This is the last second round match of the P2 region in the Disc Golf Reviewer World Series of Putters! We are searching for the best putter in the world and hoping to provide the disc golf community with a plethora of information along the way to help everyone decide what putter is right for them. This is an NCAA basketball style tournament and project where every day I test two putter molds against each other on the putting green in a head-to-head competition before posting here about my experience and the results.
In today’s match we have the 7 seed MVP Ion taking on the newly released 15 seed Alfa Snoopy. The MVP Ion eliminated the Infinite Discs Tomb in the first round with a score of 55 to 50. And the Alfa Snoopy is fresh off what could be considered the biggest upset of the first round as it eliminated the putter I used for years, the popular Gateway Wizard, with a score of 49 to 38.
In the first round matchups I gave an overview of each disc (you can find links to every first round match at our main World Series of Putters post). For the second round, I’m sharing what surprised me the most about each disc the first time I threw it.
MVP Ion
The Ion was the first MVP disc I ever held over 10 years ago, so I guess if I’m being honest, the first surprise was the GYRO technology overmold that all MVP discs have. I’ve also mentioned in other posts that I almost committed to putting with the Ion years ago, but instead I chose the Gateway Wizard. The Ion’s shape and feel is similar to that of the Wizard–tall, beaded, stable to overstable putter.
Another surprise I’ve mentioned before with other Axiom and MVP discs is how firm the Electron Soft Plastic feels. I used the Electron Soft Ion for this match, and while it is the softest of MVP’s Electron putter plastic blends, it isn’t nearly as soft as other “soft” putter plastics out there. This is partly because of the rigidity along the rim due to the overmold.
Alfa Snoopy
Well, the result of the first round match with the Alfa Snoopy was sure a surprise. But for the disc itself, one surprise was how well I putted with the Crystal plastic blend Snoopy. The Crystal blend is a more premium blend. In fact, the Snoopy is the only disc in a premium or traditionally “driver” plastic blend that made it out of the first round. For a premium plastic, it has a pretty nice grip still in the hands that didn’t feel like a disadvantage, and I (so far) haven’t had any spit outs that made me wonder if a base plastic would have stuck better in the chains.
Specifications and Flight Numbers
Let’s take a look at some of the specs courtesy of the PDGA and break down the major differences between these two putter molds.
Ion
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Snoopy
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| Flight Numbers: 2.5/3/0/1
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Flight Numbers: 2/4/0/2
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Max Weight: 174.3gr
Diameter: 21.0cm
Height: 1.9cm
Rim Depth: 1.6cm
Rim Thickness: 1.1cm
Inside Rim Diameter: 18.8cm
Rim Depth / Diameter Ratio: 7.6%
Rim Configuration: 62.50
Flexibility: 2.83kg
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Max Weight: 175.1gr
Diameter: 21.1cm
Height: 2.1cm
Rim Depth: 1.6cm
Rim Thickness: 1.1cm
Inside Rim Diameter: 18.9cm
Rim Depth / Diameter Ratio: 7.6%
Rim Configuration: 55.00
Flexibility: 4.77kg
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Once again, as has been the case for most of the second round in the P2 region, we have a beaded putter vs. a beadless putter. But unlike most matchups like this, the beadless Snoopy is rated to be slightly more overstable than the beaded MVP Ion. But as I always say, don’t trust flight numbers, or at least take them with a grain of salt. Though the Snoopy has a 2 fade and the Ion has a 1 fade rating, I found them to be pretty near identical in terms of stability, at least on the putting green.
I’m a bit surprised to see the Snoopy measure in at a whole .2cm taller than the Ion. I think the Ion feels taller than its measurement. While the discs don’t feel like they have that different of heights in the hand, I do think the Snoopy flies with a touch more glide than the Ion, which is probably in part because of this height differential.
As I mentioned above, the Crystal Snoopy is a premium plastic putter while the Electron Soft Ion is a base plastic putter. Usually on the putting green that equates to an advantage for the base putter, but that advantage really never presented itself during this match or in the Snoopy’s first match. I think the Crystal plastic blend helps mitigate that by having a really nice tacky grip for a translucent and durable plastic blend. I don’t think I’m ready to say the Crystal Snoopy is for sure not a riskier choice for putting, but I still haven’t suffered any tragic spit outs or slips in grip to turn me off of it yet.
The Match
I conducted this match on a quiet and windless evening at my local disc golf course on a permanent Innova Discatcher basket that sits right under a streetlight. After warming up, I flipped a coin to see which putter would be thrown first for the first round of putts, and it was the MVP Ion. Here is how it all played out:
(7) Ion Scorecard
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(15) Snoopy Scorecard
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| 20ft: Y Y Y N Y Y N Y Y Y (8/10 putts made)=24 points |
20ft: Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y (10/10)=30 points
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| 30ft: N N Y Y N Y N N Y Y (5/10)=20 points |
30ft: N Y Y Y N N N N N Y (4/10)=16 points
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| 40ft: N N Y Y N N N N Y N (3/10)=15 points |
40ft: N N Y Y N Y Y N Y N (5/10)=25 points
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| Total: 59 points |
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The Winner
It looks like the Snoopy was determined to prove the first round upset was no fluke! The 15 seed Alfa Snoopy put up the second highest score of the entire tournament so far to knock off the 7 seed MVP Ion 71 to 58.
Notes from the Match
Once again, the Alfa surprised me with a really nice performance to take out another putter I thought had a chance at a deep run in the tournament when this event began.
But should I be that surprised? The Snoopy has a really nice shape and feel and fits a lot of what I’ve generally liked in putters. It has a beadless rim that is shaped similarly to another tall putter that has done very well so far in the World Series of putters, the
Discraft Luna. Even though it is from a newer and less known manufacturer in Alfa, the Snoopy’s shape and feel falls right into what other popular and highly rated putters look like.
Perhaps I wouldn’t be so surprised if the Snoopy were putting up these kinds of performances in a base putter plastic rather than the premium Crystal plastic. The Snoopy was just released earlier this year, and so far it is only available in Crystal plastic blend. Alfa’s website says a base plastic version of the Snoopy is coming soon, and with how well the Snoopy has done so far, I’d imagine the base plastic version is going to be a big hit.
It is also worth noting that the Ion put up a very respectable score that would have won a few matches here in the second round. For putting putters, I think the Ion is my favorite option in the MVP/Axiom GYRO overmold lineup of putters. It looks and feels great.
These discs were closely matched, but I think the additional glide on the Snoopy is what made the difference on the scoreboard. Many of the 40ft putts I missed with the Ion were right on line, but they came up just short, bouncing off the front of the cage in heartbreaking fashion.
My Recommendation
I’m still really hesitant to recommend a premium plastic putter, but at this point I’d recommend giving the Crystal Snoopy a try. If you are loving it like I am, then watch like a hawk for the base plastic release and make sure to stock up on them as soon as they are available.
Tomorrow we start up the second round action in the Envy Region of the bracket where the 1 seed Envy will be taking on the 9 seed Latitude 64 Dagger. Come back tomorrow to get those results!
