The new line of Wilson Infinite putters isn’t dramatically different from the old line of Wilson Infinite putters.
And that, my faithful readers, isn’t a bad thing at all.
When Wilson introduced its Infinite putter line in 2015, the golf world responded with a collective yawn. But starting with the 2018 upgrades, Wilson Infinite putters have ranged from solid to, at times, outstanding performers in our Most Wanted testing. Add to that the fact they rarely topped $100 and, well, you had a winner all around.
The new lineup isn’t messing with a good thing. They’re still named after Chicago landmarks and neighborhoods and they still represent one hell of a value.
Wilson Infinite Putters: To Infinity and Beyond
We can’t talk much about the new Wilson Infinite putters without discussing from whence they came. The original Wilson Infinites came in a steel-gray finish and an industrial, if not utilitarian, look with a kitchen sink’s worth of alignment lines on top. That’s a polite way of saying they weren’t what you’d call pretty.
Judging by their performance in Most Wanted testing at the time, they didn’t have a nice personality, either.
The best you can say was they were cheap, coming in at $99.99.
Two years later, Wilson updated the lineup with a major facelift. By the time 2020 rolled around, Wilson Infinite putters started making some Most Wanted noise. Both the West Loop and The L models copped Best Value in 2020 blade and mallet testing, respectively. The West Loop finished second overall in blade testing and The L was fourth overall in mallets.
A year later, the new Buckingham – a Spider-type mallet – began a two-year run as Best Value putter. It finished second overall in 2022.
All that for under a hundred bucks.
Well, the new Wilson Infinite putter lineup features the same names and shapes as the previous models. The price has gone up since 2022, but even at $129.99, you can still consider them a bargain.
But the biggest difference between old and new is so subtle you might not even notice it.
“Activation Parallel Alignment Lines”
As mentioned, the original Wilson Infinite putters really overdid it with alignment lines. If there was space for a line, Wilson gave you a line. To its credit, Wilson dialed that way back in subsequent models.
For 2024, the alignment lines are dialed back even more, with what Wilson is calling – no lie – “Activation Parallel Alignment Lines.” That’s a very fancy way of saying there’s one thick line in the middle of the putter with a thinner line on each side of it to frame the ball.
“The new Infinite range serves the golfer who struggles with alignment,” Bob Thurman, Wilson Golf’s Global General Manager and VP of R&D, said in a press release. “We’re confident players will be drawn to the new look and feel.”
The 2024 Wilson Infinite putters all feature a two-toned black PVD finish and a double-milled face. There are nine models: three blades, one mini-mallet and three full mallets. The lineup also features what the company is calling a new midsized flat-sided pistol Karakal grip.
I don’t know about you but I’d never heard of a Karakal grip before. A quick Google search was enlightening. Karakal is a Belgian company best known for making racquets and grips for those racquets. They’ve been making putter grips for more than 30 years.
And, for the record, the word Karakal means “black ear” in Turkish. A karakal is a kind of bobcat or lynx native to Turkey, the Middle East and into India.
The internet is a wonderful thing when used for good.
Circulus in Probando, Part Deux
If there’s one thing we as golfers are really good at, it’s circulus in probando. That’s Latin for circular reasoning. It’s when we mix up premises and conclusions. A premise, by definition, is something offered for consideration and should be tested to be proven or disproven. A premise isn’t proof of anything unless one already believes the conclusion.
When it comes to putters, we golfers tend to raise circulus a probando to an art form.
If you believe putting success has little, if anything, to do with the putter itself and is almost all on the putter wielder, then it’s logical to presume you should be able to putt beautifully with anything.
If that’s you, then is a $129.99 Wilson Infinite or any one of the dozens of other putters (Cleveland, Sub 70, Tommy Armour, to name just three) in that price range good enough for you?
And if you’re a card-carrying member of the “I gotta like the looks/feel because it gives me confidence” brigade, then you’re diametrically opposed to the “putting success is all on the person holding the putter” platoon. We get the confidence argument, even though there’s no evidence to support the premise. But as Chairman Yogi once said, golf is 90 percent physical. The other half is mental.
Let’s not forget green reading. It’s a critical element of putting but you’ll still need an implement you can aim accurately to put the ball in motion. If you don’t have said implement, it doesn’t matter how well you can read greens.
What does all this mean?
It means that if you and your putter, working in blissful harmony, can get the ball in the damn hole consistently and effectively, it doesn’t matter who makes it or how much it costs.
Or how much you like the looks.
Trust us. If you start sinking some bombs, whatever it is will start looking pretty damned good.
Wilson Infinite Putters: The Models
As mentioned, the new Wilson Infinite putters feature nine models. The Windy City is an Anser-style with a plumber’s neck while the Michigan Ave and West Loop models are wide-body blades with different hosels. The Windy City was the only infinite blade tested in this year’s Most Wanted testing, finishing in the back end of the middle of the pack for overall performance.
The Grant Park is a half-moon mini-mallet, The L and the Bean are full-sized mallets while the South Side is a smaller, center-shafted mallet. The Bucktown is a fang-tooth design while the Buckingham, which has been Wilson’s best Most Wanted performer, is a Spider-style mallet.
As has been the ritual with Wilson Infinite putters, the entire line is available for lefties and righties and men and women. They’ll be available in 33-, 34- and 35-inch models.
In case we didn’t mention it enough, Wilson Infinite putters may be one of the best deals in golf today, retailing for $129.99. If you’re looking for a better bargain, previous models are marked down on Wilson’s website to $99.99 with limited availability.
The 2024 lineup of Wilson Infinite putters is available starting today at retail and on Wilson.com.
Steve-o
4 weeks ago
I play the Bucktown and love it. This version does appear to have a better finish. It is a hell of a club for the money. I play at Betti before I switched.