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SPY PHOTOS – New RIFE Deep Blue Putters!
Posted November 6, 2009 by GolfSpy X
RIFE DEEP BLUE (FACE)
DEEP BLUE PUTTER (SOLE)
Just thought we would post a little picture tease until we get back on Monday. Everyone have a great weekend!
Pics from our friends at: IntoTheGrain.com
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(57) Comments
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November 6th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Rife is undoubtedly one of if the not leaders in putters, and as far as mallets go, id say they have another winner here…
Is this just a proto or ready for production as shown here ?
November 6th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Even though I’m not the mallet type, this sure looks to be one I will have to try!! Rife does make a solid flat stix….
November 7th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Ugh!
November 7th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Rife has a bunch a genius designers. They have 75% of the Senior Tour using their putters! That is cRaZy brand acceptance. I hear they are going after the LPGA big time. I’m not sure of the PGA tour adoption rates but it is increasing. The IMO is wonderful. I’m sure I will love trying these mallets.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
looks like an improvement from that mistake called the IMO which as far as i know didnt sell well at all. i wouldnt mind seeing a center shafted model. recently its been hard for any putter company to gain a share of the oversized/alignment/mallet/ catagory because odyssey is the name people know.Hell even cameron’s last two offerings the [detour+kombi] have stuggled.
November 7th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
i don’t believe the IMO was a mistake..I think it got marketed late or not well…I think you should try it with an idl putting track…I achieved great results with it….
November 7th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Thanks for the positive feedback. I am the Tour rep. for Rife putters and the reaction to the new putter shown above (DEEP BLUE) has been unlike I have ever seen in over 20 years on the putting green. Watch for Furyk and Goosen to be using the putter very soon. In Jackson, MS I had 7 Deep Blue putters as it is just a prototype and all 7 were going to be in play. I will be at Disney this coming week and will give an update of the players whp will be using it there. Guys, this is the real deal.
November 8th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Pat thanks for stopping by and commenting for the fellas. Send a couple for us to review and have us give them a test for our readers. Not saying we don’t believe the statement you made “putter is unlike anything you have seen in 20 years….” But just saying we have heard that all before.
Can you tell us what makes them so different? They are all cast and skim milled correct and 6061 aluminum? So what makes them so different?
November 11th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Great. Picked up the hybrid 2 bar and have been putting lights out. Now I’ll fret over yet another putter purchase. Great products at Rife. Keep it up.
November 8th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I actually got to test this putter out after meeting Mr. Rife, and it looks even better in person. It feels and looks amazing. I think this could be a big hit.
November 9th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Parker – where were you able to test them…there are only a couple protos around from what we hear.
December 5th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I have rolled a few with the deep blue and other models. It feels much like the 2 Bar Hybrid models, but has more weight. I like the square look, but the early word from the tour guys and gals is that is what they DONT like about it. We’ll see, I think it should do well with consumers.
December 8th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Did Pat have you testing them John?
December 8th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I tried the putters a bit on the greens at LPGA last week before Q-School started. Danny the LPGA Rep was out there.
November 9th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
I normally like the looks of Rife putters, but I am just not feeling the look of these. Some may like them and they might be great, but the looks of a putter are a big thing to overcome for me.
November 9th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
You blade fan CJ?
November 9th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Rife is a special putter company and I would appreciate the tour updates
November 9th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Forgot my camera but I will barrow one tomorrow and take pics of some tour only for you guys
November 9th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
lets see those Tour Only Putters. that’s what I like to see more of what the pros play. Not feeling these shown above. Tim
November 11th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I know it’s personal preference, but can anyone provide me with feedback on the Rife Hybrid Mallet Putter? I am starting to use it in the store and it feels great and rolls well. I have been changing putters a few times in past 2 years so any input would help.Thanks
November 11th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
What type of feedback you looking for Lee?
November 11th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Any feedback is appreciated. Just want to get an idea if it’s worth the purchase price or not, what do most people think about the feel and control versus other putters and anything else to help me make a eductaed decision. I have the Odyssey 2-ball SRT Mallet putter and it’s just not meeting my expectations. I know my putting skills have something to do with it, but since I am not drastically changing my putting style any time soon, I need to get a putter to accomodate my inside takeaway to middle finish…Thanks so far.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I to have many putters. Blades, mallets et al. Have the TM Monza, Ping CrazE, etc. Picked up the Hybrid 2 bar mallet 2 months ago and have putted better than I have in years. I know it’s the Indian and not the arrow most times but this putter rocks. I used the heavier set of weights. I don’t usually lag very well and now lag inside 3 ft routinely.
Great Putter!
November 11th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
BTW…fellas a couple new pics were added come check’em out!
November 12th, 2009 at 7:04 am
To Bob – It is OBVIOUSLY the ARROW and NOT the INDIAN. If it were the Indian, they would be making more Indians, but they are not. They are making more ARROWS, therefore it is, in fact, the arrow that makes the difference.
November 12th, 2009 at 8:04 am
I know for fact 99.999% of you can’t aim whatever putter you are using. I can aim my putter as I have been tested by Mike Shannon(who usually has 3 clients in the top 10 every week on the PGA Tour). Mike only has had 6 players who aim correctly(4 were tour players…i was another one)..of course my motion needs help and Mike is working with me to make it much better…and it is…it helps if you have confidence with your putter. Feel has nothing to do with it..it’s all alignments and motion. Some putters have better results for your own person. Mike has isolated a way of picking a putter better than most instructors…I know Mike uses a Rife IMO…that should say it all.
November 12th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Question Tim – what is special about the IMO? I have every putter known to man and would love to hear why this aluminum…center massed putter is what you think makes a better arrow.
November 12th, 2009 at 8:20 am
As the Rife Tour rep. I will tell you that the IMO is different because 95% of the weight is centered and back directly behind the face-exactly opposite of almost all other putters designed today. It is a unique feel and probably not for everyone as no single putters is made for everyone.
November 12th, 2009 at 8:00 am
tour acceptance will play a major part in this lines ability to market to the public as well as price point. i fear rife has strayed to far away from what made it unique [the bar weights+lie fitting system] which made the consumer feel they were getting more for there money.championship+lpga tour use is great but the pga tour ts where you sell putters which is why rife should set up shop on the nationwide tour[see nickent] and maybe even some mini tours and most importantly understand anything priced over $179 without the name cameron on it will collect dust. times are tough!
November 12th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Sorry you feel that we have strayed to far. Fact is that this week on the PGA tour I picked up Will McKenzie, David Mathis, JB Holmes and Dean Wilson to add to our others such as Justin Rose. None of the mentioned are using a bar system. Also, as far as the Nationwide Tour is concerned I worked 25 tournaments this year and finished the season in Miami with 27 putters in play second only to Scotty and I didn’t pay a player a penny. Also, Matt Every, who won the Tour Championship, used an Aussie Mallet and won in his second week using it. Blake Adams and Josh Teater as well as Every advance to the PGA TOUR via top 25 on the money list.
When is comes to price point-most of our putters are in the $ 199 range and in our 3rd year of existance we had sales in the 9 million dollar range. Not bad.
One of the interesting things we do as a small company is I consult with players on design. I will either take a sample, not yet finished, to different players or 3D pictures and as for their thoughts on how to make it better. We also experiment with different inserts (steel, aluminum).
I hope this clears up some of the confusion you had in your comments.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:40 am
pat, my comments were not drawn from confusion,they were just opinions+observations. i’ve been a teaching pro and worked in and out of retail for 8+ years so i have some knowledge of what the average golfer wants. i wasnt aware that you had such a presence on the nationwide tour .i was at the mellwood/p.g. stop and must have missed you.but congrats on that sucess, thats what i call job security.it is not my place to tell a tour rep what he needs to do,personally i hope you win every putter count, but in my “opinion” rife would benefit from a $99-$119 type of entry and it would not comprmise brand respectability, at least j.b. holmes let you in his putter of the week club. seriously good luck on tour
November 12th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
we are coming out with a $99 putter that will be cast with a milled (grooved ) face. It will be called the 460 Tour blade and the 460 tour mallet.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:40 am
The Rife IMO has ( i believe 85% of it’s weight) directly behind the center of the clubface where you actually hit the ball. I use the IDL putting track with the IMO in practice for outstanding resutls. Of course, I actually aim the putter correctly (which 99% of people do not). Most putters try to distribute the weight all the way across the face. I simple get better results from having the weight directly behind the ball.
November 12th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
tim, is mike shannon saying that if there are roughly 200 or so pga tour players with status that maybe only 2 of them aim the putter correctly, and just out of curriosity is tiger woods one of the two.
November 12th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
hey fsu#21, i believe dave love was one of the 4 touring pro’s that aimed correctly when Mr. Shannon tested them with his magnetic clip on laser. I can’t remember the other 3 touring pro’s. Mr. Shannon worked with Tiger alot when Tiger first came on tour. But I believe Tiger works exclusively with Hank Haney now.
November 12th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
mike shannon is one of the most highly respected teaching pro’s in the industry. for those who dont know i believe he works out of sea island [ga]. we actually use eye-line products at our golf academy which i think he advised on. i’ve used the laser clip and have had h.s., college+mini tour players grade out at perfect or near perfect aim. with all due respect i just think that 99.99% number is a bit high.
November 12th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
With all the back and forth going on, no one has really provided me with solid input as to how the 2-bar hybrid (mallet or blade) models really perform and how people like them or not. I am also wondering the main differences in the 2-bar hybrid mallet from the tour version. Other than color and a slightly smaller face on tour model. I notice a plumbers neck vs double bend. And what about the center shafter version of mallet. What player can benefit from a center shaft? I’m interested in that too. Thanks
November 12th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
not exactly sure how to answer your questions. How does it perform? as well as the Indian using it I guess. It has the typical Rife grooves that give it the best roll in the industry. It has weights to adjust the overall weight based on an individuals needs.
The differences between the putters is looks and the hosel differences. Everyone aims differently based on the hosel configuration. It depends on where you aim naturally.
November 12th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
not exactly sure how to answer your questions. How does it perform? as well as the Indian using it I guess. It has the typical Rife grooves that give it the best roll in the industry. It has weights to adjust the overall weight based on an individuals needs.
The differences between the putters is it’s looks and the hosel differences. Everyone aims differently based on the hosel configuration. It depends on where you aim naturally.
November 12th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
I posted last night. The hybrid 2 bar mallet has been a Godsend for me. I have many putters and this is by far the best. I am putting lights out and beter than I have in past 2 years. The weights are excellent and ball rolls true. I have The TM Monza and Ping CrazE mallets as well as Ping Anser balde along with Odyssey #9. The Rife blows them all away. I am a 9 handicap by he way.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:07 am
lee, like others have said the best way to get your answers is to put one in your hands. look,feel and sound feedback is in the eye of the beholder. what i will tell you is the black tour model is a sharp putter and takes out any glare problems but is not as forgiving MOI wise as some other alignment mallet putters,then again it’s more compact and not supposed to be. if your putting stroke is more strait back strait through then you might want to check out a cs model. most shops will give you a quick free putter fitting if your a serious buyer.
November 13th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Thanks for the info. I forgot to mention that I put a little more inside with almost a straight follow thru. And I push a lot right, unless I overcompensate. Then I pull left. I think I am sticking with either the regular model, blade or malllet. I have putted them, both well recently. Was watching how it rolls more than anything. Very impressed that the ball does not jump off my putter face like alot of others. Thanks for the input.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:50 am
Hey fsu@21, it would be great to have Mr. Shannon share with us his clinical findings on peoples aiming abilities. Since Mr. Shannon actually takes part in double blind collegiate studies with eye doctors..it would be best to hear his answer. I’ll Vlog or something with him when I’m down at Sea Island in 2010 with Davis Love. By the way the two bar is extremely stable and I have found great results with it as well. I have a Ben Crenshaw grind that he made via Walter Hagen in like 1992..that I want Ben to re-design…it is deadly.
November 13th, 2009 at 10:44 am
hey tim, i agree it would be great to get mr shannon on here. his thoughts and/or findings would be more than welcome. also i did not say the 2 bar was’nt stable. i said it was’nt as stable as some others and that im 99.99% sure about. have a great day!
November 30th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
this putter looks like a real winner. i have tried the 2 bar hybrid from rife and that was one of the best putters i have ever putted with. i think my next putter will be a rife. if this putter is as good as the 2 bar, it will be a huge hit, especially now that rife is getting more popular on pro tours.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Well I am set for my Rife putter. Bought the 2 bar hybrid Tour Mallet (the black finish one). After tweaking it a little after my 1st round (34″ to 33.5″, put Winn Jumbo putter grip on and used heavier weights), my 2nd round was pretty awesome. My putts went from 34 to 27 (best ever had) and almost broke my best of 79. I am looking for more consistent results from now on. Consider this line of putters regardless of model.
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:22 pm
34 to 27 is a hellova an improvement Lee. How has it been since your comment?
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:12 pm
It’s been great since I haven’t played since I posted that…lol. I play once a week at most because of this thing called a job, so I won’t play til probably the 6th. But I’m sure it will be almost as good. Thanks for asking.
December 4th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Keep me posted Lee.
December 4th, 2009 at 7:35 am
None of you guys can go wrong with a Rife…unless your aiming and stroke mechanic’s are really bad(which is frankly average with most people). So hopefully you have a grooved stroke at least(because I know 95% of you cannot aim your putter correctly)
December 4th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Tim it sounds like you want to do some teaching. You continue to point out the readers inability to have a consistent stroke. You want to give some lessons?
December 4th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
dear mygolfspy,
in case you have’nt read some of these comment interactions Tim has said that 99.999% of the golfing public cant aim there putter correctly At least in his most recent comment he backed off that number down to 95%, so it appears we are getting better. There is hope!!
December 5th, 2009 at 7:16 am
Although I appreciate Tim’s view and honesty on this, I think the teaching (or acting like you’re teaching) of the game of golf should be more positive, rather than constant criticism. I would say that 95% or more of the readers on here (to take a lead from Tim…lol), have one issue or another that is causing them to not shoot the scores that they truly feel they can. I myself shoot 82-86 typically. Alot of it is scrambling becuase of an errant shot or poor putting. Now that I am working with better equipment, I can learn more from my errant shots and work that much harder to making myself better. I think we can all agree that it’s easier to take someone who shoots 100 and make them better versus someone who shoots mid 80’s. So having said that, Tim, you should be a little more positive in your criticism. I would highly doubt he is a teacher with the way he has expressed himself. And if he is one, great. He can start doing youtube videos and make us all better golfers. LOL
December 5th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
I guess I’m supposed to just talk about “lollipop’s and sunshine” huh??? I’d be happy to prove my point with any of you with my magnetic laser attached to your putter after you aim it. I’ve seen in over and over and over and over. I also rely on Mr. Shannon who has had 6 people now that can aim(I was #6)..Four were tour players…I went from a 8 handicap to shooting a 68 this year so I’m trying to say knowledge and alignment(non-athletic skills are real important). I would say this is a positive message for most golfers.
December 5th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Honesty is always good. But remember, most of us don’t have this magical “magnetic laser” and Mr. Shannon, whoever he is, is probably way too expensive for the majority of us who come on this site. Knowledge and alignment are very important as you mention. It’s just how you say it. So keep bringing us good, positive tips and we will all become better golfers..Thanks
December 5th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I’ll be happy to keep it positive..I’m learning my demeanor/humor does not translate well over e-mail or forum’s.Mr. Mike Shannon teaches out of Sea Island, GA and has 40 tour clients. He is the best putting instructor in the U.S. He costs $400 for a group lesson(a real bargain if you ask me). He is normally $1500 to work with all day at Sea Island.
January 14th, 2010 at 11:05 pm
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