The Wilson Staff Infinite line of putters has been given a reboot for 2024. The 2018 series of Infinite putters were some of the best value putters on the market and catered to golfers of all skill levels, and the new release is very much in the same vein.
While they may not be quite as premium as some of the best putters out there, when it comes to delivering bang for your buck there are few options out there that can deliver what you get from an Infinite putter. Available in a wide range of head shapes (nine in total) from blades to mid-mallets to the larger mallet, Infinite putters come with a double milled face, clean and stylish aesthetics as well as a premium grip and a nice head cover.
The names of the putters all relate to landmarks and neighbourhoods in Wilson’s home City of Chicago.
I had the 2018 Infinite ‘the L’ model in the bag for the best part of a year and I also have the ‘Grant Park’ in my collection too, so I have a good familiarity with the previous range of Infinite putters and that gave me a good reference point from which to judge the new model.
So I was curious to see what had changed with the new models. The answer is, not much. I don’t see that as a bad thing though, especially as the price point is also very similar. If Wilson had brought out virtually the same product at a higher price then that wouldn’t be good, but as it is they’ve basically just taken a great product and given it a nice little refresh.
All the putters in the Infinite range (both new and old) come in a matte black finish with three white lines alignment lines to help you to get the ball started on your intended line.
The branding is slightly different and in my opinion a touch more stylish and modern, but the biggest change/upgrade is with the grip. Not only does it look a bit more classy, it will also be considerably more durable than the grip on the 2018 range, which featured a lot of white and was therefore quick to discolor.
In terms of the feel, there is a slight difference in the new model to the 2018 version but not much. There is perhaps a tiny difference in the acoustics too, specifically out of the sweet spot when there is a slightly more muted sound compared to the slightly higher pitched noise you get from the original. Really though the difference is minimal.
Both the feel and sound are fairly pleasing, there’s nothing out of the ordinary with either and I enjoyed my experience using this putter.
As mentioned above, the grips on both of those 2018 models do not look great a few years down the line as the white is now more of a yellow color. So the new black design is a welcome addition. There are performance benefits to the new grip too. Wilson says that the new flat sided grip features “enhanced Spyne technology, multi-zone texturing and a no-taper shape to minimise hand and wrist rotation for a smooth, balanced putting stroke”.
The model I tested was the ‘Bucktown’, which is a fang shaped mallet similar in design to the iconic Odyssey #7. I’m a big fan of the fang mallets as the straight back and through motion suits my stroke, and that’s the first thing I noticed about the Bucktown; it’s so easy to take back on the right line and just push through the stroke.
It sits a touch more upright than my other Infinite putters and I felt as though I was a little closer to the ball at address than I was with ‘the L’ putter for example. Whether this difference is between new and old or just that the ‘Bucktown’ is more upright than ‘the L’ I don’t know.
I found that the upright nature of the ‘Bucktown’ really enabled me to keep my hands out of the stroke and just rock my shoulders to get it moving. The design of the grip may also have contributed to that too.
The end result was some very consistent strokes and there was not much variance in distance. The forgiveness on offer was fine. Other putters I’ve used are more forgiving but the ‘Bucktown’ didn’t really need to be overly forgiving due to how frequently I was able to find the middle of the double milled face.
All in all, at this price point (I’ve seen them for as little as £119) you’ll do well to find anything better than an Infinite putter. For example, the ‘Bucktown’ is almost three hundred quid cheaper than an Odyssey Ai-One Milled #7. I’m not telling you it’s better, but if I had to buy one of them I’d be going for the Wilson as there is certainly not three hundred quid’s worth of difference between them in terms of performance.
So if you’re looking to change up your putter this year but don’t want to spend two or three hundred quid (or four hundred in the case of the Odyssey Ai-One milled!) then check out the Infinite line as even if the ‘Bucktown’ model isn’t for you, there are enough options in the range that you’ll almost certainly find something that is to your liking.
