Blade Putters Are Disappearing | Ep. 7

The first of two shorter episodes closing out Season 1. Brian Manzella and John Ortega argue putter switching. Faxon, Toms, and Sam Burns played one style forever; Jake Knapp, John's player and a top 20 putter on tour, used 10 or 11 different putters on Thursdays in 2026, nearly all Scotty Camerons with tiny changes to milling, offset, and toe hang. Brian's case: get propositioned by seven to ten putter companies every Tuesday and you'd switch too. John's verdict for club golfers: two or three, maybe. The receipts: Nicklaus with the George Low, White Fang, and the Response, Trevino and his TP-A Blade, Steve Pate who couldn't look at his putter anymore, Crenshaw winning his last Masters without the 8802. Plus John's Arnold Palmer story and the signed putter he bought back off eBay for almost $500, Brian's borrowed Odyssey Jailbreak Zero Torque, and Jake's old Concept M2. Brian Manzella is a Top 50 teacher. John Ortega is co-founder of John Byron Putters and long time coach to PGA Tour winner Jake Knapp.Chapters0:00 The Putting Is Fun song0:37 The last two shows of Season 11:14 Faxon, Toms, and the one-putter players2:11 Trevino kissed his TP-A Blade3:28 What tour players actually change4:30 Jake Knapp: 10 or 11 putters in 20265:25 What a top 20 putter is looking for6:29 Face milling and feel7:58 Twelve putters at English Turn vs the tour van9:11 Seven to ten companies on a Tuesday11:05 The Argument: putter switching, good or bad?12:26 The average golfer: keep it to a minimum13:00 The house framer and his Circle Ts13:30 Nicklaus, George Low, White Fang, the Response14:16 John's Arnold Palmer putter story16:04 The detriment: who should not switch18:45 The Putter: the Odyssey Jailbreak Zero Torque20:51 Don't set up toe up or heel up23:59 Crenshaw won his last Masters without the 880227:33 Jake's Concept M2 and the Golo

Bill Smittle sent Brian Manzella and John Ortega a list of putting rules, they added their own, and then they threw out all of them: eyes over the ball, straight back and straight through, shoulders square, face square through the stroke, accelerate through impact, hit up, keep your head still, rock the shoulders, match the putter to your stroke, never putt with your wrists. The names behind the argument: David Orr's tour captures, the Tom Jenkins father and son, Bobby Locke, Stricker, Loren Roberts, Michael Block, J.T. Poston, Snedeker, Casper, and Horton Smith. The Putter is Dan Caraher's Damascus 8802. Brian's Pelz years at Protek Golf and Ben Doyle's I'd rather miss it. The best putters Brian ever saw, none of whom looked like Jake. The Fix on John's groove board, and the three things you do have to do. Brian Manzella is a Top 50 teacher. John Ortega is co-founder of John Byron Putters and long time coach to PGA Tour winner Jake Knapp.Chapters0:00 The Putting Is Fun song0:38 John's $50,000 putting platform2:55 The Putter: Dan Caraher's Damascus 88026:48 Bill Smittle's myth list: eyes over the ball7:24 David Orr: 90% of tour players have eyes inside11:02 Myth: straight back, straight through11:57 Raised on a Pelz track14:18 Brian's Pelz years at Protek Golf17:53 Ben Doyle: "I'd rather miss it"20:14 Myth: shoulders square22:33 Myth: the face stays square23:44 Tiger: 7 open, 7 closed?24:27 Tom Jenkins Sr. broke all the rules26:41 The best putters Brian ever saw32:15 Michael Block's rock34:49 "They all went to the same putting school"39:34 Myth: your putter must match your stroke42:21 Myth: wrist putting is always bad46:13 The Fix: a college player on the groove board49:21 The three things you do have to do

John Ortega and Brian Manzella build the ultimate putter collection: Copilot's 10 most iconic putters, Brian's Grok list from the Schenectady (so dominant the R&A banned it until 1951) to the Ping Anser, and 20 obscure ones worth hunting. John's own John Byron story, from the first Tour Angle in 1989 to the 415 Frank Sinatra Invitational Dale Heads. Jim Furyk buying a putter at a retail shop and winning the FedEx Cup with it. Why you skip the LAB DF3 and find an original Directed Force. The eBay listing that sets Brian off: a Scotty Cameron 009 made for Sam Burns at $69,000, which he calls baloney. And the fix: how a 320 gram putter turned a right miss into a dead-left putt, and the Jacobs 3D reason why. Brian Manzella is a Top 50 teacher. John Ortega is co-founder of John Byron Putters and long time coach to PGA Tour winner Jake Knapp. Chapters0:00 The Putting Is Fun song1:01 Copilot's 10 most iconic putters1:58 The Teryllium Tiger won with3:42 John's additions: Zebra, IMG5, Rossie II6:13 Jim Furyk's retail putter wins the FedEx Cup6:57 The Schenectady, banned by the R&A8:56 The Anser on a record sleeve9:44 What makes a Dale Head14:44 Skip the DF3, get the original Directed Force16:14 Tony Manzoni and the Callaway Purist20:45 The Fix: a 320 gram putter fixes a right miss22:05 Grok's 20 obscure putters29:53 Did weight kill the classics?33:07 The Putter: John Byron, 198935:00 The Frank Sinatra Invitational Dale Head38:02 The $69,000 Sam Burns Scotty Cameron39:23 Forgotten greats: TP Mills, Ram Zebra46:19 How Scotty Cameron started49:45 How to get into the putter business52:25 Go look for a Schenectady

Two of the more notable putting instructors on tour are coming out with apps: Phil Kenyon, who helped Scottie Scheffler go from around 100th in strokes gained putting to the top 10, and Derek Uyeda. Brian Manzella and John Ortega on what the apps do, and the real question: out of 100 golfers, how many will actually set one up on the practice green? John says two. Plus the do-it-yourself version with a level and a chalk line, the high side game for anyone who keeps missing low, how David Toms won $49 million aiming at the hole and pulling it, two putters from Evnroll (a zero torque model and the reverse torque EZPZ), and what John does with the yips. Brian Manzella is a Top 50 teacher. John Ortega is co-founder of John Byron Putters and long time coach to PGA Tour winner Jake Knapp.Chapters0:00 The Putting Is Fun song0:38 New Orleans and Costa Mesa1:03 Two tour putting coaches, two apps1:56 Derek Uyeda and the Carl Welty family tree2:52 The app is called Woosh3:26 Nominate your read, then see what happened4:45 You could do a lot of this yourself5:12 Phil Kenyon and Scottie Scheffler5:44 What strokes gained putting doesn't tell you6:41 Harold Swash and the C-Groove7:47 Why David Orr's opinion carries weight8:18 Edoardo Molinari and Captured10:00 Neither app is out yet10:32 What a lesson with them costs11:07 Will the regular golfer use an app?11:38 Does it matter where you hit it on the face?12:26 Heel and toe, not blade13:05 The DIY version: a level and a chalk line13:56 The alignment stick on the high side14:17 Two of the top five putting coaches in the world15:20 Apps that track the putter16:18 The meat of the show: 2 out of 10017:17 The first recommendation is putt17:29 What tour players practice with19:05 If you like structured practice, give one a whirl19:37 The practice green at Shinnecock20:51 How big is a big putting green?21:43 The left to right putt21:58 David Toms aimed at the hole and pulled it23:27 Does Jake use an app?24:23 The high side game26:02 Nobody knows where they aimed27:41 Watching the putter instead of the ball29:58 The Pelz putting track30:31 The second hole at City Park31:38 Until Ben Doyle said he would rather miss it32:33 The Putter: Evnroll zero torque36:05 The grooves37:29 The Evnroll EZPZ38:59 Toe up: why they call it reverse torque39:39 The Basakwerd putter40:34 Brian goes putter shopping in Florida43:05 Zero torque putters are all over the place44:17 Brian tries the reverse torque45:44 The one Brian should have bought47:17 Why John has 40 or 50 putters48:13 Phil Kenyon's zero torque PSA49:09 Order taker or salesman: selling, and teaching51:08 The split-hand fix for the yips51:41 Going left-handed52:08 The chipping yips52:34 Wrap-up: go practice54:02 What the apps will cost#PuttingIsFun #FunnelGolf #Putters #ScottieScheffler #Evnroll

ohn Ortega is back with The Putter, a Ping Ally Onset, and the story of what Tony Finau has sticking out of the top of his. A hockey player from Wisconsin put a hockey stick in a Scotty Cameron Newport 2, started making a lot of putts, asked the USGA if it was legal, and got a heck no. The fifth version is a conforming square grip, and it's on the PGA Tour. Brian Manzella and John on whether it's more than a look, Scotty Cameron's new $800 low torque putter with the bat wings, and the idea underneath all of it: taking the twist out of the stroke. Plus John's anti-twist ruler, the longer backstroke on long putts, and what Cam Smith means when he says he hits it with his backstroke. Brian Manzella is a Top 50 teacher. John Ortega is co-founder of John Byron Putters and long time coach to PGA Tour winner Jake Knapp.

John is out this week, so Kieran Harris of Good Misses sits in the Ortega chair from his mother-in-law's basement in Toronto. Brian Manzella, Top 50 teacher, starts with the putter in Kieran's bag: a 20-year-old Ping Zing 2, the putter Curtis Strange won two US Opens with, and the putter Brian's dad Basil Manzella putted the best of his life with after banging the pin so many times he took the loft off.Then the big question: do regular people putt better than they did 20 years ago? Kieran caddied in the Toronto city championship and watched a grade 8 kid with $6,000 custom clubs and a $750 zero-torque putter shoot 125. Brian says the Nunez Tour putts better now, but the tour stat everybody recycles on the socials is lying: greens are slopier and faster and they're playing for more money.Also: can you teach the modern tour stroke to Mr. Faversham, the 65-year-old accountant? Never up, never in is out. The 25-handicap stroke, described. Tiger, Crenshaw, and the putter head behind the hands. Vic Harris and the conveyor belt stroke. Freddie Haas, who hit down on it and ended Byron Nelson's streak. Why plumber's necks bend if you lean on them. Name 20 famous putting instructors, and why they all look the same. The Norman Playground putt-putt experiment. Hubert Green's $5 barrel putter, Isao Aoki's 38-inch loaner, and Buddy Reno, who cut every putt and knew it.Chapters 0:00 Putting Is Fun 0:37 John is out. Meet Kieran Harris 2:20 Putting Is Fun is an attitude 3:45 The putter wall at Golf Town 4:44 Edwin Watts and the 3 wood that almost made an ace 6:38 Kieran's 20-year-old Ping Zing 2 7:40 Curtis Strange, and Basil Manzella banging the pin 9:12 What a $70 putter cost in 1983 10:57 Do people putt better than 20 years ago? 11:42 $6,000 clubs, a $750 putter, and a 125 13:12 The Nunez Tour putts better now 15:13 The tour stat recycled on the socials 15:52 TifEagle Bermuda: a different sport 17:34 The kid who shot 66 in the rain 19:44 Can you teach the modern tour stroke to regular people? 20:38 Mr. Faversham, the 65-year-old accountant 21:20 Never up, never in is out. Get it close 23:30 No trickle-down from tour strokes. Give me a putting lesson 24:17 The 25-handicap stroke, described 25:04 If Rory showed up with a 10-footer 25:41 Beating David Toms at 11 27:08 Grip, thumbs, elbows on the ribs 29:02 Tiger, Crenshaw, and the putter head behind the hands 29:37 One-handed putting for speed 30:40 Vic Harris and the conveyor belt stroke 31:24 A little lag in transition: the two-finger test 33:00 Hitting down on it: Kevin Abe and Freddie Haas 35:06 Take loft off and hit up on it 36:03 Plumber's necks bend: go look at the used rack 38:23 The chest pass 38:47 Don't lean on it, don't fix ball marks with it 40:20 Manganese bronze vs. 303: put a sock on it 41:35 Name 20 famous putting instructors 43:57 Same devices, same numbers, $600 an hour 47:27 Too much similarity in high-end putting instruction 48:05 The sock in the laundry bin 48:23 Norman Playground and the putt-putt experiment 52:40 Ben Franklin High goes to City Park 53:39 30 kids, 30 putting instructors, a contest at Oakmont 54:19 The Oakmont practice green prank 55:11 The best putters will look like none of the above 56:10 Jake Knapp: don't change it 58:26 Hubert Green and Isao Aoki: putters out of barrels 60:20 Putting needs more variety 60:37 Buddy Reno cut his putts. Bobby Jones would be fine 61:39 Trevino on Trackman: all zeros 61:53 Get well, JohnnyBrian Manzella is a Top 50 teacher and runs his Studio in the Sky in New Orleans. John Ortega is co-founder of John Byron Putters, runs the Ortega Golf Lab in Costa Mesa and is long time coach to PGA Tour winner Jake Knapp. Kieran Harris runs Feel Good Golf Academy in Toronto and co-hosts Good Misses.Be your own coach.#PuttingIsFun #FunnelGolf #Putters #PingZing #GolfHistory putting is fun, funnel golf, brian manzella, kieran harris, john ortega, ping zing 2,

Tricked-out putters, all the way down. Brian Manzella and John Ortega on the first putter covers, $800 headcovers, black oxide and Cerakote, flipping a beat-up Scotty for profit, how Karsten swedged the Anser shaft with a ball bearing, the marble in Tom Watson's putter, Jack Nicklaus painting a Bullseye white, and why a black shaft on a black putter ruined Brian's putting. Brian Manzella is a Top 50 teacher. John Ortega is co-founder of John Byron Putters and long time coach to PGA Tour winner Jake Knapp. Be your own coach.Chapters 0:00 Putting Is Fun 0:37 New Orleans and rainy Costa Mesa 2:36 When did putter covers show up? 4:17 The John Byron Play Ball Series and the Straight Flush cover 6:30 $800 headcovers 7:39 Never game a Piretti without a cover 8:24 Black oxide and gunblue 10:15 8620 carbon steel and Cerakote 11:55 The first refinishers 13:17 A beat-up Scotty Cameron Studio: what it's worth 17:19 Pete Mata and Ohana Golf 18:05 $300 putter, $150 refinish, sells for $500 plus 20:02 Two guys by the beach making putters 21:20 Bailey Boo and custom headcovers 22:16 Tricking out the shaft 23:16 Karsten swedged the Anser shaft with a ball bearing 27:30 Tom Watson, the 8802, and Turnberry 28:58 The only game you can peak at 70 30:28 The black putter, black shaft problem 31:44 Lines, dots, and how a putter looks on the ground 34:22 Big Don and the Teaching Summit tangent 37:02 Tiffany green and the White Fang story 39:23 Bead-blasted Circle Ts and the Crenshaw silversmith story 41:50 Tungsten in an 8802 43:40 Why put an insert in a 303? 48:15 Smooth face vs. milled: smash factor 49:41 Garsons, Runyon, and the peak 52:52 Wish-list grips 55:28 The Spider song IOU 57:11 Putting is fun

Brian Manzella and John Ortega go through the training aids that actually work. The motorized putting platforms with projected break lines, why John is buying a Zen, and why Brian thinks every studio should have one. Bill Smittle's Smittle Stick for matching face rotation to your arc. Matt Bryda's Gimme Towel for speed. The origin of John's Groove Board, from kitchen slats to Se Ri Pak's 81 putts over 54 holes, and the first board off his new 3D printer. Plus the best aid you can't buy anymore. Putting Is Fun is a Funnel Golf show. Golf without the spin.Chapters0:00 Theme song 0:37 Intro: Brian and John 1:07 Putting platforms and projected greens: how we got here 3:56 The Dream Green, 30 years ago 7:57 The big players: WellPutt, Platform Golf, Zen, PuttView, Tour Putt 9:22 Why every studio should have one 10:13 Why John is buying a Zen 12:22 Sizing your platform 14:46 Would you go with a non-green surface? 17:37 What the projected lines teach you 19:32 Kids, early exposure, and the Drive, Chip and Putt flex 21:27 Does the putter's shape change your stroke? 25:35 The under-curl stroke: square face, curved path 27:48 The Smittle Stick 34:04 Center strikes only 34:44 The Gimme Towel by Matt Bryda 40:42 Origin of the Groove Board 43:27 Sold out at the trade show 45:36 The first board off the 3D printer 47:45 Se Ri Pak's 81 putts and Gloria Park 48:47 Favorite training aids that aren't made anymore 51:21 Outro

Sam Osborne (No More Lies) joins Brian Manzella and John Ortega for the first three man Putting Is Fun. Sam has putted side saddle for eight years and makes the case that it is technically superior. Brian covers how one comment from Bobby Jones got Sam Snead's croquet stroke banned, John tells the inside story of the putter he built for Bobby Schaefer and Bryson DeChambeau, and all three dig into putter length, anchoring rules, and why non-golfers learn it faster. Ends with a challenge: try it for half an hour on the practice green.0:00 Putting Is Fun intro0:38 Sam Osborne joins the show2:44 Tour tip: pack a full change of clothes3:50 Why side saddle putting today4:51 Sam's story: sick of being in his head6:40 John tried it too: the Bryson connection9:20 Brian's dad, the Wilson Augusta and Johnny Miller11:28 Sam Snead, croquet style and the Bobby Jones rule change15:01 Who else did it: K.J. Choi and Bryson on tour17:53 The coffee cup putter: how the Bobby Schaefer putter got built19:26 Why Bryson quit: USGA and PGA Tour pushback20:36 Rock or stay steady: different ways to putt face on22:01 Brian's Langer stroke and the Ben Doyle story24:30 Equipment: putter length and the Bobby Grace F2228:35 Design by Bobby Schaefer: titanium heads and a square shaft32:09 Technique: point your body at the hole33:40 Loft, anchoring and how Bryson changed the stroke35:45 Isn't that illegal? Croquet putting in the 30s to 50s38:05 Did the USGA target Bryson because he is different?40:07 Would you teach a kid to putt side saddle?41:05 Better speed control facing the hole41:40 The putt-putt booth: non-golfers learn it faster44:59 What John would build now: the GP Dion putter46:54 The ten minute fix48:20 What the anchoring rule actually allows48:54 How to try side saddle this week50:14 Other weird methods: one handed, the claw, the double saw51:56 The upside down grip that ended up with K.J. Choi56:25 Don't go down like a punk: try something57:32 Wrap up: 148 million golfers, give it a go

They called Scotty Cameron the Copycat Kid. His original designs shut that down for good.Brian Manzella is a Top 50 teacher and runs his Studio in the Sky in New Orleans. John Ortega is co-founder of John Byron Putters, runs the Ortega Golf Lab in Costa Mesa and is long time coach to PGA Tour winner Jake Knapp. This week the two of them go all the way down the putter rabbit hole: why a third of golfers who show up for a fitting are playing something that grossly doesn't fit them, how Cameron busted through the Copycat Kid nickname with the Futura, the Phantom, and the Teryllium insert in an Anser, why the Circle T (the tour only version of his retail putters, some of them one-off designs for particular players) has the gravity it does, the Tour Championship putter count that ended in a dead tie between the TaylorMade Spider and the Camerons, Michael Kim's 59 with a zero torque Spider, the 8802 Gary Koch talked John out of making, forged vs. milled, welded necks vs. one-piece, and why the big box putter wall is quietly costing you strokes.If you've ever paid too much for a putter, or too little attention to the one you have, this one's for you.Be your own coach.