TaylorMade Spider 5K ZT - In Hand Knee Jerk Review

[Need4spd]

Howdy, y’all! So, there was just no way I was not going to try this putter. Now and then, a putter like that comes out. Scotty’s new Fastback was another one of those, and yes, it’s already been sold. I digress…

 

I’ve been through close to half a dozen LAB’s. In fact, earlier today I sold my “dream LAB” to a lucky WRX’er in North Carolina. I’ve been tempted by Evnroll’s zero torque putter, the Square 2 Square, but surprisingly, haven’t pulled the trigger on either. I’ve owned probably two dozen different Spider’s since their initial release all the way back in, I don’t know, 2008? Needless to say, I’m a fan. All that to say, there was no way I was not buying one of these. The one I chose is the standard model, 34”. 

 

I’ve now spent about an hour on the practice green hitting a variety of putts, and another 15 minutes on my indoor green at home. Here are my thoughts…

 

The looks, fit, and finish are outstanding! Gone are the days of shoddy paint jobs. It’s multi-piece, of course, but otherwise fully milled. Credit to TaylorMade, they did an excellent job in this area.

 

If you’ve used any Spider in recent memory, you’re familiar with True Roll. Feel is obviously subjective. Personally, I’ve always liked it. Is it my absolute favorite? No, but it’s certainly a feel I am very happy to live with. I did find distance control pretty easy, something I’ve found a little hit and miss with LAB’s. 

 

Balance is iffy. It’s definitely no DF3 in that respect. It may not even be quite as good as other Spiders I’ve used. It’s good, just not great. This is pure conjecture on my part, but I suspect the reason maybe the fact that the majority of the weight is distributed towards the front of the putter, whereas the black rear section is much lighter. Other Spiders tend to have more weight further back. I’m nowhere near smart enough to know why TaylorMade engineered it this way, though I’m sure there was a good reason. 

 

Alignment is pretty good, well above average, but not “point and shoot.” Like feel, this is also somewhat subjective. I do like (maybe even love) the milled lines that run parallel to the target line along the top. Personally, I’ve found the Mezz to be the easiest zero torque putter I’ve had to aim. 
 

Something to consider is the fact that there is less onset than with most others, and therefore, less forward shaft lean. This was appealing to me at first. I’m not saying it isn’t now, just something I wanted to point out. 
 

The SuperStroke grip is freaking cool. Like, really cool! I love that TaylorMade, who obviously has a long standing relationship with SuperStroke, got them to make a Pistol 1.0 with shaft lean. Looks great, feels great, I’m a huge fan! 
 

Finally, the shaft appears to be inserted directly into the clubhead just like a LAB. So, can the lie angle be adjusted? I seriously doubt it. Stock is 70°, so that’s something else to consider. 
 

Thanks for reading! Happy to answer any questions. 🏌🏼‍♂️

 

Edited June 4 by Need4spd

[HKS350]

Picked one up today myself. Had toyed with LAB but never really loved it. To me the feel is exactly what I was searching for. My putter fit revealed that I was a good fit for ZT, with a very straight back and straight-through tendency. 

 

The course will be the big test, but I'm sick of losing strokes on the greens. 🤙

[Need4spd]

Oh, one other thing!

The headcover is outstanding! Very cool looking, in my opinion, and excellent quality! By far the best stock Spider headcover I’ve seen. I’m a custom headcover junky, too, and since aftermarket options are limited, this is a huge plus for me.

[HKS350]

Agreed!

[wedgemaster69]

Great review, I bought one to try out last week and agree with everything you experienced. 
 

It’s a great putter but I ended up returning it, as it was not better than the DF3 I already own. In hindsight, maybe I should have bought the CB as the standard model did not provide anymore help than what I already have with my LAB. 

[Kmac]

@Need4spd How did you find the roll when you were putting on the real greens? Was it a pure roll and pretty consistent and easy to get that end over end going? How about alignment? I think they went a little understated with the alignment but I suspect that so they can offer the "My ZT" version later.

 

Good feedback!

[Dekudude]

I'm curious to see this on a revealer

[Urb]

$500 for a putter with a plastic face is a tough sell.  

[cmrl1986]

Putted in-store with the cb version over lunch, it lines up well and feels good off the face. I will say it's the best looking ZT I think I've seen so far. 

[MerryTex]

35 minutes ago, cmrl1986 said:

Putted in-store with the cb version over lunch, it lines up well and feels good off the face. I will say it's the best looking ZT I think I've seen so far. 

 

I also had a chance to see this today. It is a good-looking design, and I've always been a fan of the pure roll insert. Our shop had already sold 4 out of the 7 they received today as pre-orders. As of now, it is one of the better-looking ZT putters. I also like the idea of the Bettinardi Antidote blade. That putter felt very good when I tested it. 

[Jc0]

17 hours ago, Need4spd said:

 

 

Balance is iffy. It’s definitely no DF3 in that respect. It may not even be quite as good as other Spiders I’ve used. It’s good, just not great. This is pure conjecture on my part, but I suspect the reason maybe the fact that the majority of the weight is distributed towards the front of the putter, whereas the black rear section is much lighter. Other Spiders tend to have more weight further back. I’m nowhere near smart enough to know why TaylorMade engineered it this way, though I’m sure there was a good reason. 

 

Something to consider is the fact that there is less onset than with most others, and therefore, less forward shaft lean. This was appealing to me at first. I’m not saying it isn’t now, just something I wanted to point out. 
 

 

These are related. The center of gravity has to be where the shaft meets the head. Since the shaft is closer to the face the weight has to be farther forward. So even though it has the footprint of a DF3, it's probably going to play more like a Mezz. Why they went with the closer approach I'd be curious about. Feel like the DF3 is more popular then the Mezz, but they could also easily move the weighting a bit and make another version with more onset to mimic a DF3.

[Steelhead]

...What Need4Spd said...

 

It's in the bag for now...

 

Edited June 4 by Steelhead

[Red4282]

45 minutes ago, Steelhead said:

...What Need4Spd said...

 

It's in the bag for now...

 

Hey, matches the ping 440s colors! Looks good

[felipz24]

Maybe an unpopular take here...but I think that headcover and the turquoise color overall are quite ugly. I like the shape quite a bit, but I find that flashy colors like this on putters never end up being 'timeless' and in fact look pretty dated pretty quickly.   

[getitdaily]

4 hours ago, cmrl1986 said:

Putted in-store with the cb version over lunch, it lines up well and feels good off the face. I will say it's the best looking ZT I think I've seen so far. 

You think the shaft lean being less than all others is a reason for it being the best looking? 

[Wonderboy]

I think the ZT is awesome and TM did a great job with it.  I have grown to love the spider X with the L neck and the white true path. I find it so easy to line up. I am kind of surprised they do not have a version of the true path for the middle portion of the putter. I will eventually give one a roll when I see it but the spider X is a pretty firm staple in the bag right now. 

[Need4spd]

10 hours ago, Dekudude said:

I'm curious to see this on a revealer

At some point, I’m sure we will. Honestly, I seriously doubt it will show up the way a LAB does.

[Need4spd]

11 hours ago, Kmac said:

@Need4spd How did you find the roll when you were putting on the real greens? Was it a pure roll and pretty consistent and easy to get that end over end going? How about alignment? I think they went a little understated with the alignment but I suspect that so they can offer the "My ZT" version later.

 

Good feedback!

Personally, I don’t struggle with getting the ball to roll well. Alignment, well, that’s a different story. My disclaimer would be the fact that aiming a putter with onset is a different deal. 
 

To my eye, these kinds of putters often look closed. That won’t be the case for all. Again, it’s subjective. I actually broke out my putting mirror just so I could see what square looks like. I’m hoping that by training a little with the mirror, I’ll begin to trust that I’m set up and aimed correctly.

[Need4spd]

7 hours ago, Steelhead said:

...What Need4Spd said...

 

It's in the bag for now...

 

Oh yeah! I happen to game a G440 as well, though I have a moose covering mine. 😃

[Need4spd]

8 hours ago, MerryTex said:

 

I also had a chance to see this today. It is a good-looking design, and I've always been a fan of the pure roll insert. Our shop had already sold 4 out of the 7 they received today as pre-orders. As of now, it is one of the better-looking ZT putters. I also like the idea of the Bettinardi Antidote blade. That putter felt very good when I tested it. 

If the Anecdote blade were 15ish perfect larger, I’d give it a serious look. I also own a custom made putter made by Embrace that is [nearly] center shafted, though not “zero torque.” Think of the putter that Hideki used a few months ago.

 

Point being, I love the design, the Anecdote just looks tiny to me.

[Need4spd]

7 hours ago, Jc0 said:

 

These are related. The center of gravity has to be where the shaft meets the head. Since the shaft is closer to the face the weight has to be farther forward. So even though it has the footprint of a DF3, it's probably going to play more like a Mezz. Why they went with the closer approach I'd be curious about. Feel like the DF3 is more popular then the Mezz, but they could also easily move the weighting a bit and make another version with more onset to mimic a DF3.

Good add. Makes total sense. 

[SVTM5]

Im looking to pick one up tomorrow. I do own a bunch zero torque putters. I have a fetish. I do like the look of spider 5k zt just based off the pictures. I do own a few labs, bettinardi sb1, jailbird square to square. I have a putter or zero torque putter problem. 

Edited June 5 by SVTM5

[Need4spd]

1 minute ago, SVTM5 said:

Im looking to pick one up tomorrow. I do own a bunch zero torque putters. I have a fetish. I do like the look of spider 5k zt just based off the pictures. I do own a few labs, bettinardi sb1, jailbird square to square. I have a putter or zero torque putter problem. 

I suppose, maybe, I do as well. I’m determined to make one of these damn things work. Wanna hear something funny? 
 

The best I’ve putted in recent memory (last six months) has been with a PLD Anser 4D. Go figure. 

[Need4spd]

2 minutes ago, Need4spd said:

I suppose, maybe, I do as well. I’m determined to make one of these damn things work. Wanna hear something funny? 
 

The best I’ve putted in recent memory (last six months) has been with a PLD Anser 4D. Go figure. 

I just don’t hoard anymore. I used to. Now, I buy, sell, and/or trade. My “collection” is limited to maybe half a dozen putters. 
 

As I mentioned, I unloaded my “dream LAB” already. If this thing doesn’t do the trick, you can bet I’ll get rid of it, too!

Edited June 5 by Need4spd

[SVTM5]

26 minutes ago, Need4spd said:

I suppose, maybe, I do as well. I’m determined to make one of these damn things work. Wanna hear something funny? 
 

The best I’ve putted in recent memory (last six months) has been with a PLD Anser 4D. Go figure. 

Mine has been with a jailbird 380. Im determined to make it work as well.

[spacecowboy]

Just stopped by the local Golf Galaxy with $500 in my pocket.  Rolled the ZT for about 20 minutes and honestly didn't seem much different than my Odyssey 10 CS.  I was really looking forward to this one, and I could still end up owning one, but I'll hold off until they start hitting the classifieds.

[Steelhead]

1 hour ago, spacecowboy said:

Just stopped by the local Golf Galaxy with $500 in my pocket.  Rolled the ZT for about 20 minutes and honestly didn't seem much different than my Odyssey 10 CS.  I was really looking forward to this one, and I could still end up owning one, but I'll hold off until they start hitting the classifieds.

Gotta' put it on real grass green and it's great feeling!

[Mike_C]

My local store had one of each model, the Standard, CB, and Long.   

 

I rolled a bunch of putts over lunch, liked the Standard model maybe the best over the CB, even though I'm using a CB Ping right now, and was using a CB Spider Tour S just before.    The long ZT wasn't bad either, but I just can't seem to putt with a long putter, even though I probably should learn how...  

 

Tempting to try one, but another putter is the last thing I probably really need.....

[ALX]

Just saw one today, much bigger than I thought but they do feel pretty nice.

[dyd12]

how's everyone liking their spider ZT so far? strongly considering getting one as I want to try a putter with no offset because of my left eye dominance, I also rolled a LAB a bit a couple months ago and liked the way I stroked it, just felt like it was a bit too soft. im a fan of the pure-roll insert.