My name's Brian and I'm a putter-aholic

[Beedee]

I need help. Badly. I can't seem to stop buying or altering putters.

I went into the shop today to pick up a couple of new gloves and came out with yet another putter! An Odyssey Big T V-line this time. It feels really nice and I was holing them from all over on the little practice green, but I've already got about half a dozen other top class putters from all the big brands (and in their time they all holed from all of the practice green as well).

In general I'm a pretty poor putter. I'm bad at reading the slope and at getting the pace. Curiously, apart from that I'm quite good at putting; according to SAM Lab anyway. In controlled conditions I point the putter where I think I do, and my stroke is fairly smooth and repeatable, but on an undulating piece of grass I just can't get it.

So the answer is ALWAYS a new putter, or cut something off the shaft, or change the grip to a Superstroke, or something. Ok, I know that isn't really the correct answer, but as the title says - I'm a putter-aholic

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I need help. Badly. I can't seem to stop buying or altering putters.

I went into the shop today to pick up a couple of new gloves and came out with yet another putter! An Odyssey Big T V-line this time. It feels really nice and I was holing them from all over on the little practice green, but I've already got about half a dozen other top class putters from all the big brands (and in their time they all holed from all of the practice green as well).

In general I'm a pretty poor putter. I'm bad at reading the slope and at getting the pace. Curiously, apart from that I'm quite good at putting; according to SAM Lab anyway. In controlled conditions I point the putter where I think I do, and my stroke is fairly smooth and repeatable, but on an undulating piece of grass I just can't get it.

So the answer is ALWAYS a new putter, or cut something off the shaft, or change the grip to a Superstroke, or something. Ok, I know that isn't really the correct answer, but as the title says - I'm a putter-aholic

The answer to me would seem simple. Stick to one and learn to read the slopes (dare I mention Aimpoint) and work on the dostance control

 

[USER1999]

It's you, not the putter. A good putter could putt with anything. Stick with one, and just work on it. It's the way it is.

 

[Sats]

Get yourself on a SAM and see how you're hitting your putts. Get some lessons. Practice and tinker with ideas. I've found by going left hand low with 12' and under I've become a better putter. Plus it will be cheaper.

 

[Beedee]

I know the problem is me and the real answer is to stick with one putter and practice. I'm just weak ;-(

I've had a few sessions with my pro in their SAM Lab. My fundamentals are quite good. Last time I was measured I got about 85% on each of the 4 measures. But that's repeating identical putts on a perfectly flat surface. I struggle when I get on to the grass.

I know I'm risking being ostracized from the forum for mentioning it, but recently I've been trying Aimpoint Express. Haven't done the course, but have watched lots of videos and read all I can. It is improving my reads, but I feel a bit of a berk doing the finger bit.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Pick one, call it your putter for life and become a putting-aholic like me.

I can't get enough of my flat stick.

#putterforlife

 

[Hosel Fade]

Choice of putter isn't going to suddenly rewrite the laws of physics or rearrange the gravitational field around the 12th green.

It may help you strike it better or control the tempo of you stroke better but once the ball is moving thats over

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I know the problem is me and the real answer is to stick with one putter and practice. I'm just weak ;-(

I've had a few sessions with my pro in their SAM Lab. My fundamentals are quite good. Last time I was measured I got about 85% on each of the 4 measures. But that's repeating identical putts on a perfectly flat surface. I struggle when I get on to the grass.

I know I'm risking being ostracized from the forum for mentioning it, but recently I've been trying Aimpoint Express. Haven't done the course, but have watched lots of videos and read all I can. It is improving my reads, but I feel a bit of a berk doing the finger bit.

My advice would be get on the Aimpoint Course. Contact Jamie Donaldson http://www.aimpointgolf.com/instructor/240 and find out where the nearest one is. Well worth the money as what he'll show is going to be far more detailed, will correct a few common mistakes you get from the video and generally give you everything you need. Of course its only my point of view that it'll help!

As for looking an idiot with the fingers in the air, all I can say from personal experience is you'll be asked A LOT what it all means when you start making 15-20 footers, hole out more from 6-8 feet and start knocking in more 2-3 footers. I am definitely a better putter, better green reader and above all, more confident on the greens and once you have the knowledge you can use it anywhere, at any course

 

[JakeWS]

My advice would be to sell me one of those Scotty's I know you got stashed in there.

 

[delc]

My name is Del, and as you can see from my signature, I am also a putter-holic! All of them worked really well on the practice green, until I handed over money for them. They must know this somehow! :mmm:

 

[palindromicbob]

I don't have a problem

 

[seochris]

Have you tried buying them second hand and then you wont lose so much.....

 

[Capella]

I know players who insist on playing always the same make and model of ball (because the feel is so fundamentally different from one ball to the next ...) and then change their putters about as often as their socks. If it helps...

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I think they use magnets in the balls at AG. I was in the other weekend, tempted to get a blade putter, and every putt went in the hole. Every putter was magic. I know in the real world that doesn't happen but it does in a shop.

The Nike Methods and Ping Cadence look really nice. Easy to get drawn in to getting new putters.

 

[Copernicus]

I am a rank beginner so no business answering this really but ... Have you read Dave Peltz's Putting Bible? It has really good info about reading greens ( and the rest)? It made me pretty competent very quickly. (Unlike my swing so far!) Either that or it's that new Ping Cadence I bought to replace my borrowed putter ...

 

[MashieNiblick]

I think I'm a reasonably decent putter but I do enjoy using different ones depending on how I'm putting and what the greens are like. I use a variety of putters of different types a including both mallets and ping and blade types. I go through phases of having favourites.

I know the accepted wisdom is to find one and stick with it but putting is very psychological and having a bank of putters I feel comfortable with means that if I do start to lose a bit of confidence I can pick out another that I like and it often makes me feel that I can start afresh, and regain some confidence. I then stick with it until I feel I might benefit from a change.

For me trying different putters is also a fun part of the game and that's why we do it after all.