This not only because its design and appearance are so strikingly different to most other putters in play around the world, but also because its performance is proving to be truly remarkable.

The Rossa Monza Spider, which will be available at retail in the US in March, has already been widely embraced by PGA Tour professionals.

It was the No. 1 putter model at last week's FBR Open, and was used by the winner, JB Holmes, who ranked No. 2 in putts per greens-in-regulation.

In the week prior to this, 12 Monza Spiders were put into play at the Buick Invitational with excellent feedback.

"Our objective when we embarked on the creation of Rossa Monza Spider was to build a putter that delivers a quantum leap in total performance; to give players better results on all types of impact locations and to promote super-smooth and accurate roll," said Sean Toulon, executive vice president of product creation and innovation for TaylorMade.

"The response we've received on Tour confirms that Monza Spider is something special. It's rare to see so many players put a new putter in play so quickly."

TaylorMade engineers, says Toulon, focused on giving the Monza Spider increased stability and forgiveness because poor impact quality is so frequently the cause of poor putting among all levels of golfers.

Even tour professionals frequently miss putts because they fail to hit the ball with the center of the club face.

With most putters, when impact is made toward the toe or heel, the head twists and the ball rolls off-line and finishes short of the target. Off-center hits also impart different types of spin compared to center-hits, contributing to inconsistent distance and direction.

To increase Monza Spider's forgiveness, TaylorMade engineers had to increase its moment of inertia (MOI). They found three key ways to accomplish that:

- A steel wire-frame head construction similar to that used in the Monza Corza which allowed them to position increased weight at the perimeter and add stability on mis-hits that helps the putter head resist twisting when impact is made toward the heel or toe.

- A light and strong aluminum core that allows more weight to be positioned on the perimeter, increasing MOI.

- Monza Spider's "wings," into which Movable Weight Technology? (MWT®) cartridges are inserted, allow substantial weight to be concentrated in areas far from the face, helping to move the center of gravity (CG) rearward, which increases MOI and stability.

Of course, another benefit of the Monza Spider's MWT is that it also gives players the option to customize its feel by changing the weights to make the putter head heavier or lighter and/or to change the putter's balance.

Dynamic testing of the Monza Spider's performance on mis-hits, claim TaylorMade, indicates that, compared to mis-hits performance of competitive high-MOI putters, Monza Spider delivers dramatically better results when impact is made away from the center of the club face toward the heel or toe. Specifically, Monza Spider's high MOI helps it to deliver extremely consistent distance results on off-center hits, so that instead of coming up short, oftentimes the ball reaches the hole.

"We like to say that Monza Spider turns bad strokes into good putts," said Toulon.

As for greater roll, Monza Spider has the advantage of Rossa's renowned and tour-proven AGSI®+ (Anti-skid Groove System Insert) Technology.

AGSI+ features 14 polymer-filled grooves in the face that "hold" the ball briefly at impact to promote forward spin for a smoother roll and more accurate results.

The AGSI+ insert, in concert with the putter head's extremely high MOI, also delivers superior consistency in forward roll on off-center hits, something not shown in tests of other popular putters.

On the crown, Monza Spider incorporates an optically friendly alignment aid that was created with input from tour professionals.

The aid is specially designed to work with the geometry of the putter head and the ball to make it simple to aim the putter face accurately.

That, in turn, makes it easier to get the ball started on the intended line.

In summarizing their new putter TaylorMade declare with great confidence that "the convergence of Monza Spider's unique design geometry, advanced multi-material construction, Movable Weight Technology and AGSI+ Technology have produced something extraordinary.

"TaylorMade testing indicates that Monza Spider's MOI rating is 35% higher than the tour-proven Monza Corza and more than 75% higher than the original Odyssey® White Hot 2-Ball, equaling extraordinary stability and energy transfer on heel and toe hits for dramatically improved results."

"Its AGSI+ Technology promotes forward spin on center hits, and works in conjunction with its advanced geometry and weighting to dramatically diminish the production of backspin on heel and toe hits.

"It all allows Monza Spider to deliver a level of performance across the club face that isn't marginally better than other putters, but dramatically better."

You can learn more about the Monza Spider putter and about TaylorMade-adidas Golf and its brands in general by visiting www.tmag.com , www.taylormadegolf.com , www.adidasgolf.com or www.maxfli.com.