SIK by LA Golf FLO M Mallet Putter Review - A Little Hercules on the Greens

SIK by LA Golf has expanded their FLO family of putters with a new FLO M mallet.  They could have easily called this new putter Little Hercules.

I've had the new FLO M in play already at NCR Country Club and Pinehurst No. 2, a couple of courses with pretty difficult greens.  And what's truly amazing about this putter is how it combines a very lightweight, small profile with the kind of substantial stability and forgiveness you normally only see with larger, heavier mallet putters.

The FLO M uses the same Descending Loft Technology (DLT) and mallet shape of the original FLO.  And you already know how much I love the consistent roll and contact you get with DLT.  FLO M is also milled from a solid block of 303 Stainless Steel like the original.  But that's really where the comparisons end.

 

The new FLO M mallet is smaller than the original FLO (by about 10-percent) and inspired by feedback from Tour players who preferred a slightly smaller profile and lighter weight.  The FLO M is about 70 grams lighter than the standard FLO and weighs in at around 360 grams (the same weight as SIK's Pro model blade used by Bryson DeChambeau).

 

And that's really the gist of SIK's new FLO M.  It's a putter designed to give you the weight and feel of a blade, but with the enhanced  forgiveness (and high MOI) of a mallet.

My first few putts with the FLO M at NCR CC, I honestly thought it was going to be too light.  It was a strange sensation and feel looking down at a mallet that's so light.  Surprisingly though my first few misses actually ran past the holes.  When I miss with lighter putters it's usually before the hole.  So I was intrigued.

The next immediate thing I noticed about FLO M was how incredibly stable it was going back and through.  Again, this intrigued me because it's so light for a mallet shape.  I usually prefer heavier putters to get the kind of rhythm and stability I was getting with FLO M.

After only a few more putts I figured it out.  It was really just about adjusting to a lighter sensation in my hands and realizing I don't need to putt any harder because it's lightweight.  In fact, the light weight of FLO M sort of created a more concentrated focus and feel between my hands and looking down at the head.  Probably best described as that "soft hands" sensation.  And surprisingly the lighter FLO M putter actually heightens that sensation.

Distance control was never really an issue even when I was going past the hole early on (they were consistent misses).  I just had to adjust to the weight.  And I quickly became comfortable hitting putts at all kinds of speeds over all kinds of breaks, dying balls in the hole when needed, and slamming it in when I felt a little saucy.

 

It didn't matter what kind of putt I was faced with, long or short, uphill or downhill, straight or winding, I felt extremely comfortable and confident in the distance control and stability I was getting with FLO M.  And the feel at impact is as solid as every other SIK putter I've played (which is an exceedingly good thing).  Again, it's just a softer hands feeling putter, almost creating a calming effect on my entire stroke.

My FLO M has a plumber's neck and stock steel shaft, but like all SIK by LA Golf putters this one is fully customizable.  You can have one built with a variety of shafts, hosels, loft and lie angles, sightline types and locations, and satin steel or black matte finishes.  FLO M even has a center-shafted option coming soon.

Ultimately FLO M has created a category of putters for players who who aren't satisfied with traditional blades and mallets.

Some who like the shape and feel of their blades will be drawn in by FLO M's heightened stability at impact and smoother overall stroke.  Others who like the stability and forgiveness they're getting from their larger mallets, will love the lighter weight, more compact shape, and softer feel of FLO M (and without sacrificing stability and smoothness of stroke).

Simply put, the new FLO M putter packs a lot of the performance features you want in a putter into a small overall package.  FLO M is the Little Hercules of putters.