Equipment
GolfWRX Spotlight: Optic Golf Z11 putter
Product: Optic Golf Z11 putter
Pitch: (From Optic): Optic Golf has a line of putters that not only make alignment super easy, but also create a more natural stroke and allow the player to stay relaxed throughout the putting motion. With the Z neck design and bold alignment lines, the putter is constructed to give the player the best chance to create a consistent set up. From hand and eye position, to squaring up the face to you target, this putter should help anyone who has trouble in their pre-shot routine.
By lining up the toe line with the Z neck and then to the heel line, this putter ensures that you are square to your aiming line. Once the putter is square to your line, it should have your hands in the same place every time when lining up, thus keeping you consistent and more worry free to start your putting stroke. The weighting and shape of the Z neck allows perfect balance in the head to help with off center hits that many of today’s players struggle with daily. The neck behaves as a fulcrum that the weight in the toe and heel move around which Optic states, “Raises the Center of Gravity in the clubface generating more topspin (MOI), more than any other putter on the market…” I took this out to the course to find out for myself if this putter does what Optic markets.
Our take on the Optic Golf Z11 putter
First Look
First thing I noticed was the interesting look of the Z11. The head shape is a mid-mallet design with “forks” and soft lines that seemed to mesh well with the alignment lines and z neck. The finish is a great charcoal/black finish with white lines to give you contrast that makes it very easy to see if you are in fact square or slightly off. The shaft is a very attractive black that matches the head nicely and the Garsen Quad Tour Tapered grip is a nice touch, but a grip that I have not used.
On course
I took the Z11 to the putting green, and the first thing I noticed was how easy it was to see if I had the putter lined up appropriately or not to my intended line. Now, I feel this has always been a strong suit of mine, but something that causes it to be this easy and quick, I’m certainly a fan. I started with some five-foot putts to make sure I was in fact hitting my intended line and to see if this design allows me to putt more freely.
The putter feel is on the heavier side. I putt left hand low and the grip was comfortable, but I do prefer less tapered grips such as super strokes or similar. The feel/sound of the face is a bit firmer than I am used to as well. I enjoy milled and insert putters, but even this face and the metal they use (proprietary materials and face mill per their website), it is much firmer than most milled putters I have used in the past.
Roll seemed to be consistent and started quickly. The putter has about 2.5 degrees of loft, but as stated above, Optic also points out that the Z design assists in forward roll as well.
Now, how did it work? For me, it was hard to get used to the look of how the putter head transitioned from body, to the Z neck, to the hosel, and up the shaft. I did notice that with my putting motion, I was initially fighting the path/how the head rotated through the stroke. It took quite a bit of practicing to find a ball position, tempo, and stroke length to dial this putter in to get line and speed. Once on the course, I could find my line, set up, and be confident on my alignment. I was getting good, smooth roll off the face, but unfortunately, me not being comfortable with the design/look from above did not give me great confidence. I will say, with their toe and heel weighting and the Z neck design, off-center hits performed very well. In some cases, while hitting off the toe purposefully, the putt tracked and seemed to perform better for me. Distance control on off-center hits was very good.
My experience
This putter can certainly help players out there having trouble with pre-shot setup and consistency. Much like many putters out there today, this has all the tech that can make consistent and perfect position possible. The only problem is, putting is so unique to the player, that, of course, no one putter is great for everyone. I think that is what I had an issue with while having this putter in play. Due to the concerns, a look that was a significant departure from my gamer, and having to change a few things in my own setup, the result for me was inconsistent in terms of performance.
My biggest issue was pulling putts left, which could be from me changing certain habits in my stroke due to having difficulty laying the putter correctly due to its more rocker-styled sole. Everything up to making the actual stroke was easy as stated by Optic, but unfortunately for me, there can be a big disconnect or a confidence factor when looking down, and the perspective is different than what I look for in putters and am used to.
I did have a friend try it out just to get another opinion. While he said the look was a departure from what he was used to as well, he was lining up putts quickly, and he put a stroke on the ball that worked very well for him. I highly suggest to anyone who would like an easier and much simpler way to set up to those crucial putts: have a look at this brand.
It’s also worth noting Optic does offer some more traditional shapes with the Z neck. If I had tried one of those (specifically the Z8 or ZK), I do believe it would have been more beneficial to me.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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JP
Feb 3, 2020 at 12:09 am
$29.99?
They outdid Truss in the ugly Dept.