Okay, so I’ve been seeing the Spider Mini putter around, and I finally decided to grab one and see what the hype is all about. I’ve been struggling with my putting lately – missing those short ones that really kill your score. So, I figured, why not give this smaller mallet a shot?
First thing I did was hit up the local golf store. They had a few different Spider models, but I went straight for the Mini. It just looked… cleaner. Smaller head, but still with that distinctive Spider shape. I picked up the copper-colored one – just liked the look of it better than the silver.
I spent a good hour on their practice green, just getting a feel for it. The weight was the first thing I noticed. It felt substantial, but not clunky. I’ve used some mallets that feel like you’re swinging a brick, but this wasn’t like that at all. It felt balanced.
Getting the feel on the putting green
- Roll: The ball came off the face really smoothly. I’m not sure about all the “Pure Roll” technology they talk about, but it definitely felt different than my old blade putter. Less skidding, more of a true roll.
- Alignment: The Mini has this T-shaped sightline, and honestly, it helped. I usually struggle with lining up putts, but this made it feel more… automatic. I just set the T behind the ball, and it felt like I was aimed correctly.
- Distance Control: This took a little getting used to. Because the head is smaller, I felt like I had to be a bit more deliberate with my stroke. With my old putter, I could kind of “cheat” on longer putts, but with the Mini, I had to focus on making a good, solid stroke.
After the store, I took it straight to my home course. I played a quick nine, just to see how it performed in a real-world situation.
And you know what? I putted pretty darn well. Sank a couple of those 4-5 footers that I’d been missing. Even drained a longer one, maybe 15 feet, that I definitely wouldn’t have made with my old putter.
It wasn’t perfect, of course. I still three-putted once (my fault, not the putter’s). And I need to spend more time practicing those lag putts to really dial in the distance control.
Overall, my first impression is pretty positive. I felt much more confident, and I made a noticably amount of putts. I’ll keep using it, keep practicing, and see if it can really turn my putting around. It’s not a magic wand, but it definitely feels like a step in the right direction.
