Toe hang and stroke type

[granitegolf]

Hi all,

Searched the forum a fair bit and there is a ton of info on toe hang and stroke paths styles but I have a question that I'm not getting answered very well.

Erik came close in one of his comments on toe hang but actually his comment caused me to dig deeper.

In general we all know that a severe toe hang putter is good for a strong arc and in general a face balanced is good for a sbst stroke. So my question is: I'm trying to to create a little more arc in my stroke and with all the info out there it is easy to think that I should go to a putter with more toe hang. Right? Well if a toe hang putter has more weighting in the toe then I would tend to think that its harder to get the toe to close down prior to impact. So is a more face balanced putter better for increasing closure of the face?

So if someone has a strong arc patch is a heel shafted toe down putter good for their path because it helps hold their face off? And conversely is a face balanced putter good for the sbst crowd as it helps them release the face?

I tend to like a plumbing neck but need a bit more release. I know I can achieve this with mechanics but just got me thinking. Something maybe I do to much:)

Thanks,

Dale

[Gioguy21]

i don't know if it's possible but, does your scotty have adjustable weights on the bottom or is it a fixed weight putter? only reason i ask is because instead of changing your stroke, i'd put a 15g weight (instead of the standard 10) in the heel and see if that helps. i went to a face balanced putter but could always release well, so i installed heavier weights in it both toe and heel to help with speed/feel. scotty's are great for helping a putting stroke since they're a little adjustable, as long as you can get past the price. btw, my pops had the same issue you currently have...and he did as i've suggested in his putter and hasn't looked back. just something to try maybe IMO.

[Mr. Desmond]

I know just enough to get confused by all this toe down, face balanced, release the toe... blah, blah, blah.

I use a putter fitted to me that is toe down and no offset - I have a neutral, square setup, and no forward press. The shaft and grip are lined up with the zipper of my pants (no entendre intended). My eyes are one ball inside and slightly back of the ball. I don't try to release anything. I don't try to move my arms independently.

I move my shoulders in a wide arc back and through without manipulation of my hands or arms.

Is that a strong arc? I don't think so.

Is it an arc? Well, yes, I stand to the side of the ball so it will arc eventually.

I go for a wide arc.

It's that simple.

[iacas]

I have changed my thinking on this recently. I've come to understand that toe hang is more about how a person feels the stroke in their hands than anything relating to arc type or straight back and straight through or path. What I mean by that is this: some players need to feel a heavier toe pushing against their hands in order to rotate the toe. An example of this would be Tiger Woods. Other players do not need the weight out on the toe OR they need it to do what it normally does: SLOW the toe.

[Mr. Desmond]

I think you want the putter face to remain square to your path... ie. even though your putter moves in an arc it is square to the path you are following -- because at impact, you want it square to where you started (aimed at your target).

And you can't get square at contact  if you're moving your hands and arms everywhere...

[saevel25]

To me it doesn't matter, as long as you can put that clubhead back on the ball in the same orientation everytime, then you can develop feel and consistancy. Doesn't matter if you hit with an open face 100% of the time, you can learn feel from that and make putts. Some ways are easier than others, depending on the person. Heck i have made putts hitting the ball with the back of the clubface, with the toe of the club (Vijay at TPC sawgrass number 17 something like 5 years ago, he did this from the rough). People over complicate things.

But for me the keys are, keep the head still, and do everything else the same, over and over again. That takes practice, lots of practice no constantly changing, not constantly tweaking. Just stick with something. I would say, give it a year. decide on the stroke you want, give it a year to build, and see how you are then. Don't just keep flip flopping all the time.