The TaylorMade Ghost Spider S putter is light, soft and stable, and we were thoroughly impressed.

The first generation Spider was little too much function over form for us and the large head was visually a bit cluttered. However, despite still retaining the function heritage, the third generation of the Ghost Spider S seems to have hit the nail on the head.

With extensive input from their Tour players, such as Peter Hanson and Jason Day, TaylorMade have made some tweaks to the new Spider and it shows both in the appearance and performance of the new model.

The mid-size head is a perfect compromise between the original Spider and the smaller Itsy Bitsy Spider version and this is one of the pleasing things you notice at address. It comes with a choice of 2 hosels – a face balanced standard straight hosel and a mid slant that has a 30 degree slant offering a clearer view of the head and the ball at address.

The appearance is a much cleaner, simpler look at address than before. A single, straight alignment-line on a black alumium centre piece is much better than the previous ‘basketball court’ design on a white head.

It makes lining up so much easier and pairs well with the white coloured outer frame. The white straight leading edge sits very square and enable you see the face of the putter more easily to also give you lots of confidence in your alignment at address.

As for the performance, you can immediately feel and hear the performance of the adjustable weights. The sound is a little high pitched and 'tingy', but the feel is soft and extremely consistent.

The high MOI design should make it more consistent to strike putts from the centre of the face and we found it a very well balanced and consistent putter. Hitting putts off the toe and heel of the face makes very little difference to the performance, which for the average golfer will be a significant benefit.

While the putter appears feels lightweight in your hands and during the stroke, the weights at the back can be adjusted from 2 to 16 grams to find the correct head weight for your stroke. Only the 2 gram weights are included with the putter, but any weights from a TaylorMade putter or wood can be used. We would like to see additional weights included with the putter for on-going adjustments and perhaps customising the weight depending on green speeds or conditions.

From Tour pros to high handicappers, this putter has something to offer and with a competitive price it is also good value. We think it looks very good but even if you are not that impressed with the looks, you are sure to be impressed with the performance.