50 Words or Less
The Cooler putter from SWAG Golf is one of the best versions of the heel shafted mid-mallet. Full toe hang makes putting very fluid and artistic. Wonderful feel.
Introduction
Regular readers may recall that the heel-shafted mallet is my heart’s favorite style of putter. It’s not my best fit, it’s not the best for my scorecard, but it makes me very happy on the green. When Swag unveiled The Cooler putter in 2019, I knew I needed one in my collection.
“Matt, it’s 2022. Why are you writing about a putter you got almost three years ago that isn’t even available on Swag’s website?” Have a little faith, dear reader. If you love this putter style like I do, enjoy the review and keep your eyes open.
Looks
Aesthetically, making this style of putter is like trying to free solo El Capitan. If you succeed, it’s art, an accomplishment to be recognized by all. However, it’s much more likely that you’re going to make one tiny mistake, ruin the whole thing, and die. Ok, maybe making an ugly putter isn’t the same as falling 2,000 feet, but the point stands that getting this right is insanely hard. It will shock no one that Swag is dancing on top of the mountain.
The most important element to me is the curve of the flange. Symmetry is all wrong, but it’s easy to make the toe side too big and clownish. Swag walked the line perfectly. There’s a similar balance to be struck with the toe. This putter needs a high toe. How high? This high.
As we’ve come to expect from Swag, every edge is milled to perfection, allowing your eye to move seamlessly. Swag’s ability to remove the line in the flange upgrades the look of putters like the Suave Too [review HERE], but it’s even more impactful here. To my eye, that line is a sore spot on every other heel-shafted mallet. This shape should be all smooth curves, which The Cooler is.
Sound & Feel
The Cooler is 1-piece billet milled from what Swag refers to as “Feels Good 303 American Stainless Steel.” That material plus the deep-milled face creates the soft, solid impact feel that so many golfers are chasing. I’ll also note that The Cooler really allows you to feel the golf ball. When you strike a urethane-covered ball, you can feel the softer material on the face. Also subtle differences between balls become more obvious.
This level of precision in the feel also creates superior feedback. The Cooler feels good if you’re generally in the middle of the face, but there’s a clear distinction between good and perfect strikes.
For the Swag-obsessed, I would rate The Cooler as similar in feel to most of my other Swag putters. The one exception is The Ace [review HERE], which I find definitively softer than any other model.
Performance
The reason we see so many Anser-style putters like the Swag Handsome Too [review HERE] is that it fits such a broad range of golfers. With roughly 45 degrees of toe hang, it fits the middle of the bell curve.
In contrast, The Cooler is made for those at the far end of the putting spectrum. This putter has “nearly full toe hang,” meaning that it’s best in the hands of those with strongly arcing strokes. It’s also notable that The Cooler is a bit heavier than most of Swag’s putters at 360 grams.
I am decidedly a middle of the bell curve guy, but I love putting with The Cooler. The added toe hang seems to keep me from trying to steer the putt or control my stroke too much. This makes me feel free and artistic on the greens which can lead to some great results. The flip side is that when I do get tight and try to guide the ball, I can hit some bad putts.
UPDATE: I’ve been doing a lot of putter testing with my Foresight GCQuad, and it appears my heart may know more than my brain. The data shows a better club path with The Cooler and impressive start line control. More on-course testing is required, but I’m very intrigued by these results.
In terms of forgiveness, The Cooler is roughly equal to most Anser-style putters. There’s enough heel and toe weighting to keep small mishits from getting wayward. The slightly heavier head also boosts the stability.
Conclusion
I’ve written and podcasted numerous times [like HERE] about playing gear that you love. The Cooler is that kind of gear for me. When I have this putter in my hand, I want to stay on the green longer, and I find myself smiling more. If you love this type of putter – whether it fits your stroke or not – keep an eye on Swag in the coming weeks.
Visit SWAG Golf HERE
Matt Saternus
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Nice review but putter not available for sale on the SWAG website.
Paragraph 2:
“Matt, it’s 2022. Why are you writing about a putter you got almost three years ago that isn’t even available on Swag’s website?” Have a little faith, dear reader. If you love this putter style like I do, enjoy the review and keep your eyes open.
Great review. I’ve always loved this shape as well. It’s never worked for me either even though toe hang putters do fit me better. This one looks really nice, but I would like to see it in a different finish. Also considering the price of the Swag putters, I might spend a little more and get something more unique from a smaller putter mfr.
Nice review Matt.
My only disappointment with these putter companies is how they have taken a page from Scotty Cameron, and his magical GSS claims, to pump nothing more than regular 303 steel as some type of special material..
303, 304, GSS, ASS, is all the same stuff, but people are so gullible they believe anything. A little research goes a long way and your wallet will thank you for it.
A cool looking putter is great, I know, I own many, but people need to be smart and understand these claims about magical materials are just that, baseless claims and cheap marketing schemes.
You don’t have to be a metallurgy expert to understand.
I laugh when I see Cameron GSS putters on ebay with an asking price of 20k.
Hector,
I think “Feels Good” Stainless Steel is pretty obviously tongue in cheek, but perhaps I’m giving the average golfer too much credit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Best,
Matt
The thing I don’t like about Swag is you can’t just buy a putter from them.
They are never up for sale only head covers and that’s only for PGA events.
I stuck with my Carbon Ringo and that one has the stats that prove it’s a good putter.
Robin,
Yes, you can. They’ve simply been sold out for a while due to increased demand and COVID-related shortages. As I said in the review, keep an eye on them in the coming weeks.
-Matt
I continue to enjoy reading the passion in your writing for all things SWAG golf, Matt. But I join the small chorus of fellow readers who have nearly written SWAG off owing to the near impossibility of purchasing their products online. “Sold out” is the operative phrase with this boutique manufacturer and hey, kudos to them for creating a passionate niche following. But it’s getting old for my taste. And yes, I will continue to keep a (wary) eye out! Steve
If Swag updates its website with a lefty version of this, I’m buying it right away. This looks somewhat like a more attractive version of Scotty’s Del Mar. I’ve always done really well with this style of putter with lots of toe hang, and have had my eye on Swag for a while.
I like the idea of reviewing older equipment, especially when the reviewer has used it a lot and can share a longer-term perspective, for what it’s worth.
Hey Matt, great website.
What putter do you use and what led you to choose it?
Michael,
Thank you.
I keep a current WITB here: https://pluggedingolf.com/about/matt-saternus/matts-whats-in-the-bag/
-Matt
How’s the Cooler feel compared to a Suave (I own a Suave One)? Looking for slightly lower pitched sound than my Suave, but with same high quality level. I’m also considering an Ace.
Mark,
I have a review of the Cooler here: https://pluggedingolf.com/swag-the-cooler-putter-review/
and the Ace here: https://pluggedingolf.com/swag-ace-putter-review/
-Matt
I have a Scotty Futura 5cb and The Cooler. I’m headed to Bandon Dunes Resort for the first time. Assuming I’ll be putting on greens with lower stimpmeter numbers, would The Cooler be a better choice to use there?
Gerry,
There are too many unknowns for me to give an educated, objective suggestion, but, personally, I’d take The Cooler over a Scotty every day.
Best,
Matt