Reason for multiple putters?

[woodzie264]

Hey guys,
I was looking at the "How many putters Do You Have?" thread and was wondering:
1. Assuming some are collectors and some simply try-out and buy new putters every few years, are there many folks with 3-5 (or more) that seem to fluxuate back and forth between putters or do you consistantly play one putter until you buy a newer one?
2. For those that fluxuate, is it driven by type of grass of the greens, temperature, course conditions (anything course related)...or simply dictated by that putter happens to be the one you grab on the way out the door? I would think you'd develop a certain" feel " with consistantly using the same putter which doesn't translate when switching back & forth....making your feel varied, is this not the case?

Thanks!

[Robielucy]

Well, for me when I purchased a used set of irons, the buyer included the Simmons. It was banged up for being used and struck in the bag. I used it for a while then was given the Ram as a gift. The Ram and the Simmons were both blade type and both excellent putters.
A fellow golfer, has a brass putter and I tried it and was taken by the slim size and historic status of such. So I bought one. It took a while to get use to the Augusta putter. Putt count went up but it's finally coming down after I put a line where the small sweet spot is located.
I use the Simmons when I need a change to my toys.
The Ram my wife uses when she wants to try golf again, and again. (Her set up is a 9 iron, and the putter--but thats another story for another time.)

[DaSportsGuy]

Just because someone has 4 or 5 putters doesn't mean they use them all. When they get a new one they probably just keep the old one(s) in their basement or something.

[jamo]

I have a bunch (7) but most of them are old and i mainly use the one in my signature. I would sell the old ones but they really aren't worth anything.

[iacas]

I have nearly 20 putters. One I'll almost never use (this one ). One's really old. The other 16 or 17 are putters I've either used or will use in the future.

I could sell them, but eh, I don't see much point. I'm not a big fan of the hassle of selling things.

Leaning against my desk I have a Cameron California model putter. Probably will start with this as the gamer in the spring. In the staff bag behind me I have a Red X5 (and a Red X3 in the basement), an original Red X, a Fastback (the Squareback is in the basement), a Bullseye (the American Classics version), a Newport Detour, a regular Detour, a Futura Phantom, a Rossa Monza, a Monza Spider, a Circa 62... and I think I got them all). Leaning against the wall by the Z-Factor that I use almost daily is a Newport with the magnet things nearly permanently stuck to the face. It's a duplicate of the third putter in the basement.

On a whim I'll play each a few times per year when I want to look at something different. Again, don't care for the hassle in setting up a thread and trying to sell them.

[woodzie264]

Just because someone has 4 or 5 putters doesn't mean they use them all. When they get a new one they probably just keep the old one(s) in their basement or something.

that why I put the opening clause in my first question....I figured that much out...looking at the second half of #1., it was directed to discover those who do swap putters out...

Question #2. was directed at those who do fluctuate.

[Parker0065]

I do not fluxuate on putters as far as playing goes. I've used 4 putters over my years of play: Acushnet Bullseye (1975-1976), Wilson 8802 (1977-1985), T.P.A. III (1986-1994), Ping Anser (1995-2004), and finally back to the T.P.A. III (2005-Present). I've owned probably 12-15 putters over the years but given most of them away to friends and family.

I guess I'm a little superstitious when it comes to putters. Once I find one I like I don't like to give it up. For me if I buy a new putter it takes me a season or more of practice and playing with it to really feel confident with it in tournament play so constantly changing putters would drive me nuts!

I had my best putting year ever in 2009 with the T.P.A. III so I hope to keep it going. The grip on that putter was still the original and was starting to dry rot but I was afraid of changing it and not putting as well with it. Last spring I took it to a shop and had them regrip it with a Winn AVS grip and man did that give it a whole new feel and I putted great all season.

I'll putt with the T.P.A. III for at least one more year but I may consider going to a Scotty Cameron Newport in 2011. I've been eyeing them for a couple years now and have demo'd them a couple times and like the feel. We'll see how 2010 goes with my old dog before I consider a change. I can't just throw it in the closet after it did so well last season for me!

[msd3075]

I have 5 putters; SC TeI3 Newport (Custom Shop), SC Studio Design #2, SC Studio Select Newport 2, Odyssey Black Series #3, and Odyssey 2-Ball SRT. Each putter has something about it that makes it unique from the others so I wouldn't want to get rid of any of them. That being said, I don't just grab one at random as I'm walking out the door to go play. I'll usually keep one in the bag for quite some time and only switch it out if my putting has started to go bad. I know it's from my stroke and not hte putter, but I've always found that if you change the putter to something you are unfamiliar with, it forces me to concentrate more on my troke and notice little things that I would with a putter I had been using for al ong time.

[sean_miller]

I've learned a new word today.

I use a different putter every week at indoor golf. Outdoors I rotate 3, but mostly just use my newest one. Each putter has it's strength and weakness. It there's a putter that has no value (monetary, sentimental, or as a gamer) I toss it into the staff bag under the stairs. A big old bag-o-junk that is.

[woodzie264]

I've learned a new word today.

assuming you're referring to "fluxuate" in my OP....

sorry; not sure what I was thinking considering it spelled it correctly only 3 responses down...

[Parker0065]

Oops,,,you got me as well,,lol! Oh Well! how about "fluctuate",,,,There, that's better! :)

[sean_miller]

assuming you're referring to "fluxuate" in my OP....

Considering I made a grammatical error in my post [its vs. it's), I shouldn't have drawn attention to it.

[GaijinGolfer]

Some people find that a different putter is better depending upon the speed of the green. They prefer a blade on fast greens and a mallet on slow greens.

[dragonflyin]

My two putters as shown in my signature are both adjusted so it has identical weighting, length, and grip. I like to be able to switch between them without having to adjust my stroke. Typically I’ll switch back and forth because one has a sight-line, and one has a sight-dot, and one is insert, one is not. So it’s really just a feel and alignment thing for me.

[WUTiger]

I putt with a Ping Pal which has about a D3 swingweight. I also have a $35 MacGregor putter from mid-1990s which I would use if facing super-fast greens. Both have similar set-up.

[normdamarine]

I use a Ping Craze Karsten for slower greens and a Ping Craze IN for faster greens...

[shaun]

I have seven putters at the moment: SC Napas (two, soon to be three), a Wilson 8802, a Cleveland "Designed By", a SC Newport 2, a Ping Anser and a miscellaneous, and broken, untouchable that I used when I first started. At one time or another, I've played them all for an extended period of time -- although (haha) once the decision was made to remove one of them from the bag, it rarely (if ever) found its way back in again.

I could sell them, but eh, I don't see much point. I'm not a big fan of the hassle of selling things.

I'm much the same way. Of course, most of my putters -- the exceptions are obviously the Napas, which I'll never sell -- wouldn't be worth selling, anyway.

Besides, while I rarely play the former gamers, I still like to putt with them around the house. In particular, my old Anser is often paired with the Z Factor because: (a) its magnetic superpowers mean that I can attach it to the carriage without having to bother with the stick-on magnets; and (b) my Napa gamer is too narrow from heel to toe to sit comfortably in the carriage.

[shaun]

I use a Ping Craze Karsten for slower greens and a Ping Craze IN for faster greens...

When I started writing my post above, I'd intended to add that some guys use different putters depending on the speed of the greens. Some of them, for example, prefer to use a slightly heavier putter for slower greens. But, personally, I find it more difficult to adjust to using different putters than to playing greens of different speeds.