DIY Putter fitting?

[dsc123]

As a Christmas gift, my wife gave arranged for me to send my Newport 2 to the Scotty Cameron Custom Shop.  In addition to cosmetic additions, I figure its a good opportunity to change some of the specs.  Earlier last this year I tweaked my setup based on a video that's been posted here before by Mike Shannon ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLEdpWxt63U ) and some tips from an older evolvr lesson and feel pretty comfortable with it.  I'd like to make sure my equipment fits what I now feel is a relatively consistent stroke that I don't plan to tinker with. I'm wondering what you all think about this DIY approach:

Current specs: 35 inches, 71* lie, 4* of loft and 2 10g weights.

Length - I currently choke down about 2 inches. This lets my arms hang, the shaft to line up with my forearms, and gets my eyes over the ball. I'll probably take 1.5 inches off or so.

Lie - With my newish setup, the toe of my putter is closer to the ground, but its still not level.  I'm thinking of taking a video of my stroke from behind, measuring the angle between the floor and the sole, and flattening the lie by that same amount.  Is there any reason why that wouldn't work?

Loft -- Maltby says 4* effective loft is the right amount.  If I take a video and measure my forward press, I can just subtract that from the 4* to find my effective loft.

Weight -- I've read that balancing requires that I add 10g to the head for every inch that I cut off, so I'll have to buy the appropriate weights based on what I end up cutting.

Of course, a proper fitting would be the ideal way to do this, but since I'm sending it away and the loft and lie changes are free, I might as well give this a shot.  I can always get a proper fitting afterwards if I don't like this.

Is there any reason why this wouldn't work?

[iacas]

Loft -- Maltby says 4* effective loft is the right amount.  If I take a video and measure my forward press, I can just subtract that from the 4* to find my effective loft.

On faster greens (9 and up), 4° is too much. 2-3° is about right. You can measure things that way, sure. It's somewhat accurate. Make sure that you account for the fact that the shaft is tapered and measure the middle (or both edges and take the average).

Weight -- I've read that balancing requires that I add 10g to the head for every inch that I cut off, so I'll have to buy the appropriate weights based on what I end up cutting.

Don't do that.

Find a 33.5" putter. Ideally one that's similar in head shape and shaft flex to your current putter. Experiment by taping quarters or nickels or something to the putter head, to the middle of the shaft just below the grip, and to the top of the grip to find the combination of weighting that makes sense to you.

What's that mean?

It means put a string out 15 feet away on a level (i.e. straight across a slope, ideally a gentle slope) green that's typical of the speed you play. Hit putts trying to stop the ball on the string. Change up the weight, and hit them again. Keep going and you'll find a combination of weighting that will let you stop the ball more consistently on the string (or very close to it) than the other combinations.

The old rule about 33" putters being 350g, 34" being 340g, and 35" being 330g is bogus. It might have been a rough estimate when greens were stimping at 7, but they don't apply now. Almost everyone needs a heavier putter head than they think, and a lot of people do well with a little counter-weighting and/or mid-shaft weighting.

My honest advice? Since the Cameron stuff is pretty expensive? Sell your Cameron, and between that money and the money you got from your wife, find an Edel fitter and get fitted for exactly the putter that fits you best. You'll get a better putter in the end that's customized with your paint fill, initials, etc. and is going to fit you far better than guessing at your Cameron specs.

[dsc123]

Thanks for the thoughtful response, Erik. I think the greens at my course are about a 9, so maybe I'll shoot for 3* of loft or less. And I'll definitely mess around with the weights like you said, I hadn't thought of that. I'm tempted to go the edel route. My scotty Cameron was a wedding gift from my best man (and golfing buddy) , so I'm a little reluctant to get rid of it. But if the custom shop is going to cost $150 or more and I might be able to get another $150 if I sell the scotty....maybe ill go that route.

[iacas]

Thanks for the thoughtful response, Erik. I think the greens at my course are about a 9, so maybe I'll shoot for 3* of loft or less. And I'll definitely mess around with the weights like you said, I hadn't thought of that.

I'm tempted to go the edel route. My scotty Cameron was a wedding gift from my best man (and golfing buddy) , so I'm a little reluctant to get rid of it. But if the custom shop is going to cost $150 or more and I might be able to get another $150 if I sell the scotty....maybe ill go that route.

Another option, too, btw is that if you aim your Scotty well, you can have the same one built for you (same head and hosel and such) from the Edel fitting cart (in a 33" version), then spend some time playing around with the weights they have in the fitting kit to help you nail the weight setup for your putter.

A fitter should probably do that for you for about $25 to $75 (to be honest, if you were coming to us, we'd charge you about $25 and let you play around with the weights and stuff by yourself.). Shouldn't take more than half an hour or so, and you'll get far more precise results than taping coins to your putter. :) (But the coin thing can work in a pinch, especially if you have a postal scale or something to weigh how much you add).

[boogielicious]

Thanks for the thoughtful response, Erik. I think the greens at my course are about a 9, so maybe I'll shoot for 3* of loft or less. And I'll definitely mess around with the weights like you said, I hadn't thought of that.

I'm tempted to go the edel route. My scotty Cameron was a wedding gift from my best man (and golfing buddy) , so I'm a little reluctant to get rid of it. But if the custom shop is going to cost $150 or more and I might be able to get another $150 if I sell the scotty....maybe ill go that route.

I'm sure Edel putters are excellent, but if you want to keep your Scotty, find a good fitter in your area.  I had my putter fit by a Golf Digest Top 100 fitter in NH (http://www.kustomclubs.com).  He uses a lot of the same techniques that the Edel fitting uses.  The whole fitting was about an hour.  I had the $35 fitting because after the initial evaluation, Ken felt that I was very close.

There is a top 100 fitter in Bethesda.

Golf Care Center
Bethesda, Md.
301-652-6094
golfcarecenter.com

[dsc123]

Another option, too, btw is that if you aim your Scotty well, you can have the same one built for you (same head and hosel and such) from the Edel fitting cart (in a 33" version), then spend some time playing around with the weights they have in the fitting kit to help you nail the weight setup for your putter. A fitter should probably do that for you for about $25 to $75 (to be honest, if you were coming to us, we'd charge you about $25 and let you play around with the weights and stuff by yourself.). Shouldn't take more than half an hour or so, and you'll get far more precise results than taping coins to your putter. :) (But the coin thing can work in a pinch, especially if you have a postal scale or something to weigh how much you add).

I do have a postal scale at work, that's a great idea. Fiddling around with the Edel fittings sounds line a good alternative but the only Edel guy around here is the head pro at congressional. Having no prior relationship with him,and his club being the most exclusive in the area, I don't think I'd feel comfortable asking him. [quote name="boogielicious" url="/t/71738/diy-putter-fitting#post_934781"]I'm sure Edel putters are excellent, but if you want to keep your Scotty, find a good fitter in your area.  I had my putter fit by a Golf Digest Top 100 fitter in NH ([URL=http://www.kustomclubs.com]http://www.kustomclubs.com[/URL]).  He uses a lot of the same techniques that the Edel fitting uses.  The whole fitting was about an hour.  I had the $35 fitting because after the initial evaluation, Ken felt that I was very close. There is a top 100 fitter in Bethesda. Golf Care Center Bethesda, Md. 301-652-6094 [URL=http://www.golfcarecenter.com/]golfcarecenter.com[/URL] [/quote] I have read really great things about that place. I actually called them about a year ago to have my putter fitted but they charged something like $200 and were booked for months. I'll probably pay $20 for the putter fitting at golf galaxy and mix that with a diy approach like I mentioned. The adjustments are free from the custom shop, so I'm not really risking much if I later decide to go that route. Thank you both for your advice.

[iacas]

Fiddling around with the Edel fittings sounds line a good alternative but the only Edel guy around here is the head pro at congressional. Having no prior relationship with him,and his club being the most exclusive in the area, I don't think I'd feel comfortable asking him.

I know Mike Dickson. We trained together in AimPoint, actually. If you'd like I can introduce you to him. Last I heard he's happy to have outsiders come and get fit at Congressional.

[dsc123]

I know Mike Dickson. We trained together in AimPoint, actually. If you'd like I can introduce you to him. Last I heard he's happy to have outsiders come and get fit at Congressional.

Thanks! I'll probably send the putter in for cosmetics and take you up on that when it comes back for a proper fitting. I tried to convince my wife that I should just get an Edel. Fist I told her that I needed some help going through the customizations on the custom shop website and after she designed a beautiful putter I showed her the price which exceeded $300. But rather than seeing the logic in spending that money on an Edel she suggested fewer stamps, engravings and such. ;p but ultimately that's fine. I like the putter and as I said it was a wedding gift from my best man and golfing buddy,so it's got sentimental value too. He just got engaged last week so maybe I'll get him an edel.