Equipment Review: Daito Golf, by Jeffrey Reed

One of the joys of testing golf equipment is discovering that rare gem that deserves mainstream recognition for its quality. Daito Golf, a St. Laurent, Quebec-based manufacturer, is one of golf’s best-kept secrets. The Daito Group was founded in 1986, but relies on more than a century of combined experience in metallurgy and machining. And what could be more important to manufacturing putters than expertise in metallurgy and machining? Golf know-how helps, and Daito boasts plenty of that, too.

Each Daito putter head is 100-per-cent CNC milled from solid blocks of either aeronautical aluminum, stainless steel, cold finished steel as well as various other precious metals. Believe me when I say, after putting this putter into play, you’ll be calling it Precious, Darling, or even Baby. Superb heel-to-toe face balancing, a wide range of finishes, and consistent production of each and every putter at Daito makes these sticks some of the best I’ve ever used. In fact, Daito Golf placed four putters in the Top 7 at the 2005 Canadian PGA Club Professional Championship.

My personal favourite from Daito, seeing that I am a plumber neck offset blade man, is the Virtuoso. I chose the 350g stainless steel Vintage model from the Exotic Metals line, with matte nickel face, and regular neck. There’s a short neck version, too. The Virtuoso is heel-to-toe balanced, and felt right at home in my hands – it felt like an extension of my arms and permitted perfect shoulder movement important to solid strokes.

The Virtuoso is also available in a Cold Finished Steel line, with black pearl, matte nickle and matte nickel black faces, and there are finishes available in antique copper, antique brass, blue patina and French gray. The Exotic Metals line also includes copper-nickle, solid copper and beryllium copper putters, and another face option of natural vintage.

If a more contemporary and forgiving putter is to your liking, then look no further than the Stealth, and Genesis mallet putters. Both feature a sloping teardrop design. I tested the Stealth, with a slightly more gradual slope from the shaft to the back of the putter head. It’s also a 350g putter, made of aluminum aircraft alloy, and is available in black matte nickel or natural matte nickle finish. Increased back-end weighting provides a high MOI, reducing backspin and promoting straighter putts. I found the Stealth smooth as butter, and it really shone on long putts.

Like the Stealth, the 340g Genesis is available with a straight or offset shaft. This putter has weight concentrated in the centre of the face for a solid feel and comfortable alignment. Both models retail for $189.99. The long-neck stainless steel Virtuoso sells for $269.99, and I like the feel of this blade just as much as a Scotty Cameron from Titleist.

Here’s another product to watch for from Daito: the Greenberry, an electronic portable personal putting trainer measuring green speed and putting distance.

It’s going to be fun watching Daito putters become more and more popular amongst tour pros and amateurs. For information on this climbing company and its top-notch products, visit www.daitogolf.com.