First Look: Mantis B Putter

More Green For The Green

By Dave Wolfe

I think that it’s safe to say that the Mantis Mallet was one of the more unique and interesting putters to hit the market in 2013. Love it or hate it, there was no way that a golfer could miss the Mantis Mallet’s bright green color and atypical shape.

I witnessed quite a few golfers pick up the Mantis Mallet for the first time last year. Many were a little skeptical about the looks, but warmed to the putter once they rolled some balls with it.

While placing 14th in the 2014 Golf’s Most Wanted Mallet competition was probably lower than the folks at Mantis would have liked, I think their finish was a solid one. 14th looks pretty good when you are a new, small putter shop going up against the older and much larger companies.

I spent more than a few enjoyable rounds with the Mantis Mallet in my bag last year (full review HERE), so it really comes as no surprise to me that the mallet was successful enough in the golf market last year to allow Mantis to release a new putter model for 2014, the Mantis B.

B is for Blade

C may be for “cookie” on Sesame Street, but at Mantis, B is for “blade”. Now don’t immediately rush to the comments section to tell me that the Mantis B is not a blade putter. The simple truth is that the days of the term “blade” being restricted to bulls-eyes and 8802s is long past. If Mantis wants to call this new putter the blade in their catalog, I’m OK with it. I don’t think that anyone can argue that the Mantis B is more blade-like than the Mantis Mallet.

Regardless, of the “B” designation, the name Mantis carries with it some expectations based upon its mallet sibling. Let’s take a quick look at the features common to the Mantis putters, while looking at what separates the Mantis B from its more bulbous brother.

Mantis B Features:

• Material: 304 Stainless Steel
• Weight: 355g
• Toe Hang: 4:00 (though the Mantis Site says Face Balanced)
• Length Tested: 34″
• Finish: Matte Green
• Insert: Polyurethane
• Grip: Custom Winn

Feel

The Mantis B has the same polyurethane insert as the Mantis Mallet. This is a good thing. I think that the feel of the insert in the mallet was the first thing that won over those skeptical about the putter’s unusual appearance.

The insert in the Mantis B is soft, yet responsive. Missing from the Mantis B though is the mallet’s ringing tone that came with impact. The tone with the Mantis B is more of a click, maybe even more like a clack. It is a very firm tone with the soft insert. A bit contradictory, true, but overall I find the feel quite nice.

 

Looks

The looks of the Mantis Mallet were very love/hate for most people, and I expect the Mantis B to evoke the same feelings. The green color is definitely still here, providing a stealth profile against the putting surface and excellent contrast against the white alignment scheme.

I was am a big fan of the looks of the Mantis Mallet, but I am much more lukewarm on the looks of the Mantis B. There is quite a bit of Ping B60 in this heel-toe weighted blade. I know that the B60 shape is a favorite for many of you, and so you may see my looks rating as being a bit low. That’s the beauty of subjective opinions.

For my eye, I want my blades square at the back edge. It’s just my personal preference. I do, however, really like the square line of the face at address, as well as how the neck helps frame the ball by essentially disappearing into the green base.

Alignment

The Mantis B has the same high-contrast alignment aid as the Mantis Mallet. The whole idea behind the alignment of the Mantis is to keep your eye one the ball. The color of the putter blends into the green so that all you really pay attention to is the white ball and the white alignment “T”.

While the putting surface is not quite Mantis green, blending in definitely happens. No, the Mantis does not vanish into the background like the Predator, but it blends in better than a traditional black or silver putter. As I mentioned in the Mantis Mallet review, I do think that Mantis does a better job at this compared to when Nike tried it with their IC putter line.

Overall, I think that Mantis’s alignment scheme works as intended, as the white alignment aid makes more of a visual impact at address compared to the body of the putter.

 

FIT FOR STROKE™

Don’t change your stroke. Change your putter.

The (FIT FOR STROKE™) concept was developed by PING, yet another genius fitting system they have developed for golfers. It works hand-in-hand with the iPING Putter App which is highly suggest everyone getting (IT’S FREE!). You might be surprised to find out that the stroke you think you have isn’t the stroke you actually have.

This addition to the MGS reviews will allow you to become a more consistent putter by matching you with models that better fit your stroke type. They will be broken down into three categories: (1) Straight – for face balance putters (2) Slight Arc – for mid toe hang putters (3) Strong Arc – for toe down putters

“Results from hundreds of player and robot tests at PING offer overwhelming scientific support for the effectiveness of fitting for stroke. In recent years more diagnostic tools and testing equipment have become available, and the results prove that a golfer’s consistency improves when their putter balance matches their stroke type. It was interesting to observe that golfers putt more consistently with stroke-appropriate models, but they also show a personal preference for these models, too. Prior to putting with them, golfers are drawn to models that fit their eye, even before they fit their stroke.” says PING.

The Mantis B: Slight Arc

Performance

How does the Mantis B perform? Does it crush all of the other 2014 blades? We will have the answers for you as soon as the 2014 MyGolfSpy Golf’s Most Wanted Blade putter competition is completed. The Mantis B is in the mix, along with thirty-one other putters! Stay tuned.

 

Welcome to the putter corral Mantis B

Congratulations to Mantis Golf for being able to bring another putter model to market. Many putter companies don’t survive that initial foray into the very competitive putter marketplace. With the Mantis B, Mantis has kept the features of the Mantis Mallet that separated it from its competition, while incorporating a new design that should appeal to those who like a smaller putter. We will have more about the performance of the Mantis B in our blade test, but feel free to grab one of these at your shop or a local demo day and give it a roll. I’m curious to hear what you think.

 

For More Information visit the Mantis Website.