Can I chop off some of my putter??

[kingface12]

I will lead off by saying...I am broke and can't buy a new putter so I have to work with what I have. I will also say that there is no worse putter in the world than me. I can drive, hit irons square and chip...ok.... putting however, I might as well take a three put every time I'm on...

With all of that said..I am FULLY AWARE that I need to work on my stroke. But I KNOW my putter is way too long for me. I'm 5'8 and am playing a 35" Odysee 2 Ball blade. Now my questions:

1) Can I just go somewhere and have them 'take a bit off the top' and regrip?
2) (if so) How much should I get chopped off?
3) Is there a way we can just take putting out of golf all together??

[James_Black]

1) yes
2) the guy there will tell you.
3) Get really good at iron shots!

[jamo]

When you chop some of it off, you will likely have to adjust the lie angle too.

[Elvisliveson]

Chopping off some of the putter changes not only the lie angle as someone said, but the swingweight as well.

I say sell your putter on EBAY (there are a lot of two-ball fans out there) and use the cash to buy another putter that is the proper length, lie and swingweight for you.

[billysandy]

just chopped my 35 to a 34 (not the putter in the sig, just one of my older ones), and regripped obviously. when i regripped, the shaft is overall thinner than it was before, because the max circumference at the top has been taken off. This has left a gap between bottom of grip and shaft :(
Enough of my problems - i am 6"2 and changed to 34, which is more comfortable for me. Though it does depend on your stance. If you have a failty regular stance, i would say 33 inches for a 5"8 guy would be sensible. go to your local regripper, and they will be able to shorten it for you at the same time. I did it all myself though, and its very easy if you just look online for instruction on how to do it!

[Pete405]

I cut my Mizuno T.P. Mills down from 35" to 33 1/2" and added a jumbo grip and have had NO problems what so ever...it was the best thing i ever did. All you have to do it take the grip off and use a pipe cutter , it will make a perfect cut and then just re-grip it. easy as pie

[wrx_junki]

I'm about 5' 9" and use a 33" putter that I grip down slightly. Goto a golf store and try out some of the shorter putters and feel what's the best length for you. When you don't hit your GIR, if your short game is good you'll most likely be left with a 6 foot or less putt. Good luck with your putting. I never goto the golf range but I do spend a lot of time on the practice greens and I am still horrible.

[kingface12]

Thanks for all of the advice guys. To give you an idea...... I played 9 yesterday....shot a 43 (first time out) and I missed 2 2' puts BY A LOT and 3 putted twice. Thats essentially 5 strokes I left out there. Yes, it was the first round.......but I ALWAYS put like that. If I could routinely hit the 2-4' puts, I would be close to single digit HC. My chipping is ok. i usually give myself a 3 -4 footter for par........A lot is in my head..I know, but I need to begin with the right equipment...

[Chief Broom]

I don't believe that putter lenght has as much to do with how tall you are as much as it does about your technique. A shorter putter dictates a much more bent over putting stance, whereas a longer putter lets you stand taller at address. Finding a putter that fits your stroke and preferred way to address the ball is what you need to figure out. That being said a know plenty of guys who cut down or extended the stock shaft on a putter and were happy with the result.

[bong_crosby]

A couple things:

You said you're tight on cash. Some people use compressed air to remove grips. A local club fitter here does, it's pretty cool. They may be able to blow the grip off using compressed air and save your grip. Ten bucks is ten bucks.

You missed two 2 footers!? I see you're in Maine. You're not playing on ice are you?

Seriously, and you're going think I'm nuts. But if you keep saying, "...there is no worse putter in the world than me", you will be. I'm not saying all you have to do is think positive and you'll be sinking every 10 footer, but if you tell yourself that you're definitely not doing yourself any good.

The body can only do what the mind tells it to do.

[Elvisliveson]

I don't believe that putter lenght has as much to do with how tall you are as much as it does about your technique. A shorter putter dictates a much more bent over putting stance, whereas a longer putter lets you stand taller at address. Finding a putter that fits your stroke and preferred way to address the ball is what you need to figure out. That being said a know plenty of guys who cut down or extended the stock shaft on a putter and were happy with the result.

Exactly, I'm 5'10" and use a 35 inch putter, while a friend is 6'2" and uses a 33" putter because he bends over like Matt Kuchar.

[CarlSpackler]

I am 5'-6" and shortened my putter with a small pipe cutter and a new grip. Works great. I will add that it is a Teardrop putter that cost me $10 about 6 years ago, so screwing it up would not have been a huge sacrifice..

My advice would be to quit telling yourself that your are bad at putting. If you hired a caddy that constantly told you that, you would send him/her packing, right? Practice greens are almost always free. Go spend some quality time there and just enjoy it. I will often work on putting to the fringe instead of to a hole just to practice distance, which (IMO) is the best way to start 2 putting on a regular basis.

[Chief Broom]

Practice greens are almost always free. Go spend some quality time there and just enjoy it. I will often work on putting to the fringe instead of to a hole just to practice distance, which (IMO) is the best way to start 2 putting on a regular basis.

This is good advice. You can also work on your technique on reading greens and setting yourself up after your read. Tricks like putting to a point mid way to the hole or even a couple of feet in front of the ball are effective ways of helping you to improve your aim and then determine if you can putt effectively along that aim. A lot of people putt by feel but if what you are feeling is wrong you need to work out a technique that you can rely upon to get the ball in the hole. Missing 2 footers is a clear indication to me that you've got a lot of inconsitantcies in your putting stroke. We all miss 2 footers occassionally, especially those nasty little side hillers, but it really sounds like this is a pattern you're in that needs to be changed. I wouldn't worry so much about your putter instead look at your technique. I learned how to putt growing up playing putt putt. Those putters were about as generic as they come but a good stroke would still put the ball in the hole. Get your technique down and then it'll be much easier to get a putter that works best for you. Putting is the least technical aspect in golf and as such a good putter can putt effectively with any style of putter. I still game a original Ping anser that is over 40 years old. What other piece of golf equipment can you say that about?