Review: Never Compromise Gambler Royal

THE PREAMBLE:

I loves me some putters. And the only thing I like more than good putters are great putters despite being a marginal putter in my own right. Over the years, I’ve accumulated a fair number of them and have really come to appreciate the differences. I’ve had the most success and feel most comfortable with putters styled after the Anser 4 (anser 2 with a short, shaft-over hosel) but still appreciate the aesthetics benefits the plumber neck provides in the Anser and Anser 2 styles. Blades, on the other hand, are best kept out of my bag and on the rack where they provide the most benefit. :lol:

THE REVIEW

Quick highlights:

THE PROS
Never Compromise’s first foray into the premium putter market is as true as its name with no compromises in quality. It stands as an equal to names that are already established in the market and is a must try for any aficionado.

THE CONS
The lack of association of Never Compromise to premium putters might hurt the company if they don’t press with continued offerings down the road. And the limited nature and availability will turn off casual shoppers. Hopefully this is just the beginning.

THE NUTSHELL
The quality Gambler Royal is a true eye catcher with tight milling and unique engraving. It is a beautiful piece that separates itself from more pedestrian putters with its subtle lines and transitions. More variety would have been nice, but I’m just happy there was a lefty available!


THE LONG-WINDED PART

I was given this opportunity to pick a putter for review by the fine folks at Cleveland via the fine folks who own this site. I’m drawing on years of putter purchase experience for the purpose of this review. Experience that has, unfortunately, been wholly funded by me and my disease. I chose the Gambler Royal as it’s the only lefty they had, 34” as that’s the shortest stock version they offered (and as it works nicely with the 340 gram headweight), and 70* lie angle, which is stock and my preferred spec. Because I fancy myself a fancy-pants, I felt no obligation to lay the praise on too thick. That’s all me. ;)

APPEARANCE
Because I’ve purchased so many putters, I feel that I can afford to be picky. And when choosing between the various iterations of the Anser, much of what goes into the decision is aesthetics. Granted, it’s not the only thing, but it is a biggie. And to a large extent, it is hugely subjective. However, what isn’t debatable is the quality of the Gambler’s milling. It’s Bettinardi-good in that you have to examine really, really closely to make out any chatter. And what you do see is very subtle.

This putter also balances nicely. All the lines flow nicely into others. It’s stays true to the design of the original Anser 2, but shows a little more refinement in the shoulder transitions and more definition in the bumpers. Looking at the profile, you can tell the bumpers are significantly flatter than most counterparts. But from address, this sharpens the image and frames the ball beautifully. This is the putter that PING should have designed as part of the Redwood series!

The biggest complaint is that the putter is gaudy and that the engravings are overdone. Usually I'm of the belief that less is more, but the way the Gambler is gussied up, it all just works and doesn’t detract. Everything is on theme, and balances out nicely. I think, given the choice, the only engravings I would remove are the words on the bumpers, but that's me. However, the view from address is perfectly simple and uncluttered and a nice contrast to when you first remove the headcover. AH! Speaking of headcovers--this thing is pretty slick. Higher quality than AM&E by a large margin, and some really nice detail work. It pairs very nicely with this putter!

One thing to note is that the high-gloss finish on the sole doesn’t look near as nice after a couple rounds. Scratches really stand out and detract from the engravings. However, two of the center-most spades have filled in a little and they look pretty nice. I’m thinking some fine wet/dry sandpaper will fix this real proper-like.

PERFORMANCE AND PLAYABILITY
It’s a putter. It performs. :D

I know. I can do better. Really though, if you’ve got experience with this style putter, it’s hard to be disappointed. I’m extremely used to playing with an Anser 4 style, so I had a tendency to miss right with the Gambler Royal. I fixed what I could during rounds, but when the pressure is on, you know what happens. The Gambler Royal weighs in at 340 grams, so is a little lighter than I’m used to. HOWEVER, as the season progresses, and my putting stroke gets more grooved, I often gravitate towards lighter putters as this gives me much better distance control. Really, if you find yourself with an opportunity to give this putter a try, give it a chance.

One thing I have to say that I don't like is the Winn AVS grip. But this is less a problem with the putter, and more an issue with the trend in putters. Seems that everyone is throwing on Winn grips these days, probably because of coloring options and ability to make the putter stand out on the shelves. I just wish that it would stop. Now, I know this only affects performance/playability peripherally, but I thought it best to add it here to round out this section.

FEEL
Putter feel on this is a pretty happy medium. I personally like the firm feel of stainless steel over the softer feel of carbon as I like to play a softer ball (srixon z-star) and want a more responsive feel. And I'm a fan of it's low maintenance needs. Feel wise, it's a little firmer and a little less solid than my MACHINE, but the Gambler also gives up 10 grams of weight in comparison and has a thinner face. It does feel nicer/softer than my Wrx'd Anser 4 despite a similar 10 gram deficit. It does a great job of feeling firm without being harsh. Rolling a low-spin, higher-compression ball produces a nice click. But that's not for me. It compares nicely to the Studio Select but it is a little more responsive. The Royal provides nice feedback as putts that are mishit produce a much different sound.

Again, feel is entirely subjective. So once again, I highly suggest giving one a try to see if it suits.


OVERALL BOTTOM LINE
Never Compromise has done a wonderful job in producing a premium putter line that distinguishes itself from others. If you're looking for a value putter or bang for the buck, you'll need to look elsewhere. The Cleveland Classic 4 is a great place to start. But for those who are accustomed to premium putters will find themselves some solid options from Never Compromise. Lefties will be happy to find an option in each of NC's limited releases this year; a huge positive given the limited nature of these releases.

At this time, the Gambler Royal will not replace the MACHINE in my bag. Hopefully, Never Compromise will offer a similar head with the short shaft-over neck sometime in the future...and make it lefty. OR, I might take it upon myself to have the hosel swapped to something along those lines. However, if I find myself putting with plumber necks with any regularity in the future, I will cut this down to 33", add a decent grip, and add this to a very small rotation.


Disclaimer:
As noted above, this putter was provided as part of a panel review by Cleveland Golf through GolfWRX. As always, the only requirement was to provide honest feedback, which I feel I have done. My thanks to Cleveland Golf and the appropriate parties here at GolfWRX for providing me this opportunity.


THE PICTURES:

Interesting.. I have been looking at this putter. I still use the ZB Delta old fasioned NC. Hard to change to anything from that.. Love it. Also good to see a left handed model. Thanks!

This may indeed be a great putter, but to me it looks so cheesy I would never give it a second glance. Maybe it is just me but 'the Gambler' just looks like something I'd see in a WalMart.

Great review. However, I am not so sure if this is NC's first entry into the premium putter market? Didn't their older milled putters such as NC Milled and GM2 Exchange line retailed for $299 when they first release.
No doubt though this is their first attempt into the custom putter world.
I personally do not care for the gambler theme or the super bling look. I thought the old black & grey color combo was extremely unique and functional.

[quote name='mister2cool' timestamp='1304977183' post='3219849']
Great review. However, I am not so sure if this is NC's first entry into the premium putter market? Didn't their older milled putters such as NC Milled and GM2 Exchange line retailed for $299 when they first release.
No doubt though this is their first attempt into the custom putter world.
I personally do not care for the gambler theme or the super bling look. I thought the old black & grey color combo was extremely unique and functional.
[/quote]

Good call. I didn't know that either of those two lines retailed at $300, but was hard-pressed to include them because of the paint scheme--particularly the GM2 Exchange because of the weight thing on the bottom (though if i recall, the reviews were really good).

As for the appearance, I definitely get that this won't be for everyone. As mentioned, much more overdone than my regular fare, but it's simple where it matters most. And it kinda grows on you. Either way, I appreciate your comments and input.

beruo - I'm with you on not liking a high polished sole. It just ends up looking scratched up and crappy.

However, 2 minutes with a Scotch-Brite pad and it will sport a durable brushed satin finish. I've done it and it ends up looking great.

Also, to those who think the Gambler has too much bling--simply remove the paintfill and it will be greatly toned down. Go to the Never Compromise site and play with the custom putter features and you can see exactly what it will look like with different paintfill. Choose metallic silver for anything you want to be non-paintfilled.

[url="http://www.nevercompromise.com/my-custom-putter/"]http://www.nevercompromise.com/my-custom-putter/[/url]

I may put up my own review of a Gambler in the not too distant future.

[quote name='beruo' timestamp='1304986160' post='3220247']
[quote name='mister2cool' timestamp='1304977183' post='3219849']
Great review. However, I am not so sure if this is NC's first entry into the premium putter market? Didn't their older milled putters such as NC Milled and GM2 Exchange line retailed for $299 when they first release.
No doubt though this is their first attempt into the custom putter world.
I personally do not care for the gambler theme or the super bling look. I thought the old black & grey color combo was extremely unique and functional.
[/quote]

Good call. I didn't know that either of those two lines retailed at $300, but was hard-pressed to include them because of the paint scheme--particularly the GM2 Exchange because of the weight thing on the bottom (though if i recall, the reviews were really good).

As for the appearance, I definitely get that this won't be for everyone. As mentioned, much more overdone than my regular fare, but it's simple where it matters most. And it kinda grows on you. Either way, I appreciate your comments and input.
[/quote]

Indeed that the color scheme and maybe terrible marketing effort made those [b]very [/b]unsuccessful attempts at the premium market. I have a GM2 Exchange that I got for $50 brand new from Golfsmith and it just shows how much a failure they were. However it is the putter that opened my eyes to the world of finely milled putters, and to be able to play with weights on the fly to see what I really prefer was a great bonus.


Having said that, I have no doubt that the new line are very fine putters considering what they had been able to do in the past. IMHO, the new look is very much like the old one in one way - it's definitely not for everyone just like you said. Some will love it and some probably will hate it. From marketing perspective, I don't know if it's such a good move to go from one extreme to the other.

To make matters worse, now TV viewers really can't tell anymore who's actually using their putters on tour unless you get a close up shot. LOL

[quote name='mister2cool' timestamp='1305006562' post='3221200']
[quote name='beruo' timestamp='1304986160' post='3220247']
[quote name='mister2cool' timestamp='1304977183' post='3219849']
Great review. However, I am not so sure if this is NC's first entry into the premium putter market? Didn't their older milled putters such as NC Milled and GM2 Exchange line retailed for $299 when they first release.
No doubt though this is their first attempt into the custom putter world.
I personally do not care for the gambler theme or the super bling look. I thought the old black & grey color combo was extremely unique and functional.
[/quote]

Good call. I didn't know that either of those two lines retailed at $300, but was hard-pressed to include them because of the paint scheme--particularly the GM2 Exchange because of the weight thing on the bottom (though if i recall, the reviews were really good).

As for the appearance, I definitely get that this won't be for everyone. As mentioned, much more overdone than my regular fare, but it's simple where it matters most. And it kinda grows on you. Either way, I appreciate your comments and input.
[/quote]

Indeed that the color scheme and maybe terrible marketing effort made those [b]very [/b]unsuccessful attempts at the premium market. I have a GM2 Exchange that I got for $50 brand new from Golfsmith and it just shows how much a failure they were. However it is the putter that opened my eyes to the world of finely milled putters, and to be able to play with weights on the fly to see what I really prefer was a great bonus.


Having said that, I have no doubt that the new line are very fine putters considering what they had been able to do in the past. IMHO, the new look is very much like the old one in one way - it's definitely not for everyone just like you said. Some will love it and some probably will hate it. From marketing perspective, I don't know if it's such a good move to go from one extreme to the other.

[i][b]To make matters worse, now TV viewers really can't tell anymore who's actually using their putters on tour unless you get a close up shot. LOL[/b][/i]
[/quote]

Well said. The grey matter really established them and made it easy to recognize.

I wanted to test the theory behind the Two Thumb Putter Grip (the light model) and dug out an unused Never Compromise GZ2 from my small putter collection. Once on and I'd found the best way (for me) to place my hands on the grip - hey presto, 3 - 4 footers immediately became gimmes! I cannot recommend too highly the grip combined with the Never Compromise putter.