Article By Tony Sparks for TAYLORMADE GEAR
The Spider franchise has a decade-long history of delivering stability and forgiveness to golfers at every level of the game. On the professional tours, from 2018 to the start of 2021, Spider putters accounted for 19 PGA TOUR victories. Spider X tallied the majority of those dubs and five came at the hands of Rory McIlroy.
Historically, Rory had been a committed blade guy â but after submitting to the high-MOI forgiveness of a Spider mallet, he saw the immediate benefits.
To put Spider GT in perspective, it offers the highest MOI weâve ever had in a compact mallet shape. More than Spider X and Spider Tour. In fact, Rollback and Notchback have similar MOI numbers to Spider X and Tour.
Whatâs all this mean? Across the board, the Spider GT family delivers enhanced forgiveness and stability. Making it easier for the golfer to produce consistent rolls time after time, even when you donât hit the center of the face.
There are four different models (GT, Notchback, Rollback and Splitback), each designed to optimize stability in different shapes. How do you choose the right one for you? It ultimately comes down to visual preferences and selecting the alignment aid that fits your eye.
For the golf nerd in all of us, letâs deep dive into some of the tech behind each model.
SPIDER GT Putter
Spider GT is one of our most forgiving putters ever. The multi-material construction features a lightweight CNC machined aluminum body with steel wings on each side, which moves the weight to the perimeter of the head to optimize stability and distance control. The open multi-material design pushes 82% of the head weight to the outer frame, resulting in high MOI around both key axes (vertical and heel to toe) to provide more forgiveness to stabilize the deflection of the putter on off-center strikes. This is further enhanced by utilizing tungsten weights in the rear of each wing.
SPIDER GT ROLLBACK
The Spider GT Rollback creates confidence at address with a raised, curved center section that is sized the same as the width of the golf ball. This makes it easy to center the ball in the address position and the 3 contrasting black sightlines provide a clear path to align with the hole. An 80g tungsten ring wraps around the perimeter, from the back to the sides, to enhance stability and distance control via itâs high-MOI design.
SPIDER GT NOTCHBACK
The GT Notchback is a blend of the classic heel/toe weighted mallet with the added forgiveness of a high-MOI Spider. Dual tungsten weights on the heel and toe provide unmatched stability and distance control. Weighing in at 86g per side (172g total), the tungsten bars are strategically placed to maximize performance while staying discretely hidden at address. The perimeter weight accounts for 50% of the head weight in GT Notchback.
Both Rollback and Notchback have a solid section of material behind the face insert for a confidence inspiring strike along with superb sound as well as a tri-sole design that helps golfers place the putter squarely on the ground without changing the face angle.
SPIDER GT SPLITBACK
The body of Spider GT Splitback is constructed from 304 stainless steel versus aluminum, which is used in the other GT models body. The split mass âwingedâ design allowed designers to organically redistribute mass around the perimeter to maximize MOI and stability. Due to the high density of steel, the wings were partially pocketed to remove excess weight. Chambers within the wings are filled with a foam material, similar to the SpeedFoam⢠Air used in the P¡770/P¡790 irons. This helps dampen vibrations to create premium sound and feel.
You can find the Spider Putter, Spider Rollback, Spider Notchback, and Spider GT Splitback at the Haggin Oaks Golf Supershop.
