Wilson Staff KC4 putter

	Wilson Staff KC4 putter
Contact: www.wilson.com Technology: Meticulously measures optimal weight, loft, hosel offset, shaft length, and lie angle to produce smooth and controlled stroke and reduces jerk action. Milled body for optimum weight distribution and milled face for smoother ball roll. Interchangeable weight system allows players to adjust the weight of both the shaft and sole of the putter head. Wilson KC wrap grip Price: £139

Chevron option on KC4 putter It's not often we receive compliments about our golf so when we do, it's an opportunity to puff out your chest and take some pride from it. But don't let it go to your head! I was invited to join a two-ball the other day on my home course when I turned up speculatively to try out some new equipment I plan to review for Golfmagic.com. By the time I'd finished - and with 38 stableford points on my card - one of my playing partners commented: "That's one of the best putting displays I've seen. I'm amazed it's the first time you've used that club during a round." With two half sets of different brand irons, a rescue club, driver, two fairway metals and wedge securely in place to sample, I'd added, at the last minute, this latest model putter from Wilson, one of a range designed by Kirk Currie and often used by Padraig Harrington. The Wilson Staff KC 4 comes complete with its own bag of tricks, in a soft and stylish fur-lined pouch - all the ingredients I'd need to custom-fit the putter to my own specification. I had earlier spent 30 minutes on the practice putting green, trying different combinations of weights, screws and alignment options to find out what suited me and the conditions. The KC 4 package includes an adjustable weight system called BalanceFit to enable players to customise the putter to suit their own style and the course conditions on the day. Weight portals in the shaft's end cap and plates on the sole of the putter enable me to transfer the club's balance point so that the putter can create the right response. The right combinations also helps reduce a tendency to jerk or yip the putter. Just as Ping introduced options to create different head and hosel combinations in their Specify model a couple of years ago, Wilson Staff have taken customisation to a higher level. There are three different plate options to fit on to the back of the putter - light, medium and heavy - depending on your stroke and the speed of the greens. In September my local course's green were running at equivalent to about 9 or 10 on a stimpmeter so I opted for the medium weight, as opposed to a lighter weight for faster greens or heavy for slow.

Adjustable weights in the shaft I also tinkered with the weight in the shaft to get the feel that worked best for my left hand-below-right style of putting. It then only required me to decide on the cosmetic Clubhead top to the putter - and whether the chevrons or pyramid look suited my eye at address. I'd seen chevrons before on the Callaway I-Trak putter, so opted for a straight alignment aid to bolt on to the head of the putter with the allen key provided. A key feature for me was the milled stainless steel face of the putter, which tended to reduce drag and bounce at impact. So many amateur golfers loft the ball slightly into the air at impact but the KC4 stuck firmly to the putting surface and kept the ball rolling to its target. I also like the fat Wilson KC Wrap grip, which helped keep the hand quiet and stable in the stroke. Time after time I left myself tap-ins for par from long range and holed the occasional 10 to15-footer to boost my score, though it wasn't until I received my verbal pat on the back that I realised I hadn't three-putted. The Golfmagic Verdict Rating: 8.5/10 Summary: It's a bit of a rigmarole to set up the putter and customise it to my own specification - not something the Rules of Golf allow golfers to do during a round. But once I was happy with the feel and response I was getting for the course conditions on the day, it behaved impeccably. I'm an advocate of spending as much if not more on a putter than I would on a driver - as it's responsible for at least 45 per-cent of shots in a round. And at a recommended price of £139 it's perhaps on the expensive side. But I've also seen it offered for under £100 at some stores so search around for a good deal but make sure the custom-package is included. It's worth the effort. *Tell us about the clubs in your bag - as well as the balls, shoes, waterproofs - by submitting a user review And if you've got equipment to buy or sell second hand you can do that too, in our popular classified section.