Fresh off a solid showing at The Masters, Tommy Fleetwood is shaking things up with a new putter at this week’s RBC Heritage. The change came after some putting practice the day after Augusta.
Fleetwood wasn’t exactly struggling at The Masters. He ranked 12th in putting stats, averaging 1.57 putts per green – just a few spots behind winner Rory McIlroy.
But he knew he could do better.
During a session with TaylorMade after The Masters, Fleetwood noticed he was aiming slightly left and closing the clubface at impact. Not ideal for a pro golfer trying to sink crucial putts.
He tested out a couple of different TaylorMade Spider models and liked what he felt. The new setup let him lower his hands and get a more natural swing path.
Here’s where it gets interesting: Fleetwood spotted some alignment marks on one of the test putters that really caught his eye. He wanted those same marks on his Spider Tour putter.
So what did they do? TaylorMade’s putter expert James Holley grabbed a ruler and a Sharpie marker. Sometimes the simplest solutions work best.
The change paid off immediately. In his first round at the RBC Heritage, Fleetwood shot a impressive 67, gaining nearly three-quarters of a stroke on the greens compared to the field.
This switch from a blade to a mallet putter isn’t just a random change – it’s part of a growing trend among pro golfers.
Take Scottie Scheffler, for example. He was struggling badly with his putting last year, ranking 162nd on tour. That’s pretty rough for a player of his caliber.
It was actually Rory McIlroy who called it during a TV broadcast: “Going to a mallet was a big change for me. The blade putter needs such a perfect stroke, but the mallet gives you room for error.”
Scheffler took that advice, made the switch, and well… the results speak for themselves. He’s been practically unstoppable since.
Even McIlroy himself used a mallet-style TaylorMade Spider when he finally captured that elusive Green Jacket at Augusta.
For Fleetwood, who’s still hunting his first PGA Tour win, this simple change might just be what he needs to get over the finish line.
