Putter fitting

woody69

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
2,676
Visit site
I'm going to have a putter fitting this weekend and I found this interesting article. Accurate or a load of old rubbish?

The putter is the club that puts the ball into the hole. And what’s the object of this beautiful game?

  • Putting is the most practiced part of the game amongst the pros.
  • Putting is the most neglected part of the game amongst amateurs.
  • Putting is the most important part of the game for both.
  • In a regulation round of golf, 36 strokes are made with all the other clubs in the bag, and 36 strokes are made with the putter.
  • You better believe it……….the putter is the most important club in the bag.

“But putting is very personal”, I hear you say. “How is it possible to custom fit a putter?” Well, it is precisely because putting is so very personal that custom fitting and custom building a putter to suit each golfer is….ahem…. the only way to get it right.

The alternative is “trial and error.” And when it comes to putting, flirting with “error” is very dangerous.
Make no mistake about it, there is a lot of art and skill in putting well. Yet just as you wouldn’t want to hone your driving skills in a car whose unbalanced wheels veer you into the ditch all the time, it is best to hone your putting skills with a putter that is set up to provide you with maximal directional and distance control.

In my own putter fitting procedure, I focus on fitting five major putter specifications to each golfer. Each specification contributes to a greater or lesser extent to DIRECTION CONTROL and DISTANCE CONTROL.

DISTANCE CONTROL
DIRECTION CONTROL
Length
50%
50%
Loft
90%
10%
Lie
5%
95%
Swing Weight
85%
15%
Putter Design (MOI)
50%
50%

Putter length
is the specification that sets everything else up and equally important for direction and distance control. Fitting for correct putter length allows for the correct posture with the player’s eyes directly over the ball, arms hanging comfortably so that the putting stroke is controlled by the big muscles around the shoulders (not the small ones around the wrists and hands).

Many manufacturers’ standard lengths are 35” for men and 34” for women. Yet fitting putter length properly results in shorter lengths for most golfers. Phil Mickelson’s putter is 311/2” long. Many tour players use 33” putters. Don’t ask me how many major brand putters I have shortened!

Lie angle
contributes more to directional control than any other specification. A putter that is set too upright for you will have the toe sticking up off the ground at address and will cause you to miss left. A putter that is set too flat for you will have the heel sticking up of the ground at address and will cause you to miss right. A putter that has the lie angle set correctly for you will sit flat on the ground and send the ball along your target line.

Many golfers do not fit the standard lie of a putter. My putter loft and lie machine is in constant use for custom bending operations. Another nifty skill under my belt is the art of bending double bend putter shafts. Most people will tell you it can’t be done. Yes it can!

Loft
contributes more to distance control than any other specification. Yet how many golfers know the loft of their putters? There are actually 3 loft measurements to take into consideration. Ideally they should all come out to the same number; usually they don’t.

What am I talking about?
Well, putters are manufactured to be a certain “putter head loft”; most are between 2o and 5o. When the putter head and shaft are assembled, the “assembled loft”, when the shaft is held vertical to the ground, should be the same as the putter head loft. This is not always the case in massed produced putters.
And then there is “effective loft at impact”, i.e. the loft that results from the position of the golfers hands at impact (e.g. if you impact the ball with a forward press, your effective loft will be reduced). For a putter of 4o, the effective loft at impact should also be 4o. Commonly this is not the case. However, the loft angle of a putter can be adjusted in a bending machine to suit your putting stroke. 4o is the optimum loft for consistent distance control over a wide range of distance putts.

Swing weight is a measure of the weight of the putter head compared to the putter’s total weight, and contributes largely to distance control. A certain optimum balance is required for the golfer to feel the putter head and control the length of the backswing, which in turn influences the distance the ball travels.

If a putter is shortened, it’s swing weight should be restored by adding weight back to the head. One of the big benefits of having a putter custom built is that the head weight can be selected to produce the optimum swing weight for the length of putter that fits you best. One of the disadvantages of buying an off the rack putter is that manufacturers rarely make different weight putter heads for different length putters. So if you are lucky enough to find one shorter that standard, chances are the swing weight will be on the low side.

continued in next post...
 

woody69

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
2,676
Visit site
Putter design
A specific putter design is usually what golfers look for when selecting a putter, and often it has to have a certain brand name on the bottom; once found the golfer’s selection process is complete. The unfortunate result is that over 90% of golfers are playing with putters that do not fit their putting stroke.

Putter designs can be divided into three categories: Low, High and Super-high Moment of Inertial putters. Moment of inertia – MOI - is simply a term that denotes resistance to twisting on off-centre impact with the ball.
A low MOI putter has a small sweet spot area. It will twist readily if the ball is putted off centre causing loss of distance and for the ball to travel off-line. If you can make successive 25’ putts and not miss the middle of the putter by more than 1/8”, just like the pros, then a low MOI putter would be fine to use. Most of us are not that skilful. Low MOI putters are those that have an even weight distribution from heel to toe e.g . any blade style putter design.

A high MOI putter has a larger sweet spot area and will twist less on off centre hits. These putters are recognised by having extra weight positioned at the heel and toe, giving rise to the name heel-toe weighted putters.
Super-high MOI putters have the largest possible sweet spot areas and will twist the least on off-centre hits. In order to achieve such stability, these putters are usually multi-metal in compostion, with heavier metals like tungsten or brass being used for the heel and toe weighting system. In some, the weight is also positioned back from the face.

The fitting system that I have developed and routinely use is a real eye opener to customers. Where else can you go to have the loft and lie of your putter adjusted to be perfect for the way you putt? Where else can you go to have your correct putter length determined and swing weight adjusted accordingly? Where else can you go to have the best putter technology available built into a putter that gives you the best chance of putting the ball into the hole?
 

Rooter

Money List Winner
Joined
Jan 30, 2012
Messages
10,807
Location
Newbury
Visit site
found it very interesting. while someone could just walk into a shop and like the look and feel and not care about the spec, i can see this being an interesting experience for you! this guy has turned it into a science!
 

BoadieBroadus

Q-School Graduate
Joined
May 8, 2011
Messages
840
Visit site
i always question that stat about the number of putts v the number of full shots / pitches.

of 36 putts how many are tap ins of less than 2ft that a child could hit straight in the hole? if you're shooting a standard mid 80's round how does the putts (less tap ins) v full shots stack up. the ratio is closer to 1:3 rather than the 1:1 the article suggests.
 

woody69

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
2,676
Visit site
i always question that stat about the number of putts v the number of full shots / pitches.

of 36 putts how many are tap ins of less than 2ft that a child could hit straight in the hole? if you're shooting a standard mid 80's round how does the putts (less tap ins) v full shots stack up. the ratio is closer to 1:3 rather than the 1:1 the article suggests.

Probably true, but the article does state, "in a regulation round of golf".
 

BoadieBroadus

Q-School Graduate
Joined
May 8, 2011
Messages
840
Visit site
Probably true, but the article does state, "in a regulation round of golf".

noted. it still overestimates the difficulty of tap ins though to suit its purposes. in this hypothetical round of golf how long is the regulation first putt if we're always hitting the GIR? i suspect that using these stats even an average golfer would two putt from the centre of the green most of the time using any old putter.

i'm not disputing the importance of putter fitting. i'd be interested to have one (free) and see if its results bore fruit.

I'm disputing the use of the stats in the bumpf used to support the theory.

putter fitting = good
using a hypothetical round of golf to try and prove this = not so good
 

harpo_72

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Feb 20, 2013
Messages
5,998
Visit site
I spent 20mins a day on my putting for 2 weeks, my putting at the time was disastrous, it would hold me back. I played a competition after those 2 weeks and shot a gross 65. So yeah I know about it's importance, it can get you out of trouble and reduce so many strokes, it can compensate for a weak iron game and gloss over a mediocre short game. However I also think some courses are a nightmare to putt on because of inconsistency. I think it's easier to play on a fast and true green than a slow a porridge like green. I still putt frequently at home on the carpet and I still make birdies or pars outside of 10ft frequently, I also ram 3ft putts in at pace and have scared my playing partners with this positive approach on downhillers. The more you practice the more you understand what is the best approach, aggressive or gentle, through the break or with it. If you get that down I reckon you will see a massive shot swing and handicap drop. I lost 8 strokes in a short period of time, my putting saw me ESR'd when I turned a lame front 9 round with a -1 back 9 ... So yeah the putter is king!
 

SVB

Challenge Tour Pro
Joined
Mar 24, 2014
Messages
689
Location
Nailsworth, Glos.
Visit site
Woodie,

Thanks for sharing this, whilst we could all discuss the rights and wrongs of the stats until the cows come home', I'm sure most would agree that a putter that suits the golfer must help with those tricky 10 footers!

Are you going with a putter you are sort of happy with that you would like checked or tweaked for length / lie etc or are you going with an empty space in the bag to be filled with a new toy?

As ever, another wallet opportunity, I think (if I am thinking of the same place) these folks are just up the road from me, what are the costs involved in this process?

Please post following the session as I'm sure many would be interested in hearing the outcome.

Simon
 

woody69

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
2,676
Visit site
Woodie,

Thanks for sharing this, whilst we could all discuss the rights and wrongs of the stats until the cows come home', I'm sure most would agree that a putter that suits the golfer must help with those tricky 10 footers!

Are you going with a putter you are sort of happy with that you would like checked or tweaked for length / lie etc or are you going with an empty space in the bag to be filled with a new toy?

As ever, another wallet opportunity, I think (if I am thinking of the same place) these folks are just up the road from me, what are the costs involved in this process?

Please post following the session as I'm sure many would be interested in hearing the outcome.

Simon

I will be taking my own putter mainly as a reference, but if they can adjust it without the need to buy a new putter I'd be more than happy. I like my putter and have had it for a number of years, but I'm interested to see what they have to offer. My putting has much improved over the last year or so, but when it goes wrong it usually goes VERY wrong. Distance isn't usually my problem. My misses are "usually" down to being left (and sometimes right), very rarely coming up short.

The fitting is costing me £60 and should take approximately 30 minutes from what I have read. Putters then start from £75 - £185 so we'll have to see what I end up with. I will post back, but hopefully it will be worth it!
 

JohnnyLarge

Medal Winner
Joined
Apr 2, 2014
Messages
28
Visit site
I had one of my two putters fitted/adjusted for me. For a few years I used an original Odyssey centre-shafted No2 putter (the one with the soft white insert) and had good but sometimes mixed results. I love the feel of this putter.
In the last year or so we have had a club-fitter/custom club maker at our course. So one day our Golf Manager (who is a pro) and the club fitter were having a chat and I asked them to take a look at me and my putter. It turned out that I wasn't quite standing tall enough and the centre of the putter wasn't under my eyes at address. So the pro got me standing up a bit which brought the putter more in line but not enough.
He then got a golf ball, held it under my eyes and dropped it. It was striking near the heel of the putter which basically showed the putter still wasn't fitting me correctly. I was then asked to grip down on it a little which bought it more into line but the putter wasn't laying flat to the floor.
The club-fitter then took me into his room, trimmed an inch off the butt-end of the putter and put a very slight bend in the shaft which bought the putter into line and fitted fitted my now better posture.
I now set up to the putter with the blade flat on the ground, grip with just a little bit of grip showing and I'm in the correct postion to go.
I do sometimes suffer a little with alignment in my game so I now switch between the Odyssey and my TM Spider Ghost which is undergoing the same process.

I think fitting can work.
 

woody69

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
2,676
Visit site
Woodie,

How did you get on with your putter fitting and, more importantly, how's your putting as a result?

Simon

Apologies... I said I would report back and I never did. I went to the fitting and the first thing she did was take a number of measurements from my existing putter. Based on the measurements she was able to pretty much described where my weakness lie in my putting. She accurately suggested that I probably putted better on slow greens in winter, rather than quick summer greens. She then watched me hit a few balls and complimented me on my putting style, i.e. eye over the ball, nice smooth stroke. From that she suggested I probably tended to miss left most of the time, based on my stance, slightly open shoulders and how my current putter behaves due to it's characteristics combined with my stroke, which again was spot on. She then took a measure from me in my usual putting stance and as I gripped down on my existing club she actually recommended I went much shorter at 31 1/4 inches. We talked about putter style, after all it is important you like what you are looking down on and then grips etc and after trying a few I settled on the fatter putter grip (which I had no intention of going for, but it felt so comfortable).

A week later and I went back to collect my new putter and she had actually made 2 up, with one having a slightly heavier shaft. I tried both and settled for the lighter one after I sunk 8 straight 10 foot putts in a row.

Out on the course I feel much more confident with it and have started to sink more putts, especially ones in the 3 - 5ft range, but also on the really long putts I'm usually getting close enough for a chance of a 2 putt or even sinking them. My mates have commented that my putting has improved "exponentially", and although I have only played in 1 official comp (where I made buffer) every game I have shot between 33 and 40 points and I even managed my best ever gross score, helped in a large way by my new putter.

I still miss silly putts and produce the odd one that I have no idea what I was thinking, but they are few and far between and I'm very pleased I went ahead. I would definitely recommend.
 
D

Deleted member 1147

Guest
Putting is the most important part of the game for both

According to the people who have come up with the "strokes gained" calculations, the long game is more important and the very best players (Rory included) are better at the long game than putting.

I follow a variation of the Rugby saying "the forwards decide who wins the match, the backs decide by how much", just substitute forwards with long game and backs with putter.
 

ColchesterFC

Journeyman Pro
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Messages
7,234
Visit site
I still have a SAM lab lesson and still tempted to use it and check I've the right putter for my stroke. That said I'm happy with my putting but I've a hankering for a nice Anser type model.

Might have a Ping Anser II Karsten up for sale at a reasonable price in a month or so. Got myself a new putter from the For Sale section on here and am loving it and feeling so much more confident on the greens so just need a couple more rounds to confirm that I'm ready to get rid of the old one.
 
Top