Best way of working out which putter is best

[rob_golf1]

So I've been looking for a while now at getting a new putter. My current putter I picked up a few years back as a student when money was tight and it was at a steal price!

I've been going into AG and DG trying different putters but each time I go in I like the feel of one particular model over another. Then the next time I go in, I prefer another. So my question is, how can I work out which one is best for me when the feel and my preference is different each time I try them out? How can I ensure I purchase the right one?

I don't want to be talked into a model by a sales guy either. I purely want to get the right putter which is best for me!

And before anybody mentions it, I'm not buying all of them! 😂

Cheers

 

[xcore]

Don't American golf do a free return within 30 days? Take one out on course if you don't like return it

 

[tsped83]

Don't know the answer but when you figure it out be sure to let me know. For me, the first thing to start with is the hosel. Sounds weird but by that I mean plumbers neck, centre shafted, heel shafted, flare neck etc. Find which LOOKS and FEELS best to your eye and then start on head shapes, which you prefer etc. No matter what you putt with, you have to like the look of it.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I purely want to get the right putter which is best for me!

Book in for a specialist fitting, only way you can be sure of that

I just picked one off the shelf I liked, happend to be twice the price of the other model I liked but its still in the bag and wont ever be kicked out. I hope to be cremated with it!

 

[cliveb]

I paid for a putter analysis with a guy who wasn't going to sell me anything, so his advice was impartial. He attached various devices to my putter to get the raw data, fixed a basic fault in my stroke, then told me the right type to get and left it to me to buy from wherever I preferred. 60 quid well spent.

 

[Deleted member 1740]

Get fitted using the SAM lab, it's well worth it and good fun trying putters.

I had a putter fitting at Clarke's golf centre in Rainford where they had a massive range of putters in stock and I'd definitely recommend it.

The cost is usually £25 but it's redeemed off the cost of a new putter.

 

[Orikoru]

I went for a fitting at EM Golf (Ed Morton) after a recommendation on this forum. Like you I had no idea which putter was best for me when left to my own devices. Ed had me putting with a whole bunch of cameras measuring roll, face angle, etc etc, from that he highlighted a couple of putters that should work for me and I ended up picking out the Odyssey that I'm still using 6 months on.

So if you're really at a loss than a proper fitting like that could help. I still can't putt but I do at least feel confident that I have a the right putter and the failings are all on me! Haha. If I hadn't have had the fitting I probably would have chopped and changed with a different putter every month.

 

[Yant]

The obvious answer is to get a fitting. But if you're just looking for some basic guidance then here's a few pointers;

1. Swing arc

What kind of putter are you? do you try to take it straight back and through? or is there a slight arc to your putting stroke? or is there definitely an 'inside-back-to-square-to-in' stroke going on.

2. Choosing the right putter

Based on what you think from question one will determine which kind of putter you should look for. And it's all to do with how the head of the putter is weighted. If you balance the shaft of a mallet putter on you finger you should find that the face points directly up. This is called a face-balanced putter and is suited to a stroke that goes straight back and through. Most mallets (not all) will be faced balanced.

If the face is at a slight angle it means that it is weighted with a slight toe hang. This is suited to those with a slightly in-to-square-to-in putting stroke. The new TaylorMade Spider putters have a slight toe hang.

If the toe of the putter points down then this the opposite to the face balanced putter and the weight is in the toe/heel and is suited to someone with a noticeably rounded putting stroke. See a 'Ricky Fowler' style head.

Of course, if you can't answer question 1 then i would suggest you need some professional advise to find out.

Hope that helps.

 

[Curls]

All good advice above, and listen we've all been duped into thinking that we've found the magic wand, only for it to misfire a week later and crush our fragile egos into smitherines.

The only way you'll really know if you've got it is probbaly at least 6 months and maybe longer into playing with it competitively. I started in 2012 with a putter I stuck with for years, but never saw myself as a good putter really. I decided it was time for a change, I must have had 6 putters since (all off ebay or the forum) and while sometime sthey work for a while, they eventually let me down. The reason is probably because I'm not a good putter

However I've completely changed my attitude this year and have been putting much better. Have I found the magic wand? I dunno, I like it, lovely weight, looks great, nice feel (for me) off the insert. The only thing that's changed is instead of standing over a long putt worrying about what length putt I'm going to leave my next one, or whether my swing arc will be right, or whether I'm late for tea, is that I'm thinking about holing it and seeing it roll in. My pace in particular has improved massively just thanks to that one change. I also think my judgement of pace is better because the putter suits me. On short putts I'm trying to just not be tense and jab it or push it, just feel like Im on the practice green and ts another putt for nothing. Those go in for more often than the ones for par.

Finding the putter was part science (above posts), but mostly trial, error and time to get used to the new wand.

Good luck in your quest, chances are you'll know when you find it, and then time (and you performance in comps) will prove it.

 

[GeneralStore]

I dont change putters that often, but its a big decision. I need to love the look of a putter and then its down to how it performs, dont care if I cant miss with it, I need to love it.

I go to Silvermere, take my current putter and the 5 'best' putters from their shelves that suit my eye. I then hole out with 3 balls with each putter from each distance at 1 yard, 2 yards, 5 yards and 10 yards. The putter with the lowest number of putts goes into the bag and is my new putter. Takes an hour or 2, but its enjoyable and good practise. A couple of times my current putter couldnt be beaten, so I left without changing

 

[Orikoru]

I dont change putters that often, but its a big decision. I need to love the look of a putter and then its down to how it performs, dont care if I cant miss with it, I need to love it.

I go to Silvermere, take my current putter and the 5 'best' putters from their shelves that suit my eye. I then hole out with 3 balls with each putter from each distance at 1 yard, 2 yards, 5 yards and 10 yards. The putter with the lowest number of putts goes into the bag and is my new putter. Takes an hour or 2, but its enjoyable and good practise. A couple of times my current putter couldnt be beaten, so I left without changing

How often do you do that? Surely expensive constantly replacing the putter??

 

[Khamelion]

Narrow it down to a style first off, blade, half mallet or full mallet, then pick a series of the style you chose and see which weighting works for you best be it toe, heel or centre weight, then it'll be purely the aesthetics and the size of your wallet that will determine what you buy.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

I would also suggest you try a few putters, styles like blade etc and features on the putter(for instance a putter that long line on the top of the putter for alignment).

I always had problems lining up a blade putter to the line I wanted to hit on, I then changed to the 2 ball putter which helped a lot but noticed I regularly missed right. So about 2 years ago changed to a 2 ball lined putter(basically the same as a 2 ball but it has a black line running though the 2 balls for alignment) and this now enables to actually hit the line I think I am aiming for on a much more regular basis.

Only way of finding out is to try various putters.

 

[Khamelion]

I would also suggest you try a few putters, styles like blade etc and features on the putter(for instance a putter that long line on the top of the putter for alignment).

I always had problems lining up a blade putter to the line I wanted to hit on, I then changed to the 2 ball putter which helped a lot but noticed I regularly missed right. So about 2 years ago changed to a 2 ball lined putter(basically the same as a 2 ball but it has a black line running though the 2 balls for alignment) and this now enables to actually hit the line I think I am aiming for on a much more regular basis.

Only way of finding out is to try various putters.

I did a putting fitting last year and was told that arc or round backed putters draw the eye to the right and hence more often than not you will miss putts to the right.

 

[GeneralStore]

How often do you do that? Surely expensive constantly replacing the putter??

Once every couple of years

 

[ScienceBoy]

I did a putting fitting last year and was told that arc or round backed putters draw the eye to the right and hence more often than not you will miss putts to the right.

I think its not "draw" as we know it from the long clubs though.