Need tips on buying a putter

[moadhia]

I am looking to buy a new putter. Time to upgrade from my Nike ignite. I got my first putter randomly, without researching anything I dont want to commit the same mistake again.

So what should I look for in a putter? I have putted with the scotty cameron newport 2 and love the feedback i get but I dont know if I justify spending $250 on it. What do you guys think of the Mizuno bettinardi putters? Apparently, most of the shops in NYC dont carry them.

[ks8829]

Price, styles, get fitted

1) what is your budget?
2) blade, mallet, insert, billet
3) 1/2 your game is putting, we should all be fitted with the putter before any other club but we do not.

I like Mizuno Bettinardi putter and the price is reasonable.

[SQ Bimmer]

First, figure out the length of the putter that works best for you. There are different ways of doing this, some of those methods involve a stick from home depot and a marker and a saw. Do a google search to see about this. Second, forget about price. Third, forget about the stigma associated with "popular" putters such as Scotty and Odyssey.

Now, go to a BIG golf store that has a really good size putting area. It is going to be smooth and flat, and that is OK because when you find the putter that works for you and your stroke you are going to be able to line up a 10' putt on this perfectly flat surface, and drain 3 balls in a row. Pick up a putter, ANY putter, WITHOUT looking at the brand, just look at the putter head and decide if you like looking at it. Hit some putts, try another putter, etc. Rinse and repeat. Once you figure out your favorite one or two putters. LEAVE THE STORE. A day or two later, go to a different store, or if you don't have that option, go to the same store and do it all over again. See if your favorite putters are still working well for you. Leave. Do it again. Keep doing it until you absolutely KNOW that putter is the one for you. You are dreaming about it. You think about it between phone calls at work. You go to the driving range and hit the practice green and you WISH you had that other putter in your hand. That it your putter.

Last time I went shopping for a putter, I started out the process thinking I needed a mallet putter, because that was going to help me putt better. I needed crazy visual aids such as 2 balls drawn on the putter, or 3 4" lines the width of a ball, etc. I started hitting mallet putters left and right, and none of them felt right, none felt like they worked with my natural putting stroke. I started messing around with smaller and smaller putters, and ended up with the Nike IC 2010a which is the smallest putter in that line. At the golf shop on a perfectly flat surface, I drained 4 or 5 balls in a row from about 12 feet. Missed one just slightly, and drained a coupe more. It was the one. Out of 40+ putters I messed around with, I had finally found it after a good couple weeks of searching.

Sorry for the long post, but I feel the putter is the most intimate club in your bag and that it is of the utmost importance you have the right one. When I am on the green and I pull my putter out, I feel CONFIDENT holding that stick in my hands and that confidence in your equipment is one of the things you need to drain putts! There is no blaming your putter for your miss, you blame yourself and you do it better next time!

[localhawaii]

Good advice from everyone! It took me a while to get the "right" putter for me. I went through 2 or 3 before settling on my current putter. Having a name brand putter is great but what i found interesting was that I putt better with putter that I felt was aesthetically pleasing. I couldnt quite come to a real reason other than that I felt more confident when I liked the way the putter looked to me. Just like the other posters said, go to a big box store and grab any and all putters without looking at brand and have at it. Ultimately the right one will find you!

[FHopper]

I use a mallet. I am a pendulum putter, old school, I bought a my first new putter in almost 50 years and found the plumbers neck full offset was perfect for my putting style. I had putted all these years with a straight heel shaft! I am now wondering if a center shaft would make a blade work for me. My point is that the head is only part of the formula, the shaft is very important to how you set up with the putter. I like the Taylormade Rossa Classics because they are mid/low priced and have a nice insert.
So my suggestion for a criteria order:
1.Shaft config at setup
2.Head shape/weight
3.insert - no insert
4.alignment aid
5.length
6.price

my choice was
As I said I like the plumbers neck and full offset
I like mallets (I always have long puts )
I like an insert for feel
I like a single simple alignment aid
I like 34"
I was ok with $119

[cougar978]

I got my putter off Ebay for $20 and put a $5 Winn grip on it. It's not very pretty, but when it gets hot, it'll blow any $250 Scotty Cameron out of the water.

Before dropping that much money on a putter, it may be a good idea to review your fundamentals of putting to see if that's having a negative effect on your performance.

[etlreams]

I agree completely with what everybody has said. Try out many, many styles, lengths, materials, etc. until you find one that looks and, most importantly in putting, FEELS right to you.

But another side I will throw out there...take it for whatever it's worth. Confidence is SO important in this game. IMHO, it is more important in putting than anything else. If a name brand, like Scotty, Odyssey or some other popular brand gives you MORE CONFIDENCE, it is worth it.

I have played Odyssey putters for the past few years. I like them. They feel good and I like the look - but I never found "the one." I tried out a couple Scotty's and feel in love with one. I have no doubt that part of it was the name. Are they built better than Odyssey's? Maybe, maybe not. Did I pay $100+ more for the Scotty because of the name? Probably. Was the upcharge worth it? Yes, because, right or wrong, it gave me more confidence.

Popular name brands may or may not instill confidence in you. If they do, it should be a part of your equation in selecting a putter - third after feel and fit.

[moadhia]

so i went to the world of golf and tried out the black series #1 and newport 2.5. Both felt awesome, and I personally couldnt tell a difference between the two. I guess the "awesome" feeling was due to the fact that black series and newport are known brands. I will try out a few others but I guess I will choose between these two. Anyone knows where I can get fitted for a putter in NYC? The salesman at world of golf told me that they dont do fitting there.

[mbole]

Another club line to look at that seems like it has had great reviews on this site and others is Cleveland's Classic Putters line.

I have the Classic 3 but they just released the Classic 4 and 4.5. They can be had for around $70 too.
http://clevelandgolf.com/US_putters.html

As others have posted, putters are unique in that you really need a club that will give you confidence when you are lining up, therefor I can see justifying the money on a Scotty Cameron.

[James_Black]

I tried everything and everything wasn't what I REALLY wanted.
So the pro went into the back and got some second-hand putters out.
I settled on the masters one, not because it was 20 dollars but because I could put with it.

Try as many putters as you can.

[EZ2NV]

I just picked up an Odyssey Two Ball Black Series... I love the thing. I am putting the best I have ever. Now I am trying to make every put and feel like I can. The best thing to do with putters is to go and try them out. Find the one that feels the most comfortable and you feel confident with. A putter is a putter. There may be different inserts and shapes, but it all matters on the user.