The Performance Golf RS1 takes a different approach to face control, moving the center of gravity forward so gravity helps keep the putter square. For decades, putter designers have tried almost everything to help golfers return the face square at impact. Performance Golf believes one of the biggest opportunities may have been hiding in plain sight: where the weight sits in relation to the shaft.
The company’s 2026 RS1 Putter takes a decidedly different approach. More than 75 percent of its 360-gram head weight is positioned ahead of the shaft axis, creating what Performance Golf calls Forward Axis Weighting.
The idea is relatively simple. In most traditional putters, the majority of the center of gravity sits behind the shaft axis. That configuration can encourage the face to drift open during the stroke, forcing the golfer to use the hands and forearms to square it up.
Zero-torque putters have attacked that problem by moving the center of gravity closer to the shaft axis, helping the face remain neutral. The RS1 pushes the concept a step further by moving the center of gravity in front of the shaft. Instead of simply preventing the face from twisting, gravity now creates a force that encourages the face toward square.
Behind the design is Chris McGinley, a club designer with more than 30 years of equipment experience, including Titleist. McGinley has designed equipment played by 11 players who reached World No. 1. The RS1 reimagines the putter as an entire system—head weighting, geometry, alignment, and the golfer’s hands all working toward the same objective. That objective is face control.
“For generations, putters have been built with most of the weight behind the shaft, which can make it harder to keep the face square through the stroke,” explained McGinley. “With the RS1, we flipped that thinking and put 75 percent of the head weight in front of the shaft axis. That forward weighting creates a force that works against the golfer’s natural tendency to open the face. Every gram in this putter is positioned for a reason.”
The RS1 uses a 10-piece, multi-material “Hammerhead” construction built around a CNC-machined steel face, carbon-composite crown and lightweight aluminum tail wings. The lighter materials behind the shaft allow additional mass to be concentrated forward, making weight distribution—not decoration—the reason for the unusual construction.
The putter also features a 74-degree lie angle, four degrees more upright than the 70-degree industry standard, according to Performance Golf. The more upright setup shortens the stroke arc and reduces face rotation. T-Trac alignment lines run from the tail toward the face, while a Face Forward design positions the shaft behind the face to provide an unobstructed look at the striking surface.
A sculpted T-Wing tail removes additional mass from behind the shaft axis, while sole-relief zones are designed to help the head move across the turf without snagging. Performance Golf’s patented Dual Pistol Grip features a flat top and bottom surface with curved sides intended to reduce grip pressure and wrist interference. It can accommodate conventional, cross-hand, and claw putting styles.
Performance Golf calls the complete package Roll Str8 Technology™, but the most interesting part of the RS1 may ultimately be the simplest: move the center of gravity from behind the shaft to in front of it.
Rather than asking golfers to manipulate an open face back to square, Performance Golf designed the RS1 around letting the putter’s weighting do more of that work. Pull it back, let it fall, and let gravity, not the hands, play a larger role in controlling the face.
“The response to the RS1 has exceeded our expectations,” said John Hardesty, CMO of Performance Golf. “We’ve sold more than 15,000 putters since May 13, averaging more than 100 a day, and we’re on pace to surpass 50,000 in the first 12 months. Golfers switching to the RS1 are seeing it show up in their game, and that’s the only metric that matters to us. We’ve also built custom RS1 putters for Steph Curry, Jason Kelce, Colin Jost, Charles Barkley, Rob Mac, and others at the American Century Championship. Seeing that kind of enthusiasm at every level of the game, right alongside the response from everyday golfers, tells us we’re onto something. And honestly, we feel like we’re just getting started.”
The RS1 is available in right- and left-handed models at 35 inches with 3.5 degrees of loft, and stepless steel. The standard RS1 is priced at $399. Visit www.performancegolf.com.
