Expert Review: TaylorMade Spider GT Rollback Silver #3 Putter


All photos courtesy of Andrew Abbott
About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the putter, which I purchased with my own money in August of 2022.
My take
The TaylorMade Spider GT Rollback #3 is a great putter for players with a moderate arc in their putting stroke and looking for more forgiveness with a larger head shape.
About the club I own
- Model: 2022 TaylorMade Spider GT Rollback #3
- Shape: Mallet
- Hosel Neck: Short Slant
- Balance Point: Face Balanced
- Shaft Length: 35”
- Grip Type: Super Stroke 1.0
- Finish: Silver and Black
About me
- Average Score: 70
- Handicap: +2
- Experience: 5 years of golf
- Right/Left-Handed: Right-Handed
- Stroke Type: Moderate Arc
- Golf Ball Used: TaylorMade TP5x
- Height: 6’0”
Test conditions
- When I bought the putter: August 2022
- Days tested: 60+
- Where I’ve used it: Various golf courses and putting greens ranging from high to slow speeds
- Weather and Wind Conditions: Rain, wind, warm, and cold
- Green Speed: 8-14 on the stimpmeter
- Grass Type: Bent, bermuda, poa annua mainly
How it performs
What I was looking for
I was looking for a putter with a soft-feeling face and some perimeter weighting to keep the clubface balanced.
Why I chose this club
I chose this club because it fits all of my requirements. The putter has some toe hang which is helpful for golfers with a semi-circle-type arc in their putting stroke. Additionally, this putter has perimeter weighting to add forgiveness and the benefit of a mallet head shape to help me with my alignment.
What I love about it
- Face Feel: The face feels amazing due to the pure roll face insert. This new insert from TaylorMade still provides the same great soft feeling off the face every time. Additionally, this insert is designed to create more topspin across the entire face for smoother rolls every time.
- Forgiveness: The perimeter tungsten weighting increases the putter's stability while also helping with mishits. Moving the weight away from the face moves the center of gravity back to help keep the face square and stable on toe and heel strikes. I certainly saw an increase in my accuracy, especially on mishit putts.
- Balance: This putter has roughly 21° of toe hang. This means the toe of the putter head will naturally open during the backstroke and return to square at impact and slightly close through the follow-through. This is great for my putting stroke because I have a moderate arc which allows me to keep the same stroke, knowing the face will be square at impact rather than closed with a face-balanced putter.
- Weight: This putter has a great feel due to its heavier weight. I personally like a heavier putter because it helps me release the putter head at impact for the best possible stroke.
- Alignment: The mallet head is very helpful with alignment. The putter has a long black line on the top of the head to help line up putts and a great-looking semi-circle head shape that helps with alignment.
- Customization: The TaylorMade Spider GT Rollback is offered in both 34” and 35” shaft lengths with the added option of the left or right hand.
Issues I’ve encountered
- Length: As a taller golfer, a longer putter shaft would make sense. However, I personally love a shorter shaft to feel even more in control of the putter head and my putting stroke. I wish I had got the 34” length instead, but the 35” has been fine, and I just grip down a little bit.
- Aesthetic Appeal: I have grown to like the look of this putter. Although I grew up using a blade-style putter head, and still prefer the look and design of a Newport 2 or Anser to the look of this putter. However, this head looks very similar to the Scotty Cameron Fastback with a simple classic mallet design. Additionally, the fully rounded head is, in my opinion, one of the worst-looking mallet designs, and prefer a shape like the Spider X or Scotty Cameron Phantom.
- Grip Feel: The Super Stroke 1.0 is a very common grip among most golfers and works great. However, I switched the grip to a midsize Ping grip to have a more tapered feel allowing me to control the putter face better.
Best Round with this Putter
The best round I have had with my TaylorMade Spider GT Rollback was when I shot 70 on very firm and fast greens with a total of 27 putts. I did not hit the ball great, so I was scrambling on many of the holes, but this putter was lights out. I felt like the hole size was three times larger, and I could not miss.
Value for the money vs. other options
The Spider GT Rollback is comparable to the Scotty Cameron Fastback, Mizuno OMOI III, and Odyssey Toulon Seattle. The Rollback is much cheaper than its competitors while providing similar performance and forgiveness. All the mentioned putters are top-of-the-line quality putters that will help players shoot lower scores. Therefore, the Spider GT Rollback is the best value putter for players with a straight stroke; but the decision will ultimately come down to which design a player likes most.
Final verdict
The TaylorMade Spider GT Rollback #3 is a great putter for golfers with an arc putting stroke, providing better alignment and more forgiveness than a blade putter head.