As avid golfers know, the putting green really make or break rounds. Many rounds of golf have been ruined by holes that finish with 3 or 4 putts. Beautiful drives, followed by great chip shots are destroyed by an inability to finish on the green. When STX sent their latest putter, the STX Xform 3, I was excited to hit the course and test it out, but also nervous because what if I have miserable day on the green? A.) I will have ruined my round and B.) If I do that, it will be the Xform 3‘s fault!
We all know that it is never really the putter’s fault but our tension, nervousness, grip, inability to read the green, etc that really determines our putting round. However, as technology advances we try to improve our scores through technology, not practice. We buy the $400 drivers because we are told we will hit longer and straighter drives. One club that often goes un noticed is the one most of us truly don’t know how to hit, the putter. I am often amazed on the course when I see expensive drivers and irons in someone’s bag and then see a $15 putter. The response people usually give is that a putter is not worth the investment. However, average golfers average between 31-35 putts per round. That means if you shoot between an 83-89 per round you are using your putter for 40% of your strokes! This number should not be ignored and you need to invest in the right equipment to complete your bag.
When STX sent us the new Xform 3, the question we always ask is about putters is; Is this the club we want to spend 40% of our shots with? Well lets find out.
KEY FEATURES:
- Distinct milling lines and soft satin finish offers a rich, glare free appearance
- Machined from extremely soft 303 Stainless Steel
- Deep diamond milling pattern promotes a quicker forward roll and produces the soft feel
- Center shafted
- 355 grams, 3-degree loft, 71-degree lie angle
- Patented Soft Face Insert Technology
The STX Xform 3 combines cutting edge design with perimeter weighting and industry leading insert technology to produce what we believe will be a front runner of the Xform Series. -Steve Henneman, STX Director of Golf
– XFORM 3 PUTTER REVIEW –
FEEL:
(8 out of 10) When you think of good putters, the typical names of Odyssey, Ping, etc come to mind. Because these brands tend to be the most expensive, we associate them as putters that offer great feel. Traditionally, that can be a good assumption. When given the STX Xform 3 my first concern was feel. Feel on the green really helps guide your putting stroke and the ball to the proper spot. The old tip of practicing feel is to drop a few balls about ten feet from the hole, line up your putt as you normally would and right as you are about to swing, close your eyes and hit the ball. Before you open them, gauge where you think the ball went (left, right, short, long etc). Open your eyes and see how far off you are from what you thought. This is a good test to see how in sync you are with your putter and how much feel you have. I have used an Odyssey two-ball for quite some time and when doing this test I usually have a good gauge of where my ball is going. When I took the Xform 3 to the putting green this was my concern. I took a couple of warm-up putts before the test and was immediately impressed with the weight and balance. The ball was really moving well for me on the first few hits. It was time for the eyes-close tests. I hit five balls and each one had was in the general vicinity of what I thought. This was great news!
After passing my initial tests, it was time to head to the course. What I found on the course really supported my initial findings. My ball was really moving to where I was aiming. If I was missing putts (which I do a lot!), it was due to my alignment or not reading the green correctly. Overall, I was highly impressed with the feel of the STX Xform 3.
DESIGN:
(8 out of 10) STX golf has really been turning it on when it comes to their design and development of their putters. Their hallmark is their patented Soft Face Insert Technology with is touted to provide superior directional control, decreased ball skid, and a whole host of other amenities. The STX Xform 3 is the first mallet of the Xform series. The Xform 3 is center shafted and milled from 303 stainless steel. It weights in at a 355 grams with a 3-degress of loft and a 71-degree lie angle. Overall, the putter is designed with a sleek and stylish look while hosting a ton of cutting-edge technology. I was amazed by the amount of detail in the design as no stone went unturned in the development of this putter.
Did you happen to notice if, when at address, your hands were slightly ahead of the putter face with the XFORM3? I noticed it on mine, even though STX claims zero offset. Wondering if mine has a slight bend somewhere it shouldn’t.
Just to let you know, I bought the Xform 3 mallet 2 summers ago and proceeded to win one of our 3 club championships with 25 putts. Sunk a 25 foot putt on the last hole to tie. Went into a playoff and sunk a 20 foot putt to win. The non-offset shaft allows you to see the line clearly and it gets the ball to the hole better than my Scottie. Practice with it a while and the dividends will be enormous.