50 Words or Less
The TaylorMade Spider S putter continues the Spider legacy of bizarre looks and extreme forgiveness.
Introduction
Say what you will about TaylorMade’s putter division, they’re not afraid to take chances. Over a decade ago, they released the Spider. After plenty of taunts and jeers, it’s become one of the more popular models on Tour. The new Spider S seeks to expand the franchise with a bold new shape and even higher MOI.
Looks
In the ten plus years that it’s been around, the original TaylorMade Spider has gone from crazy looking to accepted. Perhaps in another ten years the Spider S will be an accepted shape, but in 2020 it looks crazy to me. While I’m not a mallet player, there are plenty of mallets that I like. The Spider S, however, is borderline unusable for me.
The big problem is the giant rectangular hole in the middle. The hole exacerbates the size from front to back, and it’s jarring to my eyes. Additionally, I found the Spider S very hard to aim. Generally I don’t mind putters with sight lines on the top line, but something about the combination of the lines and the hole never felt right.
The TaylorMade Spider S is available in two colors – Navy and Chalk. As you can see, the Navy has white sight lines and a silver back bar. The Chalk version is off white with black line and back bar.
Sound & Feel
For the Spider S, TaylorMade used a thicker Pure Roll insert to create a softer feel. The results are exactly what they hoped for: impact is quiet and cushioned. When the putter strikes the ball, it produces only a soft “thud.”
The downside to a soft feel and high MOI is a lack of feedback. Unless you hit the ball with the extreme toe or heel of the putter, you won’t hear or feel much difference.
Performance
The large, outrageous shape of the Spider S has one purpose: to drive up the MOI. By pairing this shape with aluminum and tungsten construction, TaylorMade reached an MOI of 6,000, the highest of any putter in their line up.
What does an MOI of 6,000 mean in a practical sense? It means that, from inside ten feet, you can hit a putt almost anywhere on the face and still see it go in. That forgiveness is just as important on lag putts where a mishit no longer means staring at an 8-footer for par.
The only negative performance comment I have is that the Spider S is only available in a face balanced configuration. Many other mallets are offered in at least two versions, and the Spider S would be a more compelling offering if it had that flexibility.
Conclusion
The TaylorMade Spider S putter won’t be going anywhere near my golf bag, but the level of forgiveness that it delivers is undeniable. If you can find comfort or confidence in this massive head shape, enjoy getting good results from strikes all across the putter face.
Matt Saternus
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It’s just an Odyssey 7 with a bar on the back.
The part I do like about it is the Odyssey 7 resemblance but I can’t tell its size from the pictures.
It looks huge can’t say I like that . I am like you I prefer a more blade style milled putter I feel like I have better distance control.
I like the looks of it I would buy one but lost my job because of what a going on in the world
Yes, it is looking oddly familiar, like a Scotty Futura 5S or 7M crossed with a Phantom X6. These are going for $350. I did try to play the original spider, but just couldn’t get past the visual at setup, and the finish was something less than high quality craftsmanship, even cheap looking. I get it that this club has a high MOI, and there are only so many ways you can configure a piece of metal to get that without increasing mass to the point of being a sledge hammer. However, these are clearly not hand-crafted milled putters. Most of these clubs come with massive stickers on the shafts declaring that they were made in China, and most likely mass produced. So, at that price point I’m going to seek out one that is hand-crafted and milled, and perhaps made here in the States, and looks like it’s built with pride and with attention to detail. Take a look at that tungsten bar and how it’s connected to the body. The angles don’t quite match up. The Spider S label is not cut into the piece and paint filled, it’s just painted on. Look closely at a Scotty, Toulon, Bettinardi, or even the upper end Ping or Odyssey putters, the details are crisp, sharp, clean and can be felt too when you run your fingers over them, and generally they are just better crafted clubs. I know, I know, they will likely cost something more than $350, but most putters go the distance over time and not likely replaced every season or two, like the other clubs in the bag – these are investments in my mind. If you’re going to be spending over $300 on a club, then why not find one that you can feel the love and care in it’s creation, one you can bag with real pride. Even if it’s a used one that’s in excellent shape, and you’re likely able to find one that has just as much MOI as this one well below that price point. My point is that I dislike how much these clubs are going for with such little care about quality – fine if it’s in a box set or going for $100, the price is equivalent to the quality. We spend a lot of money on these toys, tools, sticks, or whatever you want to call them, and they can at least give us something that is worthy of our hard earned money, something that doesn’t show chipped paint after a few rounds, or delaminated face inserts after a couple seasons. To me, whether it’s with golf clubs, a car, bicycle, knife, whisky glass, surfboard, motorcycle or any other product I purchase, I want to see and feel the quality of it. And the more likely I feel the quality in my club, the more likely I am comfortable and confident in it. The more I feel those qualities, the more likely I’m going to address the ball with the same feelings, and play better golf. I know that when I slide the putter cover off one of my favorite putters, that I’m going to feel great about owning and playing it. I have decades old Scottys, Wilsons, a Hogan, a Ping, even a SeeMore, and others that still look fabulous, and I would game any one of them with pride. I doubt this one would end up in anyone’s putter collection in a couple decades. Stop selling us junk at inflated prices. Stop treating us like uneducated mass consumers, and start treating us like our business matters. Isn’t that why we enjoy this website and others like it? They are here to educate us, and I say with great passion and deep commitment, about our purchases related to the game we love. Yeah, as you said Matt, it isn’t going anywhere near my golf bag either – but maybe for different reasons.
The spider is the best putter I’ve had in years
Easy to aim great roll off the face and great balance.
I have no idea how you can have negative responses on this putters.
Because some people like chocolate and some people like vanilla, Steve. Glad your Spider is working for you.
And me too Steve its the best balanced putter i have ever used. The ease of use feels like cheating and the putter head just connects with the ball square every time. I never liked mallett putters until now always a blade man but this putter is unreal and will be in my bag for years to come. Even chose this over a scotty Cameron so Taylormade have this putter spot on
I like the look of this putter.My putter is an odd shape. Some say it’s like a Klingon sword. But it do’es me. But I feel it’s time to try something new. I am looking for ways to improve my game like all Golfer’s do.i play of 9 handicap. So why not start with a new putter.
In my opinion your review of this putter was too jaded and biased because of your personal preferences. I purchased it and absolutely love it. Definitely to each his own.
Bernard,
I’m glad you’re enjoying the putter.
-Matt