To Improve Putting, do I get a Putter Fitting or Consistent Stroke?

[Harp stein]

I'm looking to improve my putting. Right now I use a 36" White Hot (mallet putter) that I bought at Golf Galaxy about 10 years ago, after trying a few out there for a half hour. I struggle with distance control on putts over 20 feet and struggle with intended direction in the 1-5 ft range, which seems to be the area where good players make putts consistently.

Late in the season this year I started choking down on it and seemed to get more consistent. It feels too heavy on short putts, but that could be my imagination. I've considered buying a blade putter, but no science behind that beyond wanting to try something different.

The question is, should I do a putter fitting or should I work on drills to get a consistent putting stroke? I've read several threads on here and seems to be conflicting advice. Some say there's no point in a fitting until you have a consistent stroke, but others talk about how the fitting will match the putter to the player's stroke.

[iacas]

How about both? :)

If you struggle with distance control, read this: .

[Harp stein]

I guess to clarify my question, which should come first? Getting fit then learning to putt or learning to putt then getting fit? The former makes more sense to me, but curious how others have done it.

[iacas]

I guess to clarify my question, which should come first? Getting fit then learning to putt or learning to putt then getting fit? The former makes more sense to me, but curious how others have done it.

I've found that being fit is fine to do once your setup and basic stroke are pretty well set. You can't set up TOTALLY weird and then change it and expect your putter fitting to remain the same.

A good putter fitting can HELP you become more consistent, but you need to be in the same state as "consistent" before that, too. Not the same house, street, or even zip code… but the same state, please, if you know what I mean.

[Patch]

To knock off a stroke or two, you are going to need both a consistent putting stroke, and a putter club fitting. If you can find the right person, that person should be able help with both the consistent stroke, and putter fitting. The bigger problem is finding that person, who can do both.

As for distance control, it's my belief that once fitted, it is still going to be up to golfer You, yourself need to learn how much of a stroke it will take to send the ball a given distance. Also, even after a proper fitting and a consistent stroke, the golfer still needs to read the green correctly.

I had a putter fitting some years ago. All the guy did was turn the grip a little on the shaft. My grip was good, my set up was good, and my distance control was already pretty good. By adjusting the grip, that allowed me to hit much straighter putts, because it made the relationship between my hands, and the putter face more accurate.  My drill since that time has been to roll the ball over a dime/penny that I have placed 2' (or less) in front of the ball. Some times, if the surface is flat/level enough, I will place the coin farther away. At home, on my carpet, I have hit the coin at 6' when I was putting really well.  If I am rolling the ball over the coin, then I am set up correctly, while also stroking the ball correctly.

One other thing I might add. If possible, always make your final decision on a putter while playing on real grass. Those indoor, synthetic putting greens are not that reliable.

[tasker]

Last winter, I decided to devote more time to putting.  Bought a 7 foot golf hole/mat thingy from eBay.

Hooked up my iPhone to the putter using the cradle.  Worked on path and open/closed stats and just getting a nicely repeatable stroke going on.

Made lots of putts (probably 50-100 per day, 3-4 days per week) - made games for myself - like not being able to stop until at least 20 6 footers had been made.

Got to a really reliable stroke that helped me take 3-4 strokes off my putting game.

Now I find the putter doesn't really matter - I have a good few and can make repeated putts with each and every one of them.

So I learned, in my case, it really is the archer, not the bow which is responsible.

And now when I miss it is more about misreading the putt, rather than the pure execution.

[mmoan2]

I guess to clarify my question, which should come first? Getting fit then learning to putt or learning to putt then getting fit? The former makes more sense to me, but curious how others have done it.

This is totally an amateur's opinion, but I don;t see why you wouldn't get fit first. If you're prepared to drop a couple hundred on a new putter that it properly fit for you, it would seem that step 1 is get the right tools, and step 2 is to use them properly. I can;t see why doing it in that order would ever do you wrong, so if you're prepared to do both as @iacas said, that's my 2 cents. BTW, I've never been fit for a putter and I putt like a friggin champ by just working on my stroke/green reading! I'm sure a fitting would help, but I'm of the opinion that Brad Faxon could putt with a warped wiffle ball bat better than a hack with the best fit putter in the world.

[iacas]

This is totally an amateur's opinion, but I don;t see why you wouldn't get fit first. If you're prepared to drop a couple hundred on a new putter that it properly fit for you, it would seem that step 1 is get the right tools, and step 2 is to use them properly. I can;t see why doing it in that order would ever do you wrong, so if you're prepared to do both as @iacas said, that's my 2 cents. BTW, I've never been fit for a putter and I putt like a friggin champ by just working on my stroke/green reading! I'm sure a fitting would help, but I'm of the opinion that Brad Faxon could putt with a warped wiffle ball bat better than a hack with the best fit putter in the world.

The only caveat to getting fit for a putter is that you shouldn't get fit for a putter if you have some weird, wonky setup or something that's vastly different than anything considered normal. For example, Isao Aoki's setup would likely be a whim for most people, and NOT a great way for them to putt. A putter fit for that type of setup may not work as well when the player gives it up and reverts to a somewhat more typical setup.

P.S. Isao wasn't even too radical… but clearly his lie angle could have been flattened or something… :D

[jswoosh]

Anyone know the best place to get Fitted for a putter in the north west of the uk ? I'm an awful putter and I'm hoping it's because I'm using the wrong style putter and not because I'm a lost cause

[boogielicious]

Anyone know the best place to get Fitted for a putter in the north west of the uk ? I'm an awful putter and I'm hoping it's because I'm using the wrong style putter and not because I'm a lost cause

@jswoosh ,

I found these.

http://www.puttinglab.co.uk/house_of_golf.htm  - Manchester.

http://www.haroldswashputting.co.uk/putting-school/mike-kanski.html

Looks like Harold Swash is also an AimPoint Instructor.  AimPoint, in my opinion, is the best green reading method period.  Combined with a well fit putter, you should be able to improve your putting a lot.  I have done both a fitting and AimPoint and I dropped my putts per round to 31-32.  Swash is north of Liverpool.

https://maps.google.com/maps?cid=15690000382639893418&q;=Manchester,+UK&output;=classic&dg;=ntvo

[jswoosh]

@jswoosh , I found these. [URL=http://www.puttinglab.co.uk/house_of_golf.htm]http://www.puttinglab.co.uk/house_of_golf.htm[/URL]  - Manchester. [URL=http://www.haroldswashputting.co.uk/putting-school/mike-kanski.html]http://www.haroldswashputting.co.uk/putting-school/mike-kanski.html[/URL] Looks like Harold Swash is also an AimPoint Instructor.  AimPoint, in my opinion, is the best green reading method period.  Combined with a well fit putter, you should be able to improve your putting a lot.  I have done both a fitting and AimPoint and I dropped my putts per round to 31-32.  Swash is north of Liverpool. [URL=https://maps.google.com/maps?cid=15690000382639893418&q;=Manchester,+UK&output;=classic&dg;=ntvo]https://maps.google.com/maps?cid=15690000382639893418&q;=Manchester,+UK&output;=classic&dg;=ntvo[/URL]

Thanks mate ill give him a try, giving away at least 5 shots per round ATM on the green... So frustrating !!

[The Recreational Golfer]

Yes to both.