Putter Grooves...How important?

[John105]

I know the grooves you see on many putter inserts are to increase topspin, etc, but is it a big enough impact to actively search for those grooves when buying a new putter?

[alomar123]

They must help because there is a limit according to the pga rules and the tour scottys have deep milling.

[zeg]

I see plenty of pros using what look to be flat faces, so I think it's a matter of preference.

[YoungGun]

It certainly can help, the nike method putter in particular uses special grooves to get the ball rolling smooth and fast, but loft on the putter is probably more important for smooth roll in my opinion.

[msd3075]

They must help because there is a limit according to the pga rules

The deep milling on Scotty Cameron Tour putters is because some players like the soft feel it gives, not for inducing top spin. Scotty Cameron himself does not like deep milling and only does it for tour players who demand it for the feel.

[tristanhilton85]

I don't think it matters one way or another. Just another way for companies to get something new...

[John105]

So what do putter makers use to keep a consistent and true roll? IE is there something specific to look in that respect for when buying a putter?

[max power]

Look for a flat face. Seriously, looking at the face of the putter should be the last thing you do (if ever). Try some putters out to see how they feel with your stroke, if you like the weight, the hosel, the way it sits at address, and how it rolls with your putting stroke.

[Arsenal8807]

You just need to pick a few out and putt with them and see how it goes like others said. I don't think the grooves on putters are an advantage because you can lean your shaft forward a bit and hit up on the ball a little to get some topspin and better roll off the face.

[GolfBear]

Billions of putts have been made with Bullseye putters, Anser putters etc. It ain't the bow, it's the indian behind it!

[Stretch]

The YES! guys were the first (as far as I know) to make a big deal about grooves on the putter face and the resulting initial roll characteristics. You can read about their take here: http://www.yesgolf.com/WSCG_2002_Paper.pdf

I assume the Nike Method putter is designed along the same lines.

[JWL1957]

I think it is junk science. There are thousands of little imperfections on any putting surface to roll the ball over on a 20 foot putt to justify any gain from this technology. I have tried the YES and a couple of other brands. I didnt putt any better or worse. They felt a little different and thats about it. I thinks its another gimicky ploy to separate the golf consumer from his cash.

[Stretch]

Maybe, but it's a legitimate tack to take. Certainly as legitimate as, say, claims about inserts promoting feel or super-fine machining tolerances of putter faces improving accuracy. And Harold Swash, who came up with the idea, is by far the pre-eminent putting expert/coach in Europe. So it wasn't just something that came out of a marketing meeting.

[GolfBear]

Maybe, but it's a legitimate tack to take. Certainly as legitimate as, say, claims about inserts promoting feel or super-fine machining tolerances of putter faces improving accuracy. And Harold Swash, who came up with the idea, is by far the pre-eminent putting expert/coach in Europe. So it wasn't just something that came out of a marketing meeting.

I won't argue that inserts and better machining have helped but that is really unrelated to grooves. I've always been told that the grooves on irons don't add much spin to shots. The frictional coefficients are responsible for the spin. The grooves are there to displace water or grass that gets between the ball and the club face. I believe that's also the reason the new drivers don't have grooves.

Considering you're swinging a driver or an iron about 90-100mph faster than a putter I can't imagine that the grooves would have any noticeable effect.

[Stretch]

They certainly do have a noticeable effect, as demonstrated in that paper linked earlier. What certainly hasn't been established is whether that effect will actually help a golfer hole any more putts.

[misty_mountainhop]

Billions of putts have been made with Bullseye putters, Anser putters etc. It ain't the bow, it's the indian behind it!

He shoots, he scores!

[dbuck]

I don't think they are GIMMICKS per se; they have been reasonably proven to affect the initial roll of the ball. I do think that they modify one variable of a multivariable equation, but aren't a magic pill. As already said, its the Indian, not the arrow. I think grooves might improve the intial roll of a well struck put, but have less effect than alignment, speed, or the ball mark someone repaired poorly. Right now, grooves would have little or no effect on my choice of putter, unless they happened to be on a putter than I liked for feel, balance, or appearance at address.

[tristanhilton85]

I don't think they are GIMMICKS per se; they have been reasonably proven to affect the initial roll of the ball. I do think that they modify one variable of a multivariable equation, but aren't a magic pill. As already said, its the Indian, not the arrow. I think grooves might improve the intial roll of a well struck put, but have less effect than alignment, speed, or the ball mark someone repaired poorly. Right now, grooves would have little or no effect on my choice of putter, unless they happened to be on a putter than I liked for feel, balance, or appearance at address.

Yup... I'm sure the grooves do help with the initial roll, but like you said that is just one of many variables. I think that they are really there just so they are different; so that it gives people a reason to change.

There are many more important factors to consider, as said above, such as feel, balance, etc. and those should be taken into consideration first. The best thing to do is just try a whole bunch out and goes with what feels the best... if it happens to be one with the grooves, cool, and if not that is fine too.