Has the "feel" gone out of putting

[r0wly86]

With the massive putter head with their super high MOI, the huge grips that are coming more prevalent, and the highly detailed green reading books the pros have been using.I was just wondering whether the "feel" has gone from putting. Not saying this is necessarily a bad thing. I understand that everyone wants to make the game easier and a high MOI putter means off centre hits will go straight and a good distance, the chunky grips create a repeatable action etc.

Earlier hits year I bought the Wilson Staff 8802, the difference is stark to the bigger putters my PPs use, when you hit it out of the middle it's akin to a forged blade, you can really feel the difference and it feels both solid and soft. But you definitely know when you have hit it off centre as it goes 60% of the distance you want and feels very weak and clicky. Fortunately that doesn't happen very often.

Last night I decided to play about a bit as the course was very quiet, and decided to try putting like Nicklaus, as I was using a similar style putter. Open stance, head behind the ball. Totally unorthodox compared to the modern square on, head over the ball pendulum swing.It may have been that I was just in a good putting place on the day, but in that position with that putter I felt a lot more in control over the shot, with my head behind the ball I knew exactly where I was hitting the ball and on what line it would follow, it felt like had a lot more control with my hands. Whereas with the orthodox method it feels like I am setting up and swinging and just trusting my set up is correct and letting it do its thing.

In this position is felt like it was all in my hands, more "feel" perhaps.Not saying it is better, the orthodox style would probably yield more consistent putting strokes and stats, but was really interesting to try out this style that made me feel like I had more control over the shot.

 

[r0wly86]

I swear I write with paragraphs but when I press post it just lumps it all as one, so sorry if that's difficult to read

 

[Grant85]

For me putting is an art more than a science. Look at the hole a few times and pull the trigger. So I guess with that view, I would agree with what you are saying and that feel and receptiveness will surely help you.

Not that I'm all that good at it. Obviously you need technique to ensure you are delivering a straight roll on the line you are aiming at, but in the main practice practice practice.

Practice long putts, short putts, breaking putts, uphill putts, downhill putts etc etc.

I have an Odyssey Versa as I found the monotone finish really helps my aim on the shorter putts. But I do agree with you on having a smaller bit of metal in your hand - really makes a difference with feel. However, all pros will be pretty much middling every putt and none of them use that style of putter - Mickelson did until a few years ago. So I'm not sure there is an advantage to you, compared with a modern blade (Anser style) putter.

 

[BTatHome]

'Has the "feel" gone out of putting" ...
.
.
.

.

No.

 

[r0wly86]

'Has the "feel" gone out of putting" ...
.
.
.

.

No.

Okay not gone, but I think the feel aspect has been reduced over the years and replaced with repeatable mechanics

 

[Orikoru]

I'm not even certain what you mean by 'feel'. When I had my putter fitting he told me the looks of the putter have a huge effect on your confidence in using it, and for that reason I don't use a huge chunky mallet style putter because I hate the look of them. I use a wide blade-style which is nice and heavy, because then I don't feel like I need to hit the ball hard, I just pull it back, push it through and the weight does the rest. So that is the 'feel' aspect for me I guess? I like to feel the weight of the putter coming through so I'm not tempted to 'hit' with my wrists. But I might be misunderstanding what you meant by 'feel', that's just my interpretation.

 

[jim8flog]

Depends on what you mean by feel, there are some putters that have tried for a couple of shots and would not use and there are a lot of balls that been tried for a few holes that I would not use because I do not the like the feel/sound.

Once I am using a combination of ball and putter that I like the feel/ sound I suppose I do get a bit in to auto pilot but I do use my eyes rather than any sort of green mapping.

 

[r0wly86]

I'm not even certain what you mean by 'feel'. When I had my putter fitting he told me the looks of the putter have a huge effect on your confidence in using it, and for that reason I don't use a huge chunky mallet style putter because I hate the look of them. I use a wide blade-style which is nice and heavy, because then I don't feel like I need to hit the ball hard, I just pull it back, push it through and the weight does the rest. So that is the 'feel' aspect for me I guess? I like to feel the weight of the putter coming through so I'm not tempted to 'hit' with my wrists. But I might be misunderstanding what you meant by 'feel', that's just my interpretation.

ooof, that's a very good question but very hard to answer.

Feel is a bit intangible, so hard to define. It's the natural feel you have when judging distances, so we associate it with the short game more than the long game. Players like Mickelson and Seve we would say had great feel, or touch.

So they have a great natural ability to judge things, they have the ability to transfer this through their hands to the club.

That is a very bad definition so I apologise

 

[r0wly86]

Depends on what you mean by feel, there are some putters that have tried for a couple of shots and would not use and there are a lot of balls that been tried for a few holes that I would not use because I do not the like the feel/sound.

Once I am using a combination of ball and putter that I like the feel/ sound I suppose I do get a bit in to auto pilot but I do use my eyes rather than any sort of green mapping.

Yep my fault for using a woolly word that is undefinable.

It was more on the belief that high MOI putter that don't translate off centre hits as much, and the oversized grips which also dampen the feel the hands have on the club. Is a different way of putting compare to the old style with putters that would punish off centre hits, and very thin grips so the hands were in control rather than the arm.

I could be totally wrong, but that's why I posted it so we can have a discussion

 

[USER1999]

Surely you can have forgiveness and feel in a putter style?

Anyway, things like green reading books, and aimpoint are what is stripping feel out of the game.

Same for clock style chipping with different clubs. Same swing for each difference? Or manipulate the swing with the same club?

Golf is golf, however you play it.

 

[r0wly86]

Surely you can have forgiveness and feel in a putter style?

Anyway, things like green reading books, and aimpoint are what is stripping feel out of the game.

Same for clock style chipping with different clubs. Same swing for each difference? Or manipulate the swing with the same club?

Golf is golf, however you play it.

Indeed and I wasn't suggesting that one way is better than the other, it was more to question the evolution of golf I guess.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I think putting needs “touch”, as I don’t think you can feel anything per se.

I don’t think modern putters make much difference as you still need to be able to judge line and strength of hit. Green books shouldn’t be allowed though.

 

[r0wly86]

I think putting needs “touch”, as I don’t think you can feel anything per se.

I don’t think modern putters make much difference as you still need to be able to judge line and strength of hit. Green books shouldn’t be allowed though.

Again it's hard to quantify but I suppose the difference when I was playing which of course is just anecdotal was.

Orthodox square stance, pendulum swing etc, I had lined the putt up and judges the distance. How far I swing is just based on experience of it's 30 feet to the hole the last 20 30 foot putts I hit this hard so I will do it again.

Trusting my alignment is correct and I am set up right. Not so much touch as it is just experience of putting.

Whereas when I set up with the open stance head behind the ball, so I was looking down the line I wanted to hit, when I swung back, I instinctively knew how hard to hit the ball to get it there and because I could see the line the ball is going to be travelling on the alignment was less about trust but my brain actually plotting the line.

Again this is all anecdotal and probably the next time I try it, I will be all over the place. Just thought it was interesting the differences between the two approaches.

Not sure it applies but I read a putting book once and the author said that you should trust your brain more when judging how hard to hit. He drew the example of jumping over a stream, you don't calculate how much to jump consciously your brain has already done it, and you never jump well over the stream your brain will work out how far to jump to just clear the stream.

 

[USER1999]

Again it's hard to quantify but I suppose the difference when I was playing which of course is just anecdotal was.

Orthodox square stance, pendulum swing etc, I had lined the putt up and judges the distance. How far I swing is just based on experience of it's 30 feet to the hole the last 20 30 foot putts I hit this hard so I will do it again.

Trusting my alignment is correct and I am set up right. Not so much touch as it is just experience of putting.

Whereas when I set up with the open stance head behind the ball, so I was looking down the line I wanted to hit, when I swung back, I instinctively knew how hard to hit the ball to get it there and because I could see the line the ball is going to be travelling on the alignment was less about trust but my brain actually plotting the line.

Again this is all anecdotal and probably the next time I try it, I will be all over the place. Just thought it was interesting the differences between the two approaches.

Not sure it applies but I read a putting book once and the author said that you should trust your brain more when judging how hard to hit. He drew the example of jumping over a stream, you don't calculate how much to jump consciously your brain has already done it, and you never jump well over the stream your brain will work out how far to jump to just clear the stream.

Do you think about how far to take the club back? I don't. Ever.

 

[r0wly86]

Do you think about how far to take the club back? I don't. Ever.

Not to the nth degree but generally yeah I know how far I am swing back to get certain distances

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I think putting is over analysed, and too many spend far too long looking for millimetres that just aren’t there.

 

[User 105]

I equate feel to the feedback you get when striking a putt. The immediate feedback if you've struck a good one out the middle. I get it with my Scotty. The downside is I know when I've hit a bad one and I know that's probably going to be short.

I've tried a good few other putters that are more forgiving on off center hits, but to me, didn't 'feel' as nice to hit. Almost felt dead coming off the face.

I guess it comes down to why you play. If lower scores are important then use something that is more forgiving but less pleasurable to use. If you do like the enjoyment of the feedback on a good putt, pick a putter with good feedback. There may actually be putters that have good feedback and forgiveness that I haven't tried though.

 

[londonlewis]

Bryson De Chambeau takes a fully scientific approach to golf. Does that mean he doesn't have any feel?

 

[r0wly86]

Bryson De Chambeau takes a fully scientific approach to golf. Does that mean he doesn't have any feel?

I don't think any players has no feel, it would be a pretty much impossible game to play.

Does his approach mean he has less feel than other "touch" players, I honestly don't know.

But if there was a shot up over a bunker that then you had to roll it down a hit that broke a lot, would you put your money on the artist Seve or the scientist De Chambeau.

Also the whole "scientific approach" is just marketing crap. All pros now have a intimate knowledge of biomechanics and swing mechanics.

 

[patricks148]

nope, better putters would still go by feel no matter what sort of putter they have