Deschamps testing program

[tbowles411]

Since there is a storm coming this weekend, I was forced to take the putter out to a putting green and give it a quick test...

 

Putter 3 is unbelievably soft, it was beautiful. You couldn't really feel the weight, but it rolled the ball like a heavier putter. The look grew on me after a few strokes, it just started looking better and better. I had my doubts on lining up the putter, but it worked well. The sound was a nice low "pong" to steal a word from the above thread. I have to say that I need to find some cash and buy this putter. Maybe Serge will give me about a month to get the funds together, because I'm not sending it back. :swoon2:

[sergizmo]

Great review, Im glad you like it! Did you experiment with the weights at all?

 

I can wait for payment. You're the only tester for #3 so that works out OK.

[sergizmo]

Forgot to add...putters 1,2 and 4 will be on their way shortly to the next testers.

[Rambler]

Excellent putter!!!!!! A+. If there would be one thing to change would be the option to not have a sight line, but that's my personal preference. Stepless shaft is suh-weet :swoon2:

[tbowles411]

Great review, Im glad you like it! Did you experiment with the weights at all?

 

I can wait for payment. You're the only tester for #3 so that works out OK.

Thanks Serge! I did try the weights. It (of course) added toe and heel weight which made it a little easier to stroke and I noticed that I could draw the putter back in a pendulum stroke and get a better roll with a shorter stroke. It took less force to get the ball to the hole. Looks like I'll be selling my Yes and Ping putters.

[sergizmo]

Excellent putter!!!!!! A+. If there would be one thing to change would be the option to not have a sight line, but that's my personal preference. Stepless shaft is suh-weet :swoon2:

 

Glad you like it!

 

There is the option to put whatever alignment lines/dots/etc the customer wants (or doesn't want, it can be left bare) on the ordered putters. I just picked out a site dot for the tester Blades because I hadn't done it before and it looked clean and simple.

 

From the Blade order form:

Contact

 

7) Alignment:

 

a) Nothing

b) Dot on top-line (Not available on centre-shafted)

c) Dot on flange

d) Single line parallel to face

e) Single line perpendicular to face

f) Single line parallel intersecting with single line perpendicular (cross)

g) 2 lines perpendicular to face (specify spacing)

h) 3 lines perpendicular to face (specify spacing)

i) Single line parallel intersecting with 2 lines perpendicular (specify spacing)

j) Single line parallel intersecting with 3 lines perpendicular (specify spacing)

k) Other: please specify

[sergemodular]

After a week with the heel shafted blade tester#2 (which is enough time for me to get over any putter honeymoon period) I still think its a great putter. I like its unique look. I dig the site dot and the antique finish. Its brass construction gives it a very nice feel at impact. It rolls the ball well. The headcover is very nice too with its zippering magnetic backing.

 

I appreciate the chance you gave us to test the putter out. Its easier for me to pull the trigger on ordering a classically shaped custom putter without trialing it than something that takes chances like this. Having the opportunity to play it has me convinced.

 

I look forward to it returning my way after all the other testers have had a chance with it.

 

Nice work Serge

[littleprov1x]

You guys won't be disappointed, Serge does great work!

 

That new Scotty proto mallet looks an awful lot like your high MOI mallet!

[LPM]

I would like to test # 3

 

those are nice looking putters Serg

[sergizmo]

After a week with the heel shafted blade tester#2 (which is enough time for me to get over any putter honeymoon period) I still think its a great putter. I like its unique look. I dig the site dot and the antique finish. Its brass construction gives it a very nice feel at impact. It rolls the ball well. The headcover is very nice too with its zippering magnetic backing.

 

I appreciate the chance you gave us to test the putter out. Its easier for me to pull the trigger on ordering a classically shaped custom putter without trialing it than something that takes chances like this. Having the opportunity to play it has me convinced.

 

I look forward to it returning my way after all the other testers have had a chance with it.

 

Nice work Serge

 

Thanks for all the kind words. Glad it's still working for you. I understand the apprehension some will have without being able to "Try before they buy". Thus the need for a testing program to get them into people's hands. It's also why so many options are offered: weight, length, lie, balance, loft, alignment, grip and all the visual stuff. That way customers who know what they like can be fairly certain the putter will perform for them when ordering.

[sergizmo]

You guys won't be disappointed, Serge does great work!

 

That new Scotty proto mallet looks an awful lot like your high MOI mallet!

 

Thanks :swoon2:

 

I would like to test # 3

 

those are nice looking putters Serg

 

Thanks.

 

The lists have already been finalized and all putters have been shipped out. No new testers can be added. Putter #3 has been reserved for purchase as well. Sorry that I can't accomodate your request, but a final sign up date had to be set to keep things organized.

 

When a new model is released there will be testing for that one as well, but that is a little while down the road. I'm building a new CNC mill, and will tackle the new model after that is throwing chips.

[sergizmo]

Hi Scotty,

 

No new testers are being signed up, see post 18. It would become a mess if new testers were allowed to sign up when the putters were already shipped out. If there is further interest by more people on putters that have not been sold, I may send them out again in the future.

 

Thanks,

Serge

[sergizmo]

Putters 1, 2 and 4 have all gone out and are on their way to teamarctic, daheels and David R respectively.

[Rambler]

Let me just say again how great it was rolling the #1 putter. Practiced for about 3 hours with it then played a quick 9 with it and I had 9 putts, the best I've ever had.

[sergizmo]

Good stuff!

[DavidR]

I tested putter #4. I appreciate the opportunity to try this putter out. Here is my review, I will add to this if need be as I still have a few more days with this putter before it has to be returned.

 

First Impression: Upon first picking up the putter at the post office I was a bit concerned. The box had been mangled and I was worried that the putter had either been lost or broken. I was relieved to find out that Serge packs his putters very well and no damage had been sustained to the putter. What a relief because having to send this putter back or have it reshafted locally would not have been a good way to start this evaluation. Let me thank Serge for putting that little bit of extra effort into packing his putters.

 

Upon opening the putter I was impressed right away with the head cover. I expected a standard AM&E cover that everyone seems to be using but this is not the case with Serge. He uses a magnetic cover that fits the blade perfectly and slips on and off with ease. Protection to the putter is similar to that provided by an AM&E cover. The grip provided on this sample is a standard Ping blackout.

 

The finish of the putter is very nice. I immediately set it down to the ground to see how the polished finish would reflect the light. It was nice to see that the top line of the putter had more of a satin finish (bead blasted I believe) as opposed to the bottom which was polished. Cool touch. This putter features a site dot. I’m used to a sight line on my putters but my first impression is that I’m going to like the dot as there isn’t a real flange to put a line on like I’m used to. I appreciate the minimal stamps used by Serge. The bottom is sterile and his mark is stamped into the back of the putter, pure class IMO.

 

Carpet Test: Why is it that all of us immediately pull out some balls and start hitting putts on our carpet? If you don’t, you should try it. It is addictive. The feel of the putter is very smooth. When hit directly on the sweet spot, the putter provides a very solid feel. It is always hard to describe feel but the off center hits are certainly noticeable although not harsh like some putters. The feedback is nice and smooth but a bit less solid feeling then a center struck putt. I found the putter very easy to align to the target. Like I said previously, I’m not used to a sight dot but I found it very easy to adjust to. I’m not used to a blade style putter either but found this easy to adjust to as well. I’m not exactly sure what the swing weight is but my guess is that it is around 350gr which is just about perfect for me. All in all a great experience with this putter for an artificial surface known as my carpet.

 

On course test: I finally got to the course today with my test putter. Whenever I get a new putter I typically take current gamer with me as well, this was not the case today since my goal was to test the SD putter as much as I could. The feedback that I mentioned previously really worked well on longer putts today. I can tell immediately if I miss the sweet spot. The feeling is completely different, almost harsh on longer putts. By the end of the round, I was already starting to hit more putts dead on the sweet spot and was rewarded with a nice smooth response almost as though it were a practice stroke. I never felt the confidence that I feel with my current gamer but that is to be expected. All in all I felt that this putter was fairly easy to line up and provided nice feedback on putts hit on the sweet spot. I struggled today in reading putts but was able to manage distance control pretty well with this putter which enabled me to score pretty well despite not making any putt of considerable length. The ball seemed to jump off the face at a higher pace then I’m used to, this was good today with slow greens. The ball seemed to track toward the target and not break as much as I’m used to, not sure if this was in my head or not but it was easy to adjust to and enabled me to be a bit more aggressive with my stoke once I got used to it.

 

Overall: I really feel this putter provides a lot of performance for the dollar. This would make a great addition to much putter collection and I plan on picking on up. I would like to see how the putter looks after some aging and a bit of patina. The feel is unique and must be experienced to really understand. It is a great feeling which maybe only brass can produce. All in all it was a nice change from a sea of Anser style putters that seem to dominate so many collections these days.

[sergizmo]

Great review David. Thank you for being so thorough and taking the time to write all that. As a tester you can buy #4 for $140.

[teamarctic]

just got done with my week with putter number 1, heres my review

 

Looks: 6/10 I tried to like the looks of this putter, but it just wasnt doin it for me. The patina made it better for me, but it was more the shape of the putter, it just was to simple.

 

Feel: 10/10 The feel of this putter was amazing, i was expecting it to be really soft because of the brass, but it actually had an amazingly solid feel to it. i would love to find a NP/NP2 with feel this solid.

 

Roll: 9/10 this putter put a great roll on the ball, harldly any hopping at all, and if there was it was on long lag putts

 

Headcover: 12/10 this is the ablsolute best headcover i have ever seen, way better than the AM&E headcovers. the lining seemed softer to me, and i loved the magnets over the velcro. any way to get one a little bigger to fit a Red x2 in there?

 

Overall i liked the putter, but it was just to simple for me. Very nice putter though!

[sergizmo]

Thanks for posting a review. No worries about the looks, you can't really please everyone in this department and people have their own tastes. Thank you for being honest. Overall, outside of the looks it sounded like an enjoyable putting experience for you.

[Spoon]

Overall i liked the putter, but it was just to simple for me. Very nice putter though!

 

too simple? thats a big + in my book:)

 

looks like you enjoyed it overall though. did the center shaft get some getting used to?

[teamarctic]

Thanks for posting a review. No worries about the looks, you can't really please everyone in this department and people have their own tastes. Thank you for being honest. Overall, outside of the looks it sounded like an enjoyable putting experience for you.

 

i think the look of it is something i could get used to, but im used to SC red x2. Im sure it would just take some getting used to. thanks for the oppurtunity.

 

 

Overall i liked the putter, but it was just to simple for me. Very nice putter though!

 

too simple? thats a big + in my book:)

 

looks like you enjoyed it overall though. did the center shaft get some getting used to?

 

idk i guess i need some complexity, maybe im just weird? who knows!

 

overall i like it a lot, and im comin of a SC red x2 so the center shaft wasnt bad at all, but i could tell there was something different.

[skinny99]

I have had the great pleasure of trying out tester #1. What a great putter! The med bronze colored finish is very appealing to the eye and it combined with the material it is made of gives a very soft feel. The minute I first tried the putter out I found that it really rolls the ball straight without trying very hard. The craftsmanship and quality really shines through. I definitely can see owning one in the future. Unfortunately I have to return this one!! Thanks Todd

[elementlax]

any chance the testers are open again?

would love to try one

[rockmastermike]

I'll second that - interested in #2, just fits my eye.

[sergizmo]

Test putters # 2, 3 and 4 have been sold.

 

Number 1 will be shipped to me but I can put that on hold if anyone is interested. I'm trying to get in contact with the tester that has #5. So anyone interested in trying #1 or #5 please send me a PM or post in the thread.

[sergizmo]

I have one more person signed up for #1. Anyone else interested in putter #1? I'll give this two more days and then it will ship.