TaylorMade’s Spider putters have been some of the most popular on tour and in amateur bags since they were introduced in 2008. Spider Tour is the latest version from TaylorMade, and while the company is bringing back a very recognizable head shape, the putters feature new tech to make them the best Spiders yet.

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The Spider Tour V is a new and more sleek head shape for this 2023/2024 model line. Most of the Spider Tour putters have small “wings” on the sides of them to push weight to the outside and add stability and forgiveness. The Spider Tour V leaves the wings off and has more of a sloping shape from the face to the back of the putter. This more flowing shape also gives the V head the most compact look of the bunch. Even with those changes, TaylorMade packed a lot of technology into the head to ensure it lived up to the Spider name. Thin Wall Undercut Construction and Steel Wireframe are used to remove excess weight from the center of the putter to create a stable putter with an enhanced CG location. And speaking of CG, each Spider Tour model has a different CG location in order to fit different putting strokes and preferred feel.

Out of the box, I think the new Spider Tour models look good with their new Gunmetal PVD finish. The Gunmetal PVD looks and feels high-end and should be more durable so we don’t see as much chipping like some of the previous finishes. True Path Alignment is back and I like the simple, high-contrast look of the wide white line with a smaller black site line running through it. On the sole is the large, blue sole plate with small spiders etched in it and two TSS weights near the face. The putter is finished off with a nice gloss black KBS putter shaft and a Super Stroke Pistol 1.0 grip.

As I set the Spider Tour V behind my first ball on the practice green, I just felt comfortable with the putter. While the V head shape is new, it is undeniably a Spider and familiar to look down at. Another plus is that the sole design allows the putter to sit on the turf with the face being square to the target. You don’t have to manipulate the putter in order to keep the face straight. The putter moves very well through the stroke and has a good balance and feel to it. The #3V slant neck gives it 32 degrees of toe hang and the additional forward weights allow your hands to feel the putter head rotate through stroke a little more than the other Tour heads. Sound and feel are very good and to me the Spider Tour has a little firmer feel than my TP Hydro Blast Bandon 3 putter.

The Spider Tour features a White TPU Pure Roll insert that is a mix of surlyn and aluminum for a slightly more crisp feel at impact and just a small audible click. Even on longer putts the added force doesn’t really change the feel and sound much, it stay consistent on all but the shortest tap-ins. Pure Roll does its job and puts immediate forward roll on the ball that you can see when putting early in the morning. The dew on the green shows minimal, if any, hopping and the ball just rolls away from the putter. I sometimes can feel like grooved faces can make the ball seem like it comes off the face faster and rolls out farther than expected, but I never had that issue with the Spider Tour V. Distance control seemed on-point, and I didn’t even have to play a few holes or rounds to dial in the speed.

Off-center shots stayed online very well, as I missed out on the toe, and I was impressed with how close my misses came to the hole. Between the Pure Roll face and the stability of the Tour V, every time contact was poor, I felt like I had a chance for the putt to drop. Now the one knock I will give to the Spider Tour is that toe or heel strikes can sometimes be hard to differentiate from solid contact. The responsiveness is decent but a little louder click or firmer feel would be welcomed by my erratic putting! As I stated before, the True Path Alignment works for my eye, and I found it very easy to line up towards my target. The wide white line was also visible as the putter moved through the stroke, giving a little barometer of where the putter head was at all times.

Overall I have putted very well with the Spider Tour V, and it definitely has a place in the rotation of putters I use. The new Tour models offer so much more than just a new head shape or color; they each are built for a different stroke. If you are looking to upgrade your putter, I think you should give each one of the head styles a little time on the practice green.