Putter fitting

Question:

I have one of the "fitted" Slazanger putters. I was fitted by a club pro. It has been the answer to my 3 year search for a putter that made me feel both comfortable and conficent. If you have the opportunity to be fitted, talk to the pro and have him/her explain the benefits of it. Good Luck – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – colin, putting is such a personal endeavour that as long as you don’t break any of the golden rules, then any putter which feels good to you will do the trick. for example probably the most important feature of almost every good putter is that they have their eyes dead over the ball. this is easy to check . put a ball on the ground and set-up as to make a putt. have a friend take another ball and place it at your left eye (if you play righty) and then drop it. it should land on the ball you are addressing. if you find that you take a natural stance and have your eyes over the ball chances are your putter is too long/short & too flat/upright. other than this i think with a bit of trial and error you can figure out what gives you results. for example i prefer a thicker grip (built up with about 5 layers of tape), some of my friends hate this, but it works for me. hope this helps brett I’m wondering if any of the club making experts in this group could give their comments on the following: Does anyone ever ask you to fit them with a putter? Is this a neglected side of club fitting that many don’t think important? Is the idea of fitting a putter for, say, length and swingweight the same as for irons, or does everybody just go by what feels best? What is the effect of grip size? What do you think of the super-thick shafted putters and/or super-large grips? Has anyone heard or seen anything about a new putter fitting system, apparently brought out by Slazenger? Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham

Response:

I asked the original question because I was interested to see whether there were any "constants" in putter fitting and how club fitters accommodated them.

like i said befor ethe only constant that i know of is that when you putt the eyes should be directly over the ball. in your natural putting stace this kind of dictates the length the putter should be. as for everything else such as grip thickness it is just personal preference and trial and error as far as i can see. glad to hear that the changes that you have made seem to be working for you. that’s really what it’s all about what helps you getthe ball into the hole in the least number of strokes. brett

Response:

it’s hard to really assess putter length against your height. i’m 6′2" and 34" is about right for me. so whatever does the trick for is a step in the right direction. brett I’m far from being an expert in this , but I can

relate my own experience. Being a little on the short side (5′8"), and

preferring to bend at the waist to position my eyes over the ball, I found most

off-the-shelf putters too long. I had to grip down on them too much – which, of

course, also made the putter feel lighter. In addition, the top of the grip

would often get hung up in my shirt (especially something like a loose

windshirt). OK, I might have been able to fix that by losing a few pounds, but

that’s another story. One day, I took hacksaw in hand and cut the putter

down so that with my preferred grip and stance, I would be holding the club at the top of the grip. This came out to be a length of 33 13/16". I

added enough weight until that felt right also – which turned out to be a

swingweight of D-3. I made two putters since, and made both to those specs. This summer, I got a Ping Anser 2 – couldn’t putt

worth crap. I cut it down (by about 1.5"!) and brought the weight up, and have

loved it ever since. Since putting is about 120% feel, I definitely think

it makes a difference to have a club that feels right (length, weight, the feel of the grip, etc.). Of course, other clubfitting parameters (such as shaft frequency, flex, bend point , etc.) are of no use – unless you’re even more anal retentive than I am — http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath

I’m wondering if any of the club making experts in

this group could give – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -their comments on the following: Does anyone ever ask you to fit them with a putter? Is this a neglected side of club fitting that many don’t think important? Is the idea of fitting a putter for, say, length and swingweight the same as for irons, or does everybody just go by what feels best? What is the effect of grip size? What do you think of the super-thick shafted putters and/or super-large grips? Has anyone heard or seen anything about a new putter fitting system, apparently brought out by Slazenger? Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham

Response:

I never heard of swingweighting a putter, and I been building clubs for 10 years, but hey if it works thats all that counts!! As far as having the lie fitting done on a putter, I was told by a guy whose been in this buisness for 30 years that the club repair vans on tour do more lie adjustments on putters then every thing else put together. Seems that the big boys feel it’s that important I’m not going to argue. Fore – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m far from being an expert in this , but I can relate my own experience. Being a little on the short side (5′8"), and preferring to bend at the waist to position my eyes over the ball, I found most off-the-shelf putters too long. I had to grip down on them too much – which, of course, also made the putter feel lighter. In addition, the top of the grip would often get hung up in my shirt (especially something like a loose windshirt). OK, I might have been able to fix that by losing a few pounds, but that’s another story. One day, I took hacksaw in hand and cut the putter down so that with my preferred grip and stance, I would be holding the club at the top of the grip. This came out to be a length of 33 13/16". I added enough weight until that felt right also – which turned out to be a swingweight of D-3. I made two putters since, and made both to those specs. This summer, I got a Ping Anser 2 – couldn’t putt worth crap. I cut it down (by about 1.5"!) and brought the weight up, and have loved it ever since. Since putting is about 120% feel, I definitely think it makes a difference to have a club that feels right (length, weight, the feel of the grip, etc.). Of course, other clubfitting parameters (such as shaft frequency, flex, bend point , etc.) are of no use – unless you’re even more anal retentive than I am — http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath I’m wondering if any of the club making experts in this group could give their comments on the following: Does anyone ever ask you to fit them with a putter? Is this a neglected side of club fitting that many don’t think important? Is the idea of fitting a putter for, say, length and swingweight the same as for irons, or does everybody just go by what feels best? What is the effect of grip size? What do you think of the super-thick shafted putters and/or super-large grips? Has anyone heard or seen anything about a new putter fitting system, apparently brought out by Slazenger? Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham

Response:

Actually, you sound like you’ve had the same experience as my son, who while still growing lots, is about 5′7". Recently we cut down his King Cobra mallet putter by 1". The difference in his putting stroke was significant. I noticed two shorter kids at my club, aged 14 and 12, who were quite good from tee to green, but couldn’t putt for quids. When I analysed their putting over a couple of holes, their putters were far too long for them. In their alignment, the putter head was about a foot further out from the line of their eyes, and they were both pushing way right. They just had off-the shelf models. If only their parents knew how easy it is to adjust the length, they might do something about it. Come to think of it, I might suggest it this weekend Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham

Response:

Now, if I can just get the other 13 clubs to work as well as the putter! — http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m far from being an expert in this , but I can relate my own experience. Being a little on the short side (5′8"), and preferring to bend at the waist to position my eyes over the ball, I found most off-the-shelf putters too long. I had to grip down on them too much – which, of course, also made the putter feel lighter. Actually, you sound like you’ve had the same experience as my son, who while still growing lots, is about 5′7". Recently we cut down his King Cobra mallet putter by 1". The difference in his putting stroke was significant. I noticed two shorter kids at my club, aged 14 and 12, who were quite good from tee to green, but couldn’t putt for quids. When I analysed their putting over a couple of holes, their putters were far too long for them. In their alignment, the putter head was about a foot further out from the line of their eyes, and they were both pushing way right. They just had off-the shelf models. If only their parents knew how easy it is to adjust the length, they might do something about it. Come to think of it, I might suggest it this weekend Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham

Response:

I saw a "hog" putter, or an equivalent, in a store recently. I didn’t personally test it, but it was probably the unusual nature of the whole thing that put me off. Recently I did some tinkering with my putter. I had found that I was leaving the majority of my putts short, and although there was obviously some technique or feel problem, thought I’d try a few variations of my mallet putter. Through a clubfitter, I had the shaft lengthened, firstly by two inches. This proved unwieldy, probably because the pendulum was too long, so I had it cut back to one inch longer. At the same time as this second alteration was done, I had a new Golfsmith grip put on which is really thick, probably about the same as the "hog". The theory as they explained it is that thickness in the grip promotes the use of the larger muscles in the arm (and therefore pendulum) and helps take wristiness out of the stroke. In my case it seems to work, although some of the benefit might be that it balances out the extra length. I kept my original grip if I wanted to go back to it. The result is that I’m no longer leaving putts as short, in fact over the last few weeks my putting has been the good point of my game (3 birdies last round). It may be either the change in balance of the putter, the thick grip, the extra length, or a combination. It may even be purely psychological (Putting Placebo?), but it seems to have been beneficial. I asked the original question because I was interested to see whether there were any "constants" in putter fitting and how club fitters accommodated them. Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham

Response:

I’m far from being an expert in this , but I can relate my own experience. Being a little on the short side (5′8"), and preferring to bend at the waist to position my eyes over the ball, I found most off-the-shelf putters too long. I had to grip down on them too much – which, of course, also made the putter feel lighter. In addition, the top of the grip would often get hung up in my shirt (especially something like a loose windshirt). OK, I might have been able to fix that by losing a few pounds, but that’s another story. One day, I took hacksaw in hand and cut the putter down so that with my preferred grip and stance, I would be holding the club at the top of the grip. This came out to be a length of 33 13/16". I added enough weight until that felt right also – which turned out to be a swingweight of D-3. I made two putters since, and made both to those specs. This summer, I got a Ping Anser 2 – couldn’t putt worth crap. I cut it down (by about 1.5"!) and brought the weight up, and have loved it ever since. Since putting is about 120% feel, I definitely think it makes a difference to have a club that feels right (length, weight, the feel of the grip, etc.). Of course, other clubfitting parameters (such as shaft frequency, flex, bend point , etc.) are of no use – unless you’re even more anal retentive than I am — http://home.midsouth.rr.com/joecartpath – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m wondering if any of the club making experts in this group could give their comments on the following: Does anyone ever ask you to fit them with a putter? Is this a neglected side of club fitting that many don’t think important? Is the idea of fitting a putter for, say, length and swingweight the same as for irons, or does everybody just go by what feels best? What is the effect of grip size? What do you think of the super-thick shafted putters and/or super-large grips? Has anyone heard or seen anything about a new putter fitting system, apparently brought out by Slazenger? Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham

Response:

While the shaft does play a role in how the putter

will feel, a really thick shafted putter might add to the overall weight

depending on the material of the shaft. I haven’t really seen any of these beasts. Where have you seen them, who makes them and what do they claim is the

advantage of a thick shafted putter?

i’ve only seen a couple. first was a company called "hog" if i recall correctly. tip diametr in the shaft was 1" (yes thats right not a typo 1 inch). club wasn’t overly heavy, i think the shaft probably weighed something similar to a regular steel putter shaft. i couldn’t putt worth crap with it. the shaft was so thick it was distracting. saw another yesterday. and this one was *sweet*. it was a fat shaft by wilson. i don’t know what the tip diameter was probably around .4", anyway the had was similar to an 8802 except that it was unchromed and finished in bluing (ala scotty cameron) and suprise suprise it had a coppery coloured insert (ala ti3). it felt great to putt with and they have finally figured out after all these years that the nice shiny chrome finish on the top of my 8802 is a pain in the ass on a bright day. brett

Response:

colin, putting is such a personal endeavour that as long as you don’t break any of the golden rules, then any putter which feels good to you will do the trick. for example probably the most important feature of almost every good putter is that they have their eyes dead over the ball. this is easy to check . put a ball on the ground and set-up as to make a putt. have a friend take another ball and place it at your left eye (if you play righty) and then drop it. it should land on the ball you are addressing. if you find that you take a natural stance and have your eyes over the ball chances are your putter is too long/short & too flat/upright. other than this i think with a bit of trial and error you can figure out what gives you results. for example i prefer a thicker grip (built up with about 5 layers of tape), some of my friends hate this, but it works for me. hope this helps brett

I’m wondering if any of the club making experts in

Response:

Does anyone ever ask you to fit them with a putter?

Yes Is this a neglected side of club fitting that many don’t think important?

Yes Is the idea of fitting a putter for, say, length and swingweight the same as for irons, or does everybody just go by what feels best?

The idea is similar but I think feel is the overriding factor, along with the way the putter looks to the player. Much of it depends on the players putting style also. One thing that seems common is players who adjust their setup to accommodate their putter rather than have their putter made (or altered) to fit their style. Getting fitted for proper length and lie on your putter is just as important as your irons. What is the effect of grip size?

Again, feel is a large determinator or grip size. Some folks just like a thick grip while other like a thinner grip. A thicker grip may promote "quiter" hands and a lessened tendency to strangle the putter but may also reduce the players feel of the putterhead throughout the stroke. Someone with "soft" hands who is a "touch’ putter may prefer a much thinner grip. And then everything in between. What do you think of the super-thick shafted putters and/or super-large grips?

While the shaft does play a role in how the putter will feel, a really thick shafted putter might add to the overall weight depending on the material of the shaft. I haven’t really seen any of these beasts. Where have you seen them, who makes them and what do they claim is the advantage of a thick shafted putter? Has anyone heard or seen anything about a new putter fitting system, apparently brought out by Slazenger?

Yes, it’s a good idea but it’s nothing new. Essentially what they are doing is, as I mentioned above, fitting the club to the player’s putting style. This includes the type of head, length, weight (both sw and overall weight), lie, loft (yes, putters do have loft and grip type (size, shape, material). If you are wondering if you should get yourself a custom fitted putter…well, I think you know what my answer would be! —

Response:

I’m wondering if any of the club making experts in this group could give their comments on the following: Does anyone ever ask you to fit them with a putter? Is this a neglected side of club fitting that many don’t think important? Is the idea of fitting a putter for, say, length and swingweight the same as for irons, or does everybody just go by what feels best? What is the effect of grip size? What do you think of the super-thick shafted putters and/or super-large grips? Has anyone heard or seen anything about a new putter fitting system, apparently brought out by Slazenger? Cheers Colin Wilson Trentham Golf Club http://publishing.kyneton.net.au/trentham

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