Can you tell the key difference between an elite player and a high handicapper? Do you know where the average golfer loses strokes? The answer is putting, or the short game in a broader sense.
Putting might seem to be one of the most simple parts of the game, but could be one of the most frustrating as well. How often do you put some hours on the practice green and work on your putting?
The practice is one of the fundamentals of improving your game, but on some occasions, your equipment can play a big role as well. A good putter will not make you great in the short game overnight, but it could help you a big-time on that journey.
But shopping for a great putter could turn into a nightmare as well. Brand-name putters may take a toll on your wallet. Is it possible to get a good putter at a reasonable price?
You’re in for a treat, yes! Ray Cook Silver Ray Series offers some amazing putters at a really reasonable price. In this ray cook putter review article, we’ll go deeper into them.
Ray Cook Putter Review – 5 Models to Consider
Let’s See The Most Popular Ray Putter Reviews
Ray Cook SR200 Putter Review
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To sum up the list, we have the SR200, and here goes our cliche line: last but not the least. I’d say this is a rather interesting putter. It doesn’t follow the style aesthetic entirely of either of the mallet or blade styles. You could say it’s somewhat on the mallet side but it’ll be more appropriate to tell that it sits in between.
However, that style factor doesn’t make it the most attractive looking though. Many would not love the design at the first glance, including me, until you get blown away by the functionality aspect of that design.
This club head makes for really good aiming. The alignment line helps you greatly with that and it makes the ball go exactly where you wanted it to go. That’s because the design helps to keep the head square on the ball during follow-through by reducing head twist, and that helps to keep the ball on track to the hole.
And it has a weight that falls somewhere in between heavier and lighter standards, which makes for a great balance. The swings are very consistent.
It has a somewhat oversized and wide grip that many admires due to the firm hold they get because of it, while others may not really be a fan of it. The PING sound it produces is on point, no complaints on that.
Ray Cook SR400 Putter Review
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We’re back to mallet-style putters and here’s the SR400 which Looks almost identical to the SR500. This too comes in a rich charcoal grey finish which looks kind of black in my opinion. And there is again the Limited red edition for the bold color lovers.
Since it’s a mallet-style putter, you can already tell that it has a heavier than average weighted clubhead. That extra weight adds more stability when you take the shot, as you already knew.
The sound it produces on contact with the ball is quite decent, not as pleasing to the other models like the SR500 or 900.
Though Ray Cook says that the grip on this is a mid-sized standard grip, I thought it was quite larger than standard ones. You could say it has a mid-sized jumbo grip which was comfortable to hold anyway.
And for around 40$ putter, it’s generous of them to include a really nice club headcover.
Ray Cook SR500 Putter Review
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The SR500 is one of the most loved putters from Ray Cook and appears to be a trademark putter for the Silver Ray series. It comes in a mallet-style and looks quite good in my opinion.
The rich charcoal grey finish is classy. Those who prefer a standout color will find the Limited edition red color option a more considerable choice.
The shaft is a Double Bend Full Shaft Offset one. It had medium flex to it. The really soft mid-size paddle-style grip is a stress reliever I’d say. The feel while holding the putter is really nice.
The clubhead at 360 grams, is a little more weighted than average to facilitate a more fluid stroke. Those who do not like the feeling of a lightweight head will appreciate this a lot. They also include a really nice headcover in the package.
However, the paint quality is quite below average in the putter. The paint in the head seems to wear out faster than expected. While that doesn’t affect the game, it’s not a pleasant sight at all.
Ray Cook SR600 Putter Review
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Out of the 5 models we’re looking at today, this is the only putter coming with a blade-style head. The fans of lightweight clubhead putters, this is your best pick from the Silver Ray lineup.
Coming in green and limited edition red options, this is a great fit for vibrant color admirers. Though I prefer subtleness, I know many golfers that like their clubs to be bold and stand out.
The clubhead is a little bit on the lighter side which you can already guess. It’s not easy to come to a conclusion about which clubs are good – there are admirers of both lightweight and heavier clubheads. Lightweight head lovers will appreciate this putter while the heavier preferers might want to pass on this one.
However, I felt that it had quite a good accuracy with the shots. The PING sound was satisfying and confidence provoking. For what it costs, it’s a lot more value it provides in return. This putter is good enough to be one of the top choices of blade-style lightweight clubhead putter admirers.
Ray Cook SR900 Putter Review
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After the SR500, my second most favorite from the Ray Cook Silver Ray Putter lineup has to be the SR900 putter. In fact, it could be sometimes recommended over the SR500 since it has an even smaller price tag from the already affordable and great value SR500 model.
It also is a mallet-style putter and has the same look factor as the SR500. However, I felt that the SR500 has a more premium touch to it for the 10 bucks more it costs than the SR900.
The shaft is somewhat on the stiffer side and offers a nice weight distribution between itself and the clubhead.
The clubhead has a similar weight to the SR500, thus it too sits on the heavier side which the majority of the golfers seem to prefer.
Where it shines is the sound and the alignment. It makes a really pleasant ‘PING’ sound when it hits the ball and it helps to boost confidence. It’s highly surprising that an around 40 dollar putter sounds this satisfying; beyond my expectation.
This putter has noticeably improved the putting of many golfers with its amazing putt alignment. It’s a lot easy to get on line with this and thus hit the target most of the time.
Things to Consider When Buying a Ray Putter
Putters are slightly different and don’t really fall in the same category as other equipment since they do not really have a standard for what’s good and what’s not. It comes down to personal preferences mostly. That said, you want to consider a few things to buy yourself the best putter for your choice. Here are those:
Shape of Clubhead
The number of designs a club head of a putter can have seems to be limitless. However, all of them can be defined under two categories: Mallet or blade.
The mallets are the thick ones having more flesh on the head with more complicated designs and patterns. They seem to have more weight on the body thus and facilitate the force you have to put on the ball to push it towards the hole. Usually, players that prefer shorter, back, and through style strokes for putting suit mallets better.
Blades, on the other hand, have lesser flesh and weight on the clubhead. Their design is pretty minimalistic, very much unlike the mallet ones. To many, they seem more elegant and classy. Since they are usually lightweight compared to the mallet ones, players having long and flowing stroke preference for putting fit blades more.
However, it’s not a hard and fast rule and can easily be altered, just a generalization.
Weight
Clubhead weight plays a crucial role in how the putter acts. A heavier clubhead seems to be more stable to put more confidence for the beginners to intermediate players. They, with their extra weight, thus extra momentum from the swing, facilitate the force that you have to put on the ball to push it towards the hole.
Also, due to their weight, they’re less prone to get jerky during the shot which ensures a more stabilized shot. However, too heavy of a clubhead can make life hard on slow greens.
A little heavier than average seems to be the sweet spot. Also, few clubheads offer to add or remove weights so you can play around and find your perfect state.
Looks, Sound, and Feel
Taking the perfect shot is a lot about confidence and how the putter, especially the clubhead looks, feels and the sound it produces upon the connection has a lot to do with that.
You always want to take a putter to the greens that you feel satisfaction to look at. It should reflect your choice. I personally prefer subtle-looking clubheads having charcoal or a similar finish, while you might have other tastes.
Another thing that contributes a lot to confidence is how it feels when you swing and how nice and clicky of a sound it makes upon hitting the ball. Every golfer digs for that sweet clicky sound and you should read upon user reviews to find out if your prospect putter produces that sound or not.
Verdict
I believe you found these Ray Cook putter reviews helpful. Ray Cook is quite an underrated brand which deserves more recognition for the value for money product they offer to the golfers.
A Name-Brand putter will be heavy on your wallet but Ray Cook offers similar performance, looks, and durability with their putters as the Name-Brand ones, costing just a fraction. This is amazing stuff!
Ray Cook made putters have seen success on professional tours since the 60s and they too have some really expensive premium models which are appreciated by many, so there’s no scope to look at them as a cheap manufacturer.
But unlike other golf-equipment manufacturers, they have not only focused on premium models, rather produced some really affordable yet functional and good-looking putters under the Silver Ray series, which I believe have been able to give the essence of premium putters to many golfers without hurting their wallet.
So, here’s a piece of advice for you: Before you spend hundreds of dollars on a new name-brand putter, give Ray Cook a look!
Hi, Gregg Foley here Golfer & Sportsman.Want love to play Golf. I share my experience in this blog. Beginners & also experts will be benefited from golfersolution.