At what price for performance?

lately, I've been searching fruitlessly for the perfect putter. Ive tried, insert, milled, c grooves, inserts with grooves (Itsy bitsy spider), and so on. I have putters at all different price points. Assuming that the main point of buying a putter is to putt better, it got me wondering about the link between price and performance for putters that look pretty similar. It would be nice to see the following experiment: Compare the same model up and down the Ping line. For instance, the same Anser from the Karsten 1952, Scottsdale, Redwood, and Milled series. Try putts of different distances across putters and report on the results. This would allow one to figure out what the measurable benefit was of buying a $300 putter versus a $100 putter. Now try the same exercise with Ping versus equivalent model Scotty Cameron. There are strongly held views about this particular battle. Some argue that Scotties are essentially Ping knockoffs sold at high prices while others argue that Scotties are decidedly better products than the Pings that inspired them. One could do a similar exercise with the various Odyssey lines. I think it would be very interesting to have hard data about the extent to which price translates into performance. Now, admittedly, there are a lot of intangible aspects to putting that this exercise ignores. For instance, the feel of the Ping milled putter really is much nicer than the $99 Karsten. These differences are obviously important, but very subjective. Still, this should still translate into performance. If better feel makes you more confident at putting, then this should still appear ithe exercise I suggest. Any volunteers to create this data? I have several Pings though not the very high end, so I'll perform this experiment tomorrow with my stuff. I'm sure there are many of you with more complete collections.

Try www.edelgolf.com in which you are fitted for every aspect of putting.

You get performance for your price.

Remember, putting is more than a putter, too. Reading the putt, your pre-stroke routine, etc. also affect putting.

I've gone to simpler.

1. I no longer put any marks on my ball as to straight lines.

2. I don't make practice strokes.

3. I try to putt as if I was a kid again - after my read, I get over the ball, take a look at the hole, and make the stroke.

The purpose is to put the athlete back into the game. Standing over a putt, taking practice strokes, etc. leads to too much thinking, and thinking leads to a lack of athleticism.

I bet if more pros adopted this method (get set and go comes from Pat O'Brien, but I credit Stockton for no practice strokes and the idea image of putting like a kid again), we'd see less long putters.

Back in the day, I paid full price for two drivers (TM R7 and Calloway FTI) and once I paid full price for a putter (TM Rosa Monza). Today, neither is in the bag. I switched to buying quality used putters and found my perfect putter. Yes it took me through no less than 6 putters, but my pendulum Heavy Putter has been with me now for no less than 2.5 years. If you get fitted you better commit. I'd hate to see you waste money searching for the right putter like I did.

To take away any placebo effect the tests should be done "blind" so your putting isn't influenced by using what your mind believes to be a more expensive or "better" putter.

The measure of "better" is going to be different for different people.

For someone who hits off center a putter with more consistent distance across the face is going to be "better".

For someone who leaves the face open or closed a putter with a different weight distribution tending them towards square will be "better".

Ect. ect. ect. the best putter is the one you hit the ball into the hole with most and that changes from person to person. I think empirical data could certainly help people make more informed selections and save them a lot of money but it wont really find a best putter.

Someone mentioned Edel, and while I cant spend that much on a putter, they make something like 20 million slightly different putters based on the persons needs which to me is a better approach although I cannot personally attest to the results.

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Whether it's a $50 putter  or a $300 putter, you need to have a putter fitting once you find the flatstick you like. Shaft length, loft, lie, swingweight and grip type will all influence how well the putter works for you - I got all five of these tweaked.

I use a Ping Pal made sometime in the 1970s which cost me $30 - regrip included - in 2005. Once I got a putter fitting, Pal started working much better for me.

well playing an old Ping B60 (i think, it was a ping with the flange on the back, it was a blade putter), i went to the White Ice of the Odyssey, i found that i putt way better now. Just the feed back from the harder metal of the Ping to the softer more receptive insert helped me out. But i bought it more for the look that anything, something i can line up conistantly. I believe anyone can develop feel over time, its getting something that you can line up right each time thats the key.

I used to triple putt everything, regardless of type or price of putter. The price for enhancing my putting performance was: - get some sessions on a SAM lab or equivalent - practice, practice, practice .. blood, sweat and tears Now I don't feel it has much to do with the putter. I feel confident I can putt with almost whatever you put in my hands, providing it is not way out of spec length and lie wise and there is some adaptation period allowed to get used to the new gear.

The biggest change in my putting came with switching to the SuperStroke grip, takes all of the wrist action out of the equation.... Same putter, different grip.