the feedback you get is incredible. However, I am not used to the heavier head yet and as gocchin said in his other post to Droopy in the Flagstick forum, it does make the putter feel like a sledgehammer. I will need to check if my clubmaker can put in a butt plug to even things out. I think that will help smoothen the putting stroke. Thanks gocchin for the new photos. By the way, Sasaya-san in one of his blog entries said that the SUS303 models have a lot of option whereas the Fe model does not. What options are included in the SUS303 models? What would be the damage for one of those if they are still available.

I think that will be my second wife (3rd if you count the one with 2 legs). That is unless Sasaya-san comes up with new design. I saw his web site and the GF01B in Stainless steel looks interesting. I wonder if gocchin has any information about that putter?

After the long deliberation and then with gocchin's help in ordering my first Gold's putter (thanks T), she is finally in my hands. And what a beauty. Its a Private Stock number 1. The craftmanship is outstanding. After a few putts on the carpet, I know I have something special. Here are some pictures (I wish my picture taking was as superb as Master Sasaya's putter): It is down to the course with her tomorrow. I am already thinking of a second one. I hope I strike the lottery soon.

There should be a law against posting such pictures. I haven't got my first one (yet) and now I am starting to think about a second design.

I use both a wet and dry cloth. I wipe the irons off after every shot on the course with the wet cloth and then dry them with the dry cloth before they go into the head cover. Seems to work pretty well on my set of forged irons. Actually, the purpose of this post is in response to a statement from xchangmanx about the use of baby oil being illegal. Does anyone know if it is illegal to oil the club after the round? I have heard of that although it may not be legal during a round. Regards'foosp

Hi iDrive Thank you for the useful information. I will certainly take your advice. I always use a cover and I am off to buy some baby oil. I will post some pictures when I get the putter. Regards foosp

That means I get to see it on the board before I get to feel it. At my age, that may be a good idea. Regards foosp

Does anyone have any recommendations on maintenance of a Teflon Black Gold's putter? I have one on order and am keenly anticipating its arrival. Any information from memebrs of the board on how to keep the "baby" in good condition will be greatly appreciated. Regards foosp