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Posted
I have decided to get really serious about my putting this summer. I am making 40+ putts per round, I want to be closer to 34- 35. So to start off with I am looking to buy a new putter.

My question is, like game improvement irons, are there "game improvement" putters in the market that have minimal distance leakage on off center hits ? Read stan utleys book on putting and these days I am just concentrating on hitting my putts solid in the center. I find that its really tough to do so consistently.

Second question I had was on mallet based putters. I swing my putter on an arc rather than SBST. I have heard that mallet based putters are faced balanced so they suit a more SBST stroke rather than an arc putting. How much of that is true ? I want to try using a mallet putter but I am afraid it might make things worse, although I dont know if I can get worse than 40 putts per round.

Burner 10.5 *
Burner 15*
Rescue 19*
Voit V5 Hybrid 24*
MX-25 5-PW CG14 52*,56*,60* Ignite 002


Posted
In my opinion, putters are probably the most personal club in the bag, and the only way to know which style works for you is to visit a shop with a good selection and try them out. Ignore the brand, ignore the price, just focus on what works for you and what doesn't regardless of the reason it does or doesn't work.

Then work on your stroke and distance control and aim.

I had all sorts of issues with my putting until I changed how I grip the putter and found a grip that works for me.

I alternate between a mallet and a Bullseye, sometimes I'll migrate to something else but usually end up back with the mallet and then the Bullseye for the finesse shots/putts.

Taylormade M2 driver @ 9.5*+2

TM M6 D-type 3wood 16*, 
TM M2 Rescue 3H@19* and 4H@22* ,
TM RocketBladez irons 5-9,PW,AW, SW(23*,26.5*,30.5*,35*,40*,45*,50*,55*),
TM Hi-Toe 60* wedge,
Ping Karsten 1959 Craz-E, or a Scotty
Bushnell Tour V3 rangefinder


Posted
I switched to a Nickent Pipe and it REALLY helped out the aim and alignment issues I had. I have always been fairly decent on distance except for putting offgreen where I always hit too hard.

Another thing that saved me about six putts per round, was I stopped watching the ball after I hit it. I keep my head down and count to two.

Posted
There definitely are different amounts of forgiveness from putters, but I'd say most of them out there these days are on the forgiving side. More than the particular putter you're using, I think the important thing is to practice. There were some recent threads on drills you can do, particularly for short putts. For long putts, where it's crucial to get close in order to two-putt, you've really got to practice with your putter to get a feel for gauging distance. If you practice making short putts and practice lagging the long ones, you'll mostly two-putt. Keep at it and eventually the long ones will drop more and more (or so I hope...)

What I like to do is periodically go and just grab every putter in the shop and try them out. Usually I can tell before I even hit the ball that the putter isn't for me. I try to do this without regard for price, although I avoid anything outside my budget because I don't want to know that a $300 putter feels good. Since I'm not going to buy it, I don't want the thought in the back of my mind that "if only I had THAT putter..." Fortunately, the one I've got my eye on is the Ping Karsten Anser or Anser 2, which is only $90 brand-spankin' new. But anyway, just try as many as you can. Like you, I've got a mallet but I'm finding that the SBST is just not my stroke. So for sure I'm going to go to a blade on the next one.

Also, try different shaft lengths. I was pretty surprised to find that a 33" shaft felt a lot nicer to me than the 35" that's more or less standard.

In the bag:
FT-iQ 10° driver, FT 21° neutral 3H
T-Zoid Forged 15° 3W, MX-23 4-PW
Harmonized 52° GW, Tom Watson 56° SW, X-Forged Vintage 60° LW
White Hot XG #1 Putter, 33"


Posted
Best putting advice I saw recently - keep your head still through the entire stroke and through contact. When I first heard this, I thought it was obvious, but I was really moving my head back and forth a lot during the stroke. Now I'm putting a lot better.

Posted
Im not really aware of any game-improvement putters. One possible option would be a Seemore. They have a dot on the clubhead, that when the putter is lined up properly is hidden by the shaft so that you know the putter is square.

Whats in my :sunmountain: C-130 cart bag?

Woods: :mizuno: JPX 850 9.5*, :mizuno: JPX 850 15*, :mizuno: JPX-850 19*, :mizuno: JPX Fli-Hi #4, :mizuno: JPX 800 Pro 5-PW, :mizuno: MP T-4 50-06, 54-09 58-10, :cleveland: Smart Square Blade and :bridgestone: B330-S


Posted
  treebound said:
In my opinion, putters are probably the most personal club in the bag, and the only way to know which style works for you is to visit a shop with a good selection and try them out. Ignore the brand, ignore the price, just focus on what works for you and what doesn't regardless of the reason it does or doesn't work.

Excellent advice. I did this and fell in love with the putter I'm currently using. My putting has improved tremendously since then and keeps getting better.

If you can find a shop that will let you check out a putter to practice and even play with on real greens then you are doing pretty good. It's like test driving a car. You want to invest in something you know you will love, so take it for a spin and make sure you really want it. Me personally, I wouldn't hesitate to drop up to $300 for a putter that I really liked if it felt great and I had confidence in it. I was ready to do that at one point, looking at a great putter. In the process of demoing clubs I not only found a club I loved, but I also found a used club at the shop I was working with and found that the club was perfect for me. Saved me $150 and I love my putter. Bottom line, fall in love with your putter.
In my bag:

Driver: FT-5, 9° stiff
Wood: Big Bertha 3W/5W
Irons: X-20 TourWedges: X Tour 52°/56°Hybrids: Idea Pro 2/3/4Putter: Black Series #2Ball: NXT Extreme/NXT Tour
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted
  TitleistWI said:
Im not really aware of any game-improvement putters. One possible option would be a Seemore. They have a dot on the clubhead, that when the putter is lined up properly is hidden by the shaft so that you know the putter is square.

This sounds interesting. Which model of the seemore putter are you referring to ?

I am a believer in buying used golf equipment because I think there is a lot of good quality , cheap stuff out there. I will try going to a golf shop and trying out different putters. So are mallet putters easier to hit than blade ? If not, what's the logic behind making an ugly putter with a huge ass ?

Burner 10.5 *
Burner 15*
Rescue 19*
Voit V5 Hybrid 24*
MX-25 5-PW CG14 52*,56*,60* Ignite 002


Posted
  moadhia said:
This sounds interesting. Which model of the seemore putter are you referring to ?

Honestly, Im not an expert on Seemore putters. I recently read a review on another golf site about them and thought they have some cool ideas.

I wouldnt say that mallet putters are, "easier" to hit than a blade. IMO, a mallet is good for someone who leaves their putts short and who tends to miss the center of the clubface because the head of a mallet is heavier. A heavier head puts more energy to the ball, so you wont leave your putts quite as short (and wont need to hit the ball as hard on longer putts or on slow greens). Also, mallets have a higher MOI, so on mishits the ball has a truer roll than with a blade. Mallet putters may be ugly, but I'll tell you one thing: they work.

Whats in my :sunmountain: C-130 cart bag?

Woods: :mizuno: JPX 850 9.5*, :mizuno: JPX 850 15*, :mizuno: JPX-850 19*, :mizuno: JPX Fli-Hi #4, :mizuno: JPX 800 Pro 5-PW, :mizuno: MP T-4 50-06, 54-09 58-10, :cleveland: Smart Square Blade and :bridgestone: B330-S


Posted
Wow, a lot of comments. I'll ask a question, how much time have you invested in developing a better stroke?
That is the real key, yes you need to find a putter that feels right to you and fits your stance. One that allows you to assume your optimum position for putting, BUT.
How do you know what that feels like if you don't spend hours on a putting green working on a repeatable stroke?

I found that once I developed my stoke and learned what it feels like to hit a ball on a line I select I can putt with lots of clubs and not just a putter. And there are a lot of players that have
broken , lost or forgotten to bring putters to the course that found the same thing.

It ain't bragging if you can do it.
 
Taylor Made Burner '09 8.5* UST Pro Force V2, Mizuno F-60 3 wood UST Pro Force V2, Mizuno MP-68 3-PW  S300, Bobby Jones Wedges S and L, Nike Ignite 001, Leupold GX-II


Posted
Wow, a lot of comments. I'll ask a question, how much time have you invested in developing a better stroke?

It depends what he has now for a putter. If he has some old putter he will get a noticable improvment from a softer milled putter or one with an insert. Being properly fitted for your putter is important too.

You are right about the stroke though. You could have the best Cameron ever made but if you have a bad putting stroke you arent going to sink putts.

Whats in my :sunmountain: C-130 cart bag?

Woods: :mizuno: JPX 850 9.5*, :mizuno: JPX 850 15*, :mizuno: JPX-850 19*, :mizuno: JPX Fli-Hi #4, :mizuno: JPX 800 Pro 5-PW, :mizuno: MP T-4 50-06, 54-09 58-10, :cleveland: Smart Square Blade and :bridgestone: B330-S


Posted
  moadhia said:
This sounds interesting. Which model of the seemore putter are you referring to ?

There are a few good alignment putters around. I used a Cleveland VP109

(Link) with great success. It got my direction correct and my head/eyes above correct too. But this is for alignment and is not as forgiving if you hit it off the insert on the face as to a Mallet with no insert. They do make a mallet one too, the VP509 (link) . The inserts are bigger than others and has a good feel for an insert type putter. Now I don't like inserts, but I used this putter as a tool for many rounds and have hit some amazing shots with it. My best round with it, I hit 26 putts.
Wow, a lot of comments. I'll ask a question, how much time have you invested in developing a better stroke?

This is a good point! You do need to develop your repeatable stroke, what ever it is! Once you get that stroke, then you need to learn how to align your putter and stroke to the line you have chosen to the cup.

I'm 6' and I like 33" putters. I'm the typical triangle/pendulum putter and having a shorter putter allows me to get that stoke every time. When my putting wasn't as good as it is now, my errors were with alignment and hitting the ball where I actually wanted to. But I had the stoke down, it was my alignment that I needed to work on.

Posted
  TitleistWI said:
IMO, a mallet is good for someone who leaves their putts short and who tends to miss the center of the clubface because the head of a mallet is heavier. A heavier head puts more energy to the ball, so you wont leave your putts quite as short (and wont need to hit the ball as hard on longer putts or on slow greens). Also, mallets have a higher MOI, so on mishits the ball has a truer roll than with a blade.

They work, if they're suited to your swing. That means you're able to comfortably swing back and through on a line; if not, the mallet will do more harm than good because on an arcing stroke suitable for a blade putter, all that inertia will keep you from closing the clubface properly. Also, I find it to be harder to gauge distances because the excess mass tends to mask the ball feel a bit. When I picked out my current putter, a mallet, I liked that. Now I'm not so sure.

In the bag:
FT-iQ 10° driver, FT 21° neutral 3H
T-Zoid Forged 15° 3W, MX-23 4-PW
Harmonized 52° GW, Tom Watson 56° SW, X-Forged Vintage 60° LW
White Hot XG #1 Putter, 33"


Posted
  J_Bone said:
I used a Cleveland VP109

ohh wow I didnt know there was such a thing as an alignment putter.

Well I have been working on my putting stroke for the past 2 months, and I think I have got it down pretty much. I would say 70% - 80% of my putts hit on the sweet spot of my putter, this I can tell based on feel and distance ( the putter I have doesnt make a distinct sound on good strokes though). The problem is sometimes stand too far from the ball and during my takeaway I tend to bring my putter too much to the inside. VP109 might just do it. Are there any other putters that help with alignment ? How is the feedback on good hits on this putter and why did you stop using it ?

Burner 10.5 *
Burner 15*
Rescue 19*
Voit V5 Hybrid 24*
MX-25 5-PW CG14 52*,56*,60* Ignite 002


Posted
  moadhia said:
ohh wow I didnt know there was such a thing as an alignment putter.

There are SeeMore putters

(link) . The SeeMore putter I would use is $295 and I don't feel like paying that much. The feedback on good hits is great. There are 3 things I don't prefer with it, which 2 are fixable. 1. Lie angle (changeable) I prefer a steeper lie angle and didn't want to bend it just in case I wanted to sell it. 2. Shaft length (changeable). I prefer a 33" and this is 35". Yes I can cut down and regrip, but was thinking of resale. 3. It has a milled face with an insert. I have a quark for some odd reason with inserts and I don't know why. The speed was easy to learn and is very consistent, so I really have no valid reason to dislike them on this club. If it didn't have the insert, I would have it bent up and the shaft cut down and be using this club. I still take it out and practice with it when I feel my alignment is off. It's a beautiful putter and does what it's suppose to do.

Posted
  zeg said:
They work, if they're suited to your swing. That means you're able to comfortably swing back and through on a line; if not, the mallet will do more harm than good because on an arcing stroke suitable for a blade putter, all that inertia will keep you from closing the clubface properly. Also, I find it to be harder to gauge distances because the excess mass tends to mask the ball feel a bit. When I picked out my current putter, a mallet, I liked that. Now I'm not so sure.

Same here. I always had problems with my distance control with a mallet but my current putter is considered to be a mallet and I like it, so who knows.

Whats in my :sunmountain: C-130 cart bag?

Woods: :mizuno: JPX 850 9.5*, :mizuno: JPX 850 15*, :mizuno: JPX-850 19*, :mizuno: JPX Fli-Hi #4, :mizuno: JPX 800 Pro 5-PW, :mizuno: MP T-4 50-06, 54-09 58-10, :cleveland: Smart Square Blade and :bridgestone: B330-S


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