SeeMore Nashville mFGP Putter Review

Who will win this David vs Goliath battle

SeeMore vs SeeMore

Ever since I reviewed the SeeMore Mini Giant FGP putter (review) earlier this year, it has been firmly in my bag. Given that I had already tried and ruled out another SeeMore option in the M7 Tour Platinum (review), I was surprised at how much I liked the Mini Giant. There is no getting away from the fact that the Mini Giant is a large putter, though, so when I saw the conventionally sized Nashville model for sale, I just had to buy it and compare the two.

Or is it David vs Goliath?

Considerable difference in size

On paper, these putters are very closely matched in terms of specification. The big differences are size and materials. To achieve a larger size with a reasonable weight, the MiniGiant is made from Aluminium and weighted with copper inserts. The Nashville is milled from 303 stainless steel and has no weight inserts. Both putters use a 10g hosel, which brings the total head weight to 360g.

Photo angle isn’t great, but the Nashville hangs at 90° from horizontal, the MiniGiant is slightly less

I’m not sure where the Nashville’s additional weight comes from. The Nashille has a Pure Classic grip that I believe weighs 68.5g, while the MiniGiant has a SuperStroke Tour 1.0 that weighs 71g. With both heads weighing the same, the difference must be in the shaft, but that seems a bit odd. The difference in the swing weights could also suggest that the Nashville has a counter-balance weight in the shaft. From swinging both of them, I think I’m more aware of the difference in the total weight rather than the swing weight. If anyone from SeeMore ever reads this review, maybe they can comment below and shed some light on this.

Alternative grips - Original SeeMore Pure grip and SuperStroke Tour 1.0

The Mini Giant is a high MOI design that should be more forgiving than the Nashville. Both putters are what SeeMore calls “face-balanced at impact” designs. That is a bit tricky to describe, so here is a link to a video that explains it better than I can. SeeMore were way ahead of the current market with this concept, having introduced it with their original FGP design back in 1998.

First Impressions

Very positive. I really like the more compact head of the Nashville, and it is definitely easier on the eye. As mentioned above, the extra weight is noticeable too. It certainly feels different to swing. Despite the heavier swingweight of the Mini Giant, I think I’ve got more awareness of the putter head with the Nashville. The face milling of both putters is the same, and hopefully this will result in a similar roll from both.

The same style of face milling on both putters (Nashille on left)

This putter was purchased second-hand, and there is evidence of paint wear from taking the headcover on and off, but there is nothing concerning, and the putter is otherwise in excellent condition. The head cover was a little tatty and uses a velcro fastening rather than the magnetic closure on the Mini Giant, but that’s a personal preference thing.

How Did It Perform?

It was a fantastic December day for putting. The St Andrews Academy green had been freshly mown and rolled, and was lovely to putt on today.

What an awesome place to be testing putters. Does it get much nicer?

The Nashville went through the standard testing protocol of 6 putts, repeated 3 times from 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 feet, followed by a lag test from 30 feet and a start line drill using a putting gate. The Mini Giant, as my gamer putter, only does the test once, as it should be more familiar and therefore require fewer attempts.

This was a good putting day with both options, resulting in a very close fight. To put today’s putting into context, I’ve included the extract from Every Shot Counts by Mark Broadie that I’ve used in other reviews. From 15 feet and in, both putters were excellent.

Pros and Cons

Looks (+ve): Neither of these will ever look as nice as a classic Scotty Cameron 009 (as used by Cameron Smith and Jordan Speith), but I prefer the look of the Nashville over the Mini Giant. It just inspired more confidence at address, and made me believe I would make a better stroke.

Feel (+ve): The stainless steel head of the Nashville feels very different to the aluminium head of the Mini Giant. I like the feel of the Mini Giant a lot, but I prefer the more solid feel of the Nashville. Feel and sound are interlinked (some would say they are the same thing), and I prefer the sound of the Nashville.

Performance (draw): As you may have expected, given the similarity of design, there was almost nothing to tell between the two. The only comment I’ll make is that the more I used the Nashville, the more I wanted to keep using it. It felt easier to aim and just inspired a bit more confidence.

Cost (-ve): Both putters are quite expensive for a brand with very little exposure in the UK. Over on the UK website (here) the Mini Giant FGP is £399, and the Nashville is £449. SeeMore putters do not appear to hold their value well in the UK either, evidenced by the fact that I paid £198 for the Mini Giant and £115 for the (slightly older) Nashville.

Headcover (neutral): The cover that came with this Nashville was showing real signs of wear and tear. It’s a nice design, but the Velcro has lost its stick, highlighting why I prefer magnetic closures. I don’t know if it’s just old, and they all now use magnets like the Mini Giant cover, so it would be unfair to mark it down for this.

Nice design, but showing signs of wear

I’d likely head over to Scott Readman Concepts (here) and find an alternative cover. Scott really does make some awesome covers.

Fashion (-ve): Blade putters appear to be out of fashion at the moment, and within blade putters, I can’t see the FGP design winning any fashion contests either. But that makes these great second-hand buys, if you can find them. This is a fully milled, stainless steel head that currently costs £449, but I found on eBay for £115. The current trend to zero-torque doesn’t suit every golfer, and many of us need putters with toe hang that work better with arcing strokes. I know I do!

Conclusion

So did David defeat Goliath? Based simply on performance, there was nothing to separate the two, and I could happily have either in the bag. The Mini Giant has the advantage of many memories of putts holed since gaming it. However, when I add in the subjective aspects of looks and feel, then the Nashville pips the Mini Giant at the finish line. It’s totally personal and highly subjective, but the Nashville will remain in the bag, and the Mini Giant will retire to the spares bag.

Finally, if you’ve liked this post or my other recent post, then please feel free to re-post, subscribe to the blog and take part in the comments section below.