Are shorter putters better?

[Danattherock]

Hard to imagine people being that stupid, but you could be right. Same reason folks insist on stiff and x stiff shafts in their drivers. Ego, a dangerous thing indeed.


-Dan

[sean_miller]

Mine is 33 inches. I would be willing to bet that most people are using putters that are too long for them, but it's probably partially an ego thing.

Hard to imagine people being that stupid, but you could be right. Same reason folks insist on stiff and x stiff shafts in their drivers. Ego, a dangerous thing indeed.

Can you guys enlighten me on this topic? How is choosing a longer putter in any way shape of form related to ego? Is everything a penis contest to Americans? Yeah - overgeneralizations are fun.

[Danattherock]

No need in enlightening. Longer is better. Stiffer is better. Hell, I laugh at it, but it is true. Folks buy longer drivers because they think they will hit the ball further. They get stiff shafts because it sounds cool, or their buddies have them. Truth is, the average golfer would do much better with a 43" driver with a regular flex shaft. You don't see them often though. Most golfers buy the wrong equipment. Same applies to putters. If not ego, then what is the cause?


-Dan

[delav]

The best putter is the one fit for you :)

[max power]

Ego is certainly a part of golf, but I'm not convinced that it applies much to putter selection. People I've played with tend to gravitate towards a putter that's comfortable. Granted, off the rack we're usually limited to 3 choices, but I've never seen someone stubbornly sticking with a 35" or 36" putter cause it's "cool" or "longer." I actually planned on cutting my Scotty down to 34" when I got it last summer, but found myself more comfortable at 35".

[sean_miller]

Ego is certainly a part of golf, but I'm not convinced that it applies much to putter selection. People I've played with tend to gravitate towards a putter that's comfortable. Granted, off the rack we're usually limited to 3 choices, but I've never seen someone stubbornly sticking with a 35" or 36" putter cause it's "cool" or "longer." I actually planned on cutting my Scotty down to 34" when I got it last summer, but found myself more comfortable at 35".

I'd love to try a 36" putter, but I haven't seen one in years - they used to be the norm. Maybe people under 6 feet tall need a little putter, but I have back spasms just thinking about using a 33 inch putter. Ridiculousness.

[Danattherock]

Maybe people under 6 feet tall need a little putter, but I have back spasms just thinking about using a 33 inch putter. Ridiculousness.

Yeah, I agree for the most part. At 6'6" my normal putter specs (pro fitted) is 36.25" and 74 degrees. However, last week I got a Yamada putter that was 33" and I putted better than ever. I have a custom Sunset Beach being made now and changed my mind on the length after using this 33" putter. I will have my new putter at 34.25" rather than 36.25" as planned. Can't say why, but I dropped MANY more putts with this 33" putter. Great article from Geoff Mangum I mentioned earlier... http://puttingzone.com/MyTips/lengthlie.html -Dan

[sean_miller]

Yeah, I agree for the most part. At 6'6" my normal putter specs (pro fitted) is 36.25" and 74 degrees. However, last week I got a Yamada putter that was 33" and I putted better than ever. I have a custom Sunset Beach being made now and changed my mind on the length after using this 33" putter. I will have my new putter at 34.25" rather than 36.25" as planned. Can't say why, but I dropped MANY more putts with this 33" putter.

Based on posts in this thread (and others on the internet) I'd say that shorter putters are the ego trip. Just sayin'.

[Danattherock]

You are not saying anything. Use what you like. I will use what makes the most putts. It just happens to contradict what I thought for the last 20 years.



-Dan

[sean_miller]

You are not saying anything. Use what you like. I will use what makes the most putts. It just happens to contradict what I thought for the last 20 years.

Just trying to connect the non-existent dots. The next time one of my playing partners lets me know how long their putter shaft is, it will be the first time in 25 years that knowledge was shared. Driver shaft stiffness, sure, but putter length? LOL.

Hard to imagine people being that stupid, but you could be right. Same reason folks insist on stiff and x stiff shafts in their drivers. Ego, a dangerous thing indeed. -Dan

[jamo]

Can you guys enlighten me on this topic? How is choosing a longer putter in any way shape of form related to ego?

I'm just saying that I see many more people putting with the toe off the ground than the other way around.

In addition, there is a reason that I said it's "partially" ego. Do I think ego has something to do with it? Yes, but the amount I'm not really sure. The fact that 34 and 35 inch putters are more readily available (at least everywhere I've been) might actually have more of an influence.

[Danattherock]

Good point above. Nice discussion in general. The main putter sizes folks choose from is 33", 34", and 35". I do feel that far more folks gravitate towards the 35" size than should. That is what I used for almost 20 years, and have used 36.25" for the last two years. When I say that I putted best with a 33" putter this week, I consider that a significant finding. Reading over Geoff's article I linked above, perhaps I should not have been so surprised. Arms hung down in a more natural fashion. Shorter putter is simply easier to control. Hell, I am not sure. But I rolled 3 balls 25' on an uphill hard left breaking putt and dropped 2 out of 3. Never done that before. My 15-20' putts were within 1' of the hole, compared to my normal 2-3'. Do I like being hunched over more than usual? Of course not, what 6'6" 300 lb man would. Ha ha.. But if it works it works, and I encourage anyone that wants to improve their putting to give a shorter putter a try. Geoff's article has some very specific rationale in doing so.


-Dan

[DarkPrince]

35" has been the industry standard for a l while for men with 34" being the "standard" for womens when in reality it should be 34" for men and 32-33" for women. Any new putters we get in at work are all 35" long and are just impossible to use by me due to my height/arm length, I need like a 33/33.5" putter to feel remotely comfortable. I bought a Rossa Corza Ghost a few months back and love it, but I bought 34" since my pro told me it's better to buy a little long and cut it down later than buy it short and have to attempt to plug it. I'm beginning to think of cutting down because as someone else mentioned, choking down just doesn't feel remotely as comfortable as being naturally at the end of the grip. 35" putters always catch on my shirt when I choke down, and I'm finding that my 34" is also doing so every once in a while, especially when i'm trying to putt on my z factor.

[CassinoNorth]

"The average US male is typically between 5 feet 10 inches tall and 6 feet tall."

Stopped reading there. That's not true at all. The average US Male is 5'7".

[max power]

"The average US male is typically between 5 feet 10 inches tall and 6 feet tall."

Not calling you a liar, just not what I've read. Last stat I saw said 5'10".

[Danattherock]

Yeah, I agree. The average male in the US might have been 5'7" 70 years ago.

Wikipedia, the first item that pops up when asked "what is the average height of a man in the US" says 5'7".

NOTE!! Wikidpedia is BS. Anyone can put info there.


Below is info from the Center for Disease Control (CDC)...

"The report, “Mean Body Weight, Height, and Body Mass Index (BMI) 1960-2002: United States,” prepared by CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, shows that the average height of a man aged 20-74 years increased from just over 5-8 in 1960 to 5-9 ½ in 2002,"

From...

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/04news/americans.htm



Also, factoring in that we get shorter as we age, the average height of a man 20-50 years is going to be taller than 5' 9.5".

That number was factoring in all the folks from 20-74 and the folks 50-74 are getting shorter as they age.


-Dan

[Zach Attack]

I find 34" to be just right. I played 35" and 33", but 34" seems to fit me best. I think maybe it has something to do with being closer to the ball.

[max power]

Yeah, I agree. The average male in the US might have been 5'7" 70 years ago.

Wikipedia's article on height is actually very detailed and is full of citations. Average height of US male is about 5'10".