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By Jason Bruno
A putter with a floating face? Have you ever seen anything like it?
Perhaps you may have seen Sentio putters featured in our "Best New
Products" report from the PGA Show back in January. After the Orlando
unveiling, which received rave reviews from golf gear aficionados, the
Sentio Team knew they were onto something, so they went back to work
to perfect their Sierra 101 line before officially launching the brand just
a few weeks ago.
Sentio is the Latin word for feel and that's exactly what this new putter
brand is about. Our first exposure to Sentio Golf and their Sierra putter
line was when we were contacted via email by Sentio President Jim
Varney prior to the 2016 PGA Show in Orlando where they presented
prototypes of a three piece putter head featuring a stainless steel body,
face and a Thermo Plastic Elastomer center (more commonly referred
to as TPE or simply polymer) sandwiched in-between the two stainless
components. In the photo above you can clearly see each polymer and
its "light saber" like color beam. As cool as it looks, it's specialty is all
in its function.
The Genesis of the Sentio concept
According to Varney (who's not just the Co-Founder of Sentio, he is the
Vice President of Product Insight, a company that specializes in early
stage R&D industrial design and mechanical engineering), most of the
recent putter releases have offered very little from a new technology
standpoint. He expressed his observations: "Everything seemed very
traditionally based and any innovation that was happening was coloration
or alignment graphics. Where is the innovation? Why is this not being
pushed more?" Varney thought. "Let's look at this from the inside out or
as if we've never seen a putter before." Once they examined the entire
landscape of putters out there, they realized that virtually all of the
putters on the market divided consumers into two different factions
- inserts were the solution if you wanted a softer feel. Solid body
putters if you preferred a firmer feel. There were those two camps
and no one crossed over. They came up with the idea of "How can we
provide the player with what they're trying to get to - which is this
middle ground," Varney said. "They want the softer feel but they want
that response at impact. They want to feel AND hear something, not
just that deadness (at impact), and they don't want that harsh feel
that many stainless putters have . . . and that was the genesis for how
we came up with the technology of the insert molding idea."
And so the Floating Face was born.
From the sole view you can see each polymer: Until now, the concept
of innovating variances of feel in a putter was thought to be an elusive
intangible that wasn't feasible to create. The specific paint filled letter
designates the firmness of each polymer S=soft M=medium F=firm.
Sentio's Sierra line features a forged CNC milled 303 stainless steel body
and 304 stainless face. 304 was chosen as the desired material for the
grooved face because of it's sound and how well suited it is to the
manufacturing process.
Color coded PURE midsize putter grips are standard equipment on all
Sentio putters.
Limited Century Edition Tour Prototype
The Century Edition is a special limited tour prototype that features a
black/bronze PVD finish. From an aesthetic point of view, I'm partial
to this set up.
The contrasting silver face and black body of the Century Edition is
striking, and creates a bold alignment feature. The simple and clean
look at address inspires confidence.
Limited to only the first 100 putters off the assembly line (001-100),
the Century Edition is the rarest of Sentio models and comes with the
green polymer (soft feel). Check out the engraved number, I ordered
mine with specific digits in mind - #061 (Why 61? It's a long story).
On the Greens
The grooved milled face provides crisp contact and a consistent
roll out. Forgiving yes, but unlike most insert designs, there is
enough instant feedback to know when you've miss hit a putt.
No surprises here.
Of the players that we had test each model, there was no clear
cut choice of one particular feel. Some preferred the buttery green
feel, while others swore that the red or blue was for them. Either
way, there's likely one that you'll prefer.
Sentio's Sierra line held up really well in every aspect of roll, and
even with only a 2 degree loft angle. Varney found that with the
tighter turf cut on the greens of today, not nearly as much loft is
needed to get the ball rolling on top of the surface as there was years
ago when putters were designed with upwards of 5 degrees of loft.
Sentio Putter Specs and Features:
- 350 gram head weight
- 2 degrees face loft
- 72 degrees lie angle
- Full offset plumber hosel
- 4:00 toe hang
- MIM & CNC milled 304 stainless steel face
- Full CNC billet-milled 303 stainless steel body
- Satin Silver finish (Black/Bronze PVD on Century Edition)
- Satin Silver PVD finish on face
- PURE mid-size grip
- Headcover
The folks at Sentio use absolute precision to insert mold each blade with
their proprietary TPE core (polymer) in a medical-grade clean room. This
process is all completed here in the USA.
How to Choose Which Sentio is Right for You
Although Sentio is presently offering a 30 day swap out if you would
prefer a different Sierra with softer or firmer polymer, here is a
general guide for choosing the right one for you:
Green: Is for players who play most of their golf on surfaces that
are on the fast side and prefer some sound and feedback but a soft
sensation at impact. It is my experience that players that die the ball
into the cup would most likely choose this model.
Red: Is generally regarded as the most versatile for all types of
players and varied speeds of greens. An ever so slightly firmer feel
then Green but still much softer then your typical milled face stainless
putter.
Blue: For those who prefer a firm feel and a bit more of the click
sound at impact (the feel of a milled putter - but with the technology
of Sentio). Also for players who are a bit more aggressive or those
that play on greens where surfaces are on the slower side.
In all of the years of testing putters, none has ever replaced the
custom Scotty Studio Select Newport 2 Midslant that has been in
my bag for every golf course review, money game and stroke play
event over the past 8 1/2 years - until now. I estimate that number
at well over a thousand rounds, so safe to say a flatstick has to be
worthy to become "The Gamer".
For the past month or so, I've been gaming a Sierra with green feel,
but I admit to liking the red just as much. As mentioned earlier I'm
a bit monogomous when it comes to a blade, so the Sierra I'm gaming
will likely get the nod for a prolonged period.
Summary
Sentio combines a very tasteful blend of the classic Anser style blade,
with technology that stands out from everything else in the world of
putters today. Without the innovation of TPE and the floating face
concept, Sentio would be just another milled putter in the marketplace,
just as a Big Mac would be nothing more than a double cheeseburger
without its "Secret Sauce". The colorful polymer center makes rolling
the rock a virtual euphoria of golf bliss. Sentio is the real deal.
Sierra 101 - $299 Limited Century Edition - $399
For more info on everything Sentio: http://www.sentiogolf.com/
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