From time to time in our club tests, we stumble upon the unexpected. The answers are seldom definitive, but the most exciting finds for us are the ones that force us to ask more questions. When that happens, we sometimes spin up additional tests to help us determine if a larger test is warranted.
Case in point, the black putter shaft.
In 2015, Carbon sent us a Ringo ¼ for that season’s Most Wanted Blade test. Among the customization for the model they sent was a black shaft. The relatively unknown Ringo finished first in the blade category.
Subsequent Ringo models haven’t performed quite as well – and while we know that the year over year iterations that golf companies make have performance implications, we wondered if maybe it was as simple as the black shaft (other Ringo entries featured stock silver steel shafts) having a pronounced influence on performance.
In this year’s mallet test, the Tommy Armour Impact Series #3 Alignment from Dick’s Sporting Goods finished tied for first overall. The strong performance caught us by surprise. We’re talking about a house brand putter that sells for less than $100 bucks. Again, we found ourselves wondering if the black shaft played a role.
At face value, we know it sounds almost absurd, but golf is a game of focus, and it’s possible that every last detail, no matter how seemingly unimportant, matters. You may remember that PING altered the placement of its putter shaft badges after an eye-tracking study found that golfers eyes would sometimes lock on the badge. MLA touts the science behind its alignment system as the reason why its putters have fared well in our tests, and going back a few years, Nike released the IC – a line of putters that were forest green from head to grip. They were designed to almost disappear against the putting surface, allowing the golfer to better focus on the alignment lines.
Fooling the eyes, stealing focus, whatever you want to call it, golf companies have experimented with color and other means of limiting distractions in an attempt to help us putter better. Maybe it’s always been as simple as a black putter shaft. Given the surprising performance of black shafted putters in our tests, we thought it was at least worth looking into.
The Test
To keep our test putters as identical as possible, we reached out to Bettinardi Golf. The company provided us with two identical BB1 putters. The two putters had the same loft, same lie, same weight, and the same grip. The only difference; one had the standard steel shaft common to most every putter on retail shelves, the other a matte black alternative.
For the test itself, we put ten golfers through the same protocols we use during Most Wanted Testing. Testers hit a series of putts from 5, 10 and 20 feet with each putter. We counted the total number of putts for each tester, calculated confidence intervals, and looked for any significant performance differences.
We didn’t find any.
The Results
At a 95% confidence level, we found no reliable difference between the putter with the black shaft and the one with a silver shaft. In fact, for all ten testers, differences between the two putters were shown to be statistically insignificant. We found no evidence to suggest that a black putter shaft, in and of itself, has any measurable impact on putter performance.
We busted our own myth.
While it would have been cool to find some evidence of an inherent performance advantage, at the very least we were able to show that two otherwise identical putters produce statistically equivalent results in our tests.
Ryan
4 years agoWhy not quickly Plasti dip a golfers actual putter shaft. Have him take the same putts before and after with the same putter and dip the shaft black really quick in-between. Afterwords peel off the dip and you’re all set. Some of the MGS data to me is insignificant because here you took a comfort and feel club and said ok you don’t know this one but hit this x times, etc. A golfer needs to be confident with a putter or else the data may not be worthwhile. If it’s his putter and the shafts a different color, you might find something.
Mike Smith
4 years agoGood article as usual, data is always good but somewhat subjective.
Jeff
4 years agoIn the Be Better Golf tour of your studio last year it was stated that black shafts performed better for golfers. Was that statement made based on your observations with the Ringo? Or was there more support from other tests?
mackdaddy
4 years agoThanks! Anyone that questions your methods needs to read this. It would be easy and common to put forward your guess about the black shafts up like facts. You live in the facts!!! Bravo…
aero
4 years agoCool article. Appreciate the testing. Have gamed putters with multiple colored shafts/paint schemes over the years with like results. Game changer for me is the “sight dots”. The ones I prefer due to positive results are the TP Mills (custom #12 model w/oval sight dot). I do like the 3 line Odyssey/Ping mallets (#7 & Ketsch) but not as much as the Mills. I just try to push that oval through the ball on line and my putting is more consistent. Everyone is different I know and glad there is a competitive putter market, even more glad that MGS attempts to separate fact from fiction regarding technology/performance stats through its research.
Brian Cass
4 years agoGreat test but assumed the black shaft did nothing for performance. Think of Brad Faxon, Bobby Jones, Tiger, Phil, Jack, Arnie and Crenshaw.
No black shafts there. Not a single one. But lots of drained putts.
Thomas
4 years agoJust good R&D
Process of elimination
Nick
4 years agoAs a point of interest, back in the 50s Freddie Haas made a series of green mallet putters. They were very nice. I still have one but not the same one I played with. When he first started making grooved putters, Guerin Rife also made a blue putter, appropriately named True Blue. The colors did not make any apparent difference in the number of putts made but it was easy to distinguish these puters from other conventional models.
Charlie
4 years agoMaybe if it was a black putter head vs satin or some other color it might have a difference?
NH Golfer
4 years agoA black shaft will help as much as a green putter head (Nike) will…NOT AT ALL!
Pete
4 years agoWe use white carbon fibre shafts, because chrome steel shafts can reflect sunlight into your eye line.
898nation
4 years agoThanks for the test. Now I can be confident in knowing it’s purely aesthetics. I like the black shaft and plan on getting one in my current SC M2.
Bulldog
4 years agoI had a professor who taught us, “Good research may not always give you an answer you want, but it should always give you two more questions.”
Good article, keep up the good work.
Travis
4 years agoAn easy way to try the black putter shaft is it cover your current shaft with electrical tape. Easy to do and easy to remove if you aren’t into it.
DaveM
4 years agoHave to laugh, thought i was the only one who did this. I’ve been using center shafted putters for a long time. I like using the shaft and the leading edge or back edge of the putter face to help align the putter. Much like a Seemore putter. In doing this I’m glancing at the shaft and in the Arizona sun it without question helps me if the shaft is black or just about anything that isn’t glaring in the sunlight ( I’ve used red or white tape as well). Recently bought an Evnroll ER7CS, after first trying an ER7. Switched out stock shaft for an identical black shaft. I think the black shaft adds positive value to an already outstanding putter.
Dave
4 years agoAlmost ran out and got a can of spray paint . Thanks to you good folks I saved five bucks .
JD
4 years agoI’m here for the dick jokes
Kyle
4 years agoThe black one was heavier , thats all. Lol
Jason
4 years agoNice article Gents. Always wondered if the color/emotion/brain correlation trickled into golf equipment. I think perceived confidence is a good measure of confidence, so go for the color u like. I can see a black matte putter shaft maybe working a little better with glare when the sun is in full effect. Now for the big question. Can I have one of those Bettinardi’s?!! Now I’m sure that would help.
Drew
4 years agosaved me finding some black shafts for my putters.
Snapjack
4 years agoAnd here I was blaming my black shafted putter for my 34 putts last weekend…
chad
4 years agoyou should probably blame your pitching and chipping for that…
Scott King
4 years agoThank god I don’t have to mess with my ER2!
Rick
4 years agoCould be an interesting system in which to test the placebo effect. Take a 2nd group of golfers (of similar caliber) and tell them the black shaft should improve performance.
Todd V
4 years agoyep, would be a good test. I bet I already know the answer, and so do you.
Tom S
4 years agoGolf is like sex: If you believe something will help your performance, it probably will.
fwiater
4 years agoI use a black putter shaft just because I felt it made my shaft look bigger…lol. It didn’t help my putting at all but now more women ask me to putt with them, then ever before.
All kidding aside I would be curious to know if alignment aides and color changes to them made any difference in accuracy.
Lee H
4 years agoSometimes a putter change can just boost a person’s confidence. I have the Odyssey O-Works Black #3t putter. 1st time with a black putter shaft. My confidence isn’t directly a result of the black putter shaft, but I do like the way it flows into the black putter head. Playing early afternoon rounds in FL, I like the fact that there’s a considerably less amount of glare from the shaft though. So that’s a help! Overall, I like it!
Steve
4 years agoKudos for conducting the test. I was sure you would find dark shafts are better. Wrong again. But it does say lot for minor changes in clubs having a significant impact on results even on the same models from previous years.
sidvicius
4 years agoits just a personal preference, black and /or a satin finish is easy on my eyes.
also I would like to Thank you!!! GolfSpy.
a few post back and a video you did on Mallet putter.
you guys are spot on with the Tommy Armor putter.
Story short: was laughed at because of cost and name of Putter ,Until
ball was going into hole or next to it.
then the boys started looking more at it , questioning cost and attitude changed.
directed them to your site and where to purchase.
best $100 spent and Putting better ( club is all satin black)
Thank you again.
CT
4 years agoGreat article! A null result can just as important as a positive result. Great reasoning and investigation, MGS! Hope there are more interesting questions asked and answered here.
Don
4 years agoI love this article. There isn’t any fantastic revelation. There isn’t a “new thing” that is discovered. There is, however, the effort to go through the process of finding out if something is valid or not. Well done fellas.
D.A.
4 years agoYesterday your info on golf umbrellas got my attention. Tks! I would have guessed correctly that a black putter shaft would not improve putting. Practice!!! Good eye hand coordination comes with hours spent on the putting green. Black putter shaft…nope! good golf umbrella …yep!
Kent
4 years agoI think more golf helps putting. Black shafts, red balls, and laser sights are wonderful ways to justify spending money. Black shafts should just be considered cool (which they are to me), but not a game changer. Go play golf!!!!
Emery
4 years agoI recently switched from a silver shafted Bettinardi to a black shafted Edel and my putting is much improved. I also have the black pearl shafts on my Hogan Wedges…..do not think I have any improvement from that. Something about precision alignment with the putter and silver. All black has been better for me putting.