Nice soft hands are the key. Overall, the putter was far easier to hit the line with than I thought it would be. There is some serious inertia in that cavity-less head. Still, great looking club. Anybody releasing a blade putter gets a thumbs up from me. What pleases me is that Wilson Staff is back in the manufacturer’s batter’s box, swinging for the fence again. Rare Find: Pristine Wilson 8802 @ Garage Sale! The 8802 was butter, fell in love again right away, really enjoyed the simplicity of no markings on top and the toe! An acknowledged weak putter can find a new instrument and make a breakthrough. Matt is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Plugged In Golf. It has a full 90 degree toe hang, which is more than some people need. Wilson Staff did a great job with the looks by staying true to the original design. When Palmer's contract with Wilson expired, the 1993-1996 Wilson 8802 Putter - The Vintage Golfer - YouTube Science is okay, but if you don’t have feel, touch, control, and most of all love your Putter, forget science, milled Putters, big grips, long Putters, expensive Putters made of exotic materials or that copy Putters that have worked for years, then won’t be a darn bit better. Total lack of feel for speed and roll on the greens cost me heavily as I learnt for the first time in my life what it was like to be satisfied with a two-putt. This privacy policy updated April 2009, Many folks are unsure about what constitutes an "Original" Wilson 8802 putter. This is the 1993 version. It’s nice they salute a classic. Hacker, putting is still feel, perception, and distance control.
But. In the case of the 8802, Wilson Staff has done a perfect job with the size, shape, and proportions of this timeless design. Carbon steel has a “feel” that is different from any of the stainless steels, and (IMHO) carbon is percieved as “soft yet responsive” thing.
(I’ve been out of the business for a while, so I could be wrong). Almost all putting.
The following two tabs change content below. 1, then by his successor on the perch, Dustin Johnson, as well as the new “it” player, Jon Rahm. I have tried the new 8802 and it’s not only a honest work of art it feels better than the Scotty and Ping.. Ordered online, no test. They are producing golf equipment that potents a bright future as they move into their next century of business. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He said that the 8802 really requires you to let the head release to be effective. Maybe it’s the simple design. I would have to agree this putter is as soft as butter. The Wilson Staff 8802 putter doesn’t come with a big list of “performance features.” It’s a classic that you play primarily for the joy of playing it. Like seeing an old friend you haven’t seen in 10 years:). The biggest inroads by the mallet in the last decade was achieved by the “winged” mallet , the Odyssey 7. 1940 – Wilson introduces the R46 Willie Hoare putter. (You will never be spammed by me - ever)Log Files and StatsLike most blogging platforms I use log files, in this case Statcounter. If you are a line or dot guy, the 8802 may give you a bit of pause in the alignment department. We don’t know if Spieth at this week’s Colonial will use the “winged” Scotty Cameron T5W mallet that he switched out for the Cameron 009 model he’s ridden to so much glory. Has there been a modern classic? MyGolfSpy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Lamkin grip is a bit thinner than modern grips, closer in size to that found on the classic 8802. The 2014 version has stay very true to the original with the same iconic blade-looks and lines. Though soft, the 8802 puts a fairly vigorous roll on the ball. Looks perfect, plays better. Putter switches in pro golf are normally not a big deal and happen all the time. It looks shiny and beautiful, but it is still a functional tool for making putts. Would not surprised to see the new one in Crenshaw’s bag — of course it would be cut to 34 and a 1/4 inches. Less is definitely more!!!!!
Wow just got this putter. Wilson Staff made sure that this modern 8802 still had the elements that retail the classic feel on an emotional level.
Few, if any, golf club designs have the history and pedigree of the Wilson 8802 putter.
Always said I need a putter style like the 8802. Mallet putters, long in the minority even after big incursions the Ram Zebra and the Callaway Two-Ball, are gaining the majority on the PGA Tour. Wilson Staff has spent the first half of this year celebrating their centennial anniversary with special product releases. The one big difference I noted was the roll of the ball off the clubface. Designed by WPZOOM. I loved it, but something was missing in the sound. Youth or style of putting? But it also seemed like more bad putters used the mallet, looking for comfort in the impression that the bigger head would offer more forgiveness. It was also the putter that Ben Hogan and Sam Snead were wielding in photos or their rare appearances on television. Best money I have ever spent on golf, no rubbish with alignment, no trying straight back and forward, just putt with feel...wow. It is just about as smooth a putter as you can find anywhere.
I’m not saying it is a universal fit. Their staff players are winning tournaments, and their golf gear is better than it has been in decades. If a user wishes to subscribe to my RSS Feeds or Email Updates (powered by Feedburner), I ask for contact information such as name and email address. Very elegant to look down on. Though I’m not one to fool around on my gamers, the 8802 has given me a wandering eye. A 5 star putter for me. IMHO, the prime feature of this club could mostly be attributed to the head speed shaft. Wilson has again produced a winner. Your personal information will never be sold or given to a third party. Your email address will not be published. :O). And I was lucky enough to be one of the very first to get my hands on one. Without doubt the Centennial is the real thing!! I have an old Wilson Tour Blade II that I rolled this one against. I own one from the 90’s after having frivolously given away at least one and maybe three of the originals for defensive reasons. It's quiet, soft and feels, on the greens, like a sweetly struck forged blade feels like off the fairway. It is also a bit heavier than the old one.
Can anyone tell me about my 8802 putter?It has no writting on it except for the number 8802.No other markings at all! Mallet putters were more rare. I was a good putter as a kid, learning how to putt with simple blades, open stance, and feel. 304 stainless steel is significantly softer than 303, making it more of a hassle to mill, but making the resulting putter much softer feeling. Miller Barber, who used an Otey Crisman with a hickory shaft, always looked nervous on the greens.
I still think that there is some truth to that, but after a couple of sessions on the practice green, I had a great time playing it on the course. This one is different. There is definitely a golf resurgence is underway at Wilson Staff. Spieth and Ko are both generally considered the best putters in today’s game by their respective peers, so it was jarring to see them switch. Find the right Putter and have romance with it. The Wilson 8802 has the best feel and purest roll of any putter I have played, though very close to my custom Morgan, which I paid nearly double for. Then I saw this putter and remembered what it was to putt with one. What simplicity of design! They shafted the 8802 with a Head Speed shaft like the original 8802, right down to the flutes in the shaft. Of course, it can go the other way. Maybe it ties nostalgically into how they learned the game. The FG Tour and Duo balls are top notch in their categories as well.
Just bought from estate of golf collector. When you hit the sweet spot, it is nothing but pure. The no-nonsense view at address is the view Wilson had when they created this putter. In the putter market today, virtually all you hear about is forgiveness or “better roll.” Many makers are in a constant battle to make the biggest, ugliest mallet. Never up, never in. Custom Club makers would do well to differentiate themselves with shaft fitting options for putters. The History of the 8802. Putter lovers revere the 8802. We have all seen versions of the 8802 that include sight lines, either on the flange or top line. More and more I felt myself throwing out the modern, textbook putting stance and stroke and getting into a position like Gary Player or Jack Nicklaus and feeling my putts more than hoping the putter would do the work for me. Nobody that I know talks about shaft “stiffness” for putters. Are the 8802s just rarer? One of the hardest things to do is replicate a classic. IP addresses etc. Classic feel elements have been retained, but the Wilson Staff engineers designed two significant modern elements into the 8802 as well. The 8802 was smooth with no marks on it. Nicklaus won in 1967 at Baltusrol with a Bulls Eye painted white that he borrowed from Beman and dubbed “White Fang.” Pavin used a Bullseye in his early career, but in the 1990s gave the flange a boost, winning the 1995 U.S. Open with a Cleveland Classic. Summary: The new Wilson Staff 8802 putter continues the heritage of the original Wilson Staff milled putter that won multiple major championships in the hands of some of the best putters in history. Good catch there. The elegant, smooth, classic shape inspires you to hole more putts rather than doing the work for you. Admire its beauty, but make sure it gets some grass on it. Spieth missed his second cut in a row and third in his last four individual starts, this time at the AT&T Byron Nelson. Been playing an 8802 for about 20 years (still has the original leather wrap grip). It’s not automatic aiming, but it’s not impossible either. That’s not to say that you can’t fill up the cup with the 8802. However, it soon grew on me and after two or three rounds I was sold. Users may opt-out of these communications at any time. There are even some that have a line on the flange that’s parallel to the face. I will bag this art work soon.. Side by side shots of old 8802 and centenary version would have been great. All Rights Reserved.. Podcast Episode 107 – Answering Reader Questions. I just want to make sure that you give it a roll, if just for nostalgia’s sake.
Good putters still feel the Putt and make it happen. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Find out more about the putter brand used by Justin Rose! Collector's Corner, The Wilson 8802 Putter: ''While considered a classic, the 8802 was not originally designed as a pro-line model. Here is a timeline of the 8802 that Wilson Staff shared with me. It is not clicky or light as it may appear. Could not agree more. The ball coming off the milled 304 stainless steel face feels soft, heavy, and sublime. A joy to putt with.