PUTTER
Zero Torque
The Center Shafted Revolution
Golfers are no strangers to trends, whether it’s in swing mechanics, apparel, or equipment. One of the most enduring fascinations in the game lies with the putter, arguably the most personal and scrutinized club in the bag. Recently, center shafted putters have gained a fresh wave of popularity, praised for their alignment benefits and balanced feel. But this isn’t the first time the golf world has been swept up in a putter frenzy. Nearly a century ago, Bobby Jones wielded his famed “Calamity Jane” putter with such distinction that it became the blueprint for putters of his era.
In the 1920s and ‘30s, Bobby Jones was the dominant figure in golf, completing the Career Grand Slam in 1930. At the heart of his success was his trusted blade putter, Calamity Jane, a hickoryshafted club with a flanged blade head. Made by Spalding, it was a modest-looking instrument by today’s standards, but it was revered for its feel and control. What made Calamity Jane iconic wasn’t just the man who used it, it was the way it came to represent the artistry of putting. It was less about technology and more about touch.
Fast forward to today, and the conversation around putting is as intense as ever. The modern center shafted putter has become a rising favorite, especially among players seeking improved alignment and face stability. Unlike heel-shafted blades like Calamity Jane, center shafted putters are designed with the shaft entering the head near the center, creating a face-balanced profile. At their core, both crazes reflect golf’s never-ending search for putting perfection. Whether you’re swinging a classic blade or lining up with a center shafted putter, the magic of the putt remains the same: it’s where the game is won or lost.
FROM HUGE HORSE POWER TO ZERO TORQUE
The King of Twisty Necks has put his spin on the Center Shafted revolution that we are seeing take over the world of putting. Josey Sandy went from Hot Rod technician to custom putter aficionado. He’s the man behind the welding mask at Mack Made Putters. In regards to his new line of center shafted putters, He says “It’s really not complicated. Just about placing the CG where I want it.”
Bill Presse IV
Interested in seeing how a Center Shafted putter will help your game? here are a few things you should know before you invest your time and money into a new weapon. If you’re going to put the shaft, CG and balance point in the center of the putter, you’d better make sure you hit the center of the club face. if the focal point and everything about your new putter is all about the center, so should your focal point as the person wielding the flat stick. Although most manufacturers put weights out toward the perimeter of the putter head, there will still be significant dispersion with off center strikes. One of the biggest things that the best golfers focus on is hitting the center of the club face, whether that is a putt, a chip or any other golf shot. My advice, if that's what the best players focus on, so should you. If you do so, your distance control, accuracy and confidence on the greens will improve tremendously.
The other factor is face control. While your new center shafted putter passes the "Revealer" test(hopefully), there are still pros and cons with that. In other heel shafted putter options, there is something called “Toe Flow”, this means that the toe of the putter should rotate open a bit in the backswing, it is flowing, or rotationg back to help you square up the putter face at impact. Tiger woods famously coined this as releasing the putter head. With a center shafted putter, there is zero torque, which means no toe flow. That means that it doesn’t rotate in the backstroke, but if it does get open at all, there is nothing helping the face to square back up. So, if you start missing a lot of putts to the right of your target, try not to let the putter get open in the takeaway. This will allow you that nice, straight back and straight through stroke that center shafted putters are made for.
