Never Compromise Reserve putters: What you need to know

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Never Compromise Reserve line of putters bring together the precision of a milled collection of putters with the precision of a fitting system driven by the imperative of getting each player in the ideal length. And that's done through a simple measurement that dates at least to the ancient Greeks, specifically the Pythagorean Theorem. Even better, the commitment includes dialing in that custom-fit putter so you can walk out the door with it in minutes after your fitting.

PRICE: $450. Five models (two finishes: Tour Satin and NC Contrast, black-gray-black): 1 (plumber’s neck heel-toe cavity blade); 2 (single bend wide body heel-toe cavity blade); 3 (slant neck half mallet); 4 (single bend parallel fanged mallet). 4S (slant neck parallel fanged mallet). Available Feb. 16.

3 COOL THINGS

1. The measure of a man. Putter lengths too often seem to be an afterthought, with the world offering putters at generally 34- and 35-inch lengths (the original reason having as much to do with the size of a golf bag as anything). Indeed, a recent Golf Datatech study suggests the percentage of golfers who are custom fit for their putters is less than a third of those who are fit for their drivers, 19 percent versus 66 percent. Yet, as we all know, putters in some cases might be used almost three times as often as a driver in a typical round.

The Never Compromise Reserve offers a solution to that dearth of putter fittings, which can involve lasers and launch monitors and high-speed cameras and lots of time. Partnering with long-time putter-fitting advocate and top teacher Todd Sones, the Never Compromise fitting system uses an idea Sones developed two decades ago involving the proper posture with the eyes over the ball. By taking the measurements of the distance of your hands from the ground and the distance of your feet from the ball, the proper putter length is calculated as the hypotenuse of a right triangle using the Pythagorean Theorem. Shaft lengths are customized to the quarter inch.

“Putters are the most used club in the bag, the most switched club in the bag and the least fit club in the bag,” said Dustin Brekke, director of engineering. Brekke said the company’s research estimates 80 percent of golfers are in the wrong length putter. “Getting into the correct setup position and getting to a proper length is really the starting place for a fundamentally sound putting stroke.

“It’s really about getting a player into a position where they have control. They’re balanced, their hand motion, their arms, their rotation points are going to be on plane and repeatable. When you get a putter at the right length, every time you come back to re-address it, you’re going to be immediately right back to the right position.”

2. Build to suit. Fitting is a noble cause, but one of the more intriguing elements of the Never Compromise Reserve line is its immediacy. Stores that offer the line will be sent uncut and ungripped putters that are otherwise fully assembled. From the measurements in the fitting, the putters will be cut to the proper length and heel and toe sole weights will be adjusted to match the player’s preferred swing weight.

The sole weights are made from aluminum, steel or a combination of steel and tungsten, and range from five grams each to 25 grams each. They can fit lengths from 31 to 37 inches.

3. Option play. The four models accommodate either an arc or straight stroke, ranging from some degree of toe hang (plumber’s neck or slant neck) to face-balanced heads with a single bend shaft. As well, there are multiple grips designed to facilitate either stroke type, with a thinner diameter option for arcing strokes and a wider model for straighter strokes. Through the use of differing underlistings and densities, each grip weighs the same, removing that as a variable in settling on the proper overall weight and balance for each putter.

The two finishes include the distinctive black-gray-black look that was a Never Compromise trademark where the black sections in the heel and toe frame a gray section the width of a ball.