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The TaylorMade Spider ZT putter blends zero torque design with exceptional stability. Solid feel. Large, ultra-modern head shape. Extremely forgiving. Available in counterbalanced and long versions.
Introduction
What happens when you take the hottest trend in putting – zero torque – and mix it with the most successful new putter shape of the last twenty years? You get the TaylorMade Spider ZT, a putter that’s been sold out since the moment it was announced.
Looks
At address, the TaylorMade Spider ZT putter is not immediately recognizable as a Spider. It lacks the traditional “wings” at the rear, instead opting for an angular, hourglass-type shape that combines elements of the Spider S [review HERE] and OS Spider [review HERE]. This large, ultramodern shape is balanced by the simple silver and black color scheme. By making the leading portion of the putter silver, the larger black portion can disappear as the golfer focuses on the ball or club face.
TaylorMade gave the Spider ZT a series of thin milled lines that they call “Milled True Path Alignment”. I like the way that these lines frame the ball, as I often find it hard to feel confident with a putter that’s long from heel to toe. The middle line is painted black to give it a more traditional top line sight line look.
In the bag, the TaylorMade Spider ZT has a lot of personality. The most eye-catching feature is the bright blue plate in the center of the sole. This plate is adorned with the spider logo and branding atop a geometric spiderweb design. Three weight ports – two near the leading edge, one in the center of the head – are present, but only the center-rear port is very noticeable, sitting like prey underneath the descending spider.
TaylorMade tied the look together with a bright blue head cover and a spider-themed SuperStroke grip and shaft band. I love all of these “extra mile” elements, and I want to particularly call out the design of the head cover. With a color this bold, the single black spider without any branding is an inspired choice.
Sound & Feel
The TaylorMade Spider ZT putter features the Pure Roll insert, which we’ve seen in numerous TM putters in the past. This insert is made from a combination of Surlyn and aluminum, and the resulting feel is solid. At short range – under twenty feet – I would call the feel dull. I use “dull” not to say it’s boring, but to indicate that it doesn’t feel crisp or poppy. When I moved beyond twenty feet, the feel got more lively with a bit of bounce on the center of the face. At all distances, I found that there was good feedback on strike location through the hands.
In contrast, the sound of impact was the same whether I was hitting it pure or intentionally missing by a mile. With a premium ball, contact sounded very quiet and, again, dull. It’s not quite a “thud” but it’s close – it’s a heavily muted “tock”. Like the feel, the sound does liven up a bit past twenty feet.
Performance
The TaylorMade Spider ZT putter carried on an increasingly long tradition I’ve had with zero torque putters, throwing its first putt – a twenty footer – into the bottom of the cup. If you’ve been using zero torque putters with regularity, the Spider ZT will feel very familiar, flowing easily with your stroke. TaylorMade also took the step of adding a “One Degree Off-Axis” SuperStroke Pistol 1.0 grip. This is akin to the Press grips used by LAB Golf [more on LAB’s grips HERE] which “neutralize” the built-in shaft lean. I liked this grip a lot – the size was comfortable and the pistol shaping was very modest.
Where the Spider ZT aims to separate itself from other zero torque putters is with its stability. The “5K” on the sole nods to the very high MOI, a product of using the weight distribution from the Spider Tour X [review HERE]. TaylorMade combined two metals – stainless steel and aluminum – and the aforementioned sole weights to make this one of the most stable zero torque putters available. In my testing, the TaylorMade Spider ZT did an excellent job holding its line and preserving ball speed on mishits. I did note that the putter performs slightly better with misses on the toe side versus the heel.
As we learned in a recent Golf Myths Unplugged, having zero torque does make putters feel lighter [learn more HERE]. The TaylorMade Spider ZT, built to 35″ with a head weight of 370 grams, had a swing weight of E8. It didn’t feel quite that heavy to me, but I did sense more heft than most other zero torque putters I’ve tested. While I can’t say for certain why that is – possibly the large footprint – I can report that it took less time for me to get a good sense of distance control. At thirty feet and beyond, I didn’t feel that I had to slug the ball to get it to the cup.
The flip side of that note is that the TaylorMade Spider ZT is big and heavy and can feel clumsy to swing. When I was fully committed to the “no thumbs” stroke and trusting the putter to get the ball to the hole, the results were outstanding. When I got fidgety because of not trusting my read, the results suffered. This putter has tons of forgiveness and wants to put the ball on the proper start line. If you let it do the work, you’ll enjoy the results.
Finally, in addition to the standard Spider ZT, TaylorMade is offering the Spider ZT Counterbalance and the Spider ZT Long. Both models feature a heavier head (395 grams in the CB, 470 in the Long) and a longer shaft (36″ or 38″ for the CB, 46″ for the Long). They also use KBS Graphite putter shafts and different SuperStroke grips. The Spider ZT Long has a Tour 1.0 two-piece grip, and the Spider ZT Counterbalance has a 13.75″ SuperStroke 2.0 on the 36″ version and a 17″ SuperStroke 3.0 on the 38″ model.
Conclusion
The TaylorMade Spider ZT putter is not your normal Spider in looks or performance, but that’s not a bad thing. By taking the Spider’s legendary forgiveness and merging it with a zero torque design, TaylorMade has created a putter that almost feels like it has an autopilot mode.
Buy the TaylorMade Spider ZT Putter HERE
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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18 Comments
Is there a ladies ZT putter
There is not a “Ladies” model, but there’s nothing to stop a female golfer from using this.
-Matt
I tested one of these and am not a fan. I had difficulty hitting the ball along my intended path – felt like I was continually pushing the ball. Went back to my old Spider S and issue went away. Glad I didn’t actually buy one, it would have been an expensive mistake.
LeRoy,
There’s specific technique that’s required to get the best results from zero torque. It’s not a magic bullet.
Best,
Matt
Surely you want a putter that’s fit for your stroke, rather than adapting your strike to fit the putter? Your old strike will re-emerge at the worst possible moments!
Keith,
Every putter has a “matching” stroke/technique and vice versa.
I’m not sure what assumptions underlie your second statement, but I don’t agree with it.
Best,
Matt
Great review. Agree with what you’ve mentioned. The only downside I can tell is that it can be hard to judge distance on some of the medium to longer putts. I’ve left some half way to the hole which I never did before. That being said, I can get it starting on my line every time and I have a lot more confidence on the short putts. I very rarely pull putts anymore, and on long putts, even if it doesn’t come off the middle of the face, it still gets to the hole.
Duncan,
Yes, this is something I’ve experienced, too, because of the lack of “weight feeling” in the zero torque putters. More on that here: https://pluggedingolf.com/can-zero-torque-putters-eliminate-3-putts-golf-myths-unplugged/
Best,
Matt
What is the specific technique that is needed? Is it the thumbs off thing?
Hari,
Thumbs off is what’s worked for me. I’m sure there are other approaches, too. Anything that will stop the player from trying to manipulate the face should work.
Best,
Matt
Thanks for the review, Matt. I am gaming the featured putter from Taylor and like it. I had a LAB putter (the newer one with the insert) for 89 days and at the trade in deadline, I switched it out for the Taylor Made and glad I did. Maybe I am the odd duck, but I found the LAB way too heavy (head) of a putter and as a result, left most intermediate putts short. Downhill or fast putts just zoomed by the hole. I had the touch of a blacksmith as my dad used to say. The Taylor is on the “heavy” side too, for my taste, not as much. Very stable on short putts. Aim and shoot and don’t overthink it. If the bloom goes off the rose with the Taylor, I may give up the ghost on Zero torque putters, but for now, it’s a gamer, no pun intended.
I see that this is now a ” thing”.
Zero torque is not new.
I have used and even made my own out of brass.
Center line of shaft when hit properly has better feel and accuracy.
I have been using a zero torque putter for over 30 yrs
Thanks, Harry. It is always good to be in the midst of a true inventor. Were you there with Edison when he was working on the light bulb too?
You obviously don’t understand zero torque, it’s just not center shafted,
Are there any ZT blade putters you’d recommend? I just like the feel of a blade putter.
Chuck,
Check out the PXG Hellcat ZT, a zero torque putter in the Anser style: https://pluggedingolf.com/pxg-hellcat-zt-putter-review/
Best,
Matt
I’ve had my ZT for a couple months now and I absolutely love it. Was previously gaming a Toulon Memphis and the ZT blows it out of the water for me.
Oh interesting. I used to have a Memphis counter balance and I liked it a lot. I lost some trust in it and felt a little cumbersome on short putts, but I’ve not found anything that works better. The Scotty X7M counter balance came close. I’m now awaiting the arrival of a ZT counter balance and can’t wait to see how I get along with it.