Putter Review: GEL Golf’s Sedo II

If your search for the perfect putter has exhausted all the traditional flat-stick offerings from this side of the Atlantic, there’s an option from further afield you may want to take a look at.

GEL Golf is a little-known Hong Kong-based putter manufacturer with an international distribution network and a foothold in Europe, where the latest equipment line bears the name of reknowned putting coach Dr. Paul Hurrion (Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood).

GEL’s claim to fame will be a familiar one to anyone who’s ever experienced the RollGroove technology of a Guerin Rife, Yes! Golf’s C-Grooves or the Anti-Skid Groove Insert of a TaylorMade Rossa, among others.

The premise, of course, is familiar _ rows of inverted grooves, the teeth of which are designed to impart overspin to the golf ball at impact, starting the ball on its intended line more quickly and with a minimum of skid, thus ensuring _ in theory _ a more accurate stroke.

Putters are incredibly personal things, which is why the extensive selection of GEL Golf’s line makes it such an intriguing option for anyone who’s made it part of their life’s mission to find the ideal putter.

No fewer than 14 models, including two ladies’ models and four Hurrion versions, are available online from the company’s retail site, each one an unconventional take on traditional shapes, with a host of weights, lies and other options that aren’t often available off the rack in North America.

Gear Head’s demo was a 34-inch Sedo II, a heavier, small-headed take on the more traditional heel-toe blade. A Cameron-style plumber’s neck with the Hurrion name etched on the side, the Sedo II’s sleek black and nickel finish makes for a clean, uncluttered look over the ball.

The head weighs in at a tidy 370 grams, 30 more than typical. The extra heft takes a bit of getting used to, but in combination with the shorter profile, it’s an excellent way to groove a more compact, more powerful stroke.

The empirical evidence to support the science behind grooved putterfaces is well documented, so you don’t have to conduct your own experiments to know the idea has merit.

It’s simply not possible to tell for certain whether putters like the GEL genuinely do start the ball on line more often. Nor is it possible to tell for certain whether you’re reading every putt correctly. But without a doubt, this putter resulted in a surprising number of putts featuring the perfect combination of speed and line.

The European styling _ baby blue and canary yellow grip for him, blue and pink for her _ takes a little getting used to. But the sight of the ball disappearing into the hole quickly makes one forget what the thing looks like.