Putting is part art and part science. The hours of practice and playing develop the art, but many players rely solely on this aspect and ignore the science of the equipment, because they are unaware of its importance. You want to eliminate every variable from your putter that can unduly influence distance and directional control. There are five basic putter specifications that dramatically improve your putting using science and technology coupled with the proper fitting.
1. Proper Length: It’s important to have the proper posture that places the eyes directly over the ball. Proper length also allows the golfer’s arms to hinge directly under the shoulders. This helps promote a smooth stroke from slightly inside to square at impact, to slightly inside on the follow through. This builds consistency in the stroke because it heavily influences both distance and directional control.
2. Proper Lie: The lie angle is a major factor in controlling the initial direction of the ball after impact. If the toe of the putter is sticking up in the air, the ball will pull slightly to the left. If the toe is down and the heel is up, the ball will likely be pushed slightly to the right. An incorrect lie angle causes a slightly less solid hit, because the ball is impacted at more of a glancing blow, which adds some degree of side spin.
3. Proper Loft: Most players do not realize the fact that, when resting on the green’s surface, the ball actually settles down into a depression caused by the ball’s weight. When you strike a putt, the ball needs to be lifted up and out of its depression. Though you may not see it, when the putt is not lifted slightly or if it is lifted too high, it will bounce and make your skid and roll through different length putts inconsistent. This makes it very difficult for you to consistently achieve the proper putt distance. Conventional putters must have 4-6 degrees of loft on the face to chip the ball out of its depression. This creates a slight backspin until the ball hits the ground and the friction of the grass causes the ball to skip or skid before it begins its true forward roll. Precisely milled and spaced grooves on some putters will grip, hold, and release the ball into an immediate forward roll without any skipping or skidding. Because of the gripping, these putters feature less loft than most other putters on the market (1.5-2 degrees). Special equipment can determine your putter’s actual loft and whether your hands are ahead of, behind, or square to the putter head at impact.
4. Proper Swingweight: The proper swingweight (head weight) range for any conventional style putter of any length is very important. The proper putter swingweight promotes the proper feel of the putter and becomes another major factor in distance control. The swingweight scale is used to determine if a putter head is too heavy, too light or in the acceptable range. Many heads on putters are simply too light, which hurts consistent distance control and is a factor in directional control as well. Too heavy a putter usually does not affect directional control very much but it seriously affects distance control. It’s another key fitting variable that most golfers aren’t aware of but would benefit from.
5. Head Design: Every putter head design type and style is associated with a different playability level. Some are easier than others for certain golfers. For instance, a golfer who does not consistently hit the putt on or near the center of the putter face benefits dramatically from a putter design with a much bigger sweet spot. On the other hand, a touring professional who impacts the putt consistently in a 1⁄4” circle on the face can putt with any putter head style they like. Putters that have longer head lengths or have visible heel and toe weighting have higher moments of inertia and can benefit all golfers. Blade style putters have low moments of inertia and are usually reserved for better players. The five variables above are all very important to better putting. You will never realize your full putting potential with a putter that is wrong for you.
Get fit today, and putt better immediately! For more information and to schedule your professional fitting, contact Pat Marek at Marek Custom Golf, 303-857-0341. Also, visit Pat’s website at www.marekcustomgolf.com.
