The new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max may be the first case where a company decided to make a zero-torque putter larger. The usual plan is typically to go in a smaller and, if possible, more traditional direction.
TaylorMade went the other way. They maintained the unconventional looks of their popular Spider ZT putter while expanding its dimensions.
Could bigger actually be better?
Maybe it is like the 7-11 soda size marketing plan. If the 32-ounce Big Gulp is good, how could the 44-ounce Super Big Gulp not be even better?
(If you know how many ounces are in a Team Gulp, it may be time to cut back on the soda.)
Bigger body, same looks
The Spider ZT Max is unapologetically larger and heavier than the Spider ZT but looks just like it. The tale of the tape shows the Spider ZT Max to be about half an inch longer than the Spider ZT and about a quarter of an inch wider.
In terms of mass, this increased material equates to a nine-gram increase from the 370-gram head weight of the standard-length Spider ZT.
Visually, you recognize that you are playing a larger putter but it doesn’t look that much larger. I credit this to TaylorMade keeping the overall proportions in the same ratio.
The TruePath alignment aid is nearly the same width on both models. Not only does this keep the aid at ball-sized width but it normalizes the look at address between the two models.
For both versions, when you put the putter behind the ball, you focus on the TruePath, not the extra head material. This is a great way to make a large putter look much smaller.
The larger body is important, though, since it boosts stability and MOI.
Although TaylorMade hasn’t released any numbers, I would expect the Max has a larger MOI than the Spider ZT which is already high.
Ultimately, the increased size and weight tuns the super-stable Spider ZT into a super-duper-stable Spider ZT Max.
Maxing out gains for the longer versions
I am sure there will be a whole bunch of happy standard-length Spider ZT Max customers this summer. However, I think the happiest new Spider ZT Max owners will be those that purchase longer models.
In both the counterbalanced and long version of the Spider ZT Max, the extra shaft length facilitates a heavier head weight. For the 38-inch counterbalanced version, the head weight jumps to 398 grams.
For the 46-inch version, the weight jumps to an unbelievable 472 grams!
The heavier (and don’t forget larger) head and heavier shaft make the Spider ZT Max amazingly stable. With a 79-degree lie angle, it will perfectly interface nearly upright at the center of your chest, allowing you to sweep your putts into the hole with ease.
Naturally, we will be watching to make sure that you are not anchoring it to your body which, according to the USGA and R&A, is banned.
Sometimes the atypical is exceptional
There’s no arguing that the original Spider ZT looks like a potato masher. The Spider ZT Max looks like it could squish spuds for a whole battalion.
Calling it a “potato masher” is not an insult, it is a celebration.
Not too long ago, a company wouldn’t dare market a putter that looks like the Spider ZT Max. It would be relentlessly ridiculed for not looking like a Newport 2.
Golfers didn’t understand the benefits of the large mallet putter so they were mocked. No doubt, there would be comments about how only terrible putters would even consider using something that looks like this.
I revel in the fact that we have moved past that phase. In the current landscape, atypical-looking putters are commonplace and generally accepted as normal equipment.
We are in the golden age of mallet putters. Now is the time when TaylorMade can make a far-out putter like the Spider ZT, have it win on the PGA Tour, and finish second overall in the 2025 Most Wanted Zero-Torque Putter competition.
Creating putters like the Spider ZT Max brings celebration, not consternation.
A whole bunch of us have putters like the Spider ZT Max in our bags. Our playing partners don’t tease us for playing these putters. Instead, they often envy our putting prowess.
Don’t be surprised if your buddy has one in the bag next weekend as well.
By the way, I hope you enjoyed the teaser photo of my new mySpider ZT creation. I’ll have that story for you very soon.
Even though it is larger, TaylorMade isn’t charging more for the Spider ZT Max. Pricing for the Spider ZT Max is the same as the Spider ZT. The standard-length MSRP is $449 while the counterbalance and long models are $499 and $549 respectively.
Find out more about the new Spider ZT Max at TaylorMadeGolf.com.
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