Drawing or Fading Putts?

[ShotShaper77]

Well, I was watching Bubba Watson play recently, and while he was putting, I noticed something odd. He seemed to be attempting to put some side spin on his putts, and the announcer said that bubba likes to curve his putts. I'm wondering...is it possible to draw or fade a putt?

[iacas]

38 minutes ago, ShotShaper77 said:

Well, I was watching Bubba Watson play recently, and while he was putting, I noticed something odd. He seemed to be attempting to put some side spin on his putts, and the announcer said that bubba likes to curve his putts. I'm wondering...is it possible to draw or fade a putt?

Not really, no.

[dennyjones]

How would it be any different than a ping pong ball?  Spin can be added there, why not a golf ball on a putt?

[iacas]

1 minute ago, dennyjones said:

How would it be any different than a ping pong ball?  Spin can be added there, why not a golf ball on a putt?

A ping pong ball doesn't roll along the ground. Nor is a putter anywhere near as grippy as a table tennis paddle, or swung as fast.

So… not really much at all like a table tennis situation.

[Hardspoon]

3 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

How would it be any different than a ping pong ball?  Spin can be added there, why not a golf ball on a putt?

You can add side spin to a golf ball on a putt, but not much, and it wouldn't actually do anything. 

You know that trick where you spin a Ping Pong ball backwards but shoot it forwards, and it reverses? Try that with a golf ball...it won't do much of anything.

[dchoye]

I like to feel my putts cut or hook particularly uphill ones . Weather it does or not I'm not sure. 

[baller7345]

Rather than ping pong I'd say a better comparison would be putting english on a cue ball.

With that said I can't see any circumstance where you'd generate enough spin on any putt to cause any noticeable curve. 

On a side note, I assume it would be possible to draw or fade a putter with a full swing?  I can't think of any reason why the same laws wouldn't apply, but then again I can't say I've ever thought to take a lot of full swings with a putter to begin with.

[Patch]

Why would anyone want to put side spin on a putted ball? Seems you'd have hit it pretty hard to get enough spin on it to effect it's roll. Probably too hard for most putts. 

Perhaps a glancing impact would give the ball some side spin, but rolling on the turf would take a way the side spin pretty quickly. 

For taking the break out of a shorter putt, I just give it a good rap. Most of the time I make it, but when I do miss, I am left with a 3-4 foot comeback. 

I know some folks who say they take some break out of putts by hitting the ball off the heel or toe of the putter face. Never really tried that myself. 

Edited April 17, 2016 by Patch

[Buckeyebowman]

Geez, this goes all the way back to Bobby Locke and maybe before. If you look at a ball rolling along a uniform, flat surface the only way it can rotate is on an axis horizontal to that surface and perpendicular to the path it is following. If the surface tilts the axis will tilt and the path will change. And remember, gravity is always in charge.

I've heard the old tips about hitting a slick, downhill right to left putt off the toe, and a slick, downhill left to right putt off the heel. I don't think this has a thing to do with spin. I think it has to do with removing the center mass off the putter from behind the ball. Striking the putt on the toe or heel may allow you to strike the putt more delicately. "Take something off it", if you will.

[Rainmaker]

Well . .there's 2 questions here now . .1.  Could you put sidespin on a putt if that was your main focus and you tried your hardest to do it?  and 2.  Does Bubba (or anybody) put side-spin on actual putts. 

1.  Maybe?

2. I don't think so?  Bubba is very much a "feel" guy and not somebody I think of as rock-solid with a putter.  He might just be doing something weird and the announcer might just be talking out of his arse. 

[b101]

Can't see how it'd be a good idea, but then again, it'd be very Bubba... It certainly wouldn't give you much of an advantage, but you can certainly miss putts by cutting across them - which I did for ages - meaning that the roll is inconsistent.