Review: Yes! Golf Callie F Forged Putter - “Tour Putter in a Box”
Michael White
You may have already experienced Yes! Golf’s line of C-groove putters. Their “concentric groove” technology grabs onto the ball’s surface to impart over spin for a truer roll which helps the ball track more precisely to the hole. Most of their lineup in constructed of 304 stainless steel, which is already a softer, very responsive material. Some fans of the Yes! line had expressed an interest in an even softer feeling head. The response by Yes! is their forged Callie “F” model.
Forged from a piece of manganese-bronze, the Callie F is a departure from the rest of the Yes! lineup. The finish of the Callie F is a dark, non-glare oxidized finish, which works nicely to all but eliminate glare at address. Every part of the topline and flange is finished in this flat black-ish oxidation. The face of the Callie Forged is left unfinished to expose the golden color of the manganese-bronze, which is the tell-tale sign of the forged model. A simple single white sightline adorns the flange to assist in aiming, and is framed nicely by the dark surrounding finish.
One thing I notice at address on the Callie is the design of the neck. It is a sort of modified plumber’s neck a la the Ping Anser and Scotty Camerons. However, the neck is set at more of a 30º angle away from the face, as other plumber’s necks tend to be more perpendicular to the face. This “angling” of the neck provided a nice, unobstructed view of the ball. The Callie F seemed to have an extraordinary sense of balance, and this neck design may well be the reason. The putter head released toward the hole with minimal effort, and the stability at impact was very impressive for a blade style putter.
A possible reason for the Callie F’s stable feel may well be its head weight. At an impressive 350 grams, the Callie F outweighs the competition. One thing that many viewers of professional Golf may not realize about the putters the Pros use, is that they are often heavier than those typically sold at retail. A little more weight goes a long way to smooth out a stroke under pressure, and the kind folks at Yes! Golf have bumped up the Callie Forged to “Tour” like weight. In this sense, the Callie Forged, and even its stainless steel sibling, are very much like using a tour putter. This is a much appreciated attention to detail that does not go unnoticed.
A review of a forged putter would not be complete, of course, unless we address the area of “feel.” The most subjective of areas for putters, “feel” often makes or breaks a putter for some people. Some like a softer feel, some more of a firm feel. The Callie Forged is definitely on the “pillow-like” end of the “feel” spectrum. It is one of the softest, non-insert putters I have ever experienced. It did take some getting accustomed to with regard to speed. But, once dialed in, the feel was consistent on every stroke, be it short or long strokes. In this regard, I felt the Callie Forged excelled where some soft “insert” putters can fall short, especially with regard to longer putts. If you crave a heavenly soft feel, but do not care for polymer/plastic inserts, the Callie Forged is definitely worth looking into. Their “concentric groove” technology still works well with the softer forged material, as the ball tracked nicely toward the hole without skipping or hopping.
The Callie Forged is finished with nice attention to detail. The oxidized finish does its job nicely in cutting glare. The grip is a custom black and yellow Lamkin Crossline. I liked this grip for it’s slightly narrower size, which added to the sense of accuracy for this putter. While I applaud Yes! Golf’s effort in designing the headcover, it is a comedy of errors in attempting to place the club back in the cover. It utilizes a magnetic closure as opposed to Velcro, to avoid wearing out. Unfortunately, the magnet “latches” on to the putter head and shaft, and one must wrestle with it to get the cover back on. I give it an “A” for effort in its design, but about a D minus in real-world usability. Velcro or a snap would work better.
Overall, the Yes! Golf Callie Forged is a definite winner. Expanding on their success with another model to address the “feel” needs of some people was not necessary, but it is appreciated. For those seeking the ultimate in soft feel, while still benefiting from Yes! Golf’s “Concentric Groove” technology, the Callie Forged definitely answers the call to duty. The heavier, tour-like weighting of the head is an added bonus, without the need to spend thousands of dollars on a “Tour” issue putter. The Callie Forged was a slice of manganese-bronze putting heaven.
Michael White
Independent Equipment Consultant/Forums Moderator
Golf-Gear-Review.com
