TalyorMade Spider Tour Black Putter

The story of the TaylorMade Spider Black Tour putter goes that Dustin Johnson was experiencing his usual putting woes and needed a change. Following the success Jason Day had with the red version and its crazy slant neck, Johnson was curious to try the putter out. Johnson felt that he couldn’t cramp Day’s style and bag a red one like his, so he turned to his caddy/brother, Austin. He knew Austin had the same putter in his bag but with a black finish. Alas, history was made, the legend was born, Dustin bagged the Spider Black and people went nuts. Hyped or not, the TaylorMade Spider Tour Black is still a great mallet putter worth checking out.

First Impressions

If any golf club will make a first impression on you, it’s the TaylorMade Spider Tour putters. It’s a futuristic shape and unlike anything a traditionalist has ever seen before. Yet, there’s something satisfying about it and somewhat calming. The black finish with no sight line smooths out the mechanical shape a bit and frames a golf ball nicely. I like how the putter sets up behind the ball and the balance on a few fluid practice strokes. On first impressions alone, the Spider Tour Black putter isn’t for everyone, but will satisfy the curious soul.

How Does it Feel?

TaylorMade made the retail versions of the Spider Tour Black and Red to have different feels via different inserts. The Black version has a metallic Pure Roll insert which has a more solid click to it than the Red counterpart. A strike away from the center can feel a little more hollow. Given feel is subjective and everyone will have their preferences, the Spider Tour Black will be polarizing and not have appeal to everyone. This is precisely why TaylorMade has alternative options.

Obviously the head is a large footprint and seems like a lot of putter to move. The 355 grams of weight is well balanced and swings nicely.

How Does it Sound?

As mentioned above, the TaylorMade Spider Tour Black has a solid click and hollow element to it. When you strike the ball on the center of the face, there’s a light click to it. As you travel the least bit away the sound gets a little more hollow while it clicks. Again, like feel, this is going to be a polarizing sound that may not appeal to all tastes, but that’s putters in a nutshell.

On-Course Performance

Aside from the mallet style and feel, the biggest impact to the Spider Tour Black putter’s performance is the Pure Roll insert. TaylorMade gave the insert 45º grooves to increase top spin and promote more forward roll. A good stroke in the center of the face will produce a really smooth roll, however, poorly struck shots will get a little skippy. Additionally, the Spider Tour Black has a pretty active face so there is a bit of pop to it. You’ll want to make sure you really get your feel dialed in with this putter prior to hitting the course.

Quick humble brag: my first round out with this putter, no time on the practice green, I had 26 putts. Not a bad maiden voyage.

Final Thoughts

TaylorMade‘s Spider shape has been around for awhile, but the recent success of the new-ish slant neck has caused a meteoric rise in popularity both on Tour and amongst amateurs. With putter relationships being so subjective, everyone will have a personal take on this putter, but I definitely feel like there’s some magic in the Spider Tour Black. Good roll and balance are hallmarks of this putter that make it worth trying out.

Stock TalyorMade Spider Tour Black Putter Specs