Choosing a Putter

You can’t improve your putting simply by choosing a putter that you happen upon. That is too easy.

Certainly it can help if your existing one is well past its use by date or ill-suited to your stroke, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that equipment is the full answer to excellence on the greens.

The sound view is that you should first learn the fundamentals of a good setup and repeatable stroke.

Only then start looking for a putter that matches your body specifications, complements your technique, and has visual appeal.

So what is your best buy, should you decide that you must have a new putter? The variety of makes and models available today is huge, and you will be faced with an over-choice.

The mistake is to rush out on a whim choosing a putter simply on high-tech marketing hype, or the reputation of the maker. Start your search by understanding that there is no one putter that outstrips the competition.

It is true that everything works better with the right putter in your hands as confidence plays a big part in your success on the green. However, there are a number of features you should first consider before choosing a putter.

Putter Styles

In broad terms there are a few different styles to consider – classic blade styled putters, heel-toe weighted flange blade putters, and face-balanced mallet putters.

A rough and ready way to check the style of putter is to balance it on your extended fingers.

Classic blade styled putters (for example, a Ping Sedona) hang with the toe pointing to the ground.

Heel-toe weighted flange blade putters (for example, a Ping Anser 2) hang at a 45 degree angle to the ground.

Mallet putters (for example, Odyssey Two-ball) are face-balanced with the putterface pointing to the sky.

The choice of head design is a matter of preference. In terms of playability the classic blade styled putter is the least forgiving.

Heel-toe weighted flange putters still dominate the off-the-shelf market and are popular with golfers whose stroke path is inside-square-inside.

During the stroke the heel moves faster through the impact area than the rest of the putterface while the weight in the toe helps to square the putterface at impact. In short, the head-toe weight distribution works to stabilise the putter head at impact and is more forgiving of mishits.

Mallet putters with their larger and heavier heads favour a stroke path that is more square to square, or inside-square-square.

In a face-balanced putter (a common feature of mallet putters) the centre of gravity is in the same plane as the shaft. Therefore, during the transition from backstroke to forward stroke there are no dynamic forces to either open or close the putterface.

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Putter Types

Apart from different putter styles in choosing a putter you also have a choice in different putter types - a standard putter, a belly putter and a long putter. I have tried all three, but prefer a standard type putter cut down to match my height and arm hang.

The only advice I can give you is to try them and draw your own conclusion. Both the belly and long putters are designed to stabilise your stroke by providing a fixed anchor point against your body.

Long putters have the added advantage of allowing you to stand more upright at address and so put less pressure on your back.

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Cost

The cost of a putter is related to the reputation of the maker and the method of production. Using cost as the most important criterion in choosing a putter is a big mistake.

The more mass-produced the putter head, the greater the likelihood that its quality is compromised when compared to custom-made putter heads. For example, there is a certain amount of “face waviness” in off-the-shelf putters that are investment cast compared to the perfectly flat precision milled faces of the better made putters.

My view is that it is worthwhile to pay a little more for an established maker and model than look for a bargain basement putter at a discount golf chain store.

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Shafting

The flex and weight of the steel shaft is not something you need to think about in choosing a putter. Of more importance is the way the shaft is attached to the putter head.

All putters are either heel-shafted or centre-shafted. There is no one right way to fit the shaft into the putter head as long as the maker abides by the Rules of Golf for conforming putters.

Again the look is a matter of preference. I prefer a straight-in centre-shafted putter as it has a more uniform weight pattern. This makes it is easier for me to prevent the putterface from flaring open on the backstroke.

Besides the entry position of the shaft, you will see putters with or without hosels. Some models use a single or double bend in the shaft instead of a hosel. Others have different shapes and lengths of hosel built into the putter head itself.

The primary goal of an offset hosel and the bend in the shaft is to position your hands slightly ahead of the putter head. This eliminates any need for a forward press and enhances your ability to maintain a slight acceleration through the ball at impact.

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Alignment Aids

An alignment aid is important when choosing a putter for two reasons. Firstly it helps you to square your putterface to your aimline. Secondly it helps you to line up the sweetspot on your putter with centre of your ball.

Some putters are easier to line up than others are, as they provide good sighting lines. In general, lines are better than circles as their straight edges offer a better contrast.

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Inserts

If you look at the face of a putter you will notice that some have a face insert of a different material and other don’t.

There are several purposes for an insert. One reason is remove metal from the centre of the putterhead to increase perimeter weighting.

A second reason is to provide a softer feel on the putt at contact enhancing feedback, as well as to increase the dwell time of the ball on the putterface.

For golfers using a two-piece distance ball to juice up their drives, an insert can compensate for the harder cover material.

I have used putters with and without inserts and I don't think you should factor in too much importance to an insert. There are other more important features to consider when choosing a putter.

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MOI

MOI stands for Moment of Inertia and refers to how quickly the putterface twists during impact if you mishit the sweetspot. People who build putters achieve a higher MOI by moving the weight of the putter head away from its centre of gravity. The higher the MOI, the better chance you have of making the putt.

As an amateur you are likely to have more mishits towards the heel or the toe of your putter than on the sweetspot. When you hit a putt off-centre, you are sacrificing a degree of distance and directional control. Increasing the putter head size is a common design feature to compensate for any mishit.

There are a number of large-headed putters, disparagingly referred to as branding irons or potato mashers, on the market. The putter head may appear ugly and the look may not fit the eye of many golfers. Nevertheless, the design increases the MOI and helps you to minimise the effects of a mishit.

If you prefer the more traditional look, it makes more sense for you to putt with a heel-toe weighted putter than a blade putter. This is because the MOI is about three times greater, even though both head weights are the same. The playability factor is simply better.

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The look, the feel, the weighting, and how the ball sounds off the putterface is personal. Switching to a new softer model of Callaway ball Phil Mickelson recently opted for a harder insert in his putter to preserve the sound that he liked.

The solution in making a choice of putter is to try as many putters as you can before deciding which one fits your stroke and your eye best.

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