Donald McKenzie you need to try it before you chastise the pure theory of proper roll.

It sounds to me like you might need to learn to putt properly. Negative loft doesn't make sense physically or in practice unless you're adding enough loft (shaft leaning forward at impact) to more than offset the negative loft on your putter.

I have been comparing my new putter with scotty cameron and odyssey putters and achieve less skip and bounce than they do both through the fringe and on slow-regular speed greens (6-9)

Donald McKenzie you need to try it before you chastise the pure theory of proper roll.

I have just put the finishing touches on my negative loft putter and the skip is greatly reduced compared to all regular putters including the over priced Scotty Cameron crap. One reason he has so many tour players is that it is a trendly thing to do which breeds confidence among the pga peer group.

Would I need to forward press my hands or just use less loft. I am not clear on this issue. I do not normally forward press.

I'm a little surprised, but not shocked, at the test results. I'd be curious whether putt distance was a factor or whether the players were simply asked to guess a Stimpmeter number after playing the hole.

Still, loft is very important. Proper dynamic loft gives you the best chance for a repeating roll and that, especially given the apparent difficulty in juding green speed, is just a critical element in making the best putts you can as often as you can.

Seems to me that putter loft should be of the least concern considering the inability of most golfers to accurately determine green speed. Development a consistent putting stroke should be first and foremost.

It's really pretty interesting when you see it all side-by-side at 500 frames-per-second.

You make an excellent point that's probably spot on. Which is why some people can putt lights out with a YES putter at 2.5 degrees of loft while others do better with a Scotty at 4 degrees of loft.

While a much less scientific corroboration of your observation, I know that when I play slower Bermuda greens I move the ball much more forward in my stance. That, obviously, adds loft and probably helps the roll on the thicker-bladed grass.

Thanks for adding this thought to the mix.

#2 - I think loft is more subjective than scientific. Let me explain...

Depending on the stroke and ball placement, any player can loft/de-loft any club by as much as 2°. This effectively takes an average-joe with his off-the-rack putter and makes the club anywhere from 2° to 6°.

I've done pretty extensive research with high speed video (1,000 frames a second… not just slowing down regular video) and found that the same putter with 4°, placed just 1" 'back' in a stance can have dramatic effect on the ball's rolling dynamics, when compared to a ball struck dead-center of the stance. 1"-2" forward, and you have a completely different scenario.

The reason that the tour players have loft/lie dialed in so precisely is because they have VERY consistent strokes. More than likely, the ball placement is EXACTLY the same on each and every stroke.

Again… great article. I thought I'd just add my $0.02.

Don't take all this as gospel, since the gauge seems pretty crude to me. But, as a relative comparison, and seeing as how some makers are down to 2.5 degrees, it would appear lofts have come down along with grass height on greens.