The Wizard is straighter than an Aviar (more HSS less LSS) and is more Aerodynamic which means you can get another 20ft or so out of a Wiz. Plastic has a lot to do with it as well but the flight of the tee is the Wiz's strength since you can throw it hard and it won't turn yet won't hyzer much either.
-
Discover new ways to elevate your game with the updated DGCourseReview app!
It's entirely free and enhanced with features shaped by user feedback to ensure your best experience on the course. (App Store or Google Play)
[Gateway] Gateway Putters
- Thread starter Rol6566
- Start date
The Wizard is designed with more weight out on the wing, so it's faster and longer. They also clover and warp more easily in the flight plate (probably because it's thinner in the center) but I've had some funky-warped Wizards that still flew the same. Power players love them because they can lay into them and they won't flip. Most of the rest of us like them because we can throw them off the tee farther than other putters.
As for the plastics and feel, well...I suppose you can argue making several different stiffnesses and textures allows you to make a putter for everybody, but when you have Medium, Soft, Super Soft and Super Stupid Soft in Suregrip and then you also have Organic and Eraser and Proto Chalky and E plastic...eventually it makes you crazy when all you want is a Medium S and you can't find one to save your life even though everybody has Wizards, just not the Wizard I want. From an ex-retailers perspective you just don't have space to carry 8 different Wizards, especially when you now have three other Gateway putters in their various incarnations to carry. At any rate, there are a lot of variations to try.
As for the plastics and feel, well...I suppose you can argue making several different stiffnesses and textures allows you to make a putter for everybody, but when you have Medium, Soft, Super Soft and Super Stupid Soft in Suregrip and then you also have Organic and Eraser and Proto Chalky and E plastic...eventually it makes you crazy when all you want is a Medium S and you can't find one to save your life even though everybody has Wizards, just not the Wizard I want. From an ex-retailers perspective you just don't have space to carry 8 different Wizards, especially when you now have three other Gateway putters in their various incarnations to carry. At any rate, there are a lot of variations to try.
Huk Finn
* Ace Member *
Thanks!
So I ordered the SSS Chalky Organic.
Have you felt a "chalky" one?
Sounds cool, I've felt a wizard of someone elses and it felt a tad fuzzy. Maybe that's what it was.
I'll be putting with this one more that driving it into trees. But it will still see the teepad occasionally.
same as the roc and aviar, minus the mold variations though right??
Last edited:
Chalkys have nice grip. I hate soft plastic so it's not my cup of tea.
To a certain extent any Innova or Discraft disc that was available in the full line of plastics could be confusing. Once you have the Buzzz in D and X and Z and ESP and FLX and then throw in the Crystal Buzzz fundraisers and the seldom seen variations like the Buzzz SS and the GT Buzzz and you have a bunch of variations of the same thing. On the one hand it's a Buzzz for everybody, on the other hand it's a confusing cluster(beep) for someone who doesn't really know what they want.
When I worked in sales they always told us to give the consumer three options. Show them one or two and they don't think you have crap to choose from. Show them four or five and their head is swimming and they walk away confused. Show them three...good, better, best. We had that went there was DX, Pro and Champ for Innova and D, X and Z for Discraft. Now there is Star and ESP and R-Pro and FLX added to them, and it's getting to be too much. The Gateway putters in particular are too much, as they say there is a 1-10 scale so your "soft" might be a 4 or a 5 or a 6...too much information for the average player. It shouldn't be that complicated.
Huk Finn
* Ace Member *
My Wizard I just ordered is a 2.5/3 I think. On the softer side but not floppy.
yes yes, i do agree
its nice to have options, nice to have variations, specially when they offer different stabilities with the same grip
but makes it hard for business's to keep all of em in stock, even more so when they are out of production
really sucks for the consumer when they want an exact placement for a beloved disc
yet we the consumers still encourage this by buying and tryin each model
hehe, the ol' double edge sword
this is why i'm an advocate for run numbers printed on each disc, would make replacements easier to track down
its nice to have options, nice to have variations, specially when they offer different stabilities with the same grip
but makes it hard for business's to keep all of em in stock, even more so when they are out of production
really sucks for the consumer when they want an exact placement for a beloved disc
yet we the consumers still encourage this by buying and tryin each model
hehe, the ol' double edge sword
this is why i'm an advocate for run numbers printed on each disc, would make replacements easier to track down
I used my S Wizard down in TX playing with Midnight. It rained for a whole round and thee was about 2 inches of water on a lot of the fairways. When wet the Wizard still has a great grip. Maybe not a huge issue in Norcal, but a nice side benefit. I have used a Crystal Z Challenger for drives, but that can get slick with morning dew or rain. I putt and approach with SS Wizards. Hard to turn over. Throw hard and straight at the basket. Dead straight with a good release. Same off the tee with almost no fade. I might add some SSS to try out this winter. It is getting damn cold here.
aarikc17
Double Eagle Member
Wizard is more stable than an Aviar, more like and Aviar-X. The warlock is a beadless Wizard, so this would be more like an Aviar.
Technohic
* Ace Member *
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2009
- Messages
- 8,517
Fiance and I got a SS Magic and a SS Voodoo at the same time, I had the Magic, but liked her Voodoo better but neither felt SS (Supersoft) and I read that their plastic runs varry. I am not a big fan of that whatsoever, especially on a putter so thats where I stopped.
For putters, I need to make a commitment to something that feels right and after that, I want to know that the next one I get if I need another is going to feel the same. I wouldnt mind trying a Wizard but I dont want to like it then go through the mess of finding one just like it again.
For putters, I need to make a commitment to something that feels right and after that, I want to know that the next one I get if I need another is going to feel the same. I wouldnt mind trying a Wizard but I dont want to like it then go through the mess of finding one just like it again.
toothyfish
* Ace Member *
Everyone's runs vary, I'm convinced of that. Be it putters, mids, or whatever, there are differences.
I agree that the SS versions were not as soft as i thought they would be, so I have SSS's for true putting. I expected these to be much like R-Pro or the gummy Star Rhyno's but they aren't. And for me, that is good, I like the SS and SSS flexes.
Well, actually, I have had some that were really, really soft but I have since traded or plan to trade them away.
I have 4 SSS Magics (red) that have equal flex and I like them. They also have a textured finish to them. I have 4 SSS Voodoos (red) that have equal flex as well, similar to the Magics, but the flight plates are a touch thinner and the finish is smooth, though they are tacky. They are nice, but a bit different feel than my Magics.
I also have 4 SS Magics (lt blue) that are stiffer, but have the textured finish, and 4 S Magics (white) that are stiffer still, and much smoother, still haveing good grip. Been hoarding up Voodoo first runs. Can't really tell the difference between them, but they are firm with decent grip, and I like them for approaches.
So I have a ton of putters, but I do like them, for different situations. Some may go...
My recommendation is find one you like and get several others in the same weight, color, and so on as there is a good chance they were run at the same time. I've been buying in bunches from the same store, in the same color and weight and have had the best success with consistency. Might not be they way you want to do it, but it increases the odds of a consistent set.
I agree that the SS versions were not as soft as i thought they would be, so I have SSS's for true putting. I expected these to be much like R-Pro or the gummy Star Rhyno's but they aren't. And for me, that is good, I like the SS and SSS flexes.
Well, actually, I have had some that were really, really soft but I have since traded or plan to trade them away.
I have 4 SSS Magics (red) that have equal flex and I like them. They also have a textured finish to them. I have 4 SSS Voodoos (red) that have equal flex as well, similar to the Magics, but the flight plates are a touch thinner and the finish is smooth, though they are tacky. They are nice, but a bit different feel than my Magics.
I also have 4 SS Magics (lt blue) that are stiffer, but have the textured finish, and 4 S Magics (white) that are stiffer still, and much smoother, still haveing good grip. Been hoarding up Voodoo first runs. Can't really tell the difference between them, but they are firm with decent grip, and I like them for approaches.
So I have a ton of putters, but I do like them, for different situations. Some may go...
My recommendation is find one you like and get several others in the same weight, color, and so on as there is a good chance they were run at the same time. I've been buying in bunches from the same store, in the same color and weight and have had the best success with consistency. Might not be they way you want to do it, but it increases the odds of a consistent set.
I heard they have stem cells from baby pandas blended into the plastic.
mzuleger
Double Eagle Member
Gateway has a grip that a lot of people like.
Their s ss and sss really has more to do with the amount of coating they put on the disc, not how floppy they are.
Most putters will act the same inside of 30 feet so it comes down to what feels most comfortable in your hand and what gives you the most confidence. For me it's the wizard... although i'd drop it for a bag of kittens if i thought I had a better chance of making the putt.
Their s ss and sss really has more to do with the amount of coating they put on the disc, not how floppy they are.
Most putters will act the same inside of 30 feet so it comes down to what feels most comfortable in your hand and what gives you the most confidence. For me it's the wizard... although i'd drop it for a bag of kittens if i thought I had a better chance of making the putt.
Vegan Ray
Banned
superium
Eagle Member
I fell in love with the plastics that were available in theyr putter selection. The sss plastic is great in all weather conditions especially if you play in freezing temps they still have a great grip to them even when they are wet or frozen.
To reiterate, the design and specs of the Gateway Putters are not what makes many people rave about them. It is the availability of different plastics of the same mold. Some people prefer the stiffer versions for use off the tee. Many players rarely use a putter off the tee and they prefer the SSS for the "chain-grabbing" ability.
I think a lot of it boils down to Gateway's desire to try new things. "Chalky" is different, but can be awesome if you like it. The released a run of "eraser" plastic wizards which are some of my personal favorites. E-Series is typically stiffer than the S, SS, and SSS. But now with the high-polymer E plastic, they have added a "gummy" feel.
Pretty much, the goal of Gateway with their putters has been to differentiate the feel. For example, if you don't like an E-Warlock, try a high-polymer, an SSS, or an organic.
I think a lot of it boils down to Gateway's desire to try new things. "Chalky" is different, but can be awesome if you like it. The released a run of "eraser" plastic wizards which are some of my personal favorites. E-Series is typically stiffer than the S, SS, and SSS. But now with the high-polymer E plastic, they have added a "gummy" feel.
Pretty much, the goal of Gateway with their putters has been to differentiate the feel. For example, if you don't like an E-Warlock, try a high-polymer, an SSS, or an organic.
garublador
* Ace Member *
That's not entirely true. If you look at all the things you want in a putter (how well it performs on putts, approaches and drives) you'll probably find that it is as good as or better than any other putter out there. Some people may other preferences, but they'll also probably have the skills to make up for any defficencies they see with the other putter they pick because of those preferences. It's something like, "I prefer the extra fade from another putter, but I throw far enough that the lost D isn't much of a problem," or "I prefer the extra carry from another putter, but I have so much touch that I never blow by on putts." Stuff like that is generally reserved for those who are either extremely good or extremely experienced. I'm not claiming the differences are big, but they are there.
The fact that it performs as well or better and it comes in better plastic is why people rave about it.
What makes Gateway putters so special??? That's like asking 'why is the sun so bright?' Or 'why is that Van Gogh so amazing?' Or 'why is Radiohead such an amazing band?' Some things just are.
Wizard, Warlock, Voodoo, Magic - notice a theme? They use magic!
Wizard, Warlock, Voodoo, Magic - notice a theme? They use magic!
