460 Mid blade

When committing a putter for review it's sometimes best to seek a second opinion. It can avoid being dazzled any first impressions that are based on emotions rather than hard facts and performance.
So I sought out another golfer whose consistent form and handicap I respected and put the new Rife 460 Mid-blade in his hands for consideration over 18 holes of medal play.
Scot Ian Johnstone is a hotel night porter at Greetham Valley, and plays consistently to a five handicap thanks to a somewhat battered Odyssey White Hot No.9 putter he has used for several years.

"To be honest, I'd never heard of the Rife brand before but the putter has the classic 'Ping anser-style' looks of a heel-shafted putter and sits nicely behind the ball and gives me the feeling of confidence at address.
"My own putter has an insert face and over the years I've learned the stroke needed to get the ball to the hole. The feel from the horizontal grooves in the Rife putter took some getting used to and at first I left quite a few putts just short in the jaws of the hole because the feel was softer than I thought it would be. But I liked the roll it gave me and it wouldn't take too much practice to get used to its new feel, "said Ian who still shot three over par for the back nine.
He added that he's not currently looking for a replacement putter - because his Odyssey has served him well. But if he was, he likes the £80 price tag of the Rife and would encourage others to look seriously at it.
"I'm not an 'entry level' golfer, in fact I've been playing for 40 years, but this is a model I would very seriously consider," he says.

Verdict

A classic-looking putter with a solid feel at impact.