sjduffers

I agree. I had long replaced the grip from my Scotty, with a midsize Winn that was a little squishy as well. But this is definitely better. Just today I made another long putt for birdie (about 30ft). I did 3-putt from about 80 ft though as I misjudged the pace on the first and misread the break on the second putt with about 8ft left... After 4 rounds with the new putter, I had 29 putts 3 times and 30 putts once. Thank you, thank you very much (in my best Elvis voice)!

Do you want me to upload a video? Let's see if I can figure this out...

I am new here. I have read this thread with a lot of interest as slow play is definitely a pet peeve of mine, particularly when it's caused by players who are clueless (and not deliberately trying to be slow... or important!), for which the remedy is simply education. It galls me even more when neither the course nor the leadership of a group (e.g. in multiple groups play such as tournaments) does anything to enforce guidelines/rules or educate. I walk about 80% of my rounds on week days and have played anywhere from 2:30 to 5:30 on those days, and I can definitely say I am not the reason for this large of a difference. I have played as a single in 4:15 and played as part of a five-some in 3:45. You name it, I have seen it... all the way to 6:45 rounds (I wanted to go home so bad!) I am also playing in an associate club (roaming club without real estate assigned) that organizes tournaments on the weekends, riding, thankfully! The format is stroke play and every hole needs to be putt out or you are DQ'd, which sometimes leads to scores of 12 or over per hole. This group routinely plays in over 5 hours. The previous leadership was trying its best to sensitize people to the issue and educate them on how to be better and it worked to some extent: recording the finishing times was an incentive as nobody wanted to be in a group finishing 20 minutes (or worse!) after the previous group. The new leadership won't do any of these things and in fact the president himself admits that he is a bit deliberate (code word for slow!), yet routinely gets paired in the first or second group out and sets a bad example for everyone, and a bad pace for the rest of the tournament, not to say anything about the poor souls playing after us. The excuse is usually, we are not as good as you, and yes there are some really high handicappers (we range from about 5 to 36.4) in there, but I don't buy this as being the primary reason why. Yes, it is a factor, but poor cart management is the biggest culprit in my view. Anyway, in 2014, I played about 120 rounds overall, with 23 at or over 5 hours, most of those long ones playing with that crew (I think we had 15 tournament rounds that year). I have threatened to quit over this (and other shenanigans). I was indeed determined to do so, but haven't yet found a suitable replacement club in the area, so I have re-upped my dues for 2015 (I am getting a GHIN index through them). I'll bring it up again... and again, until they do something or ban me... but it can be stressful. I have learned to be more patient on the course (inside or outside this group) and I am pleased when a round finishes in 4 hours or under. Sure, if I was in a cart as a single, I could zip around under 2 hours, but I am not trying to do that, at sunset or whatever... I don't mind people doing that, just don't expect to do it on crowded muni courses on a weekend, and certainly not behind one of our tournaments. I am sorry for the latter part, but there isn't much more I can do about it...

Thank you all for the thoughtful replies. I went out today and once again had 29 putts with no 3-putts, although I didn't make any over 20ft and none made were for birdie. Still, it's the third time playing with the new putter and the third time I have 29 putts: I'll take that all year, thank you very much! I like the idea of a 4 putter rotation: I found some really old ones (including a bullseye copycat) in the garage that older family members may have used at some point long ago: maybe I should regrip them and try them if (or when) this honeymoon ends... but I am not in a hurry! I think that GangGreen nailed it when he mentioned increased focus due to the strangeness. But Meisce has a point: this new putter is a better fit for me, as the first one was a nice gift and I think that I adapted to it, not the other way round. We'll see... I'll report back later.

I am new here. I have read the forums for a while and finally decided to jump in... and share in the fun! I made an introduction post in the Welcome forum so I won't repeat it here. Anyway, here is my question: Having played for about 10 years, the first 2 or so with hand-me down clubs and the rest with my own clubs, including a Scotty Cameron Detour Newport putter that I received as a (very!) nice gift, I finally had the urge to change that putter and experiment a bit. I recently spent quite a bit of time, on several occasions, at my local box box golf store and tried a bunch of putters, in different styles (blade, mallet, counter-balanced grips, etc...) but always came back to one... and finally bought it. It's an Odyssey Versa #2 (blade type, BWB) with an oversized Slim 3.0 Superstroke fat grip, one inch shorter than my previous one, at 34". I played 2 rounds with it since and already made 6 long putts (> 20 ft), 2 of them for birdies. I also made a lot more short putts (still missing one here or there, of course), to the point that I estimate that this putter saved me 8 to 10 strokes in just 2 rounds (29 putts total in each of these rounds). In other words, I just love it! So, is my experience with a new putter typical, kind of a honeymoon phase, or can I expect everything to revert to the means? I believe the shorter length and different grip allow for a better/smoother stroke, but perhaps I am just under the magic spell of new gear. What is your experience in that matter? I know some people collect putters like parking tickets and some stay true to an old one, sometimes for 40+ years. And Happy New Year to everyone.

Hi everyone and Happy New Year 2015. May you all hit them long and straight (and putt the ball in the hole too). I have taken up golf in my mi-40s, about 10 years ago. I am playing around 3 times a week, off an 11-12 index in the Bay Area of Northern California. I am currently taking some lessons to improve my ball striking (and GIR stats) and hope to be single digit (around 8) by the end of the year. I have been reading/lurking on this site for a while and finally decided to join. I also purchase the Lowest Score Wins book and need to read again: it's a great resource. It was reading this book that caused me to take some lessons to try to get better. Obviously a work still in progress...

I think the first 2 rows should be swapped. The course handicap is higher when the course is more difficult, ie. when the course rating is 72 vs 68. Other than that, at my level (around 85), I find my stats are very near the projected stats, in nearly all categories, a bit worse on GIR and a bit better on FIR and putting. I am working on my irons right now to bridge that gap.