The Sweet Sadie Putter - Genius Design Or Rubbish Gimmick?

Online, March 1, 2011 (Newswire.com) - A really interesting new putter design has recently come onto the market called the Sweet Sadie putter. According to the putter designer (Fred Spoerl) the special fins on the back of the putter head significantly reduce the effect of mis-striking the golf ball (i.e. not striking it with the centre of the putter head). Fred says this 'auto-correction' mechanism will significantly increase the number of putts you hole.

I haven't actually tried the Sweet Sadie putter, because there aren't many available as yet - the first production run of 100 was only completed in January 2011. Therefore, I can't say how effective the 'auto correction' mechanism is, but the design is definitely innovative. Also, the description of the way this mechanism works does sound plausible.

Have a read of the articles below and make up your own mind.

Stroke of genius:

Retired art gallery owner and southwest Las Vegas resident Fred Spoerl, 72, isn't a gambling man. But if he were, the native Montanan said he'd bet on the success of his invention, the Sweet Sadie Putter.

Spoerl invented the device, a putter with a design of weights at opposing ends from the narrow to the wide end, approximately 15 years ago and has been working to perfect it ever since.

"Wherever you hit the ball, there's this inertia that propels it forward," he said. "It increases the hitting surface of the putter, and while it did take me a couple of years to design, I really feel like it has now been perfected."

Spoerl said one advantage of the device is that it won't twist or torque like other putters might have a tendency to do.

"I just really went against the grain so far as design is concerned," he said.

Read the full article here ...

How the Sweet Sadie Putter works:

Through years of research the Fred Spoerl Golf Company has come up with the first new innovation in putter technology. A putter that gives you that little bit of an advantage over all the rest. It conforms with USGA Rules - adopted on June 12, 2004.

The invention comprises of an improved golf club head, specifically for a putter, which has a conventional putting face on the front and two cantilevered fins connected on the back of the putter head.

The fins are oriented horizontally on the back of the putting face, and connected to the back of the putter, so that one is attached adjacent to the top of the putter head, and the other is adjacent to the bottom of the putter face.

The fins are partially connected on the narrow end part of the fin, allowing the large part of the fin not to be directly attached to the back of the putter. The upper fin is connected to one end of the back of the putter and the lower fin is connected to the other end of the back of the putter, thereby locating the center of mass of the fin arrangement along the vertical center of the putter.

In use, the putter head is used as a conventional putter, normally striking the golf ball along the center of the face of the putter. If the golf ball contacts the club face in a position that is not on the vertical center line of the club face, it tends to induce a torquing force to the club head. The inertial effects of the off-center mass, of the cantilevered fin, where the ball is struck, counters the torquing force, thus preventing the club face from twisting.

In this way, the club forces the ball to travel a straight line in the direction of the club's motion. If the ball contacts the vertical center of the club's face, the inertial effects of the off-centered mass of the two fins neutralize one another, thereby causing the club to act as a normal putter. (Info Source)

Article Source: The Sweet Sadie Putter - Genius Design or Rubbish Gimmick