How can I tell if I like/putt well with a putter before buying?

[Unforgiven93]

I just won some club house credit from a pretty big amateur event. I used my dad's old Rife 2 Bar mallet with a completely dissolved grip. I would really like to get a new putter, but how can I know I putt well with it before buying? It seems almost impossible. I know Edel putters with fittings are all the rage on here, but I'm not willing to spend that much and I wouldn't be able to use my club house credit on it either. I'm just clueless on how I'm supposed to know what putter I put the ball in the hole in less strokes with without going out and using it for 5 rounds.

[saevel25]

I just won some club house credit from a pretty big amateur event.

I'm just clueless on how I'm supposed to know what putter I put the ball in the hole in less strokes with without going out and using it for 5 rounds.

See if they will allow you to try some putters out at the putting green.

[Golfingdad]

See if they will allow you to try some putters out at the putting green.

And assuming they do ... then I would pick a few that suited my eye and work on two things with them ... trying to consistently make short, straight putts, such that you know your aim is decent with that putter, and then trying to consistently hit a ball 15 feet.

Start with all of the putters that you think look good and then run them through both tests and buy the one that gives you the most confidence that you will hit your line with the right amount of pace.

[DaveP043]

See if they will allow you to try some putters out at the putting green.

I agree, ask them if you can at very minimum try a few putters on the practice green.  Even better would be to be able to use the one you like best for an entire round on the course, but that may not be an option.  In reality, only time, and experience over a number of rounds, will tell if you've picked the right putter.

[RayG]

What? testing a putter? Never. ANY NEW PUTTER is the best putter EVER... until it stinks and you buy another BEST PUTTER EVER!:-D

[DaveP043]

What? testing a putter? Never. ANY NEW PUTTER is the best putter EVER... until it stinks and you buy another BEST PUTTER EVER!

I knew this was the right answer for most people, but not for me.  I'm one of the rare guys who isn't addicted to new potters.  I've had two putters, over the last 30 years or so, and I'm not looking for a new one.

[MrFlipper]

I just won some club house credit from a pretty big amateur event. I used my dad's old Rife 2 Bar mallet with a completely dissolved grip. I would really like to get a new putter, but how can I know I putt well with it before buying? It seems almost impossible. I know Edel putters with fittings are all the rage on here, but I'm not willing to spend that much and I wouldn't be able to use my club house credit on it either.

I'm just clueless on how I'm supposed to know what putter I put the ball in the hole in less strokes with without going out and using it for 5 rounds.

See if you can apply your credit to some sort of putter fitting that they do. Just because it's not an Edel doesn't mean they can't go through some sort of reasonable protocol to fit you. All they can say is no.

[mvmac]

And assuming they do ... then I would pick a few that suited my eye and work on two things with them ... trying to consistently make short, straight putts, such that you know your aim is decent with that putter, and then trying to consistently hit a ball 15 feet.

Start with all of the putters that you think look good and then run them through both tests and buy the one that gives you the most confidence that you will hit your line with the right amount of pace.

I agree with this, hit some short putts making sure the ball is starting where you want it and then hit some longer putts, like 30-40 ft.

Also make sure your eyes are either over or slightly inside the ball at set-up.

[xilez]

Sell the clubhouse credit to someone else, then buy an Edel.

[SteveH]

I tried a few putters out on the indoor green at Golf Town.  Then I had them cut it down an inch and put on a Slim 3.0 grip same as my old one.  Then I get home and go golfing and decide it's still too long!!!!  Anyway, 2 day old $35 grip, so put some solvent down between the shaft and grip, a few good twists and pulls and off she comes. cleaned off the old tape, took a tuning cutter to it and took off 2 more inches and then took it to my local proshop and had them retape and slide it back on.  Feels more like the old one now.

[Ernest Jones]

@Unforgiven93 if you putt well with the old one then just get a new grip. You'd be surprised how awesome an old club feels with a new grip.

[imsys0042]

My advice would be to find one that looks good to you, and then of the ones that look good to you swinging it in the store without touching the carpet should tell you if you like the weight. I tried mixing up putters, and had a putter for years and years, but in the end it's the person doing the putting, not the putter. But how it looks, how the alignment aids work for you and the weighting + how smooth it feels going back and forth are all things I look for and I feel that those things contribute to helping you make a better stroke. My two putters that have survived are a Scotty Cameron and I just think it swings beautifully, and a 1967 Nicklaus Muirfield blade putter that I bought on eBay for $20 years ago. Both have sunk a lot of putts for me.

[Unforgiven93]

@Unforgiven93 if you putt well with the old one then just get a new grip. You'd be surprised how awesome an old club feels with a new grip.

See here's the problem.... The putter is so ugly. And it is old and beaten up on top of that (my dad thought to solve some weird internal vibration in the head he needed to take a hammer to it....it still buzzes at impact :-P ) the face is all dinged up and everything. But you're right... I do putt very well with it for some unknown reason. In the 72 hole tourney I just played I felt like one putt came off the face weird, that's it. I had 4 three putts, three of which were 60+ footers. .. I just don't want to use it because it is so dinged up and ugly. I should probably just use it. Regrip and suck it up when people make fun of me.

[rkim291968]

Fitted for a putter and save money & effort  for the long run.

[iacas]

I recommend being fit for something, and the more thorough the fitting process the better. Or, as someone else mentioned, sell the credit to someone else and apply it toward an Edel fitting.

There's a reason I believe in and promote Edel stuff, and that reason is NOT because I make a dime off of it. Bar none, it's the best putter fitting system in the world, and it builds a putter for you that lasts a lifetime.

[Unforgiven93]

I recommend being fit for something, and the more thorough the fitting process the better. Or, as someone else mentioned, sell the credit to someone else and apply it toward an Edel fitting. There's a reason I believe in and promote Edel stuff, and that reason is NOT because I make a dime off of it. Bar none, it's the best putter fitting system in the world, and it builds a putter for you that lasts a lifetime.

I just won $400 clubhouse credit in my annual city tournament, what is the best way to turn this into cash that I can use for an Edel fitting? I don't know anyone that would want to straight buy the credit off me... I was thinking buy a stock 915 driver with regular flex or stiff flex with 9.5 or 10.5 degree loft and go to eBay with it.. or a bunch of Pro V1s. Any other ideas? Also, could I lose my amateur status for doing this?

[Jeremie Boop]

I recommend being fit for something, and the more thorough the fitting process the better. Or, as someone else mentioned, sell the credit to someone else and apply it toward an Edel fitting.

There's a reason I believe in and promote Edel stuff, and that reason is NOT because I make a dime off of it. Bar none, it's the best putter fitting system in the world, and it builds a putter for you that lasts a lifetime.

Says the guy who can out putt most of us with his foot. If I ever actually buy an expensive putter, it will be an Edel though. I've become a fanatic about getting properly fitted for any club I spend a decent amount of money on so there's no way I'm just going to buy a putter off the shelf somewhere.

[mvmac]

Also, could I lose my amateur status for doing this?

An amateur may accept a prize (e.g., merchandise or gift certificates) of a retail value not greater than $500. He may not accept cash in any amount (unless it's gambling). If a player were to accept a prize exceeding this limit (e.g., a car), he would forfeit his amateur status as a golfer. By doing so he would not necessarily become a "professional." Rather, he would simply be a non-amateur.