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Nickel Putter No.1 Review: November 2008

GolfTest USA was retained by Nickel Putter Company to develop the testing protocol and methodology and then conduct a test comparing the Nickel Putter No. 1 to the Odyssey 2 Ball putter in ten criteria to determine the levels of performance achieved by both putters. In addition we had the same testers evaluate two accessories that are part of the Nickel Putter. The first device is the Ball Marking System and the second is the Ball Pickup device. We indentified 30 golfers of varied skill levels and had them participate in the test. Out of the 30 testers we picked the 25 testers who we felt completed the test in a fair and unbiased manner.

Shown below is a copy of the evaluation form used to test the performance of the Nickel Putter and the Odyssey 2 Ball putter.

Test Methodology: You will be making putts from 3 putting stations. You will be asked to compare the Nickel Putter to the most popular putter on the market, the Odyssey 2 Ball Putter. During the test you should be focusing on how each of the two putters performs based on your unbiased opinion. Do your best to not let any preconceived perceptions influence your ratings. After you have made all the putts with both putters you are to complete this evaluation form in a fair and unbiased manner. Following are the criteria you will be rating on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best.

Distance Control: rate how much distance control you had with each putter.
Alignment: rate the alignment characteristics of the putter.
Accuracy: rate how accurate each putter was.
Forgiveness: rate how forgiving the putter was.
Sound: rate how you liked the sound of each putter.
Appearance: rate the appearance of the putter.
Feel: rate the feel of the putter during the putting stroke.
Design: rate the design features of the putter.
Recommend to others: rate how strongly would recommend each putter to other golfers.
Overall Rating: rate each putter taking into consideration what is important to you in a putter.

Questionnaire:

Please rate the following criteria on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best:

1: Distance Control: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____
2: Alignment: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____
3: Accuracy: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____
4: Forgiveness: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____
5: Sound: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____
6: Appearance: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____
7: Feel: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____
8: Design: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____
9: Recommend to other golfers: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____
10: Overall Rating: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____

Results of the Performance Test based on rating each putter on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best.

In every criterion the Nickel Putter rated higher. Most of the testers performed better with the Nickel putter during the actual test and it showed up in the ratings across the board. A rating that is 2 to 3 points higher usually indicates a putter that performed much higher than the other when the group average is calculated. In this test the point spread in some criterion were 6 or more again indicating that the design and performance of the Nickel Putter is far superior to the 2 Ball putter. The average number of putts made by each tester with the Nickel Putter was 2.0 while each tester made 1.6 putts with the 2 Ball putter. Testers made 20% more putts with the Nickel Putter than with the 2 Ball putter. That could potentially translate into 6 or 7 fewer putts per round which would lower a golfer’s score per round by a substantial amount. GolfTest USA has tested many putters over the years and we have never seen such a wide gap in the performance on one putter over another.

Please answer the following questions based on which putter you like the best between the Nickel Putter and the 2 Ball Putter by placing an X next to your choice. If you liked them the same please chose “The Same”.

1: Distance Control: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____ The Same_____
2: Alignment: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____ The Same_____
3: Accuracy: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____ The Same_____
4: Forgiveness: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____ The Same_____
5: Sound: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____ The Same_____
6: Appearance: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____ The Same_____
7: Feel: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____ The Same_____
8: Design: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____ The Same_____
9: Recommend to other golfers: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____ The Same_____
10: Overall Rating: Nickel Putter:_____ 2 Ball Putter_____ The Same_____

Results of the Performance Test based on which putter each tester preferred.

Ratings comparing Nickel Putter to Odyssey 2 Ball Putter: The testers were asked to chose which putter they thought was best in each criterion. If they thought they were equal they picked “The Same”. The totals are the number of testers who picked each putter or chose “The Same”. The test group size was 25.

It is important to note that 8 out of the 25 testers actually use the 2 Ball putter as their regular putter.

It is clear that the group of testers overwhelmingly picked the Nickel Putter vs. the 2 Ball putter in every criterion. The Nickel Putter was better designed with much better performance in all areas.

The second part of the test was as follows::

Test Methodology: Please review the brochure and then practice using the Nickel putter to mark your ball and then pick up the ball out of the hole. Focus on how easy it was for you to master the technique for each of the two features on the Nickel Putter. After you feel you have mastered the technique please be fair and unbiased when answering the following questions.

Questionnaire:
Please rate the following questions on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best:

1: Were the illustrations in the brochure clear and easy to follow? ____
2: Was the Nickel Ball Marking System easy to learn? ____
3: How quickly were you able to master the technique of picking up the ball and placing the mark on the green? _____
4: How quickly were you able to master the technique of placing the ball back on the green and picking up the ball mark? _____
5: How accurate was the Ball Marking System? _____
6: Would you recommend the Nickel Ball Marking System to all Golfers? _____
7: Would you recommend the Nickel Ball Marking System to Golfers who had back trouble or difficulty bending over? _____
8: How easy was it to use the Nickel Ball Pick-Up? _____
9: Would you recommend the Nickel Ball Pick-Up to all Golfers? _____
10: Would you recommend the Nickel Ball Pick-Up to Golfers who had back trouble or difficulty bending over? _____

In this portion of the test most golfers were able to master the technique of marking the ball and then remarking it while picking up the mark. About 5 testers did have problems with it and even after working with them by showing them our way of doing it they still had problems using it. They clearly became frustrated and it would not be a product that would be good for them. Questions 4 and 6 are a reflection of the difficulty those testers had. We feel that at least 75% of all golfers would benefit from the use of the Ball Marking System. It was clear that almost all of the testers felt that golfers who had back problems or difficulty bending over would benefit from its use. Even higher ratings were given to the Ball Pick-Up device that fits on the butt of the grip. Both of these devices are excellent accessories that provide real value and add to the enjoyment of playing golf. It is obvious that a lot of research and development went into the design of these golf products.

Comments made by testers:

WHAT DID YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT THE NICKEL BALL MARKING SYSTEM & PICK-UP?

10 testers said it was easy to use.
8 testers said they liked not having to bend over to pickup and mark the ball.
5 testers liked how easy it was to operate.

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT THE NICKEL BALL MARKING SYSTEM AND BALL PICK-UP?

5 of the testers were not confident that it was accurate.
2 testers were shaky so they felt it was not easy to use.

Final Summary

In summary, the Nickel Putter No. 1 is high quality product that offers superior performance. Based on the results of the test we are confident that most golfers would be able to improve their putting and lower their scores.

The Nickel Putter also achieved a Five Star rating in a recent special putter test of 47 new putters introduced in 2008.

For more information on the Nickel Putter No. 1 go to www.nickelputter-usa.com.

We are pleased to award the Nickel Putter our GolfTest USA “Seal of Excellence”.