The Innova Stud is a torque resistant workhorse (pun intended). It’s a maneuverable putter that loves to s-curve and will help you reach the basket regardless of the line.
Manufacturer’s Notes
“The Stud is a speed 3 driving putter that has excellent high speed stability and can be reined in for putts as well.”
http://www.innovadiscs.com/disc/stud/
Available plastics: Star, DX
Flight Rating: 3, 3, 0, 2
Initial Reactions
The Stud holds true to its description of a more stable Colt, but not as stable as we first expected. It’s a low profile putter with a small bead which fits nicely in the hand with a focused nose that slowly curves up to the flightplate.
By the Numbers
Innova Stud
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The Stud displayed a negative turn for most shots above 150 feet for me and I’d definitely add turn around -1 for the 250 – 300 foot shots.
Putting Notes
Innova’s Stud is a fairly neutral putter inside 50 feet, I didn’t find any negative attributes and it was consistent. The Stud handles just about any putting line decently. One of the largest advantages of using a Stud for close range putts is that it is less affected by wind than many other similar putters.
The Innova Stud has moderate glide, enough to get it to the basket without a lot of effort but low enough that it remains controllable. I’d compare the glide to Kastaplast’s Reko, and the flight is actually somewhat similar as well but less stable. This will allow for some finesse but it’s best used on a straight to slightly hyzer putting line. The Stud may be used for push putting but due to the long slope up the flight plate I believe it’s best for spin putting and turbo putting. I’ve experienced a few roll-aways on lines with higher angles so just be aware of your landing zone.
Upshots
The Innova Stud is a torque resistant, low profile putter which just screams diving putter. I found that it is less stable than I prefer for my driving putters, but even with significant turn it stays in the air without diving. Shots from 100 – 200 feet fall in the sweetspot where I find a mild turn but a large amount of accuracy with a light s-curve. The Stud handles wind quite well, and partly because of the moderate glide I can comfortably throw into a headwind without losing much control.
While the Stud is torque resistant, it prefers to be thrown with a fan grip because the power grip adds extra turn. Also, because of the long sloping flightplate the Stud slipped out of my fan grip early when throwing long drives over 250 feet, but it displayed a smooth and easy release on the shorter upshots.
The Stud flies on a natural s-curve for me so I don’t often force it into an anhyzer, but when I do it takes the anhyzer decently and fades out gently as long as I give it enough air. Watch out for extra rolling on anhyzers because of the thin but blunt nose though. This putter also holds hyzer lines especially well for a disc that isn’t very overstable; all around it’s a workable, shot-shaping putter.
Final Verdict
I like the concept of this torque resistant, versatile putter, but I don’t have a place for an s-curve putter in my bag. The Innova Stud should be a great putter for beginners learning different shots with the same disc or advanced players looking to consolidate their bag with a versatile putter. This disc will especially appeal to those disc golfers looking for a low profile putter that is controllable.
2 Comments
Jacob Couchenour
Was your review just made with a dx stud? I love my dx stud for turnover upshots and putter driving, but I also bag star studs and have picked up a champion stud, and those discs can handle a good rip without significantly turning over, as long as I don’t throw too nose down. My star stud is a dead straight flyer, and I’d highly recommend trying it out as a driving putter and comparing it to your experience with the dx stud.
Rodney Lane
Yeah, only the Dx version was released when we did the review.