EQUIPMENT REVIEW

Nike Golf's OZ
Black T130 putter
is a wizard on the greens

By Kiel Christianson,
Senior Writer

(June 20, 2006) - There was a day on the PGA Tour when you were more likely to see a $1 hot dog at a concession stand than you were to see a mallet putter. Today, with all of the whiz-bang alignment aids built into putter heads, and the light-year advancements in weighting and balance, mallet putters have become commonplace at all levels of golf.

Take the Nike OZ Black T130 putter (MSRP $169), which debuted in Michelle Wie's golf bag at the LPGA Fields Open earlier this year. Nike's newest flatstick incorporates all that is appealing about bulky-headed putters, and then some.

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First, there is the weighting scheme. The OZ T130 has the highest moment of inertia (MOI), or resistance to twisting, in the OZ putter line. This remarkable stability is provided by two 65-gram tungsten weights positioned rearward in the heel and toe of the clubhead. The positioning of the weights as far apart as possible in the rear of the oddly butterfly-shaped head provides extreme stability on off-center hits.

Second, there's the black finish, courtesy of Tour pro Stewart Cink, who consulted on the design of the OZ line. The color makes the chunky putter head appear a bit sleeker. According to Cink, putting is mainly mental - and if a putter looks appealing to the eye, it will engender confidence.

Third, the ultra-lightweight polymer insert and the rest of the face are milled to induce pure forward roll on contact. The T130 is also face-balanced.

Fourth, the long line extending back from the sweetspot serves as an effective alignment aid.

Fifth, in contrast to most putters, the OZ T130 has a trough in the back of the clubhead, which allows you to scoop the ball up off the green without bending over. For those of us with aching backs, this is indeed a welcome addition to mallet putters.

How it plays

We took the OZ Black T130 to the practice green and the course to see if the wizard performed as well as billed. What became immediately apparent was that this putter has feel in the extreme.

Now, don't get us wrong: Feel is a good thing in a putter. In the case of the OZ T130, though, there was so much it almost became distracting.

Putts struck on the sweetspot jumped so lightly and so true off the putter face that off-center contact felt almost jarring by comparison. Toe- and heel-hits still ended up close to the cup, but well short. After a few miss-hits, a pure roll that missed the cup would sail well past the hole.

Miss-hits were also accompanied by a tinging noise compared to center-strikes, providing further feedback.

The verdict

The Nike OZ Black T130 is one weighty, shapely putter, with enough built-in bells and whistles to suit any mallet devotee. Inconsistent putters might find the difference in feel between off-center and center-cut contact disconcerting, but you would be hard-pressed to find a flatstick with more feel.

Oh, and the standard C-Thru grip and Nike swoosh lend enough style for even 16-year-old phenoms.

This material has been provided by Golf Publisher Syndications. The opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of management.