When the founder of Bombtech, Tyler ‘Sully’ Sullivan, announced that he was working on a putter, the obvious question was could he replicate the success he had with his Grenade driver. Sure, we thought he had done a bang up job with the Grenade driver, but the technology in a flatstick and a big stick are worlds apart.
The most obvious feature of the Bombtech putter is the weight. It’s about as heavy a putter as we have reviewed, weighing in at a stout 445 grams. Even my wife, who is not a golfer, instantly noticed how heavy it is compared to other putters. But she also noted one of the big advantages. In her words: “It takes a little more to pull the putter back, but it actually makes it easier and smoother to swing it through the stroke.” And in that short observation, you get a lot of the science at work in this new mallet.
As noted in our Bombtech Driver review, Sully works with engineers to design what he believes is a superior product. While I will dig into many of these topics, Sully brings his perspective in this article. As for my opinion, I will start with my general belief that the short game is mainly feel, imagination and lots of practice. There is no putter on the planet that can magically eliminate 3 putts or because human error is a fact of existence. However, a superior putter can help with these issues and I believe the Bombtech putter does so by addresses a couple of key problems.
One, we don’t always hit the putter in the sweet spot–and that translates to offline puts as the putter twists in our hands. MOI, or the moment of inertia has been thrown around a lot in the past few years, but the Bombtech designers did a ton of work to use form, materials and distribution of that large chunk of carbon steel to make sure that off-center hits were as minimally damaging as possible. I can certainly attest to the fruit of their labor! I spent some time hitting off the toe, the heel and the center and was very impressed how well the putts stayed on line and kept their distance.
Two, we have trouble with the fluidity of our stroke, especially under pressure— and that means that we will stab or swat at the ball, or push, pull or yank our strokes when we are nervous. I can also tell you that this putter is extremely easy to swing smoothly through the hitting zone. The added weight compared to other putters is a true revelation in terms of promoting a smooth, non-wristy stroke through the ball-striking path. If you can pull it back and let it go, the putter tries really hard to stay on a smooth arc which correlates to much better and more consistent rolls. Bombtech starts with a huge block of steel, and like many boutique putter companies, uses computer-guided metal lathes to work the steel into the beautiful mallet you see here.
Three, many of us have putters that skid before they start rolling— and that contributes to offline rolls and varied distance. Bombtech has put a loft angle of 2.5 degrees into the face of the putter so that it will skid less and start rolling quicker. They have slow-motion footage comparing the Grenade Golf Putter to other well-known putters, and the results are easy to see with your own eyes. Links are on the article mentioned above.
We have reviewed quite a barrel-full of putters here at Three Guys Golf and we have been very impressed and grateful to the companies, craftsmen and engineers that have taken the ‘flatstick’ to new heights. I’d like to say from my experience that the Bombtech Grenade Golf Putter belongs in a short list of putters you should be glad to have in your bag. It’s a true contender, and at a street price of $200, it’s pretty stunning what they’ve packed into this stick.
I first took the putter out with an Odyssey mallet I’ve used as my default for nearly 20 years, as well as several other boutique and name-brand mallets I’ve reviewed over the past few years. No doubt, the Bombtech was the heaviest, without question. For example, I recently reviewed the Bettinardi BB2 counterbalance putter that I would classify as “heavy”, and the Bombtech is heavier than that.
On the course: To give some context, I was putting on some greens that were the fastest I had seen in recent years. I don’t like to exaggerate, but folks were actually gasping when they hit their putts and when I tapped a little 8 footer down a slight incline, and the ball rolled a cool 15 feet past the cup I knew these conditions would be a great test for the Bombtech putter. At the end of a 45 minute putting session, I was extremely pleased with how quickly I was able to make putts with the same consistency as my normal putter. And in certain situations where I was a little shaky on a brutally quick side-hill putts, the Bombtech helped give me a smoother, less wristy stroke than I sometimes put on with a lighter putter. What I found was that the ball rolled off the face beautifully, and held it’s line extremely well.
Since most of us don’t play on lightening fast greens I also tested the Bombtech putter on medium/slower greens. Perhaps because I have so many years feeling the distance of 8 to 10 footers with a lighter putter, moving to such a weighted flat stick is often difficult because judging distance is quite different. Again, the Bombtech does a phenomenal job of getting the ball on line but there is absolutely an adjustment period for judging distance. On slower greens I found myself hitting the ball past the hole farther and more often than normal. With that said, it is more a matter of learning the putter to dial in the distance.
That brings me to two of the main things I noticed about the Grenade Golf putter: it feels effortless to swing and it sounds beautiful when if comes off the milled face. I don’t ever underestimate a balanced feel and satisfying sound on impact. Those benefits to my peace of mind while I am putting are immense. If you are more used to an insert, you might hear a little more click off the metal face than you are used to but I guarantee you that with a bit of time with this putter you will hear exactly how solid it is through impact from the sound alone.
The mallet head design looks excellent to my eye during setup which is also as a design benefit. Plus, you can pick up a ball of the green using the back of the mallet (my back says thank you to all designers who make this work). The aligment aids which include the notch in the head and green stripes are spot on and really are helpful to getting you lined up correctly. And honestly, the well-balanced feel of the putter really helped me forget how heavy the putter is. There is no other way to describe the swing of this putter than ‘super smooth.’
Finally, it is worth noting that the headcover is a branded Rose & Fire ballistic nylon model. We are big fans of Rose & Fire headcovers and reviewed the motorcycle leather version a few months ago.
So, if you are looking for an excellent putter designed to facilitate as smooth and easy a putting experience as you could hope for, at a very reasonable price, in this guy’s opinion you should give this new Bombtech Grenade Golf Putter a very hard look.
You can learn more on the Bombtech website.
With a name like Bombtech Grenade, you would expect my review to begin this review with claims of picking up 25 yards and crushing drives like Gary Woodland. While I do believe the Bombtech Driver may give you extra distance off the tee, I want to begin by telling you why this driver is different than any driver you will find in a store and why it might be the best driver you have ever bought.
Let’s roll back the clock to 2010 when company founder, Tyler Sullivan (“Sully”), was experimenting with different clubs trying to find one that fit his game. Frustrated with the quality of drivers and a mind for tinkering, he started building clubs from assorted pieces and parts. With some success under his belt he approached the University of Vermont with the idea of developing a brand new driver designed from the ground up. So, along with a team of fresh faced senior Engeering geeks, the Bombtech Grenade was launched.
Common sense would say that there is no way anyone can touch a driver market that is dominated by billion dollar powerhouses like Taylormade and Callaway but that is where you would be wrong. The way I see it, there are two basic things that go into making a driver: 1) design and 2) manufacturing.
Sure the big boys have a team of smart people working on their product line, but there is no monopoly on brain power and sometimes design breakthroughs occur in the most unlikely of places. As evidence to my proposition, I would point to the boutique putter and wedge market where some of the finest selection is crafted by tiny companies.
The second part of the equation is actually making the driver. This is where the major brands have both and advantage and dis-advanatage. Clearly they have access to huge manufacturing and command enormous purchasing power. On the other hand, I believe that once a product goes into mass production there is a certain reduction in the basic attention to detail. This is where small companies like Bombtech have an upper hand as they can obsess over every tiny detail until it is perfect and maintain a level of quality control unheard of in mass manufacturing.
Before I ever saw the Bombtech Grenade, I spent and hour speaking with Sully to get some background and learn why he thinks it is the best driver on the market. Admittedly, about 25% of the conversation went over my head but what I clearly understood was how passionate he is about his craft.
For those of you looking to really get under the numbers and the technology behind the Bombtech, you can read a full synopsis of the design process which includes tables, charts and a whole lot of equations that make my head spin.
The first time I actually hit the Bombtech Grenade driver was exactly two minutes before I teed off. That particular day I was playing a new course so I cannot say for sure if I drove the ball farther than normal, but I certainly felt very comfortable. There was also a couple of times I honestly though I had mis-hit the ball but to my surprise each one flew much straighter than I expected. Since that time, I still feel the Bombtech is quite forgiving.
Now on to the all important “but is it longer?” question. For this test I did two things. First I played my regular course about 10 times where I know the yardage and where I land the ball. As a 10 handicapper, I know there are lots of factors going into how far I hit the ball on a given day but I can confidently say the Bombtech is at least as long as other drivers I play with and maybe about 7-10 yards longer.
Secondly, I took it into Golf Galaxy where I know a few of the guys. I hit it in the launch monitor and low and behold it went about 7 yards farther than all the other drivers I have hit in there (which is just about every driver on the market). However, I am not a long hitter so I let one of the Golf Galaxy staff guys hit it. I asked him how far he usually hits his driver to which he said “about 300 yards”. Firstly, I did not believe him but then he hauled off and hit the Bombtech 308 yards. He then hit about 5 more the same distance after which he turned to me and asked “where can I buy this?”
My other antidotal evidence of the distance came on the driving range when I passed the club to a buddy who also is a big hitter. One swing and he exclaimed…and I quote “Holy Fuck this thing is hot”. He then hit three more and asked if we could switch drivers. He has a brand new big name brand driver.
As regular readers know, I am not a gear-head so I am not going to give you all of the phsyics of the driver. However, there are a few basic features that are worth noting. First, it is not an adjustable driver. While some may see this as a disadvantage, I personally think adjustability is over-rated. I like to find a driver that I like and never mess with the settings. Additionally, the current Grenade only comes in 10.5 loft although I expect that to change as the product line grows.
A few other tech notes. First, the driver is made from a 2 piece cast mold and plasma welded face plate. The Bombtech comes with a Matrix shaft in a number of flexes and lengths. Turning the driver over, you will notice the dual cavity design which promotes club speed and bounce. Again, this stuff goes over my head but it looks bad-ass and fits my bill.
Aesthetically, the Bombtech has a nice black matte finish on the club and shiny black paint on the bottom. Beyond the color, the quality of the paint is above average which is another example of Sully’s attention to detail. While you may never think about paint, turn over your driver and take a peak. See how it looks like it is 20 years old? That is because many large manufactures use cheap paint. On the other hand, Bombtech only uses premium paint which will last much longer. Again, small companies sweat the details!
So here is my bottom line: The Bomtech Grenade Driver is chock full of technology and physics. It was not designed to be fancy or have a gimmick but simply to outperform other clubs on the market. The simple fact that it was concieved and built by a small team of incredibly invested people.
The Bombtech Grenade driver retails for $299 and can be purchased on the Bombtech website.
