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.