PUTTERS

Dear Frank
I have a putter, center shafted and 35 inches long. I am considering cutting it down to 34 ¼ or 34 inches.  How will this affect the loft or lie of this putter?
Mark Johnson

Mark,
Cutting the putter down will not affect the loft at all. As far as the lie is concerned if you were choking down on your putter before you thought about decreasing the length then this too will be unaffected. The lie on most putters is about 71 degrees which will satisfy most golfers if the length is correct for them.

It is good to have a radius on the sole of the putter (when viewed from the front) to accommodate slight differences in body posture or certain ball position preferences. This radius will also prevent the toe or heel of the putter from snagging when there are severe undulations and uneven lies on the green.

The trend is toward shorter putters and straighter arms so you are moving in the right direction.

Frank
I bought a new putter and putting on a recently dressed green, the ball started skipping 10 – 12 inch gaps and skipped 14 times before it made it to the cup. What actually makes the ball roll with less skipping and even though you have your own putter, is there a brand which will  prevent this skipping?

Thanks.
Mike in Michigan.

Mike,
Thank you for mentioning the fact that I do have my own putter, and if I may say so, it is a very good putter but even this will not affect the bouncing on the green which you describe.

Let me explain. As soon as the ball leaves the face of any putter with a couple of degrees of loft (essential to get it out of the depression on the green surface in which it always settles)  it will first leave the ground just a very small amount with a slight degree of back spin. As soon as contact is made with the green surface the friction will cause the ball to skid and slide for a short period of time, it will then  start rolling.
The distance from impact to when it gets pure roll will depend on how hard you hit it.  As long as this process of backspin, skidding, sliding and then rolling is consistent for each impact at each speed, you don’t have to worry about it.

Some putters are more consistent than others depending on the MOI (Moment(s) of Inertia), the center of gravity location and balance. But once the ball starts rolling with a certain speed and direction, nothing about the putter which struck the ball will affect its movement. The surface of the green will dictate the movement of the ball. In your case, the newly dressed green has a lot more bumps and ruts than you can see.

The only real chance you have to influence the direction of the ball, once it is in motion, is to talk to it and use a little “Body English” as it approaches the hole.  

For more on the Anatomy of a Putt, please click here

 

 

 

What are the pros and cons of using a long or belly putter versus a conventional putter? Terry

Terry,

You eliminate some of the degrees of freedom when you anchor the putter to your body. This makes for a stroke with fewer sources of error and thus potentially a more efficient stroke. The problem is that you lose feel that requires that you have all the degrees of freedom associated with the movement needed to putt. I hope this helps.

I have just completed a column on the same subject which can be found in this month's Golf Digest, entitled 6 Degrees of Freedom.

Does a putter shaft have to be round? Does the grip have to be round? I know it cannot be molded to your hand. Michael T.

Michael,

A putter shaft does not have to be circular in cross section but must bend the same way no matter how you rotate it about its axis and twist the same amount in both directions. A circular shaft will meet these requirements as will a square, triangular, hexagonal and other symmetrical cross sections. These bending and twisting properties are required for shafts in all clubs. The grip for a putter can have a non circular cross section with some other minor limitations.

It seems more pros on tour every year (especially the Senior Tour) are using extra long putters. What are the benefits to these putters? Is there any information or training on proper use and technique regarding the longer putters that could help someone know if a longer putter could help their game? – Gordan

Gordan, If you don’t have the "yips" I would like to steer you away from the long putter, and suggest that you take some really good lessons from your pro or someone specialized in teaching putting. This would include a lesson on how to focus properly. If you don’t know where to go for this let me know and I will try to help. The big problem with long putters is that you lose feel on the long putts. The good news is that using the long putter reduces the degrees of freedom down from five to two, taking the wrists, shoulders and the vertical movements out of the putting action. This in turn reduces the errors associated with these movements. Theoretically therefore, there is less chance for error with the long putter. For short putts (within 8 feet) where your chances of sinking the putt are 50 percent, if you were a touring pro using a regular length putter, you could improve your chances of sinking the putt significantly using the longer putter. All you have to do is read the putt correctly and stroke it in. There is not as much feel required on short putts as on the long ones.

"Belly Putters" seem to be gaining popularity. Can conventional putters be modified with longer shafts and appropriate grips, or must us regular guys bail out another advance on our allowance and buy a new stick? -- Ben

There is no reason why you should not get a stiff or extra stiff 44-inch shaft with the same tip diameter as the one in your putter (if you can find one) and then re-shaft your putter to the length you want. You will not have to change the weight of the head, as you lose a lot of feel using the belly putter and it becomes very much more of a mechanical strike rather than a feel strike. You have lost three degrees of freedom and the associated errors so you will putt better on the short putts as long as you read the putt correctly. Be sure that when you grip the longer shafted putter with two grips they are circular in cross section (not even a reminder rib). Two regular putter grips with flat sides on this long putter would violate the rules. Save the old shaft in case you decide to change your mind and go back to the conventional length.

INSERTS

Everyone always puts so much focus on drivers. What about putters? Are non-insert putters better then insert putters? What putters have better feel and touch? -- Kevin O'Connor

Kevin, Most golfers hit three times more shots with their putters than with their drivers. So one would think that the putter is the more important club. A driver should thus cost one-third the price of the putter, right? Try telling this to the people who make drivers. As far as face inserts are concerned, I believe this is totally up to what feels good for you. If it fits, wear it.