You know the old adage: “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.” In this case, “It ain’t in the hole, unless The Fat Lady Swings.” Remember the putter that got all the notoriety when Nick Price was tearing it up on the PGA tour in the early 90’s? The original The Fat Lady Swings putter was considered an outlandish design by many, just as Karsten Solheim’s Anser was considered “Way out there.” Boy, have times changed. The big gal is back. MacGregor/Bobby Grace’s new ’06 The Fat Lady Swings putter keeps many of the design cues of the original, but gives it the up-to-date technology to make it competitive with the current crop of high MOI putters on the market. Furthermore, the design that was once considered a radical departure in the looks department, is now rather tame in comparison with many of the big egg beater putters on the market. If you can’t quite stomach the look of some of the high MOI putters out there right now, but would like the advantages of the technology they offer, the ’06 Fat Lady Swings is definitely worth a closer look.
Upon first inspection, The Fat Lady Swings exudes quality. Beautiful millwork on the top and face of the putter really stands out, along with Bobby Grace’s use of beryllium copper in the face. The aircraft aluminum head is a reserved shade of smoky grey-green. Red alignment lines have been added to the milled back cavity (a slight departure from the original design) to further aid in alignment. I do wish MacGregor would have used a different color paint for the alignment lines. The red they used is quite muted and almost a magenta tone that gets a bit lost on the grey-green color of the head. The milled cavity acts as enough of an alignment aid that it is a fairly moot point. The polished sole plate houses two ports with removable copper-tungsten weights, along with a third fixed weight of the same material. The ability to change the two perimeter weights for a customized feel or to adjust to different green conditions is a nice touch. The Fat Lady Swings comes standard with a Winn V17 grip that offers good tackiness and feel. They went a little overboard on the grip’s graphics, but a grip can be changed easily enough. The shaft is a double bend design that puts the hands forward at address and impact, and incorporates a stepped design in keeping with the other Bobby Grace MOI putters. I was glad to see the head cover has a magnetic closure, as Velcro tends to wear out quickly on putter covers. It offers full head and partial shaft protection with ample faux fur lining.
The Fat Lady’s good looks match her performance. I found the putter to be very stable, as steady as any high MOI putter I’ve tried. I intentionally hit many putts off the heel and toe with minimal affect on direction, and only slight distance loss. Gauging distance on both longer and short putts came quickly and easily. I really enjoyed the soft copper face insert. It provides an audible “click” at impact, but has a slightly firmer, more assuring feel than some urethane inserts used in many putters. The face is quite lively, as can be the case with many aluminum-headed putters, but the beryllium copper insert tends to dampen the impact just enough to keep things from coming off the face too hot. The putter head itself is fairly large, about the size of half a golf hole, but the muted color of the head tends to mask the size.
Overall, the balance felt great, and the design offers all the benefits of high MOI, without all the crazy cutouts and appendages like some putters. I give MacGregors’s ’06 The Fat Lady Swings high marks for ease of use, quality of build, and innovative design that remains true to the original. The lively face will get the ball to the hole if you tend to leave it short. The look from address masks the technology built into this flatstick, and it has enough stability to smooth out even the “yippiest” of strokes. Distance control came quickly and naturally for me. A great refresh on the original look, with the science of high MOI to improve upon the original design. Give it a look next time you’re at your local golf shop.
Review by Michael White (a.k.a. “Mr_Divots”)
Forums Moderator/Independent Equipment Consultant Golf-Gear-Review.com
