putters

[Johndfc14]

Are the more modern putters better than the older ones ? I have just returned to the game after a 15 years or so break (young family) I have a ping a blade which I have no intention of changing . I just wondered if they have improved as much as drivers and irons .

 

[Imurg]

Are the more modern putters better than the older ones ? I have just returned to the game after a 15 years or so break (young family) I have a ping a blade which I have no intention of changing . I just wondered if they have improved as much as drivers and irons .

Arguably there have been improvements in MOI and the ability to get the ball rolling earlier rather than skidding as well as myriad methods of improving alignment and aim.
But there's still an awful lot of "old" putters being used and most of the new ones are copies/replicas/homages to the old ones.
Whether the new ones work better than the old ones is down to the player.
If it works ..use it.

 

[IanM]

The Odyssey 2-Ball from 20 years ago was so good, they are remaking it. It's about feel.

I wonder how many folk on here's putters are their oldest club in the bag?? (not you Crow! )


My Scotty is... by about 10 years

 

[slowhand]

My Scotty is 3 years old and I have no intention of changing it. Even though it's relatively youg it's still the oldest club in my bag.

 

[Johndfc14]

I have always thought it was more to the with the golfer than the putter myself . My mate has just started playing with an old set and has a cheap putter . I said if he upgrades his putter he should look to getting an old putter on eBay for £40ish .. but he says he wants a new modern putter because they will be better . I have always thought ping were the best personally .

 

[Johndfc14]

My Scotty is 3 years old and I have no intention of changing it. Even though it's relatively youg it's still the oldest club in my bag.

I am the opposite , my a blade must be the oldest club in my bag . I picked it up in a charity shop years ago so don’t know the age of it but should be older than my irons which are ping eye 2 I got in 91 and I have just upgraded my woods with a ping i15 driver and g20 4wood . I am 52 years old and just started playing again after 15 years and I very much doubt I will buy another club in my life unless I treat myself to a lob wedge .

 

[Zig]

I think they've improved, or I've found one to suit my stroke - hard to say...

I haven't had as many putters as others on here. Loved my 2-ball back in the day, then changed to a Scotty Studio Select I've had ages - and loved. Last winter I switched to a spider x and it's amazing. Much easier to hole out from inside 8ft.

 

[RichA]

Love my 50something year old Anser and my B60, which I think is from the 80s.
Since course closures, for a laugh while putting indoors, I've been using a 100 year old, hickory-shafted, Sure Shot number 9 putter, which had been propped over the coat rack for years, just for show.
In my totally unscientific experiments, the three clubs perform identically well on flat carpet and wooden floor over about 20 feet.

 

[bobmac]

I think the biggest change is the clubface.
Different inserts and grooves give a different feel at impact.
Try out a few and see what feels nice.
My favourite is the YES Callie, if you can find one

 

[Robster59]

Look at the three main components.

• Head shape - basically divided into blade, mid-mallet, mallet - my preference is mallet but everyone is different.
• Face insert - steel, aluminium, synthetic, smooth, grooves
• Grip - these also play a big part in how you feel about the club. There are lots of different options on these

Also take into account your stroke. I was told by a Ping fitter that an arched stroke is better with a blade, a straight through with a mallet (although that is rule of thumb).
And the weighting of the head, some are face balanced, some toe.
When the shops are open again, it does no harm to go and have a try of a few. I couldn't begin to advise what works best for you.
The putter is probably the most personal club in the bag. I have a Rife Hybrid Mallet. Over 10 years old and still not really found anything to replace it.

There have been a lot of changes to irons since you bought yours (forgiveness, loft, grooves) but it doesn't mean you have to change them if you are happy with them (ask Crow )

 

[Crow]

There have been a lot of changes to irons since you bought yours (forgiveness, loft, grooves) but it doesn't mean you have to change them if you are happy with them (ask Crow )

All true and although Johndfc14 says he very much doubts he'll buy any new clubs, I bet that within a couple of years tops the constant drip feed of improved performance and lower scores from marketing departments and niggling from playing partners will mean that a newer set of irons will be in the bag.

 

[Orikoru]

I think putters are the one thing where technology advancement has less bearing. Ultimately you just need to find a putter where the weight, length, look and feel off the face are all ideal for you - and that might be a £250 putter or a £25 putter. Once you find the one that's right for you, upgrading it to a newer one down the line won't necessarily help at all.

 

[jim8flog]

If you like a traditional blade or heel toe weighted style the Ping Answer then is it is probably no.

If you want one with modern technology then they are like drivers new model with only very minor changes from the last model.

One of the factors with several models for me is that you change the weights in them and find the best weight to suit your style and greens Or if you are like me change to a heavier weight in winter with slow greens.

 

[richart]

The only really old club I have kept from the 70’s is my Ping Anser putter. Don’t use it as have one of the more recent incarnations, but would never get rid of old faithful.

 

[fenwayrich]

I still have my 50 year old Anser in the bag. I find sight lines disturb my feel for the stroke (as do lines on the ball), and very few modern putters have no marks at all.

 

[patricks148]

Blade putters havn't changed over the years, but mallet styles maybe.i know a few guys that still use old Ping blade brass ( at least i think thats what they are made of) putters, all are good putters and deadly with them

 

[ScienceBoy]

My putter is not the oldest but it is one of the first few clubs I bought new and certainly the oldest to me that I still have in the bag.

I have committed to this putter until it breaks or something crazy good comes out. The best thing I did was learn putting with this putter and the second best thing was getting a SNSR grip put on it.

Once you have a putter that suits you there is no reason to change.

 

[Ethan]

I think there have been improvements but not nearly as much as in drivers, say. Better weighting and face materials, and the superstroke (and similar) grips have made a big difference to a lot of players. I used to putt with a 8802 style blade, I don't consider what is now called a blade putter to be in the same category at all, but you see very few of those around now.

 

[sweaty sock]

I think putters have moved on the most!! But its the category where technology is least appreciated at point of sale. If I said I had a driver that was demonstably better at maintaining ball speeds for off centre hits, demonstrably better at launch angle and demonstrably better at start direction for off centre hits, demonstrably better at spin control, they would fly off the shelfs.

But for putters, as many of the previous posts have demonstrated, most people just shun the ideas as they believe that they are great with their current club. After all, who could miss the sweetspot on a putter? I could, every round. I'd also bet very few understand their putting? 100% will be able to tell you their shot pattern with driver, how they manage it with technology and strategy. But how many can tell you with a straight face what their putting miss is, or how the manage it?

To summarise, I think technology has moved on massively in the last ten years, people can and will see improvement, but nobody gets fit, nobody researches the tech, nobody cares because nobody understands what a bad putt is, nobody keeps putting stats and we're all to stubborn.

 

[Crow]

I think putters have moved on the most!! But its the category where technology is least appreciated at point of sale. If I said I had a driver that was demonstably better at maintaining ball speeds for off centre hits, demonstrably better at launch angle and demonstrably better at start direction for off centre hits, demonstrably better at spin control, they would fly off the shelfs.

But for putters, as many of the previous posts have demonstrated, most people just shun the ideas as they believe that they are great with their current club. After all, who could miss the sweetspot on a putter? I could, every round. I'd also bet very few understand their putting? 100% will be able to tell you their shot pattern with driver, how they manage it with technology and strategy. But how many can tell you with a straight face what their putting miss is, or how the manage it?

To summarise, I think technology has moved on massively in the last ten years, people can and will see improvement, but nobody gets fit, nobody researches the tech, nobody cares because nobody understands what a bad putt is, nobody keeps putting stats and we're all to stubborn.

All very true, but others think that designing and engineering to the nth degree and studying your putting stroke to optimise everything is sucking the fun out of the game.
We're not playing for our livelihoods, pick something you like the look of.